Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
17 October 2023 | 14:34 CAT

Image: Reuters

The horrific events over the last week are the culmination of a decades-long clash in the disputed region of the Middle East.

Following Hamas’s unprecedented surprise attack on Israel more than a week ago, much of the international community rushed to voice its concern about the escalation in tensions.

However, as Israel continues to bomb Gaza and attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, several governments have become critical of Israel’s actions — some more directly than others.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.

Certain that Israel plans a ground invasion in Gaza, Former Head of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Professor Jeff Halper, highlighted why the ground invasion may not have yet occurred but is expected any time.

“There are preparations for the ground invasion on the one hand, there is probably the negotiations over the 199 hostages being held and probably discussions between the United States and Israel about how large the invasion should be,” he said.

How did the occupied Palestinian territories become occupied?

In 1967, Israel launched what it said was a pre-emptive defensive war against Jordan, Egypt and Syria, as they appeared to be preparing to invade. The attack caught Arab governments by surprise and saw Israel achieve rapid victories, including seizing the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. The six-day war was a spectacular military success for Israel. Its capture of Jerusalem and newly acquired control over the biblical lands called Judea and Samaria in Israel opened the way to constructing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which became central to the conflict.

Israel placed the Arab population of the West Bank under military rule, which is enforced to this day.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.