The Israel-Gaza Conflict

Since 1948 an intermittent war has been waged between Israel and Palestine. Everybody seeks an elementary answer to this issue - Who is at fault here? Is it the palestinians who have recently been victim to the Gaza bombings and Israeli ground troops invasion? Or is it Israel? A country that was formed in the aftermath of a holocaust whose citizens are been targeted by the rocket bombs.

In short, who are the bad guys in this scenario? Unlike a typical Hollywood movie, which eloquently expresses exactly who the villain is, the political situation in Gaza is complicated. Both the sides are at fault and both are also the victims. We can arrive at a conclusive answer to this problem only if we eliminate the idea that one side comprises of the "good guys" and one side of the "bad guys" from our mind.

Hamas deliberately wishes to have its citizens killed so that it can garner international sympathy while Israel also wishes to inflict irreversible damage on Gaza, so that the Hamas can never grow strong enough to actually pose a genuine threat to Israel.

The media has often publicized the killings on one side without adequately showcasing the problems of the other. However it is also true that while Israel sustains injuries, a majority of the deaths and sufferings are incurred by the palestinians.

The ongoing Gaza conflict is just another round of fighting between Israel and Palestine that commenced several years ago.

Israel has been blamed for blockading Gaza and turning it into an "open air prison" making life difficult for the palestinians living in Gaza and virtually suppressing any and all economic growth there.

In Israel's defence, the democratically elected Hamas has, in its charter, sworn to obliterate Israel and kill Jews in general. Members of the Hamas regularly fire rocket bombs into Israel. While Israel prevents such bombs from causing substantial damage using its system of the Iron Dome, it has to retaliate in some manner. The Hamas has also been accused of using "human shields". As the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu puts it,"We're using missiles to protect our civilians, and they're using citizens to protect their missiles." PM Netanyahu also pointed out that a majority of his country was under a near constant threat from Hamas' rocket attacks.

Another important aspect to observe in the Israel-Gaza conflict is that if the Hamas could, it would completely kill and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of violating all ceasefires and building underground tunnels to deploy weaponry. The problem is further complicated by the involvement of Egypt, which Israel claims provides illegitimate support to Hamas.

While the Israel-Gaza conflict is partially due to religious differences, it is not entirely characterized by it.

As of now the only solution that seems plausible is the two state solution whereby both, Israel and Palestine, negotiate and work out their differences to create some semblance of a long term peace.

Raghavi