Palestine, the land of prophets, martyrs, resistance, and the ongoing conflict between truth
and falsehood, sits at the heart of the Middle East and with the Israeli occupation, conflict
extends for more than seventy years.
Since (two thousand seven) 2007, Israel has been imposing a very intense blockade on
Gaza by land, air and sea.
On October 7, of this year, it launched an air, land and sea attack on Gaza, where more
than (two point three) 2,3 million people live. Then the Defence Minister announced
that Israel started a “complete siege” on Gaza, cut off electricity and water, and prevented the
entry of all kinds of goods, including food, fuel, health equipment, and even people.
How Did It All Start
Israel declared its existence as a state in (nineteen forty-eight) 1948 with the support of
Western countries, especially the UK. Before this date, the region was under the control of the
UK, which managed to dominate the Ottoman Empire in the First World War. While the
majority group in the region at that time was Arabs, Jews were a minority along with some other
ethnic groups.
On November (nineteen seventeen) 1917, following the letter known as the Balfour
Declaration. Britain decided to establish a state in Palestine for the Jews.
In (nineteen forty-seven) 1947, issues between Palestinians and the Zionists came to the
UN agenda for the first time with a resolution as the Palestine Question. With the decision in
question, the UN General Assembly adopted the decision to divide Palestine into two states, as
Arab and Jewish states, and to make Jerusalem an international city with a special status.
Although this plan was accepted by the Jews, the Palestinians, whose lands would be taken
away, did not accept this plan.
Realizing that the increasing attacks against it in the region, the Palestinian Question had
become a growing issue, Britain decided to withdraw from the region, and the Zionist leaders
took action upon this. David Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel on (fourteen) 14 May
(nineteen forty-eight) 1948, the day the British Mandate ended.
Only one day later, 5 Arab states in the region (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria)
declared war on Israel. During this war, (seven hundred fifty) 750 thousand Palestinians were
forced to leave their homes by Israeli forces. This event was later known as Nakba (Catastrophe).
In (nineteen sixty-seven) 1967, another war, also known as the Six-Day War, broke out.
In addition to the refugees who had to leave their homes due to these wars and conflicts,
many of the Palestinians who were born as refugees live in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as
in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. These Palestinian refugees are
prevented by Israel from returning to their homes from which they were forcibly removed.
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST “OPEN-AIR PRISON”: GAZA
Gaza, also known as the Gaza Strip, is a narrow strip of land located on the eastern coast of
the Mediterranean, bordered by Egypt to the southwest and Israel to the east and north. It is
approximately 40 km long and 10 km wide. (two point three) 2.3 million people live in such a
small area. This has made Gaza one of the most densely populated places in the world. The
region, which was controlled by Egypt for 19 years after the war in (nineteen forty-eight and
forty-nine) 1948-49, was occupied by Israel in 1967, and this occupation lasted until 2005. Israel,
which built Jewish settlements in Gaza during this period, realized that it could no longer keep
the region under its control and decided to withdraw its soldiers and settlers from the region in
2005.
Hamas won the elections held on January 25, 2006, with the withdrawal of Israel from
Gaza. Entering these Palestinian parliamentary elections under the name Change and Reform,
Hamas won 44.5% of the votes and won 74 of the 132 seats in the Parliament.
The EU held a view, describing them as “another important milestone in the building of
democratic institutions. These elections saw impressive voter participation in an open and fairly-
contested electoral process that was efficiently administered by a professional and independent
Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC).”
Ultimately, however, the US-led Quartet boycotted the Hamas-led government. After this
date, Hamas was boycotted by the USA, the EU, and some countries. On the other hand,
conflicts began between el- Fetih, the other important power in Gaza, and Hamas, and as a result
of these conflicts, Hamas took over the administration of Gaza.
Besides, there have been many clashes between Israel and Hamas forces, which have
completely blockaded Gaza, and Israel has carried out air and land operations against Gaza many
times.
Over the last 50 years, Israel has built more than (three hundred) 300 settlements in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem, where more than (seven hundred) 700 thousand Jewish settlers
live. According to many decisions taken by the UN and international law, all of these settlements
are illegal and the Jewish settlers living here are therefore in the status of occupiers.
