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At the UN Security Council, India called for an immediate resumption of talks between the Israeli and Palestinian governments on Gaza violence.
Key takeaways
- India thanked the Egyptian government for helping broker a ceasefire.
- India said that long-term peace in Israel and Palestine could be achieved only through a negotiated two-State solution,
- leading to the establishing of a sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine at peace with Israel.
Israel- Palestine conflict– Historical Background:
- It was between 1882 and 1948 when Jews from around the world gathered in Palestine. This movement came to be known as the Aliyahs.
- Then, in 1917, the Ottoman Empire fell after World War I, and the British got control over Palestine.
- The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and an Arab majority.
- The Balfour Declaration was issued after Britain gained control with the aim of establishing a home for the Jews in Palestine.
- However, during that period, the Arabs were in the majority in Palestine.
- The Jews favoured the idea, while the Palestinians rejected it.
- Almost 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust, igniting further demand for a separate Jewish state.
- The Jews claimed Palestine to be their natural home, while the Arabs did not leave the land and claimed it.
- In 1947, the UN voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem to become an international city.
- That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented.
The Creation of Israel
- It was in 1948 that Britain lifted its control over the area, and Jews declared the creation of Israel.
- This made thousands of Palestinians flee their homes. This was called Al-Nakba, or the “Catastrophe”.
- Jordan then went into a war with Israel and seized control over a part of the land called the West Bank, while Egypt occupied Gaza.
- Jerusalem was divided between Israel in the west and Jordan in the east.
About Israel
- Israel is a country in the Middle East bordering the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea.
- Israel borders Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip;
- It shares maritime borders with Cyprus.
- Capital – Jerusalem
- Disputed areas and countries:
- The West Bank -Palestine
- The Gaza Strip – Egypt
- The Golan Heights – Syria
- Sinai Peninsula – Syria.
About Palestine
- Palestine is an area of the eastern Mediterranean region, comprising parts of modern Israel and the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip (along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea) and the West Bank (west of the Jordan River).
- Capital
- Proclaimed Capital: Jerusalem
- Administrative Centre in Ramallah
- Bordered by
- East: Jordan River
- North: Modern Israel and Lebanon
- West: The Mediterranean Sea
- South: The Negev
The Gaza Strip
- It is located between Israel and Egypt.
- Israel occupied the strip after 1967 but relinquished control of Gaza City and day-to-day administration of most of the territory during the Oslo peace process.
- In 2005, Israel unilaterally removed Jewish settlements from the territory, though it continues to control international access to it.
About West Bank
- The West Bank is a landlocked territory in West Asia that is almost one-and-a-half times the size of Goa.
- It also includes a large portion of the western Dead Sea.
- Jordan conquered it after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, but Israel reclaimed it during the 1967 Six-Day War and has occupied it since.
Golan Heights:
- The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war.
- Israel effectively annexed the territory in 1981.
Pic Source: Indian Express
Content Source: The Hindu