The Israeli-Palestine conflict is not a new one for the fact that it has been going on for seventy-three years. Attempts to resolve the conflict through the Israeli – Palestinian peace process have barely been of any use. At least two hundred and forty-three people and more than a hundred women and children have been killed in Gaza whereas two hundred and twenty-five militants in Israel have died. The beginning of this conflict began with the establishment of Israel in 1948, arising from the intercommunal violence between the Israelis and the Hamas due to social and religious causes.
Protests outside Sheffield City Hall against Israeli occupation of Palestine.
This conflict, when compared to the Crusades seems to be quite similar for it too was fought between the Christians and the Muslims to capture the holy land of Jerusalem. the only difference here is that this particular conflict is being fought between Israel, a Jewish nation, and Hamas, an Islamic organization that was dedicated to the establishment of Palestine as a separate and independent state free from Israel.
Both Israel and Hamas claim Jerusalem for it is an important spot for Islam as well as Judaism. Jerusalem has the Al- Aqsa mosque, which is considered to be very sacred for Islam, second only to Mecca and Medina. it is also the holiest site for the Jews, who refer to it as ‘Temple Mount ‘ as it was the location of biblical temples, which are referred to have been written in Nazareth(modern-day Jerusalem) in the old testament.
Although, Israel was earlier a part of Palestine several conflicts with Hamas led to the formation of the Israeli West Bank Barrier which is a wall between Israel and Palestine. In fact, Israel had captured the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle Eastern war. However the Hamas wanted the very same territory for their future state since this move made by Israel was not recognized internationally, it led to even more conflicts.
The city of Jerusalem is sacred to all the Abrahamic religions, which is the main cause of all the bloodshed and wars taking place in Jerusalem in the past as well as the present. the Israeli- Palestinian wars have presently settled on a two-state solution offered by the united nations.
Wars cause bloodshed to become inevitable by not only damaging the lives of people but also the natural and technological resources, pushing a country decades behind. One apparent thing is that wars cannot come to an end until people unite and stop trying to capture places for the sake of religion. Had there been no conflicts over Jerusalem it would have surely prospered and flourished as a tourist attraction.
What people sometimes forget is that religions have united people in the past, just as they were meant to do and the reason they are failing to do so now is merely because of our mentalities and religious intolerance. We fail to understand that if someone else’s religious views are not the same as ours does not mean that they are wrong and most certainly does not give us the right to fight over it. After all, God does not reside in temples, mosques, or churches but instead in our hearts.