By: Yusa Djuyandi, Observer in the field of Politics and Defense Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia.
Hamas’s attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, has sparked Israeli anger, because more than a thousand Israeli civilians, soldiers and police officers were killed in the attack, hundreds of them were even kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Israel’s angry attitude can be seen from the sporadic and brutal attacks that were carried out again on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of more than a thousand civilians in the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and the elderly. In this condition, the conflict between the two parties has created a humanitarian crisis which needs to receive the attention of many governments from various countries and citizens of the world, with the aim being that this violence will be stopped immediately, and a permanent peaceful solution can be sought.
Resistance Against Israeli Occupation and Annexation
We must open our eyes to Israel’s oppression of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Since Israel was founded in 1948 with the political support of western countries, such as the United States and Britain, the Israeli state has annexed much of the land and homes of the Palestinian people. In seizing the land of the Palestinian people, Israel often resorts to violence and oppression, causing many casualties among the Palestinian population, but unfortunately Israel’s allied countries often turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Palestinian people. Even if they behave, the highest thing they can do about Israel’s actions is simply regret Israel’s actions, but this attitude cannot stop Israel from continuing to take the land and homes of the Palestinian people with violence.
The Palestinian people in Gaza are experiencing more severe suffering due to the prolonged Israeli blockade. Gaza, in the view of various humanitarian agencies, is the largest prison in the world due to the implementation of the Israeli blockade. The Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip has difficulty getting access to the economy, health, clean water and electrical resources to support their lives. Israel’s occupation and confiscation of Palestinian land, coupled with the blockade they carried out, were arbitrary actions which were then opposed by the liberation organizations of the Palestinian people, and Hamas was one of those who opposed Israel.
This liberation organization views that there is an oppression that is not being responded to fairly by the international world, therefore for them there is no other way that can be done other than fighting this oppression by means of armed confrontation. It is important to understand that the war between Israel and the Palestinian liberation movement is in an unequal condition, because Israel has so many modern fighting tools, coupled with diplomatic and military support from western countries, rather than the Palestinian liberation movement which only relies on small attacks with support. weapons that are minimal and can be said to be less sophisticated than Israel’s. However, the Palestinian liberation movement was able to continue to survive for decades because of the spirit of liberation for the Palestinian people.
Amid resistance from Hamas and other Palestinian liberation groups against Israel, the Zionist state responded again with deadly and brutal military attacks, and again many Gazans were killed, even more than the number of soldiers, police and Israeli citizens who died. More than 40.000 Palestinians died because of Israeli attacks, Israel argued that they attacked Gaza to suppress extremist groups. However, Israel’s attacks were carried out sporadically using deadly weapons and caused long-term suffering, such as bombs containing white phosphorus. This is not the first time that Israel has used white phosphorus bombs to attack Gaza, these bombs have dangerous effects on those who inhale them.
Palestine Sovereignty
On November 22, 1974, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognized the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence, and sovereignty in the Palestinian territories. However, it took a long time for the Palestinian people to obtain the status of their territory as a state, and on November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly passed a motion changing the status of the Palestinian “entity” to a “non-member observer state” with a vote of 138 to 9, and 41 abstained. As of 14 September 2015, 136 (70.5%) of the 193 United Nations member states and two non-member states had recognized the State of Palestine.
A sovereign two-state solution (Israel – Palestine) should require the commitment of all UN member states, and the recognition of territorial sovereignty must refer to the 1947 UN plan. The Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (now the Palestinian State) on the one hand has encouraged a peace agreement between the two sides have been at war, but Israel often violates the agreement and violates the boundaries of Palestinian territory by forcibly taking Palestinian land with its military force. On the other hand, Palestine is at a disadvantage because they do not have the armed strength to defend the sovereignty of their territory and citizens, this condition creates an imbalance of power between the two countries.
Every time Palestinian liberation groups fight against Israeli tyranny, western countries always accuse them of being radical and terrorist movements, whereas when Israel brutally takes away the rights of the Palestinian people, including when Israel is currently carrying out continuous military attacks on Gaza, coupled with the cessation of electrical energy supplies and blockading of humanitarian aid to Gaza, western countries can only remain silent and actually support Israel’s actions regarding this aggression. What Israel has done to the Palestinian population in Gaza now has led to genocide, with which they slowly intend to close off the Palestinian people’s chances of living.
In fact, the protection of a country’s sovereignty cannot be handed over to the nation or state of Israel, especially since the Israelis occupy and always seize the territory of the Palestinian people. The State of Palestine needs to have its own strength at the beginning of the period. The development of its defence forces needs to be supported by the United Nations, therefore the deployment of Peace Troops is also needed in Palestine to support the independence and sovereignty of the Palestinian people.
Critics for West Countries
Western countries must not turn a blind eye to the atrocities often committed by the Israeli army, they need to impose sanctions on Israel which has closed humanitarian access and carried out sporadic attacks, the west also needs to immediately support the development of Palestinian power. The double standard of western countries in supporting Israel and ignoring Palestine is the root of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. If peace is to be established then justice must be upheld first, the source of the conflict is injustice and abuse which are not subject to sanctions.
The West must realize that their attitude in foreign policy towards Israel can trigger tension and distrust in the international world, as their attitude in siding with Ukraine in the conflict with Russia is different from their attitude towards Palestine which is currently occupied by Israel. Western countries criticized and even imposed heavy sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine but did not criticize and impose sanctions on Israel which has long isolated, seized and even violated the human rights of the Palestinian people. It is not impossible that this western policy will give rise to political and economic resistance from other countries, as more and more countries want to break away from dependence on the US dollar currency and products from western countries.
Dr. Yusa Djuyandi
Department of Political Science
Faculty of Social and Political Science
Universitas Padjadjaran
Bandung, Indonesia
