| Photo by Dixit Dhinakaran on Unsplash
The fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has again highlighted the continued suffering of the more than 2 million Palestinian civilians there. Since Israel’s military campaign in the territory began in October 2023, over 68,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, and Israeli attacks have left as many as 170,000 wounded.
These figures are supported by the United Nations, which says at least 30,000 children suffer from acute malnutrition due to Israel’s weaponization of food. Today, the country is still not fulfilling its part of the ceasefire agreement to allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza. It only allows an average of 89 a day.
Israel has received all 20 living hostages who were taken during Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. But the bodies of 15 others are yet to be found, likely buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli forces. Israel will not even allow Hamas to bring in heavy equipment to see those bodies. Israeli forces have already violated the ceasefire. The most recent bombing in Gaza killed about 60 Palestinians after Israel said two of its troops were killed by Hamas fighters. But the United States and independent journalists said the explosion was caused by a bulldozer hitting an unexploded ordnance, not a Hamas attack. Top US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, even visited Israel recently to ensure the truce holds.
A UN Mine Action Service report in May 2024 said approximately 7,500 tons of unexploded ordnance were buried across Gaza. Bombs supplied by the US to Israel include 14,000 MK-84 2,000-lb bombs, 6,500 500-lb bombs, and 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided missiles. Israeli forces have used these to reduce Gaza to rubble, burying in the process more than a thousand bodies of Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really wants to resume the war to postpone his corruption trial. At present, a multinational task force comprising troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates is being formed to monitor the ceasefire. The US Central Command will be in Israel to oversee events in Gaza.
“As many as 33 percent of Palestinians are for a two-state solution, 34 percent among Israeli Jews, and 60 percent among Israeli Arabs. But fanatical Israeli leaders have rejected it and declared that Israel has a historical right to own all of Palestine as its sovereign territory.”
During the 80th UN General Assembly in September, 157 out of 193 nations recognized Palestine as an independent state. The UN and its judicial body, the International Court of Justice, said Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal under international law.
Palestine has been an observer at the UN since November 2012. Its efforts to become a member have been continually blocked by the US. On Sept. 26, 2024, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide co-led a meeting of representatives of about 90 countries, held on the sidelines of that year’s UN General Assembly, to launch a global alliance for a two-state solution.
Since the Arab summit meeting in 1982, the Palestine Liberation Organization has accepted the concept of a two-state solution based on the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. But Hamas, which has been declared a terrorist organization, made a new policy statement in 2017 saying it would accept the idea of a Palestinian state as long as the 1967 borders define this. It does not formally recognize the state of Israel. There is growing worldwide support for a two-state solution.
As many as 33 percent of Palestinians are for a two-state solution, 34 percent among Israeli Jews, and 60 percent among Israeli Arabs. But fanatical Israeli leaders have rejected it and declared that Israel has a historical right to own all of Palestine as its sovereign territory. “Between the sea and Jordan, there will only be Israeli sovereignty,” Netanyahu and his right-wing allies declared on Jan. 18, 2024. A more politically progressive Israel will have to emerge if a two-state solution is realized. The country’s next general elections are scheduled for Oct. 27, 2026. The government’s instability could prompt a snap election to keep Netanyahu in power.
The integrity of the West Bank — where 3.4 million Palestinians live — is central to the two-state solution. Another 7.8 million Palestinians are living abroad. The vast majority of these displaced live in other Arab countries. However, Israel is trying to make the two-state solution impossible by advancing its E-1 plan to expand more Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It is a “divide and conquer” plan to make permanent their illegal occupation of the territory under international law.
There are already 160 settlements with 200,000 Israeli Jews living there. The Palestinians are resisting the occasionally violent land-grabbing and the destruction of their olive groves by Israeli settlers, supported by their army. The settlers attack Palestinians on their own land to drive them away. A draft Israeli law proposes annexing the West Bank, but the US opposes this.
Breaking up the West Bank undermines the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, and the expansion of the said settlements jeopardizes that possibility. This “invasion” is supported by many Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks placed all over the Palestinian territories. These are apparently designed to divide and separate and restrict travel, harass people, and are part of the occupation plan to damage the economy and impoverish and disempower the Palestinians.
Israel recently announced that it would formally occupy a 12-square-kilometer (4.6-square-mile) section of land east of Jerusalem for the new settlement expansion. It will construct 3,400 new homes for Israeli settlers. It will cut off much of the occupied West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem while also linking up thousands of illegal Israeli settlements in the area. It is a prelude to annexation. The US has condemned any annexation move, as President Donald Trump has promised Arab states that this would not happen. East Jerusalem would be the future capital of a Palestinian state.
The UN, the European Union, and 21 countries have condemned the plan, saying it makes a two-state solution impossible. “We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” they said, describing Israel’s construction plans as a “violation of international law.” Palestinians have growing international recognition and support, but would it translate into action that would curb the oppression of the Palestinians and help set them free?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shay Cullen is a Missionary priest from Ireland, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, and the Founder and President of Preda Foundation since 1975.
