Historical Overview of the Israel-Hamas Conflict and the Quest for Lasting Peace in the Middle East

Ever Since the Modern state of Israel was established in 1948, it has had conflicts and tensions constantly with its surrounding Islamic countries. Some of the larger conflicts in the history of the modern state are The Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, the South Lebanon conflict, the Gaza War, and of course the current Israeli-Hamas Conflict.

When Israel was established as a Jewish State, many Islamic Palestinians were forced out of their land in what is now the State of Israel. The Palestinians had been on that land for a long time, for several generations their family had lived there. But I think the crucial thing to remember is that, even though the Arabs had been there for a fairly long time, they were not there first. The Jews were. The Jewish people, along with the other tribes of ancient Israel had lived in the land that is now much of the modern state of Israel. This was thousands of years ago and predates the Arab Settlers by several millennia.

The Palestinians who were pushed out of Israel were sent to Gaza. A region in between Egypt and Israel. This is where the source of the most recent Israel conflict comes from. The government of Palestine has several political parties. One of them is Hamas. While Hamas is a political party, most of its power is military, and it has been recognized as a Terrorist group by both the US and the UN.

Hamas and Israel have exchanged bullets, and even small missiles for more than a decade, but until this recent conflict emerged, it has never been more than that until now. Hamas’s main goal is to eradicate the state of Israel, and greatly expand the power, territory, and resources of a new Palestinian government.

Israel’s goals include ending Hamas's rule in Gaza and reestablishing Israel’s defensive dominance. Ending Hamas’s rules does not mean getting rid of every Hamas supporter, it means taking Hamas out of a ruling position and making Hamas unable to retake power. In a way, it would be similar to the “denazification” process that Germany went through after World War II.

This is a complicated war, and there is no simple solution. Both groups have a claim to the land, and both are willing to fight for it. There are political reasons, religious reasons, and many other significant reasons for fighting this war. But for many innocent civilians on both sides of this war, it isn’t about any of these things. It is about whether or not you get blown up or shot. It is about being able to live, prosper, and get better. It is important in any war to spare Civilians as much as possible. But it is especially important now. This war is not in a position to end soon, and so as we go forward we must prioritize the value of innocent life.

When it comes down to it, the Israel-Hamas war is just the most recent continuation of the millennia-long dispute between two brothers who could not work through a dispute. More than half of the world’s population is descended from these two brothers, under 3 different religions. The Jews and Christians are descended from Isaac, and the Muslims are descended from Ishmael.

Isaac and Ishmael never worked through their problem, and it has caused unimaginable pain and suffering for several thousand years. We need to do better than these brothers and find a solution that will lead to lasting peace and prosperity. Without a solution leading to peace, this war will cause huge problems that will lead to even more conflict.

Peace, שָׁלוֹם ,سلام