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The history of the Israel-Palestine conflict dates back to the late nineteenth century. The United Nations adopted Resolution 181 in 1947, which sought to partition the British Mandate into an Arab state and a Jewish state. On 14 May 1948, the state of Israel was established, leading to the First Arab-Israeli War, which ended in Israel’s victory in 1949 but resulted in the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians. The Jewish elites, after purchasing land in Palestine, sought to occupy the entire country, and it was not difficult for them to do so as Arabs were not as wealthy as the Jewish people. The Jewish state was named “Israel,” and the United States was the first nation to recognize it. Israel also entered into the countries of the Middle East, such as Egypt and Syria. The Camp David Accords established better relations between Israel and the neighbours but the issue of the self-determination of the Palestinians remained unresolved.
Hamas has far fewer weapons than Israel, but the desire to gain freedom from decades of oppression and tyranny compelled it to attack Israel, the response of Israel is far greater as it has advanced, and large-scale weapons and forces have waged genocide against Palestinians. This is not only a dispute over land between parties, but also a tyrannical armed regime of despotism against innocent, unarmed civilians. The Western powers are ensuring that Israel never runs out of weapons while it continues to terrorize Palestinians. The Western powers call Hamas; a defensive group of Muslims a terrorist group. If Hamas acts in the name of the rights of Muslims, it is considered a terrorist group in the eyes of the World. If a non-Muslim group attacks Muslims to terrorize them it is called a defense. Israel’s foreign ministry has stated that 84 nations are on its side including the USA, Canada, Australia, India, and others.
When Israel declared its statehood, the US was the first country to recognize it. US military support was key in Israel’s conflicts, like the 1973 war. In addition to the military, Israel’s advanced tech and trade have made it a major trading partner. The US also sees Israel as a democracy and considers it a “bastion of democracy” but on the other hand, in past times the relationship between the United States and Israel was essential in resolving the Israel and Palestine conflict. The conflict began after the United Nations (UN) adopted Resolution 181 in 1947, which partitioned the land of what is now Israel.
After the Arab–Israeli War (1948) and the 1967 conflict (1967), Israel occupied the territories it did not recognize as part of the state of Israel. The United States, while generally supporting Israel, opposed the full occupation of the land it did not recognize. The United States actively sought diplomatic solutions to the conflict leading the diplomatic effort after the 1967 war and the 1973 war. The overall commitment remains to a “two-state solution,” advocating for a fair division of land between Israel and Palestine for peaceful coexistence.
The relationship between the US and Israel has become more complicated in the modern era. Within the US, critics argue that America’s defense assistance to Israel runs counter to its objectives for Israel and Palestine, as US weapons could be used against the Palestinians. Nevertheless, military cooperation has increased, especially in the fields of cyberwarfare and information and technology. The United States ‘bastion of democracy,’ Israel, has demonstrated Pseudo-democracy by stealing people’s land and then killing them to create a bigger Israel that only inhabited Jews.
U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel in a show of support following the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s surprise terror attack. In a speech from the Oval Office, US President Joe Biden said the current wars in the Middle East and Ukraine represent an “inflection point in history”; both the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin aim to “annihilate a neighboring democracy,”. To counteract them, he requested Congress to approve extra military funding for Israel and Ukraine; the whole request package is estimated to be in the $100 billion range.
The US remains staunchly opposed to demands for a ceasefire in Gaza, but as the fight rages on, killing thousands and threatening all-out regional warfare, concerns about the US’s motivations for supporting Israel’s attack arise. The White House has rejected any “intention to put US boots on the ground” on several occasions. Nonetheless, the US is increasing its military presence in the region, and according to recent media reports, the Pentagon has dispatched experts to assist Israel in planning its impending ground assault on Gaza.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for an urgent cease-fire, but the United States has vetoed the resolution and has shown constant backing for Israel. This demonstrates how the United States contains the power of any forum or state to retain its hegemony. The democratic flag-bearer never supports human rights in nations that are not in its interests or are deemed to be a danger to its interests. India has also expressed its entire support for Israel, bearing in mind not just its good relations with Israel, but also its need to remain connected to the world’s major countries to continue expanding as a regional force.
The current massacre in Palestine, as well as the Western world’s backing for the tyrant, demonstrate that international politics is ‘amoral’ and simply serves its interests. What will cost them to help deprived Palestinians while opposing Israel? They see no benefit in this and serve their interests at the cost of human lives. If the UN succeeds in establishing a cease-fire, will it question the United States’ hegemony?
The writer is a student of Peace and Conflict Studies.
