An Apartheid Regime: A Simplified History of Israel’s Settler Colonialism
The ongoing events of May 2021 in Occupied Palestine mark a dark point in world history. They not only reflect the brutal actions of the incumbent Israel Government but are also a direct replication of the events of 1948 that forced thousands of Palestinians out of their homes and left them as stateless refugees. For weeks now, the world has witnessed Israel’s morally repugnant actions through the eyes of Palestinians as they turned the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque into a battleground to showcase their brutality and burnt residential and official buildings, clinics, and homes, into the ground.
As Israel’s government and military desperately attempt to victimize themselves on the world stage and wrongfully accuse innocent and unarmed civilian Palestinians of extremism and terrorist acts, it is important to understand the history of this ethnic conflict and how Israel has systematically displaced and killed millions for over a century.
Background
In the early 1900s, the present-day Israeli-Palestinian territory was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. It was a religiously diverse region with a population of Muslims, Christians, and Jews. This was also a time when there was a rise of nationalist sentiments among Jews located in the West after centuries of persecution. A significant number of people joined a movement that believed Judaism was not just a religion, but a form of nationalist identity. This mindset is still observed among the Jewish population of Israel as they believe Palestine is their divine land.
Tens of thousands of Jews moved to Palestine, believing it would be their ultimate haven. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after WWI and the Imperialist British Empire gained control of the region from 1919-1948. During WWI, the British announced support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, called the Belfour Agreement, disregarding the sentiments of Arab Palestinians in the region who had lived there for centuries. The holocaust led to the fleeing of millions of Jews from the persecution of the Nazi regime. The fall of the Nazi regime galvanized a significant global population in the favour of establishing a separate state for Jews. The UN approved a plan to divide the Palestinian territory into two states; Israel, which was to become an official state for the Jews and Palestine, which was to become a free country, and demarcated official borders, annexing a major part of Palestine to Israel. Jerusalem was declared an international zone since it served as an important religious site for Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
The cession of historically Arab land led to a war between the Arab states and Israel in 1947 and 1948. The brutal and bloody war displaced and killed Arab Palestinians in huge numbers, with the descendants of the stateless refugees adding up to more than 7 million today. In the process, Israel also pushed the existing borders demarcated by the UN and gained authority over more land as it continued expelling Palestinians out of their homes, moving countless Israeli settlers in. By the end of the war, Gaza and West Bank remained the only territories still a part of Palestine, controlled by Egypt and Jordan, respectively. The existing situation worsened for Palestinians as another war between Israel and Arab states broke out in 1967 which ended with the occupation of Golan Heights which was a Palestinian territory under the Syrian control and the West Bank. Over the decades, the tense situation between Arabs and Israel de-escalated while Israel continued illegally occupying Palestinian territories, including Gaza, West Bank, and Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis moved into the houses of Arab Palestinians for reasons such as cheaper housing, politics, and religion, as Palestinians continued losing their homes, lives, and livelihoods. The Jewish settlements were followed by the deployment of heavily armed forces to suppress any efforts of resistance on behalf of Arab Palestinians.
The efforts of resistance were followed by the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) which sought to gain independence for Palestine including the entirety of occupied territories. The settlers moving into Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank forced people off their homelands and became refugees.
Illegal persecution of Arab Palestinians
Since the establishment of the apartheid state of Israel, Arab Palestinians have been continually persecuted, displaced, and killed without legal precedents or committing a crime. To this day, the world has watched as Israel committed war crimes and debased principles of international law as provided by the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Conventions, which are central to the International Humanitarian Law.
The despicable treatment of Palestinians at the hands of the IDF and the Israeli Government has been around for more than a century. Following the illegal settlements and dispossession of Palestinians, there have been various uprisings, called ‘intifadah’, within the last few decades. Understanding the Intifadahs is essential to discern the present situation of the region as violence against vulnerable and unarmed Palestinians escalates.
The First Intifadah: In the 1980s, the Palestinian frustration exploded into its first intifadah. The uprising was met with heavy Israeli bombardments and the killing of more than a thousand Palestinians as they fought against the unjustified occupation of their land and violation of fundamental human rights.
The Second Intifadah: Following the biased Oslo Accords which attempted to broker a peace agreement between Israelis and the Palestinians by granting them a minor degree of freedom, Palestinian sentiments of suppression and unrepresentation led to the violent second intifadah, killing thousands of Palestinians between 2000 – 2005.
Following the two intifadahs, the ongoing struggle for freedom and a normal life left millions of Palestinians homeless and hundreds of thousands of them dead at the hands of brutal actions of the IDF and Israeli authorities.
East Jerusalem Forced Evictions and Crimes Against Humanity
The Israeli violence against Palestinians worsened when residents of Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem were served with notices to leave their homes or be forcibly removed in case of non-compliance. While the practice of dispossession of homes from Palestinian natives and apartheid has been a part of Israel since its inception, the state’s decision was met with rightful civil resistance. However, it is imperative to note that Israel’s military is one of the most powerful, highly-trained, and technologically advanced (Katz, 2017) in the world while Palestine does not have a formal military or any means to defend itself from the unjustified persecution of the brutal IDF.
The el Kurd family is one of the thirteen ordered to leave their homes by the Jerusalem District Court. The two siblings of the family, Muhammad el Kurd and Mona el Kurd, are both writers documenting and sharing their experience as they stand their ground only to face persecution at the hands of IDF militants. Their continuous struggles have so far allowed them to keep their house beyond 2nd May, which was the date of eviction appointed by the Israeli court. However, the el Kurd family, along with twelve more live under the threat of displacement every single day.
Over the last few days, there have been real-life accounts of Palestinian natives reporting of the IDF militants forcefully entering their houses to arrest family members without a cause and using tear gas within the walls of Palestinian homes. This pales in comparison to the horrific bombing that has destroyed countless homes, shelters, and buildings, all in the name of ‘self-defense. The IDF militants have reportedly broken into homes and spread violence across Gaza and West Bank by the use of brute force, arms, and grenades.
One of the most terrifying acts of the Israeli Government was its attack on buildings that house media offices including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press (AP). This action is a reflection of continuous Zionist efforts to censor media to suppress the voices that speak of Israeli injustices and war crimes. In light of recent events that have waged across Palestinian territories, experts and authorities around the world have questioned the atrocities committed by the IDF militants and seek to rightfully account for their crimes against humanity.
War crimes are defined by the Geneva Conventions, the precedents of the Nuremberg Tribunals, the Laws and Customs of War, and the statutes of the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague (ICTY). (“Ethics Guide”, n.d.)
Under the above-mentioned war crime laws, Israel has committed war crimes by plundering private property in the form of breaking and entering various households and using tear gas on Palestinian private property, as captured by live witnesses. Article II(1)(b) of the 1945 Allied Control Council Law No. 10 and Principle VI(b) of the 1950 Nuremberg Principles adopted by the International Law Commission provides that “wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity” is a war crime. (Customary IHL Database, n.d., #). However, Israel has repeatedly carried out extensive gruesome military operations against innocent Palestinians with no means to defend themselves, killing more than 200 in Gaza including 60 children, and wounding more than a thousand since the escalation of Israeli assaults and airstrikes from the beginning of May. The IDF forces and airstrikes have destroyed houses, residential apartment buildings, Gaza’s largest book store, and the only COVID-’19 testing center in Palestinian territories which has led to the devastation of the occupied region.
Israel’s attacks on Al Aqsa Mosque during the last ten nights of the Holy month of Ramadan are another addition to the lengthy list of atrocities committed by the settler state. Israel raids on the mosque injured more than 250 worshippers during the Holy month of Ramadan and abused thousands of worshippers, obstructing them for prayers and threatening their lives. IDF invasions of Al Aqsa over the decades also constitute war crimes under the Rome Statutes of 1998 stating that anyone “intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes [or] historic monuments” was committing a war crime. (Customary IHL Database, n.d., #)
Israel’s authorities have repeatedly denied claims of war crimes by stating that the acts of horror committed by the IDF are retaliatory and a form of self-defense despite evidence proving that Israel has repeatedly targeted civilian areas including schools, hospitals, and residential places which pose no threat to the settler colonialist state.
Despite international condemnation from Governments and humanitarian groups and extensive damage to the Occupied Palestinian territories, the Israeli authorities vow to continue carrying out bloody military operations. It goes without saying that unless the gruesome violence is ceased by the IDF instantly, Palestine could be reduced to rubble in no time, leaving millions homeless, injured, or dead. It is inexcusable for leaders around the world to stay silent as Israel commits genocide without any consideration of the damage caused and lives lost.
Bibliography
Customary IHL Database, ICRC. n.d. Destruction or Seizure of Property of an Adversary. https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule50#:~:text=Article%20II(1)(b,Allied%20Control%20Council%20Law%20No.&text=Principle%20VI(b)%20of%20the,necessity%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20war%20crime.
Customary IHL Database, IHRC. n.d. Attacks against Cultural Property. https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule38.
“Ethics Guide.” n.d. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/war/overview/crimes_1.shtml.
Katz, Yaakov. 2017. “Why Israel has the most technologically advanced military on Earth.” NY Post, January 29th, 2017. https://nypost.com/2017/01/29/why-israel-has-the-most-technologically-advanced-military-on-earth/.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/1/what-is-happening-in-occupied-east-jerusalems-sheikh-jarrah