By Pari Thapa, General Secretary
RUFN Revolutionary United Front of Nepal
Historical Background
The historical background of the conflict in the Palestinian territories is very long, and at its
center is the famous historical and religiously important city of Jerusalem. That conflict began as a Crusade in 1095 and continued for about 150 years up until 1249. During that time Christians from Europe (especially Western Europe) repeatedly attacked and occupied
Jerusalem. The main reason for that conflict was the occupation of the city of Jerusalem, which is considered a holy place by the three different offshoots of the Abrahamic religions:Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Among these three religions, Christianity and Judaism have a close relationship, as their Old Testament is almost identical. Therefore, the Crusades were essentially a war between two sides, Christianity and Islam. Currently, the eastern part of Jerusalem is predominantly Muslim or Palestinian, and the western part is principally Israeli and Jewish, and both sides claim it as their capital. US President Donald Trump controversially declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel during his previous term, and a large majority of the UN member states voted against
it (128 to 9).
The establishment of the State of Israel
The Nazi regime, led by German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), had already begun a
campaign to expel Jews as anti-social elements since 1933, before the start of World War II. However, the mass deportation of Jews and the massacre (Holocaust) reached their peak during the years 1941-1945, a few years after the start of World War II. Britain, on the other hand, had begun preliminary work since 1917 by promising to facilitate the establishment of a”national home” for Jews within the borders of Palestine. As the process of establishing a separate state for Jews progressed, Israel (formally known as the State of Israel) was finally established on May 14, 1948. And a year after the establishment of the State of Israel, it was recognized as a member of the United Nations on May 11, 1949. After the establishment of Israel, Jews living in the diaspora in various countries around the world came to Israel and settled there. The father of the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, came to Israel from Poland.
Western countries, especially the United States, played a significant role in the establishment of Israel. After the end of World War II, the power and influence of Western European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, which had previously been established as major colonial powers, weakened. The United States and the Soviet Union, then the world’s superpowers, emerged as such because they played a leading role in ending World War II bydefeating the leading countries of the war, including Germany and Japan. Despite being allies in World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union began competing for world domination to establish new colonies. In such a situation, the United States wanted to fulfill its interests by keeping the petroleum-rich region of West Asia (Middle East) as its sphere of influence. For this purpose, the United States desperately needed a satellite state to play a supporting role, and this need could be fulfilled
through Israel.
Involvement of the United States
Israel has received extensive military and diplomatic support from the United States.
Similarly, the United States has repeatedly vetoed resolutions presented at the United
Nations regarding the Hamas-Israel ceasefire. The United States has provided Israel with
extensive military, economic, and diplomatic support, as well as directly intervening in the
war. In the process, 100 American soldiers were deployed to operate the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a high-tech air defense system. In addition, American pilots flew drones over Gaza to provide Israel with information. This work was done to find the whereabouts of Palestinian militant leaders and hostages in Gaza. Israeli government spokesman David Menashe said that Israel’s March 18, 2025, attack on Gaza was “fully coordinated with Washington” and thanked the Trump administration for “their strong support for Israel.”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a military alliance formed primarily to serve the security interests of the United States and Western European countries in the North Atlantic region. Although Israel is not officially a member of the military alliance, most of its members, especially the United States, have maintained close relations as very crucial allies and friends. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that Israel is a shadow or extension of American imperialism. The current US President, Donald Trump, himself is warning the Western European countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the US cannot afford to pay for their security. However, in the case of Israel, he has left no stone unturned and no grass unturned in providing full economic and military support. US President Donald Trump has not only said that Gaza residents should be displaced and resettled in neighboring Arab countries, but that the US should also take over Gaza. In this way, to the extent that the US has supported Israel,this war should be called the joint war of the US
and Israel.
The Role of Iran
In the context of the conflict between Palestineand Israel, Iran’s role cannot be ignored. Iran craves to establish itself as the first major regional power and has been formulating a
strategy accordingly. The US has succeeded in ending the hostile relations between Israel and other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, and establishing friendship between them. However, Iran and Israel consider each other enemies; the main reason for this is that Iran does not recognize Israel as a country or nation. Iran’s declared policy is to end the existence of Israel and establish an independent Palestinian state.
Since Iran and Israel do not share a border, they are not close neighbors, so there is no direct war between them. Iran does not want to get involved in a direct war because, in that case, the US would come forward with all its might to protect Israel. Therefore, Iran wants to wage a proxy war against Israel through its allied organizations. For that, Iran has been supporting militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Palestine, and engaging them in the war against Israel. Before the overthrow of Syrian dictator Assad and his flight to Russia, Iran’s role was also in favor. Thus, the war between Palestine and Israel is a war, however, fought between the world imperialist power, America, and the regional power, Iran.
The suffering of the Palestinian people
The greatest suffering and pain of the Palestinian people is their inability to achieve
the recognition of a sovereign, independent Palestinian nation/state with geographical
integrity in their homeland. According to the agreement signed between Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Oslo, Norway, on September 13, 1993, the
Palestinian National Authority was established on May 13, 1994, with partial non-military
(civilian) powers delegated from the Israeli administration. On November 19, 2012, the
United Nations granted the Palestinian National Authority the status of a non-member observer state. Although the majority of the members of the United Nations have voted in favor of granting full membership to the State of Palestine, this has not been possible due to the US’s veto.
The current situation of Palestine is one nation-state in two territories, with the State of Israel, which contains an area of 21,937 square kilometers, sandwiched between the two
territories. To the east is the West Bank, which covers an area of about 5,640 square kilometers and has a population of 2,747,943, and to the west is the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of 365 square kilometers and has a population of 2,351,000, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Initially, the Gaza Strip was also controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (State of Palestine), but after the elections held in 2006, it has been under the control of Hamas. However, both Palestinian
territories remain under Israeli control.
Contradictions between the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded on May 28, 1964, and its main
component is Fateh, and nine other groups are included. Hamas (Islamic Resistance
Movement) was founded on December 10, 1987, after splitting from the Muslim Brotherhood. It is reported that it also has a militant force of 20 to 25 thousand fighters. The basic conflict between these two organizations is that the PLO recognizes the existence of the State of Israel and is in favor of maintaining peaceful relations with Israel.
Similarly, it wants to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state through the
process of a two-state solution. In addition, the PLO refuses to be a proxy corps of Iran. In
contrast, Hamas rejects the existence of Israel and acts as an ally of Iran. In terms of formal international recognition, the PLO is more established than Hamas. Since 2007, the
bitterness between these two parties began, and due to the intolerance and hostility between them, one cannot exist in the area of influence of the other. As a result, they are unable even to work together and cooperate in the struggle against Israel. The existence of a serious disharmony between them is an advantage for Israel.
The war between Hamas and Israel
The Israeli counterattack began after crimes, and that Israel has committed genocide
in Gaza. The genocide committed by the state of Israel was assessed by the International Court of Justice. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli diplomat andformer military officer Yoav Galant, and the head of the Palestinian militant group Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Mohammed Deif. The arrest warrant was withdrawn after Mohammed Deif was killed. The first ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was reached on November 24, 2023, and the second on January 18, 2025, through thefacilitation and mediation of the Arab state of Qatar. However, neither of these ceasefires has been implemented in good faith, and the war continues to this day, causing loss of life and property. Due to the support and involvement of other world powers and regional powers, the war has also affected more countries in the
region.
Israel is primarily responsible for the physical destruction and genocide in Gaza. However,
Hamas’s tactics are also blamed for the civilian population, especially women and children,
becoming victims of war in large numbers. The tactics Hamas has adopted in its war against Israel are known as the Victim Card Policy. According to this policy, they focus their attacks on residential areas, and Israel retaliates by targeting them. As a result, a large number of civilians, women, and children are unexpectedly killed. Hamas is said to be trying to discredit Israel and garner sympathy for its cause. Similarly, another strange aspect has also been seen, that is, even after the Israeli attack onGaza, which has caused such destruction and genocide that it has almost turned into an open grave, none of the neighboring Arab countriesseems ready to accept the war-affected Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip there as refugees. In this case, it might be assumed that Hamas has adopted a policy of not allowing the war-affected people of Gaza to go to neighboring countries as refugees, and that the war-affected people themselves have a psychology that makes them not want to leave Gaza. But it is not possible to pronounce what the truth is about this. Despite the heinous attacks and oppression being carried out by Israel, the fighting spirit of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip, who continue to fight to defend their land with indomitable courage, is commendable.
The ongoing two and a half year long war between Hamas and Israel and the destruction
and genocide it has caused in the Gaza Strip must be seen and understood in the overall
context of the above historical and political phenomena. The entire justice-loving masses of
the people of the world must protest and condemn in the strongest possible terms the
attack, atrocities, and genocide committed by Israel on the Palestinian territory of Gaza and its people at the national and international levels. We must not only stand in favor of ending the ongoing war in Gaza and establishing peace, but also firmly support the natural right of the entire Palestinian people to establish a sovereign and independent state with their national independence. Since the struggle waged by the Palestinian people as a whole is for the attainment of their legitimate rights, that struggle is just. Therefore, the victory of their just struggle is inevitable. It would be most desirable to express our best wishes to all the Palestinian people for their speedy success on the path to that just victory.
– Author Pari Thapa has written this article on PALESTINE.This second edition of the ICOR Online Magazine PALESTINE is published on the occasion of Nakba Day, held on May 15, 2025, a day of international action and memory. In this
issue, various ICOR member organizations present their views.
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