US Secretary of State John Kerry is currently trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel
and Hamas. We can’t say what will come out of these talks or what the future holds for
the region, but we can talk about the players involved.
There are three major players and a slew of fringe groups actively involved in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. They are Israel, Hamas, and Fatah.
Fatah controls the Palestinian-held sections of the West Bank. They also largely control
the PLO or Palestine Liberation Organization. And the Palestinian National Authority. It’s
the organization that represents Palestine in the UN, and enjoys "non-member observer
status." They’re the group that gained recognition for the “State Of Palestine” from 138
UN member nations. They lean towards wanting a peaceful solution to the conflict, and are
willing to recognize the State of Israel.
Hamas is the Palestinian organization that currently controls the Gaza Strip, which is
on the East border of Egypt. They’re the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood,
and they were democratically elected by the Palestinian people. A lot of weapons and other
resources are given to them by Iran. They do not recognize the State Of Israel and are
listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the US.
At this point, we all know what Israel is, but we should talk a bit about their role
in the current conflict to illustrate some points about Hamas and the support they have
among Palestinians in Gaza.
Prior to the 6 Day War in 1967, Gaza was part of Egypt. Since then, it’s been under Israeli
control. Israel had settlements and bases inside of Gaza as part of their plan to control
the region. But in 2005, they changed plans, moving their people out of Gaza and setting
up a blockade instead. Israel currently controls and restricts access to travel, food, water,
electricity, gas, construction materials, and other necessities. This has brought great
hardship to the area. And some are calling Israeli actions a war crime. Israel sees the
blockade as a way to protect their people from Hamas and other militant organizations.
There is a case for that argument...after all, Israel and Hamas have been warring off
and on since Hamas was founded in 1987. Warfare that has included things like suicide bombings.
To make matters worse, there are also a handful of other factions in the area that see violence
- not politics - as their primary weapon against Israel and groups like the PIJ, or Palestinian
Islamic Jihad.
Even if Hamas and Israel reach a cease-fire agreement, these fringe groups may reignite
the conflict.
This is obviously a very heated issue, with strong feelings on both sides. So please let
us know what you think in the comments. To find out how this conflict started, click
here.
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