In response to the escalation of conflicts between Israel and Gaza, the Cairo conference, led by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has been scheduled in order to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza and to attempt to broker a long-term peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
However, Vikram Kalghatgi ’17 holds a more pessimistic view, stating, “[The conflict] can’t be solved as it requires compromise, but this is problematic because this conflict is embedded in the identity of each of the opposing sides.”
Tensions culminated on July 8th of this year, when the Israeli government announced intentions to launch its Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in order to combat rocket fire from Gaza into Israel; thus started the third Israeli-Palestinian war in six years. The war lasted for 50 days until Israel’s withdrawal on August 26th and was comprised of Israeli bombings on Gaza, Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, and an Israeli ground invasion destroying Gaza’s tunnels.
There have long been tensions between Palestine and Israel, who have been unable to reach a stable two-state solution. The Gaza Strip, an exclave region of Palestine, was, until just recently, led by a Hamas-dominated government, a military organization with terrorist roots that recognized by some countries as still a terrorist organization. Israel still retains control over Gaza’s borders, airspace, and sea access.
As a result of the war, over 2,100 citizens of Gaza were killed, the majority civilians, and over 71 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed as well. More than 30% of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes and are in need of aid, mostly food. What food supply remains in the Gaza strip has become grossly inflated—in addition, there is reduced water, power, and sanitation service.
Also, over $200 million worth of damage has been done to Palestinian farms, infrastructure, and industries—estimates predict that Gaza’s reconstruction will cost around $7.8 billion. Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s tunnels also included the destruction of tunnels that connected to Egypt, on which Gaza heavily depends economically.
Bridget Bingle ’18 asserts, “The next step for Palestine should be to focus on rebuilding and keeping peace…[them and Israel] fighting is only going cost them Palestinian lives and destroyed land.”
Global reactions have been mixed, with some countries supporting either Israel, Palestine, or simply a peace agreement between the two. International organizations such as the European Union, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have condemned both Israel’s and Palestine’s violations of laws of war. For example, rockets from both sides have targeted homes, hospitals, schools, and densely populated areas.
More than 70 delegates from nations and organizations have gathered at Cairo, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton, in order to discuss recovery efforts and peace between the two political entities of Palestine and Israel—specifically, the latter’s seven year blockade on the Gaza Strip.
As for Palestine’s recovery effort, at the summit, to which Israel was not invited, donor countries have so far pledged a staggering $5.4 billion to Gaza, half of it going to its reconstruction effort, exceeding the $4 billion that it originally asked for. Just maybe, this summit will finally offer an opportunity for Israel and Palestine to find long-sought stability and peace.