ISRAEL AT WAR IN THE MIDDLE-EAST

 Trump’s Board of Peace

After meetings early in August between Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) and Hamas, a 15-point plan was developed which was to ensure that Gaza would never again threaten Israel’s security. However, Israel was not a party to the discussions which envisaged that Hamas would hand over its weapons in phases and Israel would carry out corresponding withdrawals. Netanyahu immediately rejected the proposal saying, the Israel defence Force (IDF) would not move out of Gaza until Hamas had given up all of its weapons. Netanyahu went a step further saying, “As long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not possess nuclear weapons”.[i]

Subsequently, Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner met with Netanyahu and it was agreed that instead of a phased handover of weapons, Hamas would be required to hand over all of its weapons. Demilitarisation would include every weapon and every tunnel and would require all Hamas weapons to be fully decommissioned. Only after the wholesale disarmament had been verified by an American general appointed by the BoP would Israel be required to withdraw its troops to the Gaza border.[ii]

Even after Hamas agreed to the plan, it soon became clear that Hamas was determined to remain in control. Kushner acknowledged that it was difficult to trust the militant group.

The Recognition of the State of Israel – A Brief History

In 1800, Jerusalem had 8,750 inhabitants: 4000 Muslims, 2750 Christians and 2000 Jews. By 1922 the total population was 62,600 of which 34,400 were Jews. After pogroms in Russia, a new wave of Zionists began to arrive in Palestine. The situation became more pressing when Hitler came to power and more refugees began arriving.

British Prime Minister Lloyd George informed his Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour that he supported a Jewish national home in Palestine. This led to the Balfour Declaration in 1917. In 1937, the Peel committee recommended the partitioning of Palestine so that there would be a Jewish state in the Galilee and on the coastal plain while the remaining territory, including the Negev would go to the Arabs. The Zionists accepted the plan, but the Arabs rejected it.

In February 1947, Britain produced a new partition plan which provided for a Jewish state in eastern Galilee, the Upper Jordan Valley, the Negev, and the coastal plain with the Arab state in the rest of the country. In November 1947, the UN Gen Assembly voted to accept the plan. The Zionists agreed, but again, the Arabs refused. When the Zionists were offered something by the great powers, they always accepted even if it fell short of what they wanted. In the end they got everything. The Arabs continually said “NO” and in the end were left with nothing.

The Wars that Followed

Ben-Gurion proclaimed the birth of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948. This led to five armies, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon invading Israel the very next day. After defeating the invaders, Israel embarked on making West Jerusalem its working capital.

In May 1967 a coalition of Arab forces involving Egypt, Jordan and Syria mobilized in preparation for an attack on Israel.  However, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike in June and destroyed almost the entire Egyptian Airforce. This led to Israel occupying not only Jerusalem but also the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai peninsula, and the Golan Heights. Israel’s prime minister, Levi Eshkol was willing to return the occupied territories to Syria, Egypt and Jordan in return for peace but there was no question of returning the Old City of Jerusalem to the Arabs.

On 6 October 1973 (Yom Kippur, The Holiest day in the Jewish calendar), a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack, catching Israel off guard. Egyptian troops crossed the Suez Canal  into the Sinai Peninsula and Syrian forces pushed into the Golan Heights before Israel’s counteroffensive halted the Syrian advance and encircled the Egyptian army. The war ended on 25 October 1973 having led to the death of 2,650 Israeli soldiers and 8,500 Arab soldiers. However, the war set the stage for the Camp David Accords and the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace.

Menachem Begin’s Likud party came to power in 1977 and, in 1978 Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords, with Egypt recognising the state of Israel and Begin promising to withdraw from the Sinai peninsula.

In May 1995, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative, Feisal Husseini said, “I dream of the day when a Palestinian will say ‘Our Jerusalem’ and will mean Palestinians and Israelis, and Israel will say, ‘Our Jerusalem’ and will mean Israelis and Palestinians”. 700 prominent Israelis signed a statement saying, “Jerusalem is ours – Muslims, Christians, and Jews”. Hopes for peace were high but were dashed when, in February 1996, Hamas launched a series of suicide bomb attacks in Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Tel Aviv, killing 57 Israelis.[iii]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump

Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother, Yonatan Netanyahu was killed on 4 July 1976 while leading Operation Entebbe in Uganda. The Israeli commandos freed the hostages who had been seized by Palestinian and German militants. The death of his brother had a severe impact on Netanyahu and it turned the fight against terrorism into a personal mission. For Netanyahu, peace was only possible through strength.

Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in November 1995  and in June 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu became Israel’s Prime Minister at the age of 46. However, he was defeated in Israel’s 1999 elections, but was re-elected Prime Minister in 2009 and he then presided over a centre-right government for 12 Years until 2021. His tenure was interrupted when a coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid formed government in June 2021 but Netanyahu returned to power in 2022 in a coalition with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

The Oslo Accords

United Nations Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) were passed in the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War respectively. The Resolutions called for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories in exchange for Arab recognition of Israel’s right to live in peace.

Oslo Accord 1 was signed in 1993 and Oslo Accord 2 in 1995. It was part of a process to achieve a peace treaty based on Resolutions 242 and 338. Negotiations resulted in the recognition of Israel by the PLO and recognition of the PLO by Israel. Oslo also brought about the Palestinian Authority (PA) to manage Palestinian governance over parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Tragically, the signing of the Accords led to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 by a right-wing Israeli fanatic.

The First Intifada

The First Intifada began in1987, only ending in1993. It involved violent protests, riots and terrorist attacks by Palestinians against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. When Israel deployed 80,000 soldiers this was duly criticised by Human Rights Watch as “disproportionate”. During this Intifada 1,087 Palestinians including 240 children were killed. 100 Israeli civilians and 60 Israeli soldiers were also killed and more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and 1,700 soldiers were injured – it really was “disproportionate”!

The Second Intifada

The second Intifada, 2000 - 2005 was a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. This brought an end to the peace framework which had been established by the 1993 and 1995 Oslo accords and led to the death of 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis. This was caused by Palestinian frustration over the collapse of the Camp David Summit in 2000 when it failed to produce a final roadmap for a Palestinian state.

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades launched intensive campaigns against Israel including numerous suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians. In 2002 Israel constructed a massive network of concrete walls and electronic fences to halt the suicide bombers which the Palestinians called an “apartheid wall”, but it did prove to be successful.

Hostilities drew to a close in February 2005 when the newly elected  PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to a ceasefire and reaffirmed a commitment to the “roadmap for peace”. The conflict had led to Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the dismantling of all Israeli settlements and evacuation of Gaza. However, this paved the way for Hamas to win the 2006 elections and led to its takeover of Gaza in 2007.

The Second Intifada and the 9/11 attacks in New York led to Washington’s declaration of a global struggle against Islamist radicalism and, in July 2024 the Knesset rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River by 68 votes to 9.

 The Hamas Attack – October 7

The Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 resulted in the death of 1,200 Israeli civilians and the capture of 250 Israeli hostages. That event gave Netanyahu’s government a mandate for a harsh military response. However, the scale of destruction wrought by Israel on Gaza impacted Israel’s international legitimacy and support from Western governments gave way to criticism.

However, in response to criticism levelled at Israel over its war against Hamas and suggestions of “genocide”, Colonel Richard Kemp who served 29 years in the British Army argued that Israel’s military made more effort than any other army to prevent civilian casualties. British commentator, Douglas Murray defends Israel’s actions in Gaza, asserting that the IDF takes extensive measures to warn civilians and to minimize casualties using texts and leaflets to urge civilians to move out of danger before strikes. Murray blames the civilian suffering on Hamas which deliberately embeds itself and its weaponry within civilian infrastructure and uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.

The War on Iran

After October 7 Netanyahu brought force to bear in Gaza which expanded into a war by the US and Israel against  Iran beginning on 28 February 2026. Their attack on Iran included heavy strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, the deeper the US became involved, the more parts of American society questioned the price of the alliance. Support from a significant part of the American establishment began to fray.

Israel receives $3.8 billion in annual US military aid under a 10 year agreement from 2018 to 2028. Netanyahu has begun speaking about Israel giving up American financial assistance which comprises only 8% of Israel’s defence budget which amounts to US$45 billion per year. This would at least stop criticism by Anti-Zionists in the US of the US aid. Notably, only a few days ago the US Treasury Department reported that US gross debt had surpassed US$40 trillion, dwarfing the entire annual output of the US economy![iv] 

Settler Violence on The West Bank

The West Bank is home to about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israelis. It is divided into Areas A, B, and C. Both Area A comprising 18% and Area B comprising 22% are under the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area C, about 60% is under the control of Israel.

In recent years there has been increasing settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel’s right-wing Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has given free rein to attacks by the settlers as has Defence Minister Israel Katz. Qusra, a village in the West Bank has become a recent flashpoint for settler violence. The military’s failure to stop the settlers has triggered criticism both within and outside Israel leading to widespread calls for Israel to put an end to the settler violence.[v]

The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee who is a strong supporter of Israel has condemned the settlers as “Israeli terrorists”. His and other criticisms may be justified, but what is not heard from Israel’s critics is that neither Iran nor its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah and others are interested in a two state solution and they have never, to this day abandoned their aim of eliminating the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Given the opportunity, they will bring another Holocaust. Who really is guilty of genocidal intent?

Israel’s Next Election

Israel’s Opposition is opposed to the politicization of the army and the police and it, together with many Israelis are appalled by the settler violence in the West Bank. The Next election is due to be held on 27 October 2026. The Opposition is currently running neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s party, but the outcome of the election is by no means certain.

The attack on 7 October 2023 has left such a deep scar in Israel that many believe the country has no choice but to pursue its enemies aggressively or risk another massacre.  The idea of a Palestinian state was buried on 7 October and there is little chance of any movement towards a two-state solution in the foreseeable future.[vi]

AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM – HEAR THE OTHER SIDE

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[i] Times of Israel, Netanyahu rejects the 15-point Gaza plan - 9 Aug 26

[ii] The Australian, Netanyahu and Kushner agree US general to verify Hamas disarmament - 18 Aug 26

[iii] A History of Jerusalem, by Karen Armstrong - 1996

[iv] The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Israel can stand on its own – 26 May 26

[v]  WSJ, Israel Puts village on Lockdown over settler violence -13 Aug 26

[vi] Foreign Policy (FP), Why Israel's coming election might be its Most Pivotal – 6 Aug 26