TERRITORIAL
DISPUTES like the Israel-Palestine difference
in which several international agents claim sovereign rights for different
reasons over the same piece of land are not uncommon. They all have a
particular feature: their solution assumes a mutually exclusive relationship
amongst competing parties (in this case, Israel and Palestine). That is because
the common understanding (I would say, misunderstanding) is that the
sovereignty over the third territory can be acknowledged to only one of them.
Indeed, sovereignty is often regarded as an absolute concept (that is to say, exclusive,
and not shareable).
The
Israel-Palestine difference, as it stands, is another clear example of a zero
sum game, with many negative outcomes of different sorts (e.g. social struggle,
tension in international relations, refugee crisis, and threat to local,
regional and international peace). Thus, while these conflicts are in principle
confined to specific areas and start with negative consequences primarily for
the local population, they tend quickly to expand to the regional and—even—the
international level (e.g. effects on international price of oil, arms
trafficking, terrorism, war). There are many issues at stake domestically and
internationally.
We have already reviewed some academic
articles and research about the Israel-Palestine difference in this series.
Today’s post includes below articles from the media covering this territorial
dispute.
Before we start with the articles, I
would like to reiterate two things I have already posted before when we
introduce other TERRITORIAL DISPUTES and are constant variables that work
against viable solutions.
“In all cases, although this
sovereignty conflict has been and is object of study of many sciences—law,
political sciences, international relations, only to name a few—these sciences
do not share their developments and both different approaches and different
languages were applied. Indeed, although multi and inter-disciplinary studies
are promoted in speeches everywhere, it is more a nominal aim rather than an
actual reality.”
“I
realised that the answer was very simple. Some problems are never solved
because most look for more problems, problems within a problem, or just simply
give up or are so self-centred they think that problem will not affect them and
hence, why would they even think about it. Ergo, the answer came to me: some
problems like [the Israel-Palestine difference] are never solved because people
(or their representatives) do not look for a solution.”
International media
Israel-Palestine
From Both Sides of the Mirror
The New York Times
“Living under military occupation meant
coping with the shooting of my best friend in high school, turning a fearful
blind eye when seeing soldiers beating a Palestinian boy with a baton, rescuing
my husband from the grip of soldiers on a cold winter night, contending with my
10-year-old son’s night terrors after weeks of relentless bombardment, not
being allowed to enter the city of my birth, Jerusalem, and living in daily
anguish knowing that my people remain refugees after more than 70 years and
have lived under siege for decades.”
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still
unresolved. Occupation is damaging to Israel, but even a dovish Israeli
government proved unable to find agreement with the Palestinians. The “creeping
status quo” is hurting both sides. It moves in a dangerous direction. It
urgently calls for courageous leadership on both sides to resolve it.”
May Is Likely to Be an Ugly Month in Gaza
Bloomberg
“One of the most
densely populated places on earth, Gaza is now barely habitable. Hunger is
rampant. Water is undrinkable. Unemployment is close to 50 percent. Health-care
is scanty at best. Electricity is available just two to four hours per day. The
once-beautiful seacoast is now a giant sewer. And there’s virtually no way in
or out of the territory which, since a violent takeover in 2007 by the Islamist
faction Hamas, has been under a lockdown by Israel and Egypt.”
Outrage Grows As
Israel Rules Out Inquiry Into Shooting of Palestinian ‘Land Day’ Protesters
The Independent
“Hamas,
Gaza’s dominant Islamist movement which is designated a terrorist organisation by
Israel, said five of those killed were its members, though Israel says eight of
the men were part of Hamas.”
The media in the region
(same facts, different perceptions)
Israel
Drops Leaflets Warning Gazans Not To Approach Border
Israel Hayom
(Israeli newspaper, largest daily circulation in the country)
“Israel
dropped leaflets in Gaza strip on Friday warning Palestinians not to approach
its border as the military braced for fresh clashes along the frontier.”
“Last
week’s border protest was dubbed the “firebomb campaign” and saw Palestinian
demonstrators hurl thousands of Molotov cocktails at Israeli troops near the
border.”
Hamas Regrets Security Council Not Condemning Israel
The
Palestine Chronicle
“Hamas
regrets the failure of the UN Security Council to condemn Israeli violence
against unarmed Palestinians, the group said Saturday.”
Health:
40 martyrs and 5511 injured since the start of the march of return (in Arabic)
Amlalommah
(online newspaper from Gaza)
“According
to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 40 Palestinians have been shot dead by
the Israeli occupation since the beginning of the Great Al-Aqsa marches on the
borders of the Gaza Strip until now, and 5511 others were injured and gas
suffocation.”
“The
Palestinians will continue the march of peaceful return, which began on 30
March on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, and will culminate on May 15,
"Palestinian Nakba Day", in order to demand the return of Palestinian
refugees to the homes they were abandoned.”
Two last articles exploring solutions
(I
am indebted to one of the readers for his help with this. Thanks Jeff!)
26th
April 2018
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