Gaza Under Fire

By+Bai+Shi

Operation Protective Edge against Hamas（the Islamic Resistance Movement） in the Gaza Strip of Palestine launched by Israel Defense Forces （IDF） has become one of the largest humanitarian crises to hit the region in recent years.

Israel began carrying out air strikes on the Gaza Strip on July 8 in a bid to end the rocket fire from Gaza. But Israels military action has killed over 1，000 Palestinians at the cost of 53 Israeli officers and soldiers in the first three weeks of the operation. Despite heavy damage to arsenals， Hamas militants have not ceased launching rocket attacks on Israeli targets. The last military strike on Gaza was carried out by Israel on November 14， 2012 and ended under the mediation of Mohamed Morsi， then President of Egypt about a week later.

The trigger for this most recent bout of fighting was the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a 16-year-old Palestinian boy. The three Israeli youth were reportedly kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank on June 12. Israel blamed the murders on Hamas， which denied the accusation. Soon after， tensions between the two spiked yet again when a Palestinian teenager was found dead on the outskirts of Jerusalem on July 2.

Although the animosity between Palestinians and Israelis runs deep， there are more significant reasons why Israel decided to launch air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza， said research fellow of Middle East issues at Beijing-based China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations （CICIR）， Qin Tian， in an interview with Beijing Review.

Shielding fire

“For Israel， the major purpose of the operation is to destroy the rocket arsenals and underground tunnels through which Hamas militants smuggle weapons and infiltrate Israel to attack citizens and soldiers，” Qin said in the interview.

Hamas has been committed to armed struggle against Israel since it was organized in 1987. As the largest Palestinian militant Islamist group， Hamas has also engaged in the Palestinian political process since 2005. Most notably， Hamas defeated the rival Fatah group and earned victory in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in 2006. After clashes with Fatah， Hamas took over Gaza and set up a rival government in 2007， taking the security situation in Gaza out of Israels control.

Due to frequent land， air， and sea blockades on the Gaza Strip by Egypt and Israel， Hamas built underground tunnels not just for military use but also for the trade of civilian goods. Hamas received support from its ally， the Muslim Brotherhood， which eventually earned a victory in Egypts presidential election in 2012. Hamas then went on to build more tunnels and stockpile its rocket arsenal in Gaza， Qin said.endprint

Israel launched military strikes on Gaza to destroy the stronghold of Hamas in late 2008. Over 600 rocket firing sites were destroyed and 30 km of tunnels were sabotaged by the Israeli forces. A total of 1，414 Palestinians—including around 700 Hamas members—were killed in the operation in addition to serious infrastructural damage.

“Air strikes have dealt a heavy blow to Hamas， as Israel cannot bear massive casualties of soldiers in a ground offensive. Time will tell whether Israels military operation can achieve its objectives，” Qin said.

Qin indicated that the ongoing threat of conflict cannot be removed unless Israel and Hamas reach an agreement of reconciliation.

Israel has realized the security dilemma will be a long-term issue. “We must be prepared for a prolonged campaign，” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on July 28， Xinhua News Agency reported. He insisted on the disarming of Palestinian militants and demilitarization of the Gaza Strip as conditions for reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Political motives

Israel and Hamas have fallen into a vicious cycle of retaliation that may continue until the two sides reach an agreement， said Li Shaoxian， Deputy Director of CICIR and a senior researcher of Middle East issues.

There seems to be a trend wherein conflict breaks out whenever peace talks come to a stalemate， at which point both Hamas and Israel resort to aggression to reach their political goals， Li said.

Months ago， Hamas reached a consensus with its political rival Fatah to found a national united government. Israel certainly would not like to see a united Palestinian government， which could become a strong opponent in the future. For this reason， Israel wants to wipe out Hamas， a dangerous enemy compared with the relatively moderate Fatah， Li said.

Despite its disadvantage in the military arena， Hamas does not appear willing to compromise with Israel. Rather， it hopes to solidify its widespread support and ensure a greater say in a possible unified government through its resistance efforts， Li said.

Ineffective mediation

The deadly conflict and the ensuing hu- manitarian crisis in Gaza have prompted international calls for a ceasefire， yet neither Israel nor Hamas appears willing to accept the truce proposal currently on the table.

For example， the UN Secretary Council urged Israel and Hamas to renew a ceasefire in Gaza on July 28. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began mediation efforts in the Middle East on July 23. Although the United States and Israel are allies， they have differing opinions as to how to settle the conflict， Li said.endprint

China also made mediation efforts. Chinas special envoy on Middle East Issues Wu Sike visited Palestine， Israel， Saudi Arabia， Jordan， Egypt， Qatar and the headquarters of the Arab League from July 15-25. Wu told a press briefing on July 28 that China will continue to promote a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

All parties involved should seek consensus based on this ceasefire treatise. The only way to end the conflict in Gaza is to resume and promote peaceful negotiations， Wu said.

Core Issues Between Israel and Palestine

Jerusalem， a holy center of the three world religions： Judaism， Christianity and Islam

Israel wishes to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel and the political and religious center of the Jewish people， as it wrote in the 1980 Israeli Basic Law. Currently the holy city is under the control of Israel.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine. The Old City in East Jerusalem contains a number of holy places in Islam， such as the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

Borders

Israel has expanded its territory through wars in the decades since 1948. It has agreed to maintain current borders with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as Palestinian territory， but Israel Defense Forces often enter the two Palestinian areas for military purposes.

Palestinians want Israel to return all land captured in 1967. The West Bank， East Jerusalem and Gaza are integral territories of Palestine.

Settlements

Israel has established many Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. To ensure the safety of settlements， Israel has set up tight security checkpoints and built high walls to separate Israeli residences from their Palestinian neighbors.

Palestinians hope for all settlements to be removed， but understand it would be difficult to change the status quo. They have also fought over water resources with Israel for decades.

Refugees

Israel has prevented Palestinian refugees of previous wars from returning to their former homes in order to maintain a Jewish state.

Palestinians maintain the “right of return”according to UN Security Council resolutions. Furthermore， they refuse to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state” because a large number of Israeli-Arab citizens currently reside in the country.

（Compiled by Beijing Review）endprint