In 2006, the political landscape of the Palestinian territories underwent a seismic shift when Hamas, an Islamist militant group and a prominent political entity, clinched a majority in the parliamentary elections of the Palestinian Authority, thereby supplanting Fatah, the long-standing hegemonic party. This triumph granted Hamas dominion over the Gaza Strip, a densely populated coastal enclave bordering Egypt to the south, which had been governed by the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority since 1993. The international arena reacted contentiously, with pivotal actors such as the United States and the European Union refusing to acknowledge Hamas’ electoral coup, citing the organisation’s classification as a terrorist entity by Western governments since the late 1990s.
Conflict and Reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah
The ascendancy of Hamas gave rise to hostilities with Fatah, cleaving Palestinian politics asunder from 2006 to 2011. Oscillating peace overtures interspersed with lethal altercations paved the way to a reconciliation pact in 2014 amidst a milieu of instability. Subsequently, Fatah acquiesced to forge a unity government with Hamas, aspiring to mend the widening schism within Palestinian society.
The 2014 Military Confrontation
Escalating tensions marked the summer of 2014 and ultimately culminated in a full-scale military face-off between Israeli forces and Hamas. The conflict was characterised by the discharge of nearly 3,000 rockets by Hamas towards Israel, countered by a formidable Israeli incursion into Gaza. The hostilities, which persisted until Egypt brokered a truce in late August, resulted in the death of 73 Israelis and 2,251 Palestinians, thereby underscoring the grievous human toll exacted by this protracted dispute.
Renewed Violence and the Questioning of the Oslo Accords
The surge in violence in 2015 urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to disavow the territorial boundaries stipulated by the Oslo Accords publicly. This renunciation coincided with a spate of Palestinian protests along the Gaza-Israel frontier in March and May of 2018, reaching a crescendo during the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. This mass exodus transpired concomitant with the inception of the State of Israel. Although the majority of protestors were nonviolent, skirmishes at the border resulted in casualties, with United Nations reports chronicling the deaths of 183 demonstrators and injuries to over 6,000 others due to live ammunition.
Political Stalemate and Persistent Division
This political maelstrom exacerbated the rift between Fatah and Hamas despite Mahmoud Abbas’ vision of uniting Palestinians under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority. This schism persisted throughout the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, with Fatah presiding over the West Bank and Hamas helming Gaza. These divergent administrations mirror the enormous fissure amongst the Palestinian populace, thereby further obfuscating the trajectory towards peace and self-determination.
Renewed Hostilities and Shifting US Policies
The month of May 2018 witnessed a significant uptick in hostilities between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), representing the zenith of conflict since 2014. The Gaza Strip was a cauldron of violence, with militants launching over a hundred rockets into Israeli territory, eliciting a vigorous Israeli reprisal that saw a multitude of targets within Gaza being struck in 24 hours, culminating in a ceasefire. Concurrently, the Trump administration in the United States adopted a series of controversial measures, thereby reaffirming its commitment to brokering an Israeli-Palestinian accord.
In a radical departure from preceding foreign policy paradigms, the Trump administration terminated its financial support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees and relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. This latter manoeuvre was lauded by Israeli officials but was met with opprobrium from Palestinian authorities and international luminaries. The question of Jerusalem remains a pivotal axis of the conflict, with Israel asserting its indivisibility as its capital. At the same time, Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the nucleus of their prospective state.
The “Peace to Prosperity” Plan
January 2020 was a watershed moment with the unveiling the Trump administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” blueprint, which the Palestinians promptly rebuffed. The plan’s advocacy for potential Israeli annexation of settlements in the West Bank, coupled with its endorsement of an “undivided” Jerusalem under Israeli suzerainty, was antithetical to Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, thereby precipitating its dismissal by the Palestinian leadership.
The Abraham Accords
The historical trajectory of Middle Eastern diplomacy witnessed a significant realignment in August and September of 2020, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain entering into normalisation accords with Israel, following over a year of ministerial negotiations facilitated by the United States in Warsaw, Poland. This rapprochement positioned the UAE and Bahrain as the third and fourth Arab nations to formalise relations with Israel. Nonetheless, the accords were spurned by Palestinian leaders, with both Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas denouncing the agreements.
Sheikh Jarrah Evictions and Legal Controversies
The conflict was further inflamed in October 2020 when an Israeli tribunal sanctioned the eviction of several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, thereby favouring Jewish claimants to the land. This judicial decree ignited a firestorm of appeals from Palestinian families and precipitated protests and legal wranglings over property rights, thereby epitomising the contentious issue of Palestinian displacement in Jerusalem.
Protests, Evictions, and Clashes in Jerusalem
By the waning days of April 2021, the streets of Jerusalem were a cauldron of discontent, with Palestinians protesting the imminent evictions in Sheikh Jarrah. Nightly sit-ins and escalating demonstrations reached a boiling point on May 7, when Israeli police clashed with protestors at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, deploying stun grenades, rubber bullets, and water cannons during the holy month of Ramadan. This conflagration laid bare the simmering tensions and the intricate web of legal and territorial disputes underpinning the conflict.
Heightened Tensions and Jerusalem Day Clashes
In May 2021, the Old City of Jerusalem, sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, was the epicentre of heightened tensions. The explosive atmosphere, fueled by the observance of Jerusalem Day, set the stage for an explosive escalation. In the wake of days of violent confrontations and police brutality, Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions unleashed a barrage of rockets towards Israeli territory. The Israeli military, in turn, responded with a flurry of artillery and airstrikes, targeting Hamas infrastructure but also inadvertently causing civilian casualties and damage to non-military assets, including residential areas, media installations, and facilities catering to refugees and healthcare.
Ceasefire and the Humanitarian Aftermath
A ceasefire brokered by Egypt brought the hostilities to a temporary halt on May 21, 2021. The 11-day conflict left in its wake a trail of devastation, with over 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis losing their lives. Gaza bore the brunt of the offensive, with vital infrastructure being severely damaged or obliterated, thereby exacerbating an already tenuous humanitarian situation. The United Nations estimated that over 58,000 Palestinians were displaced and sought refuge in schools operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency. The aftermath of the conflict also revealed the challenges inherent in rebuilding Gaza, given the economic blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt and the strict regulatory measures about the ingress of construction materials.
Analysis of the Prospects for Peace
In light of the historical context and the contemporary realities, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents a problem that defies easy resolution. The chasm between the principal protagonists, Hamas and Fatah, symbolises the dichotomy within Palestinian society itself, thereby compounding the impediments to peace. The advent of the Abraham Accords, although transformative in reshaping regional dynamics, has yet to effectuate any substantive change about the Palestinian question. The ructions in Jerusalem, exemplified by the Sheikh Jarrah evictions and the subsequent skirmishes, lay bare the complex tapestry of historical and legal intricacies that bedevil any potential resolution. The emergence of factions within the Palestinian polity, each with its distinct ideological tenets and territorial aspirations, further muddies the waters.
The myriad challenges and opportunities presented by this intricate geopolitical landscape demand a nuanced and multifaceted approach to peace-building. The path to reconciliation necessitates the bridging of the yawning rift between Hamas and Fatah and the fostering of a unified Palestinian front. Concurrently, the international community must galvanise its efforts to facilitate a dialogue between the principal actors and to foster an environment conducive to negotiations. The roadmap to peace hinges on addressing the historical grievances, territorial disputes, and the fraught question of Jerusalem’s status. The sustained commitment of all stakeholders, undergirded by a spirit of compromise and mutual respect, is paramount to navigating the labyrinthine path towards a lasting resolution of this protracted conflict.