The rare confluences of major Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holidays was a rare event. Tens of thousands of people were expected to visit Jerusalem for the first-ever time since the pandemic. Leaders from Israel, Palestine, and the Arab world discussed ways to ease tensions.
Israel has taken steps to improve the situation of its almost 55-year-old military rule over millions Palestinians. It lifted some movement restrictions and issued thousands of work permits. Israeli police stated that they would do everything possible to ensure peace for all.
The goal was not to repeat last year’s violence in Jerusalem, which saw weeks of protests and clashes culminate in an 11-day war between Israel’s Hamas rulers and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers.
It didn’t work out as planned.
Israel has been subject to the most violent attacks in recent years. Its troops launched raids on the West Bank to arrest people, sparking gunbattles. A rocket fired from Gaza has also been fired and clashes have broken out at a Jerusalem site that is sacred to Jews and Muslims.
Here’s how we got to this point:
A WAVE OF ATACKS
Four people were killed in a car-ramming attack and stabbing spree in Beersheba by a Palestinian citizen from Israel on March 22nd. Another 10 were killed in shooting attacks by Palestinians during the following three weeks , including in the heart Tel Aviv.
Israeli authorities stated that the attackers were mostly acting alone. Hamas and other militant organizations cheered the attacks but did not claim them. Although some of the attackers supported Islamic State, there is no evidence that it orchestrated the attacks.
Israel carried out raids in the occupied West Bank and arrested dozens. The Palestinians launched stones and firebombs at Israel, and gunbattles broke out in Jenin, which is a long-standing militant stronghold.
According to the Associated Press, 26 Palestinians were killed in clashes, which includes attackers. The dead include a lawyer, an 18-year old woman and a woman shot to death at a checkpoint.
In 1967, Israel captured the West Bank along with east Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Palestinians want to create their future state from all three territories.
Israel holds 60% of the West Bank. It has constructed more 130 settlements which are home to almost 500,000 Jewish settlers. The increasingly unpopular Palestinian Authority manages the major population centers and works with Israel in security.
___
CLASHES IN JERUSALEM
At dawn on April 15, clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinians at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. According to police, Palestinians attacked them with stones and hurled them in the direction of a nearby Jewish holy site, forcing them into their territory. Palestinians claim they used excessive force.
Three Israeli police officers and more than 150 Palestinians were also injured. Police used rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades, and Palestinians launched stones and fireworks at them. One time, police broke into the mosque to arrest stone-throwers.
Since then, smaller confrontations have occurred. On Sunday, Palestinians pelted buses with stones outside the Old City.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that a Hamas-led incitement campaign was waged against Israel this week. “Israel is doing all it can to ensure that everyone, Jews, Muslims, and Christians, can enjoy the holidays safely.
The mosque’s location on the sprawling esplanade is considered the third holiest place in Islam. It is also the holiest site for Jews. This is because there were two Jewish temples located there in antiquity. It is the emotional heart of the century-old conflict, and has been the site of many violent outbreaks.
The Palestinians see regular visits of nationalist and religious Jews under the police escort, as a provocation. This could be a prelude to Israel taking control of the site or dividing it. Israeli authorities claim they will not change the status quo.
The Old City is a part of east Jerusalem that Israel annexed. This move was not recognized internationally. Israel considers it its capital. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as their capital.
East Jerusalem discriminatory policies support the expansion and maintenance of Jewish settlements. Many Palestinians are denied building permits. This forces them to risk their homes being destroyed. Due to a decades-long campaign of settlers to increase the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem, dozens of Palestinian families could be forcibly removed.
Israeli citizenship is granted to Jews who were born in Jerusalem. While most Palestinians are against Israeli citizenship, those who do so must go through the long and complicated bureaucratic process. Palestinians who spend too many hours outside of east Jerusalem for work, study, or family reasons can be denied residency and banned from returning. This policy does not apply for Jews.
___
EXCHANGE OF FIRE IN GAZA
On Monday night, an rocket from Gaza was launched into southern Israel. It was intercepted by the military who carried out airstrikes. The rocket, which was the first fired at Israel in several months, was not damaged and nobody claimed it.
Since Hamas’ 15-year-old victory over rival Palestinian forces, Israel and Egypt have placed a severe blockade around Gaza. The unemployment rate hovers at around 50%, the electricity outages last for 12 hours per day, tap water is not available, and Hamas continues to be in power.
Since 2008, Israel and Hamas has fought four wars, adding to the misery for the 2 million Palestinians living in the narrow coastal strip. According to the U.N., Gaza has only just begun to rebuild itself after the latest one which saw more than 250 Palestinians die, including 129 civilians.
Gaza’s problems go back a long time before Hamas emerged on the scene in late 1980s during the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule. This militant group, which has been called terrorists by Israel as well as Western countries, has committed numerous attacks on Israeli civilians throughout the years.
Over half of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians are descendants of Israeli refugees who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war that created Gaza.
Nearly 60% of Palestinians living in the three territories are below 30 years old, with very little to no knowledge of the Mideast peace process that ended more than a decade ago.
“We have a very militant generation,” Mkhaimar Abusada said. He is a professor of political science at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University. “They don’t really care if it’s over Al-Aqsa and other things, but if we go into another war with Israel or no.