The Israeli and Palestinian Gaza Conflict Essay -- International Conf

Broad international consensus regarding the political and legal controversies of the Israeli and Palestinian Gaza conflict has been minimal at best. At its worst it has fueled the controversies created by the United Nations Fact Finding Mission, through which, both sides maintain their positions and justification for their actions. In ordered to obtain an opinion on this issue one must examine the factual historical background of the Gaza Conflict. By identifying the major legal and political discrepancies, observing the perspectives of those who defend Israeli actions, and those who have a strong critique against those actions we can grasp the complexity of this issue and make an assessment of actions on both sides. In 2005 Israel withdrew forces from the Gaza Strip but did so with conditions toward Palestinian authorities. It must put an end to terror tactics in and around Israeli territory. This seemed a promising step toward Palestinian and Israeli peace until 2006 when the political group Hamas took power and declared that it would not recognize the existence of Israel. It rejected the Oslo Accords and Arab Peace Initiative and separated itself from negotiating with Israel. Since coming to power Hamas had openly advocated for attacks against Israel. In 2007 Hamas’s influence spread to the Gaza Strip, that same year Israel implemented a blockade that crippled Gaza’s economic activity which raised ethical and moral political questions in the international community. In early 2008, after many mortars and rockets were fired across the border into Israel, the air force and defense forces retaliate taking the lives of many Palestinian civilians and militants. Israeli defense officia ls viewed these attacks as Hamas breaking the P... ...onflict have been addressed legally, although they have not been respected by either side which hinders the legitimacy of international authority. A major problem that I have observed is the inability of the United Nations Security Council to ascribe certainty to all laws broken and provide punishment to both sides. This lack of legal authority will continue to plague the progress both politically and within the legal institutions being used to approach the situation. Resolution and absolution of the definitions and particulates of these major issues are necessary to achieve lasting peace in the region and eventual coexistence. Works Cited Alan Dershowitz â€Å"The Case Against the Goldstone Report† â€Å"The UN Gaza Report: A Substantive Critique† Ambassador Dore Gold Noura Erakat â€Å"It’s Not Wrong, It’s Illegal† â€Å"United Nations Fact Finding Mission† Richard Goldstone