Under International law, this area is part of the Palestinian territories which is being illegally occupied by Israel. The establishment of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem violates Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that ‘the Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”. The illegality of these settlements are reaffirmed by the UN and The International Court of Judgement.  According to UN Resolution 2334, Israeli settlements constitute “a flagrant violation under international law and major obstacle to the vision of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders.”

The crisis further escalated on May 7th 2021, when Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades against Palestinians who defended themselves using stones. So far, two hundred Palestinians, including 59 children have been killed in the last 11 days of intense attacks in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. The attacks have reportedly destroyed a health clinic, the home of an aid worker, many high-rise residential towers and the offices of international news organizations. More than 72,000 internally displaced people are facing shortage of food, water and electricity. 

Calling this a war between two sides and saying that Israel has a ‘right to defend itself’ seems to be a way of twisting the facts as Palestinians don’t have an army nor do they have an air force or navy. Israel has one of the most advanced armies and weapons including the Iron Dome, which is a mobile air defense system which can intercept and destroy short range rockets and artillery shells fired from a distance of 4km to 70 km.

Many have also argued this to be a violation of the international law principle of proportionality.

The principle of proportionality prohibits attacks against military objectives which are “expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.” Thus, the principle of proportionality seeks to limit damage caused by military operations by requiring that the effects of the methods of warfare used must not be disproportionate to the military advantage being sought.

Further reasons for scuffles include discriminatory laws. Jews born in East Jerusalem are recognized as Israeli citizens however Palestinians are granted permanent residency which may be revoked if they live outside the city for a certain period of time. The Palestinians can apply for citizenship however the process is long and uncertain. Many also choose not to apply for citizenship because they don’t recognize Israeli control. Many Jewish settlements have been built in East Jerusalem which has blocked the growth of Palestinian neighborhoods and has led to overcrowding.

Such policies have allowed the Human Rights Watch to accuse Israel of being an ‘apartheid state’ in its recent report. It claims Israel is committing crimes of apartheid and persecution against Arabs in Palestine. This report is a recognition of the discrimination that Arabs and non-Arabs face in terms of facilities such as healthcare. While it is good to see many, especially the international media finally recognizing Israel and its activities against Palestinians, the world community especially organizations such as the United Nations need to take note of Israel’s war crimes which have caused the killing of civilians, a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

The two state solution has been proposed which envisions the creation of an independent State of Palestine and State of Israel. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which recommended a partition of Mandatory Palestine at the end of the British Mandate. In 1974, a UN resolution on the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” called for ‘two States, Israel and Palestine … side by side within secure and recognized borders’ together with ‘a just resolution of the refugee question in conformity with UN resolution 194.’ the question arises whether the massive, liberal, effusive and generally off-the-cuff usage of the term “two-state solution” by all and sundry has any relation to its historic and substantive context in the Israeli-Palestinian realities, and whether it takes into account the complex and practical aspects of its realization. The term “two-state solution” has become a useful slogan by the international community often as a result of mere political correctness. While the two-state solution seems to be the only solution to end the crisis, one also thinks that it might be too late as the animosity between the two people have grown extensively over the past years.

Israel claims that attacks by its policies are a result of anti-Semitism. This is a claim that has been accepted by many leaders regardless of the mass atrocities committed by Israel. President Joe Biden showed support for Israel which was met with criticism from democrats who showed outrage towards the sale of  $735 million worth of precision guided bombs by the US to Israel. Biden has been facing increasing pressure as the fight continues to escalate. Russia on the other hand made it clear that any more civilian casualties in Gaza are unacceptable while China asked the US to take up a fair position and support the UNSC in easing the situation. Other countries such as Turkey have said that it is high time Israel stop its illegal activities against Palestinians.

The UNSC has held three emergency meetings which have resulted in no proper solution to end the crisis. The US has blocked the UNSC from issuing a joint declaration regarding an end to the conflict. The US believes that a joint declaration would be ‘counterproductive’. France proposed another draft of the UNSC resolution on May 20th 2021 however it was once again met with opposition from the US. The US is an ally of Israel. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II. The US has provided $146 billion in bilateral assistance and defence funding. Therefore, given the level of assistance by the US, of course the US is also going to block UNSC resolutions which are against Israel.

Pakistan has always shown solidarity with the people of Palestine. Prime Minister Imran Khan denounced the attacks by Israeli forces in Gaza. Pakistan has approved covid-19 and other medical aid for Palestine. The country has also held many protests throughout its cities as a show of support. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also urged the UNSC on Thursday May 20th 2021 to declare an end to Israel’s violence against Palestinians in Gaza. On the same day, Israel’s security cabinet and Hamas agreed to an unconditional ceasefire in order to halt the fighting. The ceasefire did seem to be a viable solution which promoted celebrations in Gaza however, hours later fresh clashes broke out once again. This shows Israel’s unwillingness to stop the attacks in Gaza.

While the UN Secretary General António Guterres called the situation in Gaza as ‘hell on earth for children.’ The UN has to play its role and prevent escalation that puts innocent civilians’ lives at risk. The crisis in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis and should be considered as a humanitarian emergency. The world needs to take notice of Israel’s actions and impose sanctions on it before any more lives are wasted. The ceasefire doesn’t seem to put a halt on the illegal activities by Israel. It also doesn’t ensure accountability. It is necessary to stop Israel from committing further war crimes and sanctions are imposed on it accordingly. Only words are not enough, the international community needs to speak up for Palestinians now.