Israel and Hamas at war | Key benchmarks for understanding the conflict

Israel’s counter-offensive after Hamas’ surprise attack has reignited fears of a protracted war in the Middle East. A look back at one of the world’s oldest and most controversial conflicts with Yakov M. Rabkin, professor emeritus in the history department of the University of Montreal.

The origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

At the end of the 19th century^e century, Zionism, a political movement aimed at creating a Jewish state in Palestine, led to the mass immigration of European Jews to Palestine. Over the years, tensions increased between the Jewish and Arab communities, each claiming the region. “The indigenous Palestinian population was eliminated in several waves, first in 1948 and then in 1967. Many of these Palestinian refugees are the ancestors of those who are now crowded into the Gaza Strip,” explains Yakov M. Rabkin , professor emeritus in the history department of the University of Montreal.

The situation in Gaza

The Gaza Strip is today entirely isolated from the rest of the world. Bounded to the north and east by Israeli territory, bordered to the west by the Mediterranean and to the south by Egypt, the Gaza Strip is a narrow territory that is home to a population of more than two million Palestinians. In June 2006, Israel imposed a complete land, air and sea blockade on Gaza in response to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. More than 15 years later, Gaza still suffers from a chronic shortage of water and electricity. “Currently, 60% of the population is unemployed. There is no hope. The Palestinians’ action is a sign, among other things, of desperation,” Mr. Rabkin said.

The main groups

On the Israeli side, we have the State, “fairly powerful, with a formidable army,” says the specialist. On the other side, there are Palestinian groups, including Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority on the west bank of the Jordan (Middle East river) and the Hezbollah movement in northern Israel, in Lebanon. The Hamas attack on Saturday does not appear to have been coordinated with Hezbollah. “Otherwise, they would have attacked together. They remain quite different autonomous movements,” he says.

The allies

The United States is fully on Israel’s side. “For Americans, Israel constitutes an important presence in the Middle East. American weapons warehouses are also located on its territory,” says Mr. Rabkin. Israel is also very skillful in its foreign policy; it has good relations with China, India, Russia. For their part, the Palestinians have the support of Iran and certain Arab states. “They support them at the rhetorical level, rather than practically,” specifies the professor. The Palestinians feel largely abandoned by their Arab brothers, so to speak, and this is also what explains their despair in this attack. »

A unique offensive

This is the first ground attack on the Gaza Strip, Mr. Rabkin said. “Previously, there were rockets that were sent from Gaza, but they were made in the basements, so it was not serious. This time it was an ordered attack with rockets, but also with penetration into Israeli territory, with hostages and victims. This is unprecedented in the history of the State of Israel,” he said. The Israeli intelligence and military authorities may feel deep regret at having missed this attack, despite their highly sophisticated intelligence system, Mr. Rabkin believes. This attack comes at a time when Israeli society is very divided within the country. For several months, there have been major demonstrations against the current government.