The ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel has been marked by years of hostility, bloodshed, and violence. Over the years, the two nations have seen many attempts to reach a peace agreement but have yet to resolve the conflict.
THE HISTORY OF THE PALESTINIAN OCCUPATION
This year marks the 72nd anniversary of the Palestinian Exodus of 1948, also known as the Nakba, which is the Arabic word for “disaster” or “catastrophe”. During this exodus, it is estimated that Israel displaced more than 700,000 Palestinians rom their homes. The Nakba resulted from the creation and rise of Zionism across Eastern Europe—the nationalist ideology that the Jewish people deserve a Jewish state, which developed in response to the atrocities of the Second World War.
THE FURTHER ANNEXATION OF PALESTINE
International law states that annexation is unlawful, yet Israel continues to expand further and further into Palestinian territory. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently introduced a government deal to allow Israel to expand further into Palestinian territory, namely the West Bank. This annexation will form part of the Israeli territory and come under Israeli rule. Although these actions have been recognised by many nations as unlawful, little has been done to condemn or rectify the situation. Due to the lack of clearly defined borders between Palestine and Israel, it is difficult to explicitly prove that the Israeli settlements are illegal. As such, conflict between the two states has become the norm.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
In June 1986, Joe Biden stated that “it’s about time we stop apologizing for our support of Israel”. Over the years, Biden has swayed to the idea of a two-state solution, stating that he strongly opposes Israel’s settlement in the West Bank but does not intend to cut US military aid to Israel. As a self-proclaimed Zionist, it is difficult to see how the beginning of the Biden administration will provide any hope for Palestinians. However, whilst Palestinians are not celebrating the election of Biden as the President of the United States, the end of the Trump administration is definitely cause for celebration.
The Trump administration resulted in cataclysmic advances in favour of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Jerusalem was formally recognised as the capital of Israel. Moreover, the US embassy was moved there from Tel Aviv. Consequently, aid was also cut from the Palestinian Authority in West Bank as well as the UN refugee agency.
Theoretically, Biden is expected to revert to the traditional US position of Palestine: upholding the legitimacy of Palestine without carrying out any international action against Israel. This is in favour of a two-state solution, but many Palestinians feel this is no longer a viable option for their country.
Whether Biden will be able to diminish Israeli power in favour of the Palestinian people is still difficult to predict prior to his swearing in.
Laiba is a recent LLB Law Graduate from City, University of London. Her interests lie in International Human Rights and International Criminal Law, with a particular interest in unlawful detention, human trafficking and the death penalty.