The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– October 10, 2023; Day 480

Original sin: on the attack on Israel and the occupation of Palestine

Israeli occupation of Palestine territories must end for lasting peace

The unprecedented (never seen before) surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on Saturday, killing some 700 people, should serve as a reminder of the unsustainability of the situation in the occupied and blockaded (Prevents access or progress) Palestinian territories and the dangers that non-state actors such as Hamas pose to Israel, no matter how strong their military and intelligence agencies are. Tensions have been flaring (Erupt or intensify suddenly) in the West Bank for months, but nobody expected such a coordinated, low-tech yet lethal (Of an instrument of certain death) incursion (The act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers)) from Gaza. The West Bank has seen violence on a daily basis in recent months. Before Saturday’s attack, some 200 Palestinians and 30 Israelis were killed this year alone. The Benjamin Netanyahu government largely ignored the violence, and went ahead with its other policy preferences, including the overhaul (Make repairs, renovations, revisions or adjustments to) of the judiciary. The Israeli military described the situation in Gaza as “stable instability”, noting that the situation, though volatile, was under control. And then came the Hamas attack, reminiscent (that makes you remember somebody/something; similar to) of the 1973 Yom Kippur war when Egypt and Syria shook Israel. Hamas, an Islamist militant organisation that carried out suicide attacks in the 1990s and early 2000s, showed no distinction between civilians and soldiers, dealing the bloodiest blow to Israel in recent history.

The attack raises moral and pragmatic questions. Hamas’s indiscriminate (done or acting without making sensible judgement or caring about the possible harmful effects) violence against Israeli civilians is repugnant (making you feel disgust) and is not going to help the Palestinian cause in any way. On the contrary, it will put more Palestinian lives at risk as Israel, equally disregarding civilian casualties, is pounding (Strike or drive against with a heavy impact) the besieged (to surround a place with an army) enclave. But at the same time, Palestinian territories, under the yoke of (The yoke of something means something that restricts your freedom, making life difficult) the longest occupation in modern history, have been a fuming (Be mad, angry, or furious) volcano. There is no peace process. Israel has continued to build settlements in the West Bank, raising security barriers and checkpoints, limiting Palestinian movements, and never hesitating to use force or collective punishment to keep organised Palestinians under check. This status quo has only turned Palestinians more radical and Hamas even stronger. Israel has now declared war. But past attacks — ground invasions and air strikes — have done little to weaken Hamas. West Asia has also witnessed geopolitical realignments (The act of adjusting again) in recent years — from the Israel-Arab reconciliation to the Iran-Saudi détente (The easing of tensions or strained relations (especially between nations)). But these changes have conveniently sidestepped the occupation of Palestine, West Asia’s original sin, letting the status quo prevail. But the status quo cannot prevail without consequences. If Israel and other regional and international players want lasting peace and stability in the region, their focus must turn to finding a solution to the question of Palestine. The military operations without addressing the core issue would only be cosmetic (done in order to improve only the appearance of something, without changing it in any other way) interventions.

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