The Israel - Palestine conflict is not the longest ongoing conflict happening today. It's far from the most deadly in the world. It doesn't directly involve any of the world's superpowers. It's fought in a territory that has no natural resources and was, up until 100 years ago, a sparsely inhabited, malaria infested backwater. And yet in modern times no conflict has been so talked about, so divisive and so passionately reported upon.
Education on this conflict is too often poorly delivered by universities and media outlets that are hopelessly partisan, usually in Palestine's favour. This blog is, therefore, an attempt to provide some factual resources to aid people who may be interested in learning a bit more about the conflict, its background and the parties involved. This blog was inspired by the Hamas massacres of the 7th October 2023, when I was left unsatisfied with the mainstream news reports I was reading. This blog is dedicated to the 1,200 innocent people who were murdered that day.
A note on my own attitudes - I am a British Jew who believes that Israel has a right to exist and whose 9.5 million citizens have the right to live in security, freely practicing their religion. I hope to see, one day, Palestine and Israel as independent countries - one Muslim, one Jewish - living side by side in peace and mutual recognition. My blog is written from this perspective.
In the 'History' section I endeavour to provide dispassionate, factual episodes that cover the history of the nations involved in as much detail as possible. In the 'Commentary' section I provide my own thoughts, observations and analysis on the situation.