 GS Paper - 2

 Bilateral Groupings & Agreements

For Prelims: Israel, Palestine, Middle-East, Arab World, Yom Kippur

For Mains: Impact of Israel-Palestine Conflict on India and International

Why in News?
Recently, the Hamas, the militant group ruling the Gaza Strip, have mounted a
scathing attack on Israel from the land, air and water leading to multiple casualties.
This has revived the century-old dispute between Israel-Palestine Conflict once
again, necessitating the intervention by global and regional powers.

 Israel, in the recent times, has cemented many peace agreements with
neighboring countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia etc which is set to feel
a jolt due to the recent attack.
What is the Israel-Palestine Conflict?
 Balfour Declaration:
o The seeds of the conflict were laid in 1917 when the then British
Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour expressed official support of
Britain for a Jewish "national home" in Palestine under the Balfour
Declaration.
 Creation Of Palestine:
o Unable to contain Arab and Jewish violence, Britain withdrew its
forces from Palestine in 1948, leaving responsibility for resolving the
competing claims to the newly created United Nations.
  The UN presented a partition plan to create independent Jewish
and Arab states in Palestine which was not accepted by most of
Arab nations.
 Arab Israel War (1948):
o In 1948, the Jewish declaration of Israel's independence prompted
surrounding Arab states to attack. At the end of the war, Israel
controlled about 50 % more territory than originally envisioned by
the UN partition plan.
 UN Partition Plan:
o As per the Plan, Jordan controlled the West Bank and Jerusalem's
holy sites, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. But it fell short of
solving the palestinian crisis which led to the formation of Palestinian
Liberation Organisation in 1964.
 Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO):
o PLO was founded, with the aim of freeing Palestine from clutches of
Israel and Jewish domination and setting up the dominance of Muslim
Brotherhood in the Arab world.
 The United Nations granted the PLO observer
status in 1975 and recognizes Palestinians' right to self-
determination.
 Six-Day War: In 1967 war, Israeli forces seized the Golan Heights from
Syria, the West Bank & East Jerusalem from Jordan and Sinai Peninsula &
Gaza strip from Egypt.
 Camp David Accords (1978):
o "Framework for Peace in the Middle East" brokered by the U.S. set the
stage for peace talks between Israel and its neighbors and a resolution
to the "Palestinian problem". This however remained unfulfilled.
 Emergence of Hamas:
o 1987: Founding of Hamas, a violent offshoot of Egypt's Muslim
Brotherhood seeking to fulfill its agenda through violent jihad.
 Hamas- It is regarded as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
government. In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian Authority's
 legislative elections. It ejected Fatah from Gaza in 2007, splitting
the Palestinian movement geographically, as well
o 1987: Tensions in the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza
reached boiling point resulting in the First Intifada (Palestinian
Uprising). It grew into a small war between Palestinian militants and
the Israeli army.
 Oslo Accords:
o 1993: Under the Oslo Accords Israel and the PLO agree to officially
recognize each other and renounce the use of violence. The Oslo
Accords also established the Palestinian Authority, which received
limited autonomy in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
o 2005: Israel begins a unilateral withdrawal of Jews from settlements in
Gaza. However, Israel kept tight control over all border crossings
(blockade).
o 2012- UN upgrades Palestinian representation to that of "non-member
observer state".
 Territorial Disputes of Israel with Neighboring Countries:
o West Bank: The West Bank is sandwiched between Israel and
Jordan. One of its major cities is Ramallah, the de facto administrative
capital of Palestine. Israel took control of it in the 1967 war and has
over the years established settlements there.
o Gaza: The Gaza Strip located between Israel and Egypt. Israel
occupied the strip after 1967, but relinquished control of Gaza City
and day-to-day administration in most of the territory during the Oslo
peace process. In 2005, Israel unilaterally removed Jewish
settlements from the territory, though it continues to control
international access to it.
o Golan Heights: The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau that Israel
captured from Syria in the 1967 war. Israel effectively annexed the
territory in 1981. Recently, the USA has officially
recognized Jerusalem and Golan Heights as a part of Israel.
How has the relationship of India with Israel evolved over the years ?
 India’s Stand on the Israel-Palestine Conflict:
o India was one of the few countries to oppose the UN’s partition plan in
1947, echoing its own experience during independence a few months
earlier.
o India recognised Israel in 1950 but it is also the first non-Arab country
to recognise Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole
representative of the Palestinian. India is also one of the first countries
to recognise the statehood of Palestine in 1988.
o In recent times, India is being seen shifted towards a Dehyphenation
of Policy.
o Dehyphenation of Policy:
  India’s policy on the longest running conflict in the world has
gone from being unequivocally pro-Palestine for the first four
decades, to a tense balancing act with its three-decade-old
friendly ties with Israel.
 In recent years, India’s position has also been perceived as pro-
Israel.
o Further, India believes in a Two-State Solution with respect to Israel-
Palestine conflict, and proposes the right to self-determination to both
the countries in a peaceful manner.
What is the Impact of Assault on Israel-Saudi Arabia Ties ?
 One of the reasons for Hamas' assault on Israel can be attributed
to disrupting efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel together, along
with other countries that may be interested in normalizing relations with
Israel.
 Hamas had highlighted threats to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the
continuation of an Israeli blockade on Gaza and Israeli normalization
with countries in the region.
 Dehyphening Saudi Arabia from Israel will help promote the agenda of
Muslim Brotherhood and territorial sovereignty over the Arab and Middle
East region.
 Normalization of ties of regional powers with Israel will further embolden
and strengthen the position of Israel vis-a-vis reclaiming Palestinian
territories.
 Ties with UAE,Egypt,Saudi Arabia etc will provide a vigorous push to
infrastructural development, and create inter-dependence and inter-
relationships among these countries, much to the chagrin of Palestinians.
Way Forward
 The world at large needs to come together for a peaceful solution but
the reluctance of the Israeli government and other involved parties have
aggravated the issue more. Thus a balanced approach would help to
maintain favorable relations with Arab countries as well as Israel.
 The recent normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE,
Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, known as the Abraham Accords, are the
 steps in the right direction. All regional powers should envisage
peace between the two countries on line of Abraham Accords.
 India’s role in multilateral organizations requires “strenuous efforts in
cooperation with all related parties to achieve security and stability in the
Middle East and West Asia”.
 India is currently serving as a non-permanent member of the United
Nations Security Council for 2021-22 and was re-elected to the Human
Rights Council for the 2022-24. India should use these multilateral forums
to act as a mediator to resolve the Israel-Palestine issue.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Prelims
Q 1. Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out
to the Mediterranean Sea? (2015)

(a) Syria
(b) Jordan
(c) Lebanon
(d) Israel

Ans: (b)

Mains
Q1. ‘Too little cash, too much politics, leaves UNESCO fighting for life.’ Discuss the
statement in the light of US’ withdrawal and its accusation of the cultural body as
being ‘anti-Israel bias’. (2019)

Q2 . “India’s relations with Israel have, of late, acquired a depth and diversity, which
cannot be rolled back.” Discuss. (2018)
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