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More than 300 people were injured in the latest clashes between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police at the Al Aqsa mosque complex in Jerusalem on Monday.
Israel claimed casualties in the Gaza Strip on Monday in response to a series of rockets fired by Hamas and other Palestinian militants in the wake of violence sparked by unrest near Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque.
Israel has been drowning in tension for several days, but it is far from the first time that Palestinians and Jews have clashed in the historic city of Jerusalem.
Islamic researcher Professor Egdūnas Račius for the news portal lrytas.lt agreed to comment on the causes of these conflicts today and the possible consequences for Israel.
The fight for territory
The main cause of today’s conflict is the fight for territory in the crucial city of Jerusalem. According to E. Račius, the history of this conflict began more than 70 years ago.
“Apparently one should start with the establishment of the Jewish state, perhaps even at dawn, when Jewish immigrants in Palestine began to buy land owned by locals, and then a large proportion of the indigenous Palestinian population, the so-called lrytas.lt E. Račius said.
The inherited territories were annexed to the state of Israel, but that was not the end. According to the professor, seizures of Palestinian homes or territories continue periodically to this day.
“What we see at this stage, which has actually been repeated all these decades since the creation of the Jewish state, is that from time to time, the relevant services of Israel – urban planning or spatial planning – simply enclose certain areas for development. of Jewish settlements “. , houses are being built and those territories are often simply expropriated, they are declared the territory of the state of Israel and the ex-Palestinians are deported there, ”explained an expert from the Middle East region.
Sometimes indigenous peoples are offered compensation, but according to a religious researcher, Palestinians often do not receive any compensation, but are simply evicted, infrastructure projects are built in their homes, and houses are built.
“What we see now are not news or exceptions, this practice is already working, it is difficult to say for 7 or more decades,” said E. Račius.
Will there be no place for the Palestinians in Jerusalem?
Speaking about the future of the exiled population, Professor E. Račius is convinced that at least one active Jewish national movement, called Zionism, does not see an opportunity for the Palestinians to remain in Jerusalem.
“There is no possibility for the Palestinians to survive in Palestine, in other words, the goal is to expel these people from the territory by various means,” noted E. Račius. “What are these measures, if they are very brutal, if they should be legal or not, the details can already be seen here.”
Israel’s extreme attitude is firmly rooted in power and, for the moment at least, the country’s authorities are continuing this program seamlessly.
“That program, for the most intense Jews, is really moving, maybe not as fast as they would like, but they are moving in that direction,” said Professor E. Račius from the Department of Regional Studies at Vytautas Magnus University. “In the long term, maybe not in a decade, not in two decades, there may be a situation where the Palestinians simply no longer have any rights to that territory, no property, no land.”
From an international perspective, she appears to be homeless or unwilling to make decisions that may impose certain sanctions on the Jewish state. Well, it can probably be said that such a slow and rampant genocide of the Palestinians would stop, if not stop completely.
Can you expect a stronger western reaction?
Four members of the Middle East Quartet – the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – expressed “deep concern” over the violence in Jerusalem on Saturday. However, the violent attack on the locals suggests a harsher reaction from the West.
In the professor’s opinion, as this is not the first time these confrontations have occurred, we cannot expect a harsher answer:
E. Račius is convinced that no significant sanctions will be imposed on the State of Israel, at the UN or EU level.
As one of the reasons for this, the Islamic scholar named the painful historical events during World War II: “Nothing like this can be expected in the case of Israel for a variety of reasons, some related to the guilt felt by states. Europeans because of what happened in the 20th century. in the middle. “
Israeli-American relations
Speaking of the relations between Israel and the United States, the professor suggests talking about it on several levels.
The first level is publicly visible: rhetorical. It changed when Joe Biden became president of the United States and a new administration came to power. We can find disagreements in the current rhetoric, but the second level mentioned by the professor is fundamental.
“When it comes to real communication and cooperation, the United States understands that in the Middle East, without a strategic partner like Israel, it is easier for them to break down,” Račius said. “In other words, even now the United States is not doing well in Iraq or Syria, in fact, nowhere in the Middle East, but you can say that it is not being attacked with dirt on its face, because Israel supports states. United”. States with intelligence and other means “.
In other words, despite the fact that the president of the United States may publicly criticize Israel by someone in the administration of the administration, there will certainly be no real action to take.
“Comments are being made, but for this to have long-term consequences, the cooperation would be terminated, and let’s not be naïve again,” concluded the professor.
The division of the Palestinians
Unity is needed in the fight against a systematic Israeli government. However, according to Raat, unity among the Palestinians is hard to find.
“The Arabs have not been able to see beyond their backyard, that is, the mental feudalism, and the inability to see a more general need for concentration, they are actually persecuting the Palestinians now,” the professor said.
Palestinians are severely divided, united, making it especially difficult to win ownership battles internationally, said one Middle East expert, describing it as a “chronic disease” that has lasted for decades.
Muslim anger over damaged mosque
A video was released Monday showing Palestinians hiding from rubber bullets and grenades from riot police in one of the faith’s most important mosques.
However, this has not stopped officials from throwing riot grenades inside the shrine, which could lead not only to international Muslim anger but also a diplomatic crisis for Israel, which has recently established relations with members of the Arab League and maintains relationships with others. Islamic countries.
Račius notes that those who expected Israel to “civilize” or at least expect less brutal police action are now in a strange situation, including the heads of state of the Arabian Peninsula.
“Leaders who see what is happening in the holy month of Ramadan in one of the holiest places for Muslims. If, say, they do not cancel their ambassadors or consultations, it will be a true demonstration that simply those Arab leaders have been bought, “said the VMU professor. “I don’t know what the Americans or Israelis were promised for reviewing diplomatic relations.”
However, some of the Arab countries may decide to end relations with the established Israel in the region.
E. Račius calls it a natural expectation: you swallow such a bitter pill, it happens during the month of Ramadan, the armed forces of the provocative state shoot people who pray. “
