Final Post: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Final Post: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Throughout the course of the semester my group I focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. During the initial stages of research we found out that the conflict is much more complex and broad than we had imagined. The conflict can be analyzed from various perspectives, viewpoints. Within our first blog post we discussed the history of the conflict and presented various issues regarding the conflict that “there isn't simply one problem that this issue consists of, but rather a multitude of them.”

From there we decided to take the side of the Palestinians to further narrow our analysis of the conflict. In our second blog post our group discussed and analyzed the war in Gaza and its effects on the Palestinian civilians and the international community. Finally, to conclude our final blog we discussed and analyzed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement or known as the BDS Movement - A Palestinian campaign trying to raise global awareness of the oppression that is inflicted upon “refugees, those under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Israel.”

Working as a group of seven definitely proved to be a challenge. On the matter, conflicting schedules did not help the situation. For the second and third blog post, as group we decided on our overall topic and delegated various responsibilities and questions. Research required multiple credible sources such as BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, and so forth. When we collected our individual research we would then formulate our segment of the blog and post it on the Google document.  As a group we would set a virtual meeting where we would all be on the Google document to revise and edit the blog. By far, working in this group has been a tremendous experience that was definitely a worthwhile semester journey. 

Prior to the project I was interested in this particular conflict, but I was not really informed of the whole issue. As a result of doing this project I not only learned more about the conflict, but also

reinforced the various content we have learned in the Intro to International Politics course. For instance, I was able to analyze the conflict and refer to content that we have learned in class as evidence. On another note, working as group has reinforced the importance of communication and being flexible with everyone’s schedule. In closing, I have come to understand that the conflict is easy to explain and talk about, but difficult to solve. I hope that peace and justice will prevail soon and the conflict will resolve.   

 

References

BDSmovement.net | The Palestinian BDS National Committee website. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.bdsmovement.net/

Inside Palestine. (2010, January 25). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from https://behebekfalasteen.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/peace1.jpg

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://geography.mrdonn.org/palestine.html

Prager University. (2014, April 28). The Middle East Problem. YouTube. Retrieved December 5, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EDW88CBo-8

The Israel-Palestine conflict. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.cctv-america.com/collections/the-israel-palestine-conflict

Weir, A. A Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/

Final Post: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

           

Assala Mami

       Throughout this semester, my group and I focused on the ongoing Palestinian and Israeli conflict. We began by discussing the overall history of the conflict and how the issue emerged. However, after a lot of research, we found that the Palestinian and Israeli conflict does not simply have one cause. It is a complicated issue, with many different factors that have contributed to the overall issue. Although, it evident that one of the main issues between the two groups, is over land. As we stated in the first blog post, “The main issues focus on land, more specifically, the city of Jerusalem. Both, Israel and Palestine, want control over the city because for both groups, it is a focal point of religious significance, however the conflict has grown to be bit more complex than that”. The issue over land goes hand in hand with the second topic we analyzed, the war in Gaza. This war illustrated the how the Israelis have continued to take more land from the Palestinians. We also analyzed the outcomes of the war, and what the effects were for both Israel and Palestine. Finally we ended by writing about the BDS movement. The BDS movement is a Palestinian campaign trying to raise awareness of Palestinian oppression by asking the global community to launch broad boycotts, implement divestment initiatives, and to demand sanctions of Israeli goods. We ended with the BDS movement to portray that the fight between the Israelis and Palestinians is still an ongoing conflict.

            Overall our research method varied for each blog post. Each member of the group brought in different sources about the blog post topic. This allowed for different perspectives and varied sources on the topic. That we were not simply focusing on just the Palestinian or Israeli perspective of the issue. We used many different websites such as ABC News, BBC, CNN, and other independent Palestinian and Israeli articles. Working in a group of seven people proved to be difficult at times, as it was hard to get a hold of everyone at once, but we managed to figure out a plan for each post where we could all contribute to the post. Working on a Google document also really helped, as we were all able to edit each other’s work and make sure the blog post was organized.

            Participating in these blog posts has taught me a lot about the growing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I have always been interested in the subject matter, and tried to follow along with the current events regarding the issue, but writing these blog posts has given me a more in-depth understanding of the topic. I have also realized the different perspectives in the media about this topic. Several sources provide different perspectives on this issue, making it difficult to establish the cause and the truth about the conflict. However working in a group really helped determine the facts and allow for a variety of sources in order to obtain minimal bias in the blog posts. Even though the issue between the Palestinians and Israelis is a complicated and on going issue, I hope justice will be served and the fighting can stop.

Work Cited:

 Sager, Josh. "The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: A Complicated Issue - Part #1." The Progressive  Cynic. WordPress, Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://theprogressivecynic.com/2012/11/24/the-israelipalestinian-conflict-a-complicated-issue-part-1/>.

Final Blog Post: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

This semester, my group and I focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Due to the broadness of the conflict, we first gave an overview of all the many reasons that have caused, and added fuel, to this ongoing battle. Some of the reasons we listed were territory, religion, and the lack of human rights given to Palestinians. Our second post focuses on more current events, specifically, the 50 day war in Gaza. We then covered the question of who the West Bank belongs to, as both Israel and Palestine claim it as their territory. Additionally, we also wrote about the social and economic issues both sides are experiencing due to the West Bank dispute. Lastly, we decided to give an overview of the BDS movement and to explain the action they have taken to guarantee Palestinian human rights, a fight that is still in progress.

            Working as a group on such a broad topic definitely was challenging. However, by doing so, we were all able to focus on one part of the issue we were covering, therefore allowing us to truly analyze and learn of the conflict. Because we worked as a group, I believe that we were able to include both Israeli and Palestinian views and reasoning in our posts, as well as adding the United States’ perspective on the conflict. For the most part, the approach we took was from many sources and from our own ideas, allowing creativity and a balance of ideas.

Covering this issue has taught me why this conflict is ongoing and difficult to find a solution to. Not only that, but it allowed me to explore different positions on the conflict. Many times the media only shows us a certain part of the problem and one perspective of it, but behind that single piece are victims from both sides, children who are left without parents, and an increase in poverty. I was

able to read and learn more about other events that popular media sources may not have covered, and I also found that there are many people from both parties, and third parties, that are fighting for peace. I also learned that in order to cover a topic, I must read sources that give a different opinions and information, but even then, it will never truly cover all beliefs. This project also taught me how important it is to communicate with your group and to understand that we may not all have the same perspective on an issue, but that we can still share our ideas and each other’s in order to form a well-informed post. In conclusion, I feel that we all have grown to understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict a bit more and that we must have hope that peace may soon come.

                                                                                                                                                           

Adel, K. (Cartoonist). (2012). Israel Palestine Peace upon Gaza [Political Cartoon], Retrieved December 3, 2014, from: http://kavehadel.com/blog/2012/11/political-cartoon-israel-palestine-peace-upon-gaza-by-iranian-american-cartoonist-kaveh-adel/

BDS Movement

When the world watched as apartheid was dying in South Africa, they took a stand and rallied together; now, with the similar situation happening in the Middle East with Israel and Palestine, the world is slowly coming together to fight for the rights of equality. Many countries are stopping their trade with Israel on behalf of the Palestinian BDS movement. What was once a small group of corporations and of organizations, a growing movement of the boycotts towards Israeli goods is becoming more legitimate. What is BDS? The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement is a Palestinian campaign trying to raise global awareness of the oppression that is inflicted upon “refugees, those under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Israel”. In essence, the main objective of the BDS movement is to sought international pressure on Israel to comply with international law.

On July 9, 2005, Palestinians called on “their counterparts and people of conscience all over the world to launch broad boycotts, implement divestment initiatives, and to demand sanctions” in Israel. (Introducing, 2014).  The boycotting of Israel entails refusing to purchase products or commodities made or sold by Israel as well as refusing to do businesses with Israeli companies or groups. For example, the BDS Movement has paired with the Buycott app to allow anyone with a smartphone to scan products from their local grocery stores and detect whether or not it is an Israeli product. In addition to this, venues around the world have denied service to artists, festivals, and other related groups unless they revoke their affiliation with the Israeli government.  The divestment portion of this movement means, “targeting corporations complicit in the violation of Palestinian rights and ensuring that the likes of university investment portfolios and pension funds are not used to finance such companies” (Introducing, 2014). The purpose of this is to encourage companies to economically pressure Israel  “to end its systematic denial of Palestinian rights” as well as to make companies around the world aware of the policies and rules used to oppress Palestinians (Introducing, 2014). The last part of this process is to sanction. When one country sanctions another country it publicly threatens to penalize them for disobeying and/or breaking a rule or law. The United States and European countries are dispensing sanctions that pressure Israel into making a compromise with Palestine. All in all, the BDS Movement is a way for Palestine to resist the oppression inflicted by Israel and to  ask the world to aid their cause for equal rights peacefully. 

                                   

There have been many organizations and people who have joined the Palestinian BDS movement. One of which is US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who does not cease to rail in Israeli government with reminders that if they continue to disregard a two-state settlement, Israel will soon suffer isolation. A group of 500 anthropologists worldwide are also raising awareness of the debacle by signing petitions and speaking up about the Israeli invasion on the Palestinians land. Sara Irving, reporter for the BDS movement says:

“[Anthropologists] specialize[s] in how power, oppression, and structural violence affect social life, and as witnesses to the State of Israel’s multiple and egregious violations of international law that constitute an assault on Palestinian culture and society, they pledge to abide by their discipline’s stated commitment to ‘the promotion and protection of the right of people and people’s everywhere to the full realization of their humanity.’”  

The anthropologists are gathering together to inform the world about the truth of the matter: that if the Israeli government does not cease their control and hold on Palestine, the world will no longer stand silent. Israeli Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, has stated that less and less of the world is listening to Israel. In regard, many of the countries of the European Union, such as Romania and the Netherlands, have completely disregarded Israeli goods. Most of Israeli trade is with European countries so if more European countries favor BDS, then Israel is in danger of losing up to $5.7 billion. America has also started organizing protests against the Israel in favor of Palestine. A coalition in Los Angeles, California called the “Block the Boat” met at the ports in Long Beach to protest the arrival of a cargo ship filled with Israeli goods. The organization is focused on educating workers about Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine. Any delay to cargo ships causes delay in scheduling meaning that the company loses thousands of dollars. The Zim Savannah, the cargo ship, was delayed almost two days making the organization successful. To make matters worse, the Israeli company SodaStream has manufactures in the occupied Palestinian West Bank territory which violates Israeli law and is considered a war crime. They have taken up more Palestinian land to build the factories leaving more families homeless. Also, they use Palestinian workers as cheap labor and mistreat them. The UN has given their fact of the matter that if Israel continues with this path, there will be condemnation. Many corporations around the world are also being threatened with the fact that if they support SodaStream, they will face major backlash and boycotts. For instance, Starbucks has plans to partner with SodaStream which is causing severe controversy on the world famous coffee branch. The European Union is threatening to boycott Starbucks shops if they continue with SodaStream. The ever growing BDS movement is starting to take a toll on Israel. In March 2014, Israeli newspapers were reported that BDS has caused more than 100 million shekels in financial losses.

So what does this all mean? Why is BDS so important? Well, unlike many other movements that both Israel and Palestine have taken against one another, the BDS movement is described to be “rooted in international law and human rights norms, BDS is a nonviolent tactic with maximalist aims” (Barghouti, 2013). The significance of this movement is not only their nonviolent views, but also their call to action to the international community to put pressure on Israel. As a whole, the BDS movement strives to focus on three demands: “End its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall; Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and Respect, protect, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties, as stipulated in UN resolution 194” (Wolf 2014). In the end, the BDS movement hopes Israel will obey with international law and respect Palestinian rights. Fortunately, the BDS movement has been successful in its most recent years in efforts with the international community, as “ trade unions, faith groups, nongovernmental organizations and grass-roots movements around the world” have continued to support the Palestinians (Zidah 2014).

The BDS movement as a whole is significant in its efforts to alleviate and solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine by bringing forth the international community to guilt and pressure Israel in complying with international laws. Israel has broken international law by the massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank (as discussed more thoroughly in our previous blogs) . The BDS movement draws on the example of the Apartheid in South Africa, as it compares the two groups fighting for justice, equality and freedom. The boycotting of Israel is important, and one can hope that the BDS movement will continue to raise global awareness, so that international action can be taken, like that was done in South Africa, to stop the oppression of the Palestinians.

Work Cited:

A campaign that is gathering weight. (2014, February 8). Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21595948-israels-politicians-sound-rattled-campaign-isolate-their-country

Barghouti, O. (2013). Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights. Journal of Palestine Studies, 96.

Introducing the BDS Movement. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 1, 2014.

Irving, S. (2014, October 25). More than 500 anthropologists back academic boycott of Israel. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.bdsmovement.net/2014/more-than-500-anthropologists-back-academic-boycott-of-israel-12755

Mayer, C. (2014, August 8). Artists Split Over Cultural Boycotts of Israel Amid Gaza War. Retrieved November 24, 2014.

Silver, C. (2014, October 19). Los Angeles activists block unloading of Israeli cargo ship for two days. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.bdsmovement.net/2014/los-angeles-activists-block-unloading-of-israeli-cargo-ship-for-two-days-12752

Soliman, A. (2014, August 16). Boycotting Israel: BDS movement reaches tipping point - Region - World - Ahram Online. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/108496/World/Region/Boycotting-Israel-BDS-movement-reaches-tipping-poi.aspx

Starbucks may face a boycott if it partners with SodaStream. (2014, April 29). Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.bdsmovement.net/2014/starbucks-may-face-a-boycott-if-it-partners-with-sodastream-12008

Timeline. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 1, 2014.

Wolf, S. (2014, August 8). What’s behind the rise of BDS? Retrieved November 24, 2014.

Zidah, R. (2014, August 14). The case for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel | Al Jazeera America. Retrieved November 24, 2014.

The Endless Conflict: War in Gaza

By: Assala Mami, Bree Zamora, Jaleesa Alangan, Kirsten Saldana, Laura Eletel, Melissa Mata, Randy Cruzet

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

When speaking of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, there is no particular event that can be “blamed” as the sole reason for the conflict (Kumar, 2014). The issues that Palestine and Israel have been facing are religious, political, and territorial conflicts and have been present since the late 19th and early 20th centuries (History of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 2014). In more recent news, the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers (explained below) sparked a new flame in the continuously growing fire between the two sides. As the world may already know, this incident instigated a 50 day war in Gaza that has sadly ended the lives of many and ruined the lives of many more (Dearden, 2014). Israeli police have raided Palestinian homes, their military has led air strikes that have killed a large number of Palestinians, many being civilians, and Palestinian retaliations have killed Israelis, although their numbers were not as great (Almasy, 2014). But more intricately speaking, it has brought up the question of “how can this conflict be resolved?” Unfortunately, the resolution resides in solving the crisis of who gets land and who doesn’t. On a domestic front, this conflict has Americans questioning whom our loyalty should reside with; Israel, our allies, or Palestine, the underdog?

As a whole, the Israeli - Palestinian conflict has a lot to do with the issue regarding identity politics. According to Annick T.R. Wibben identity politics is “inspired by the interests of, and intended to benefit, a particular group with a shared identity.” In this conflict there are two groups with both two different identities: one sharing a Jewish identity, which is Israel, and, a Muslim identity, which is Palestine. Both groups each have particular interests that benefit their own particular group and they intend to accomplish such an interest. Specifically in Gaza, Palestinian Arabs feel the right to be there since they have always been there, while the Jewish people feel they have right to take more land in order to have a homeland for Jews. With two groups having such opposite interests’ results into this major conflict between the two nations, this is one of the reasons why there is the war in Gaza between the Israelis and Hamas. To reiterate what Dennis Prager said the conflict boils down to “One side wants the other dead” (Prager University, 2014). Essentially, this whole conflict between Israel and Palestine has a lot to do with identity politics.

With a population of about 1.8 million people, the Gaza strip is a 139 square miles piece of land, an area the size of Detroit, on the border of Egypt and against the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza is technically part of Palestinian authority, but it has been under the Hamas rule since 2007 (Palestine-Israel Conflict). The violence in Gaza sparked on June 12, 2014 when three teenage boys who were hitchhiking in the West Bank were kidnapped. On June 30, the bodies were found and Israel blamed Hamas for the kidnapping. Hamas denied such allegations from Israel, but Israel began to arrest, kill and raid the homes of the Palestinians. Over 300 Palestinians were arrested, 10 killed and approximately 1,000 private homes were raided just days after the bodies of the teenagers were found (ABC, 2014). However some Palestinians believe the tension between Gaza and Israel can date back to November 4, 2012, when a Palestinian man who strayed too near the Gaza-Israel border fence was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. Although Israeli soldiers claim that warning shots were fired when the man did not follow orders to back away from the area. However Palestinian medics argue that the victim was unarmed and “mentally unfit”. According to an American-Israeli writer, Emily Hausen, the November 4 incident may have not been the only instigator as many rockets were being fired back and forth around that time. Hauser’s timeline of the major incidents that happened after November 4 can be viewed here (Khazan, 2012). There have been multiple efforts of creating a truce but both sides never agree, one of those efforts was during the first week of the crisis where a plan was proposed by Egypt. Israel accepted it but Hamas said it was not consulted and later on rejected it as "a surrender". Israeli leaders want Gaza to be demilitarized while Hamas will stop fighting when there is an end to the blockade to Gaza. A ceasefire, broken by the Egyptian government, was finally agreed upon on the 50th day of fighting (News, 2014).

The Gaza crisis has had a huge impact on Palestinian civilians. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, of the 2,191 killed 1,660 were civilians. The number of wounded persons surpassed 10,000 (PCHR, 2014). The Gaza crisis also has had a negative effect on Israelis, which resulted in the killings of four civilians, one being a child (OCHA, 2014).  Many buildings and facilities were also damaged due to the airstrikes, including 71 mosques over the course of seven weeks (Agence France-Presse, 2014). The United Nations Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that “around 13 percent of the housing stock in Gaza was destroyed or damaged and over 100,000 become homeless”. More than half a million were displaced and due to the extreme damage that occurred, it left these people without access to infrastructure such as water, electricity, and the destruction of schools  (OCHA, 2014). A U.N. report in August claimed that Gaza may not be a "livable place" by 2020 because of food insecurity and abysmal infrastructure. The unemployment rate hovers near 30 percent (United Nations Centre, 2014).

         Despite the attacks made by Israel on Gaza that had the United Nations involved due to the lack of humanity shown to the Palestinians, the US was questioned whether Israel is causing a strain on this alliance. Obama’s current meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu talks about the United States’ “unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel” (Staff of Israel, 2014). President Obama wishes to help “change the status quo” between the Israel and Palestine by finally create a peaceful equality (Staff of Israel, 2014). The tense situation between Israel and Palestine has been an ongoing issue since the end of World War II when Israel became a state; but, it also took the home of millions of Palestinians. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, thanked President Obama for "unequivocally affirming Israel's sovereign right to defend itself by itself against any threat"(BBC, 2013). The United States and Israel are more than allies; they hold a friendship that helps aid and protect Israel. Israel receives one of our biggest foreign aid  of one billion dollars annually from the United States (Mark, 2002). From 1996 to 2004, 74% of the aid was spent on purchasing US goods and services (Keinon, 2013). After 2004, due to the shift of global stability, our aid has changed as well. Not only are we helping with selling of US products but now we are aiding in military assistance. The US has helped with Israel’s economic competitiveness, the information technology revolution, resource sustainability, and public health (Eisenstadt, 2012).  Additionally, Israel is one of our few non-NATO allies which, according to the United States Nunn Amendment, means that they receive an additional military and financial benefits. Israel’s placement in the Middles East is a safe and protected location giving the justification for military aid from the United States.  As an ally, it helps the US strengthen presence in the Middle East thus gaining recognition as “America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East” (News 2004).

In more recent news, the U.N. Security Council continues to draft resolutions that would grant Israel and Palestine their rights as two different states (Lederer, 2014) (Two-state solution, 2014).  The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Ababa, set the deadline for 2016 at the U.N. General Assembly meeting on Friday, September 27, giving the U.N. a year to construct rules for the state of Israel.  The resolutions would include the independence of Palestine as a state according to the borders set from the Mideast War of 1967 (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014).  Both Israeli and Palestinian representatives have received a large majority of their support from the United States; because of what Obama describes as an “unbreakable” alliance with Israel, most Americans sympathize with the Israelis than with the Palestinians. At the same time, Democrats and Republicans do not necessarily disagree with any Palestinian actions.  This ongoing Palestine-Israel Conflict has the U.N. in agreement that the only way to create peace is to settle into two states, but the concerns shift towards the reality of actual peace for either nations -- together or apart.      

References

Keinon, H. (2013, January 3). US Senator Rand Paul set to visit Israel. US Senator Rand Paul set to visit Israel. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/US-Senator-Rand-Paul-set-to-visit-Israel

Lederer, E. (2014, October 1). Palestinians: Israeli Occupation Must End in 2016. ABC News. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/palestinians-israeli-occupation-end-2016-25889953

ABC. (2014, July 31). Everything You Need to Know About the Israel-Gaza Conflict. ABC News. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/International/israel-gaza-conflict/story?id=24552237

France-Presse. (2014, August 25). Gaza death toll increases as Israeli strikes continue. The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/aug/26

Almasy, S. (2014, August 25). Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. CNN. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/24/world/meast/mideast-crisis/

News. (2004, January 28). Top Secret American Military Installations In Israel. Top Secret American Military Installations In Israel. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2005/012805.htm

News. (2014, August 26). Gaza-Israel conflict: Is the fighting over?. BBC News. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28252155

BBC. (2013, March 20). Obama: US proud to be Israel ally. BBC News. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21854164

Dearden, L. (n.d.). Israel-Gaza conflict: 50-day war by numbers. The Independent. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israelgaza-conflict-50day-war-by-numbers-9693310.html

History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict

Khazan, O. (2012, November 17). Israel and Gaza violence: How did it start?. Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/17/israel-and-gaza-violence-how-did-it-start/

Kumar, S. (2014, July 18). Why Is India Silent on the Israeli Operation in Gaza?. The Diplomat. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://thediplomat.com/2014/07/why-is-india-silent-on-the-israeli-operation-in-gaza/

Mark, C. (2002, October 17). Israeli-United States Relations. Israeli-United States Relations. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.policyalmanac.org/world/archive/crs_israeli-us_relations.shtml

Eisenstadt, M. M., & Pollock, D. (n.d.). Asset Test: How the United States Benefits from Its Alliance with Israel. - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/asset-test-how-the-united-states-benefits-from-its-alliance-with-israel

OCHA. (2014, June-August). Humanitarian Bulletin Monthly Report. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaris Occupied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2014_10_03_english.pdf

PCHR. (2014, September 16). Statistics: Victims of the Israeli Offensive on Gaza since 08 July 2014. Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10491:statistics-victims-of-the-israeli-offensive-on-gaza-since-08-july-2014&catid=145:in-focus

PragerUniversity. (2014, April 28). The Middle East Problem. YouTube. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EDW88CBo-8

Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2014, July 24). Six-Day War (Middle East [1967]). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/850855/Six-Day-War

Palestine-Israel Conflict. (n.d.). What is Hamas?. PalestineIsrael Conflict. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://palestineisraelconflict.wordpress.com/what-is-hamas/

of Israel Staff. (2014, October 1). Full text of Obama-Netanyahu joint White House statements. The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-obama-netanyahu-joint-white-house-statements/

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Nations Centre. (2014, July 16). United Nations News Centre. Israel agrees to ‘humanitarian pause’ in war-torn Gaza Strip, UN envoy confirms. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48284#.VDIFdfldXkW

Wibben, A. (2014). Who do we think we are? In Global Politics: A New Introduction

(2nd ed., pp. 85-107). New York: Routledge.