ISRAEL VS PALESTINE part 1

 The October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, in which more than 700 Israelis are estimated to have been killed as of Monday, is believed to be the Palestinian militant group’s response to attempts at achieving “normalisation” of relations between Israel and other Muslim countries in West Asia.

Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, said on Al Jazeera television: “All the agreements of normalisation that you (Arab states) signed with (Israel) will not end this conflict,” referring to the larger Israel-Palestine conflict. The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has also attacked Israeli forces in the north, said that the Hamas action was a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalisation with Israel”.

What does “normalisation” of ties between Israel and the rest of the Middle East mean? We explain.

First, Israel’s creation and the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The history of the Israel-Palestine conflict is old and complex, but at its heart lies the fact that both Jews and Palestinians regard the ancient and historical land of Palestine (much of which is Israel today) as their own, and will not give up their claim to it. These claims are not just over the land, but also ethnic, cultural and religious, and seen by both sides as being integral to their identity as a people.

Russia calls for fighting to stop

Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, has said his message at the UN Security Council meeting was “to stop the fighting immediately and to go to a ceasefire and to meaningful negotiations, which was told for decades” by the Security Council.

“This is partly the result of unresolved issues,” he said.

Blinken seeks Turkey’s ‘continued engagement’ to help stop fighting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fiden called for Istanbul’s continued engagement in halting Hamas’ offensive, the state department said in a statement.

“The Secretary encouraged Turkey’s continued engagement and highlighted the United States’ unwavering focus on halting the attacks by Hamas and securing the release of all hostages,” it added.