are Israel at war with pale tine?

Question

if they are who do you think is going to win? after the war do you think the killing will stop.

Answer 1

The Arab-Israeli conflict is definitely not an easy question to address.

The United Nations was formed after the end of World War II in order to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind", as found in the preamble to the body's Charter. The UN Charter has very specific circumstances under which states can breach the sovereignty of another state with force, and they are as follows: in response to a direct attack or in self-defence, and must immediately report to the Security Council where they receive authorization or a command of cessation for their actions.

As far as Israel goes, they are occupying land won in a war in the '60s. Since then, various peace agreements have been reached and consequently breached. A major issue, however, arises in how to deal with terrorism. The President of the United States would like the world to justify actions against a country of the nationality of a terrorist. There is no precedent, however, to be found in authorizations of the Security Council that would justify this belief. As such, attacks against a country because of terrorist activity being committed on that land or in the name of that country, provided it is not a government funded or backed action, cannot justify retaliatory actions against said government.

This is where the situation with Israel-Palestine becomes particularly dicey. Is there international acceptance that the Palestinian government is aiding terrorists in attacking the Israeli state on the Palestinian behalf? Can Israel's response then be justified as self-defence? If this is the case, then are they not obligated to report their actions to the Security Council and wait for further authorization or denial of authorization for any further action?

OR, is Israel's response to the Palestinian country and apparent targeting of civilian populations (see Gaza rocket incident recently in the news) be seen as an aggressive, illegal, and unjustified action under international law?

The problem is that international law is specifically written in vague terms to make problems like these debateable and grey-areas. In order to reach concensus for international statutes, countries do not want black and white rules. Rules need to be written so that they can be interpreted to suit a country's needs. Therefore, an answer to the legitimacy of the Israeli or Palestinian actions is nearly impossible.

One thing is important to note, however - under no international statute is the direct targeting of civilians allowable. It is terrorism of the highest degree, and can never be justified as 'self-defence' either by the Israelis or the Palestinians. For more detailed information, read the Geneva Conventions (which can be easily found through a Google search.)

Regarding the second part of the question - if the 'war' ends, will the killing stop? A difficult question to answer, to be sure. In any case of a war of ideologies (see Ireland, as an example), the original reasons for the aggression are often lost for those who are continuing to fight the war. The 'myths' perpetuated by parents, families, teachers and governments may no longer be based in much fact, and only serve to incite further hatred that has no other justification in the young. In order to stop the killing, there needs to be grassroots change in both states - schools need to teach tolerance, kids need to be taught that there is no 'enemy' in order for that enemy to cease to exist. Only after the newest generation takes control of the country and has grown up under those conditions will the killing stop.

Answer 2

yes they are at war...it's been going on since the middle ages & they will stop when one side or the other is completely gone...we need to keep our noses out of problems that don't concern us & if it does concern us, hit hard, fast & end it fast & come home...we need to be a true super power & mind our own business & get our own country in order so we can lead by example, rather than military might...

Answer 3

Israel is more defending itself than anything else. they do their best to hit military targets only and try to aim for the leaders of the terrorists. The palistinians, on the other hand, still try to kill everyone irregardless of who they are and try to hide their military targets behind civilians so that Israel will not attack. Try reading the newspaper more.

Answer 4

They are at war and I think they will always be at war because of their general religious beliefs.

Answer 5

No one wins a war, all loose either way.

Answer 6

no, israel is not at war with paletine! why would they want to come to Illinios and fight for that town?

Answer 7

Yes, but it is spelled Palestine

Answer 8

no, and the killing will not stop

Answer 9

no