Israel and Palestine have been the harbinger of troubles for the last 80-odd years. It is an unending and persistent saga of conflict and attrition which has bloodied the political, societal and economic turf in West Asia for long. The scale of wars, which were more than skirmishes of the day, ranged from the Nakba battle, the Galilee water conflict, the 1971 Yom Kippur war and the twin Intifadas, which have been perceived (and rightly so) as the bane of peace, prosperity and stability in the roiled region.

The contemporary context is also very grim and vitriolic as an asymmetric conflict has become the order of the day. The manner in which the Israel-Hamas conflict has unfolded with the Hamas refusing to go ahead with the release of the Israeli hostages seems to be a rankling element for attainment of peace in the region. Also, Israel has repeatedly toyed with the ceasefire on the premise of “destroying and completely decimating the terror infrastructure of a cheeky and Iran-supported Hamas.” 

Another round of negotiations is continuing in Qatar for the attainment of stability and cessation of hostilities in West Asia and the American intervention is very much there and rampantly assiduous. How effective and potently efficacious they can be is another matter. This happens to be the first diplomatic and conflict resolution exercise which is backed by president Trump. It can be argued that it’s the first striving at ending a war since the Americans bombarded the three nuclear installations in Iran, widening the antagonism and the scale of confrontation as Iran too hit back at an American base in the region.

A deadlock has been caused in the Gaza confrontation in which the terror actor, Hamas, has demanded a complete cessation of hostilities and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza strip while Tel Aviv maintains that there can only be a temporary truce, that too with the phased release of the remaining Israeli hostages. Thus, the peace-building scenario is floundering consistently in the region and with the Ayatollah Khamenei and Trump trading accusations and threats online and off, “the Riddler” might have the last laugh.

The BBC has reported that the first indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas have ended inconclusively in a disappointing course of events, peace overtures and developments. The Israeli delegation was not “sufficiently authorised” to reach an agreement with Hamas, according to Reuters news agency. 

President Trump has gone on to declare that the truce being negotiated in Qatar is “the final one”, but as the talks have ended inconclusively it might not be the last. 

Now all eyes are on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump. They’ve met twice this week and are optimistic about a hostage exchange plan along with a second ceasefire.

Meanwhile, consider the charge of collateral damage levelled by Hamas against the Israeli Defence forces (IDF) and their affiliates. Hamas considers it as a defining feature, that is, any Israel-Palestine conflagration is bound to target innocent bystanders and civilians. Tel Aviv also maintains that the Hamas terror-mongers intentionally live in the residential areas so the scourge of painful and disconcerting collateral damage is caused unknowingly. Also, it has been recorded by agencies that Hamas stores its missiles, guns and armaments in the schools and the hospitals which, when bombarded by the IDF, lead to the civilian misery. 

But, it’s much more than a mere war of the words. Valuable lives are being ruined and whatever may be the casus belli, the civilian flocks need to be kept out of the military clash. War is premised upon the inalienable right to self-defence along with the internationally noted and accepted law of war that all people in a war have a moral right to immunity in the ensuing conflicts. 

The various schools of thoughts in International Humanitarian Law coalesce in the understanding that civilians need not be intentionally targeted in an exchange of blows, but if they fall prey in a situation then that might not be a criminal act. It is beyond the tenet of humanism but wars are cruel and take their largesse of a toll with them. 

The scenario in Gaza has been muddied by the obstructions faced by the humanitarian agencies delivering aid to the region as massive displacement of populations has occurred. Still, the humanitarian aid and resettlement agencies have been accused of links with the Hamas actors in the exchanges. The Israel-Iran conflict too has occurred after the “redlines” had been crossed by Tehran. Israel, embroiled in a conflict with Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, too does not let up with the hostilities. Still, all in all, a lot can be said about the US’s role too but the incessant and the persistent sponsoring, aiding and abetting the multitude of non-state actors in the region by Tehran is a negativity which cannot be promptly relegated to the backburner.

Dr. Manan Dwivedi is Faculty, IR and IO, IIPA, New Delhi.