Present day Israel came into existence vide United Nations Resolution 181, passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 that called for the partition of Mandatory Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, with the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem with adjoining areas admeasuring 176 square kilometres to become a “corpus separatum” to be governed by a special international regime.
Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, recognised by the United States, the Soviet Union, and many others, followed immediately by invasion from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Transjordan.
Wars followed in 1956, 1967, 1973, 2006 each a consequence of the refusal of the Arabs to acknowledge the right of Israel to exist. Israel has emerged bigger and stronger after the wars. Israel has thrived and emerged as a modern and progressive State while the Arabs have languished.
The present hostage crisis is a repeat performance. In July 12, 2006, Hezbollah killed eight Israeli soldiers and took two others hostage. Israel reacted with a massive ground and air attack on Hezbollah intended to rescue the hostages and push Hezbollah north of the Litani River. The war proved highly destructive and came at a high cost of life, prompting the intervention of the UN Security Council in August.
Resolution 1701 was adopted unanimously by the Security Council. Among the key provisions of the resolution were:
• A full cessation of hostilities by both Hezbollah
and Israel
• The withdrawal of the Israeli Forces and Hezbollah, as well as their weapons and assets, from the area between the Blue Line and
the Litani River
• The disarmament of
Hezbollah
• The deployment of a strengthened UNIFIL peacekeeping force to monitor the resolution’s implementation and assist the Lebanese government in extending its authority throughout southern Lebanon.
By August 14 Israel, Hezbollah, and the Lebanese government had each accepted the conditions of the resolution, bringing the war to an end. The Hezbollah broke the terms almost immediately re-entered the prohibited areas adjacent to Israeli border, strengthened into a fighting force and ousted the Lebanese Army.
A full-fledged war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad again flared up on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths of unarmed Israeli civilians, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its formation. More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack. The Israeli retaliation and attempt to rescue the hostages is ongoing, a direct consequence of the violation of the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages effective from June 3 1983.
The relevant provisions read:-
Article 1
1. Any person who seizes or detains and threatens to kill, to injure or to continue to detain another person in order to compel a third party, namely, a State, an international intergovernmental organization, a natural or juridical person, or a group of persons, to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the hostage commits the offence of taking of hostages within the meaning of this Convention.
Article 3
1. The State Party in the territory of which the hostage is held by the offender shall take all measures it considers appropriate to ease the situation of the hostage, in particular, to secure his release and, after his release, to facilitate, when relevant, his departure.
2. If any object which the offender has obtained as a result of the taking of hostages comes into the custody of a State Party, that State Party shall return it as soon as possible to the hostage or the third party referred to in Article 1, as the case may be, or to the appropriate authorities thereof.
Article 4
States Parties shall co-operate in the prevention of the offences set forth in Article 1, particularly by taking all practicable measures to prevent preparations in their respective territories for the commission of those offences within or outside their territories, including measures to prohibit in their territories illegal activities of persons, groups and organizations that encourage, instigate, organise or engage in the perpetration of acts of taking of hostages.
The Hezbollah attacks on Israel are a manifest violation of Resolution 1701 and the failure of UNIFIL to maintain peace; the inability of Lebanon to comply with Article 4 has compelled Israel to enter Lebanon.
The genesis of the Jew-Arab dispute harks back to the Book of Genesis chapter 21. It has been simmering from that moment forth; the belligerence between Jews and Arabs is a continuing saga, the present bloodshed being another link in the chain.
The Palestinians do not recognise the right of Israel to exist and publicly proclaim their intent to drive Israel into the sea. Thus Israel has not merely to win every war, but decimate those sworn to annihilate it, to prevent a recurrence.
The continuing Israeli onslaught these days, however reprehensible, is necessary for its survival; it is insuring its future, as any prudent nation would. The need for survival of the State will always prevail over all other considerations, humanitarian or whatsoever.
No rational person may support Hamas and Hezbollah whose stated purpose is to drive Israel into the Sea and set up an Islamic Republic in Palestine.
Israel is fully armed and prepared to completely destroy its enemies and make their lands unliveable, if it finds itself on the edge of the sea. Those who support Palestine must compel it to recognise Israel and its right to exist or continue to suffer.
(Radharao F Gracias is a senior Trial Court Advocate, a former Independent MLA, a political activist, with a reputation for oratory and interests in history and ornithology)