Abstract
Due to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, the Founding Editors of JPD decided to dedicate this issue to a wide range of materials offering a range of analysis and commentary on the situation and solicited contributions from board members to complement those gathered by the resource editors. Consequently, the formatting and structure of this issue vary slightly from our typical resources section. These summaries were prepared by the publishers and organizations of the works listed, with some editing for space constraints.
E-Communications and Websites
Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP)
https://www.allmep.org/about-us-allmep/
ALLMEP, a coalition of over 160 organizations, offers many key resources on its website, including podcasts, webinars, new articles, and other resources like how to avoid polarization on campuses, how to talk constructively about the Israel-Gaza war, and more. Their cosponsored podcast Groundwork features profiles of grassroots activists in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Lod discussing what it's actually like on the ground and what needs to happen to bring change. ALLMEP is committed to building people-to-people cooperation, justice, equality, shared society, mutual understanding, and peace among their communities ALLMEP secures and scales funding to expand trust-building interactions between Israelis and Palestinians. It provides capacity-building support and visibility to amplify the voices and impact of its member organizations in the region.
Center for Strategic & International Studies
https://www.csis.org/programs/latest-analysis-israel-hamas-war
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)'s program on the Israel-Hamas war – and associated resources – are featured on their website. They provide comprehensive expert analysis on the conflict as well as potential future outcomes associated with it. These include videos, podcasts, audio briefs and written summaries of expert analysis and commentaries discussing a range of topics including the human toll in Gaza, Israeli intelligence, phases of the conflict, a conversation with the Foreign Minister of Jordan, etc. CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization providing research, analysis, and recommendations related to defining the future of global security.
International Crisis Group (Israel/Palestine page)
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine
International Crisis Group (ICG) offers up to date critical analysis on the Israel-Palestine situation and Gaza. Its web-based resources include comprehensive analysis on the conflict, Q&A's, op-eds, podcasts and commentaries on topics ranging from understanding the risks of regional escalation, to potential roads to lasting ceasefire. Also included is a brief overview of the conflict, why it matters, what to watch in the coming weeks and what should be done to resolve the conflict.
Makan
This Palestinian-led transformative education organization aims to strengthen voices for Palestinian rights. Interactive resources on its website include: 1) a historical overview of the Palestinian rights struggle from the late nineteenth century to the present day, 2) a glossary of keywords and language used around Palestine/Israel, 3) a host of visual resources (e.g., a map of the segregated road system in Israel), 4) detailed reports of human rights violations taking place in Palestine. In addition, Makan offers a free, self-guided online course entitled ‘Understanding Palestine,’ which covers key issues affecting Palestinians today such as the Nakba, refugeehood and Israeli apartheid. Also available is a 5-min video on ‘Palestine, a Story of Colonialism and Resistance,’ which explores the history of injustice faced by the Palestinian people.
Carnegie Connects: Four Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
This one-hour recorded live stream features Daniel Kurtzer (former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel), Tzipi Livini (former vice prime minister of Israel), Marwan Muasher (vice president for studies at Carnegie), and Khalil Shikaki (director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah) sitting down with Aaron David Miller (senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) to discuss the implications of the 2021 violent escalation between Israel and Palestine for Palestinians, the Arab world, Israel, and the United States. While this predates the latest round of violence, it provides some background context for ongoing dynamics.
Blogs
A Plan for the Day After Tomorrow
Gershon Baskin, Political and Social Entrepreneur Activist in Israel and Palestine
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-plan-for-the-day-after-tomorrow/
A Peace Plan for Gaza
Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
30 October 2023
https://themedialine.org/mideast-mindset/a-peace-plan-for-gaza/
For Israelis and Palestinians, Peace and Freedom Must Go Hand in Hand
Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House
7 November 2023
https://freedomhouse.org/article/israelis-and-palestinians-peace-and-freedom-must-go-hand-in-hand
We Belong to Each Other: A Call to End the Violence
Othering & Belonging Institute Staff
1 November 2023
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/we-belong-each-other-call-end-violence
Chatham House and the Call for the Decolonisation of Israel and Palestine
Mandy Turner, Israel-Palestine Expert
19 October 2023
How Do Israeli and Palestinian Youth View the Prospects for Peace?
Robert Barron, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Program Officer
31 January 2023
https://www.usip.org/blog/2023/01/how-do-israeli-and-palestinian-youth-view-prospects-peace
Learning From History: A Call for Peace and Dignity in Israel-Palestine Conflict
Salam Institute for Peace and Justice
A Conflict Resolution Expert on Peace and the Israel-Hamas War
Madison Minges
24 October 2023
Book Notices
Gaza: An Inquest into Martyrdom
Norman G. Finkelstein
University of California Press, 2021
ISBN: 9780520318335
Based on a critical examination of key human rights and investigative reports, Finkelstein interrogates Israel's claims to be acting in self-defense. Measuring Israeli justifications for its actions against the applicable corpus of international law, Finkelstein concludes these are being systematically violated. A detailed appendix questions the status of Israeli rule in the occupied territories, a matter now before the International Court of Justice.
The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development (Expanded Third Edition),
Sara Roy
Institute for Palestine Studies, 2006
ISBN: 978-0887282614
Considered an essential text and critical reference, Sara Roy examines the political economy of the Gaza Strip since the Israeli occupation in 1967. She illustrates how it has reconstructed from a territory that had been economically integrated and deeply dependent upon Israel, and strongly tied to the West Bank, to an isolated enclave cut off from the West Bank as well as Israel. She further shows that these transformations are becoming institutionalized and permanent.
Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm
Jamie Stern-Weiner
OR Books, 2024
ISBN: 9781682196199
In this collection of essays – the first published about the 2023 Gaza War – leading Palestinian, Israeli, and international authorities examine various dimensions of the conflict, place it within broader context, and provide an initial stock-taking of its impact and repercussions.
Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World
Ussama Makdisi
University of California Press, 2019
ISBN: 9780520385764
Countering current perceptions of the Middle East as a collection of war-torn countries and extremist groups consumed by sectarian rage, Ussama Makdisi's Age of Coexistence reveals a hidden and hopeful history of the politics of pluralism during the Ottoman Empire and in the post-Ottoman Arab world. Rather than judging the Arab world as a place of age-old sectarian animosities, Age of Coexistence describes the forging of a complex system of coexistence, what Makdisi calls the “ecumenical frame.” He argues that new forms of antisectarian politics, and some of the most important examples of Muslim-Christian political collaboration, crystallized to make and define the modern Arab world. This is a reminder that religious diversity does not automatically lead to sectarianism. Instead, people of different faiths, but not necessarily of different political outlooks, have consistently tried to build modern societies that transcend religious and sectarian differences.
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520385764/age-of-coexistence
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know
Dov Waxman
Oxford University Press, 2019
ISBN: 9780190625337
Waxman presents the conflicting views and narratives of both Israelis and Palestinians, and analyses key historical events and developments that are often mired in controversy.
Reports
The Situation in Israel and Gaza: Legal Analysis by Eminent Professors
Professors from Different Universities
October 2023
This report provides an early legal analysis of certain conduct undertaken by the armed forces of Israel and Hamas during the ongoing conflict – premised on the notion that the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, the escalation of hostilities, and the rhetoric surrounding hostilities requires an immediate response from States. This legal analysis focuses on assessing potential violations of the core rules of International Humanitarian Law applicable in all types of armed conflict and assessing whether certain incidents as verified by reliable sources could potentially constitute international crimes. It then puts forth practical recommendations for States to prevent additional civilian casualties that comply with the UN Charter, promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The report calls for increased support for humanitarian aid, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, and a commitment to accountability for those perpetrating crimes. The signatories, comprising legal experts and human rights scholars, emphasize the importance of preventing further violations, protecting civilians, and holding perpetrators accountable under international law.
A 5-Point Peace Plan to Protect Civilians, Address Trauma, Invest in Democracy, and Dismantle Hamas and the Israeli Occupation
Lisa Schirch
Toda Peace Institute, November 2023
There is no military solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A just political solution is essential. This article expands the narratives of what is necessary at this moment when too many simply say “there is no other way” or “ceasefire” which both leave many questions unanswered. This 5-point peace plan identifies a range of strategic principles and bridgebuilding processes to protect the safety and ensure the democratic freedoms of both Israelis and Palestinians. It emphasizes the shared humanity and traumas of both Palestinians and Jewish Israelis. A sustainable peace will require that journalists and political leaders use their power to focus on protecting civilians, dismantling Hamas, ending occupation, addressing trauma, and investing in democracy.
Documents
The Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2712, 2023
http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/2712
The first UNSC resolution on the current war, adopted on 15 November: “Calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable, consistent with international humanitarian law”
The Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720, 2023
http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/2720
Adopted on 22 December: “Requests the Secretary-General, with the objective of expediting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza provided through states which are not party to the conflict”
Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Protection of Civilians and Upholding Legal and Humanitarian Obligations
United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.27, 2023
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N23/397/09/PDF/N2339709.pdf?OpenElement
The second General Assembly resolution, adopted on 12 December during an Emergency Session of the Assembly:
Demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire; Reiterates its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians; Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access; Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States.
Application Instituting Proceedings
International Court of Justice, 2023
https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf
Invoking its responsibilities pursuant to the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Republic of South Africa produced this detailed statement regarding Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip for consideration by the International Court of Justice:
“4. The facts relied on by South Africa in this application and to be further developed in these proceedings establish that — against a background of apartheid, expulsion, ethnic cleansing, annexation, occupation, discrimination, and the ongoing denial of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination — Israel, since 7 October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide. More gravely still, Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Those acts include killing them, causing them serious mental and bodily harm and deliberately inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction as a group. Repeated statements by Israeli State representatives, including at the highest levels, by the Israeli President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence express genocidal intent. That intent is also properly to be inferred from the nature and conduct of Israel's military operation in Gaza, having regard inter alia to Israel's failure to provide or ensure essential food, water, medicine, fuel, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for the besieged and blockaded Palestinian people, which has pushed them to the brink of famine. It is also clear from the nature, scope and extent of Israel's military attacks on Gaza, which have involved the sustained bombardment over more than 11 weeks of one of the most densely populated places in the world, forcing the evacuation of 1.9 million people or 85% of the population of Gaza from their homes and herding them into ever smaller areas, without adequate shelter, in which they continue to be attacked, killed and harmed. Israel has now killed in excess of 21,110 named Palestinians, including over 7,729 children — with over 7,780 others missing, presumed dead under the rubble — and has injured over 55,243 other Palestinians, causing them severe bodily and mental harm. Israel has also laid waste to vast areas of Gaza, including entire neighborhoods, and has damaged or destroyed in excess of 355,000 Palestinian homes, alongside extensive tracts of agricultural land, bakeries, schools, universities, businesses, places of worship, cemeteries, cultural and archaeological sites, municipal and court buildings, and critical infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities and electricity networks, while pursuing a relentless assault on the Palestinian medical and healthcare system. Israel has reduced and is continuing to reduce Gaza to rubble, killing, harming and destroying its people, and creating conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction as a group.”