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POLITEKNIK BRUNEI MODEL 2021 UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Protracted Humanitarian Crisis in the Preoccupied State of Palestine

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

Agenda Item: Protracted Humanitarian Crisis in the Preoccupied State of Palestine

Politeknik Brunei Model United Nations 2021

0 LETTER FROM THE UNDER-SECRETARY GENERAL & CHAIRPERSON

Dear Delegates,

First of all, I am so happy to introduce myself as the Chairperson of UNHRC in Politeknik Brunei MUN 2021.

I am Selin Aydın and I am currently studying IB in Eskişehir,Turkey. I began my MUN journey in 2019 and I have my pleasure delegating in national and international MUN circuits and currently, I am still actively delegating and chairing in multiple online conferences. I also participated in face-to-face conferences like Harvard and virtual ones like Yale MUN. Thanks to them I gained a large experience in debating and solving problems. MUNs allowed me to learn about diplomacy and gain self-confidence while speaking in front of the public.

I should mention that I am extremely delighted to be able to work with PB MUN and UNHRC, and I am looking forward to meeting you all at the conference. To all of my delegates, I would expect you to be aware of your country's position and to be familiar with the principles of their respective legislation and structure. Conclusively, although it will be virtual, I hope this conference offers you the opportunity to explore unique solutions and approaches and to refine your skills as a delegate.

You may reach me anytime via email at [email protected] if you have any inquiries. I wish you all the best of luck!

Selin Aydın Under Secretary General & Chairperson of UNHRC

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I. INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNCIL

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.

The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The Task Force on Secretariat services, accessibility and use of information technology is mandated to study issues related to the improvement of the secretariat services to the Council and its mechanisms, the accessibility to the Council’s work for persons with disabilities and the feasibility of the use of information technology.

States and international organisations can organise public exhibitions and special events at the UN premises in Geneva, Switzerland. When such exhibitions coincide with Human Rights Council meetings, their content requires prior review and approval by the Council Secretariat.

2 II. INTRODUCTION TO THE AGENDA ITEM

Renewed violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in May 2021 – halted by a 21 May ceasefire – was marked by protests and rioting, police riot control, rocket attacks on by and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Israeli airstrikes targeting the . The crisis was triggered on 6 May 2021 when protested in East over an anticipated decision of the Supreme Court of Israel on the eviction of six Palestinian families in . Under international law, the area, effectively annexed by Israel, is a part of the held by Israel under belligerent occupation. The protests quickly escalated into violent confrontations between Jewish and Palestinian protesters. On 7 May, Israeli police stormed the compound of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, located on the , the holiest site in . The police used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades against stone-throwing Palestinians.

The violence coincided with Qadr Night, observed by Muslims, and Jerusalem Day (9–10 May), an Israeli national holiday. The confrontations occurred ahead of a planned Jerusalem Day march by far-right Jewish nationalists that was later canceled. More than 300 people were injured, mostly Palestinians, drawing international condemnation. The Supreme Court ruling was then delayed for 30 days as the attorney general of Israel, Avichai Mandelblit, sought to reduce tensions.

On 10 May, Hamas gave Israel an ultimatum to withdraw security forces from the Temple Mount complex and Sheikh Jarrah. On the same day, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad began firing rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, hitting multiple residences and a school. Israel began a campaign of airstrikes against Gaza; by 16 May, some 950 targeted attacks had demolished, completely or partially: 18 buildings including four high-rise towers, 40 schools and four hospitals, and also struck the al-Shati refugee camp. In addition, at least 19 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombardment. The al-Jalaa Highrise, housing offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera as well as 60 condominiums, was destroyed on 15 May, prompting outcry. By 17 May, the United Nations estimated that Israel had demolished 94 buildings in Gaza, comprising 461 housing and commercial units.

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As a result of the violence, at least 248 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza, including 66 children. Palestinian rocket fire killed 12 in Israel, including one child. On 11 May, the said that at least 15 of the Palestinian casualties were members of Hamas, and also said that some Palestinian civilian casualties were caused by errant rocket launches within the Gaza Strip. As of 20 May 2021, the Palestinian National Authority reported injuries for at least 1,900 Palestinians, while as of 12 May Israel reported at least 200 injured . As of 19 May, at least 72,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Calls for a ceasefire were first proposed on 13 May by Hamas, but rejected by Israeli prime minister . On 18 May, , with and , announced the filing of a United Nations Security Council resolution for a ceasefire. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was enacted on 21 May 2021, ending 11 days of fighting with both sides claiming victory.

4 III. HISTORY

• The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the birth of major nationalist movements among the and among the , both geared towards attaining for their people in the Middle East. The was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. The collision between those two movements in southern Levant upon the emergence of after the Franco-Syrian War in the 1920s escalated into the Sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine in 1930s and 1940s, and expanded into the wider Arab–Israeli conflict later on.

• Following the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, the decided to intervene on behalf of Palestinian Arabs, marching their forces into former British Palestine, beginning the main phase of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The overall fighting, leading to around 15,000 casualties, resulted in cease-fire and armistice agreements of 1949, with Israel holding much of the former Mandate territory, Jordan occupying and later annexing the and Egypt taking over the Gaza Strip, where the All-Palestine Government was declared by the Arab League on 22 September 1948.

• The 1967 Six-Day War exerted a significant effect upon Palestinian nationalism, as Israel gained military control of the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Consequently, the PLO was unable to establish any control on the ground and established its headquarters in Jordan, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and supported the Jordanian army during the , which included the . However, the Palestinian base in Jordan collapsed with the Jordanian–Palestinian civil war in 1970. The Palestinian Liberation Organization defeat by the Jordanians caused most of the Palestinian militants to relocate to South Lebanon, where they soon took over large areas, creating the so-called "Fatahland".

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III. HISTORY

• Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon peaked in the early 1970s, as Lebanon was used as a base to launch attacks on northern Israel and airplane hijacking campaigns worldwide, which drew Israeli retaliation. During the , Palestinian militants continued to launch attacks against Israel while also battling opponents within Lebanon. In 1978, the led to the Israeli full-scale invasion known as Operation Litani. Israeli forces, however, quickly withdrew from Lebanon, and the attacks against Israel resumed. In 1982, following an assassination attempt on one of its diplomats by Palestinians, the Israeli government decided to take sides in the Lebanese Civil War and the commenced. The initial results for Israel were successful. Most Palestinian militants were defeated within several weeks, Beirut was captured, and the PLO headquarters were evacuated to Tunisia in June by 's decision.

• However, Israeli intervention in the civil war also led to unforeseen results, including small-scale conflict between Israel and Syria. By 1985, Israel withdrew to a 10 km occupied strip of South Lebanon, while the low-intensity conflict with Shia militants escalated.

• The first Palestinian uprising began in 1987 as a response to escalating attacks and the endless occupation. By the early 1990s, international efforts to settle the conflict had begun, in light of the success of the Egyptian–Israeli peace treaty of 1982. Eventually, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process led to the of 1993, allowing the Palestinian Liberation Organization to relocate from Tunisia and take ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, establishing the Palestinian National Authority. The peace process also had significant opposition among radical Islamic elements of Palestinian society, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who immediately initiated a campaign of attacks targeting Israelis. Following hundreds of casualties and a wave of radical anti-government propaganda, Israeli Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated by an Israeli fanatic who objected to the peace initiative. This struck a serious blow to the peace process, from which the newly elected government of Israel in 1996 backed off.

6 III. HISTORY

• Following several years of unsuccessful negotiations, the conflict re-erupted as the in September 2000.The violence, escalating into an open conflict between the Palestinian National Security Forces and the Israel Defense Forces, lasted until 2004/2005 and led to approximately 130 fatalities. In 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon ordered the removal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from Gaza. Israel and its Supreme Court formally declared an end to occupation, saying it "had no effective control over what occurred" in Gaza. However, the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and many other international bodies and NGOs continue to consider Israel to be the occupying power of the Gaza Strip as Israel controls Gaza Strip's airspace, territorial waters and controls the movement of people or goods in or out of Gaza by air or sea.

• In 2006, Hamas won a plurality of 44% in the Palestinian parliamentary election. Israel responded it would begin economic sanctions unless Hamas agreed to accept prior Israeli- Palestinian agreements, forswear violence, and recognize Israel's right to exist, which Hamas rejected. After internal Palestinian political struggle between and Hamas erupted into the (2007), Hamas took full control of the area.

• In 2007, Israel imposed a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, and cooperation with Egypt allowed a ground blockade of the Egyptian border.

• The tensions between Israel and Hamas escalated until late 2008, when Israel launched operation Cast Lead upon Gaza, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties and billions of dollars in damage. By February 2009, a ceasefire was signed with international mediation between the parties, though the occupation and small and sporadic eruptions of violence continued.

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III. HISTORY

• In 2011, a Palestinian Authority attempt to gain UN membership as a fully sovereign state failed. In Hamas-controlled Gaza, sporadic rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli air raids still take place. In November 2012, the representation of Palestine in the UN was upgraded to a non-member observer State, and its mission title was changed from "Palestine (represented by PLO)" to "State of Palestine.

• Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process; Camp David Summit: In July 2000, US President convened a peace summit between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister . Barak reportedly put forward the following as "bases for negotiation", via the US to the Palestinian President; a non-militarized Palestinian state split into 3–4 parts containing 87–92% of the West Bank including only parts of , and the entire Gaza Strip. The offer also included those 69 Jewish settlements (which comprise 85% of the West Bank's Jewish settlers) would be ceded to Israel, no right of return to Israel, no sovereignty over the Temple Mount or any core East Jerusalem neighborhoods, and continued Israel control over the . Arafat rejected this offer. According to the Palestinian negotiators the offer did not remove many of the elements of the Israeli occupation regarding land, security, settlements, and Jerusalem. President Clinton reportedly requested that Arafat make a counter-offer, but he proposed none. No tenable solution was crafted which would satisfy both Israeli and Palestinian demands, even under intense US pressure. Clinton has long blamed Arafat for the collapse of the summit.

8 III. HISTORY

• : The Israeli negotiation team presented a new map at the Taba Summit in Taba, Egypt in January 2001. The proposition removed the "temporarily Israeli controlled" areas, and the Palestinian side accepted this as a basis for further negotiation. With Israeli elections looming the talks ended without an agreement but the two sides issued a joint statement attesting to the progress they had made: "The sides declare that they have never been closer to reaching an agreement and it is thus our shared belief that the remaining gaps could be bridged with the resumption of negotiations following the Israeli elections." The following month the party candidate Sharon defeated Ehud Barak in the Israeli elections and was elected as Israeli prime minister on 7 February 2001. Sharon's new government chose not to resume the high-level talks.

• : One peace proposal, presented by the Quartet of the , Russia, the United Nations and the on 17 September 2002, was the Road Map for Peace. This plan did not attempt to resolve difficult questions such as the fate of Jerusalem or Israeli settlements, but left that to be negotiated in later phases of the process. The proposal never made it beyond the first phase, whose goals called for a halt to both construction and Israeli– Palestinian violence. Neither goal has been achieved as of November 2015.

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III. HISTORY

• : The Arab Peace Initiative was first proposed by Crown Prince at the Beirut Summit (2002). The peace initiative is a proposed solution to the Arab–Israeli conflict as a whole, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in particular. The initiative was initially published on 28 March 2002, at the Beirut Summit, and agreed upon again in 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. Unlike the Road Map for Peace, it spelled out "final-solution" borders based explicitly on the UN borders established before the 1967 Six-Day War.

• It offered full normalization of relations with Israel, in exchange for the withdrawal of its forces from all the occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognize "an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as a "just solution" for the . A number of Israeli officials have responded to the initiative with both support and criticism. The Israeli government has expressed reservations on 'red line,' issues such as the Palestinian refugee problem, homeland security concerns, and the nature of Jerusalem. However, the Arab League continues to raise it as a possible solution, and meetings between the Arab League and Israel have been held.

10 IV. CURRENT ISSUES

A. Jerusalem

• The control of Jerusalem is a particularly delicate issue, with each side asserting claims over the city. The three largest Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—hold Jerusalem as an important setting for their religious and historical narratives. Jerusalem is the holiest city for Judaism, being the former location of the Jewish temples on the Temple Mount and the capital of the ancient Israelite kingdom. • Many countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, with exceptions being the United States, and Russia. The majority of UN member states and most international organizations do not recognize Israel's claims to East Jerusalem, nor its 1980 Jerusalem Law proclamation. The International Court of Justice in its 2004 Advisory opinion on the "Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" described East Jerusalem as "occupied Palestinian territory." • Israel expresses concern over the security of its residents if neighborhoods of Jerusalem are placed under Palestinian control. Jerusalem has been a prime target for attacks by militant groups against civilian targets since 1967. Many Jewish neighborhoods have been fired upon from Arab areas. The proximity of the Arab areas, if these regions were to fall in the boundaries of a Palestinian state, would be so close as to threaten the safety of Jewish residents.

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B. Holy sites • Israel has concerns regarding the welfare of Jewish holy places under possible Palestinian control. When Jerusalem was under Jordanian control, no Jews were allowed to visit the or other Jewish holy places, and the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives was desecrated. Since 1975, Israel has banned Muslims from worshiping at Joseph's Tomb, a shrine considered sacred by both Holy sites. • Jews and Muslims. Settlers established a yeshiva, installed a Torah scroll and covered the mihrab. • During the Second Intifada the site was looted and burned. Israeli security agencies routinely monitor and arrest Jewish extremists that plan attacks, though many serious incidents have still occurred. Israel has allowed almost complete autonomy to the Muslim trust over the Temple Mount.

C. Refugees

• Palestinian refugees are people who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab–Israeli conflict and the 1967 Six-Day War. The number of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from Israel following its creation was estimated at 711,000. Descendants of these original Palestinian Refugees are also eligible for registration and services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and as of 2010 number 4.7 million people. Between 350,000 and 400,000 Palestinians were displaced during the 1967 Arab–Israeli war. A third of the refugees live in recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The remainder live in and around the cities and towns of these host countries.

• Most of these people were born outside Israel, but are descendants of original Palestinian refugees. Palestinian negotiators, such as Yasser Arafat, have so far publicly insisted that refugees have a right to return to the places where they lived, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN General Assembly Resolution 194 as evidence.

12 C. Refugees

• However, according to reports of private peace negotiations with Israel they have countered the return of only 10,000 refugees and their families to Israel as part of a peace settlement. , the current Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization was reported to have said in private discussion that it is "illogical to ask Israel to take 5 million, or indeed 1 million. That would mean the end of Israel."

D. Israeli security concerns

• Throughout the conflict, Palestinian violence has been a concern for Israelis. Israel, along with the United States and the European Union, refer to the violence against Israeli civilians and military forces by Palestinian militants as . The motivations behind Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians are many, and not all violent Palestinian groups agree with each other on specifics. Nonetheless, a common motive is the desire to destroy Israel and replace it with a Palestinian Arab state. The most prominent Islamist groups, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, view the Israeli–Palestinian conflict as a religious jihad.

• Suicide bombing have been used as a tactic among Palestinian organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and certain suicide attacks have received support among Palestinians as high as 84%. In Israel, Palestinian suicide bombers have targeted civilian buses, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels and marketplaces. From 1993 to 2003, 303 Palestinian suicide bombers attacked Israel.

• The Israeli government initiated the construction of a security barrier following scores of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in July 2003. Israel's coalition government approved the security barrier in the northern part of the between Israel and the West Bank.

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D. Israeli security concerns

• There is significant debate within Israel about how to deal with the country's security concerns. Options have included military action (including targeted killings and house demolitions of terrorist operatives), diplomacy, unilateral gestures toward peace, and increased security measures such as checkpoints, roadblocks and security barriers. The legality and the wisdom of all of the above tactics have been called into question by various commentators. • Since mid-June 2007, Israel's primary means of dealing with security concerns in the West Bank has been to cooperate with and permit United States-sponsored training, equipping, and funding of the Palestinian Authority's security forces, which with Israeli help have largely succeeded in quelling West Bank supporters of Hamas.

E. The West Bank barrier

• With the construction of the separation barrier, the Israeli state promised free movement across regions. However, border closures, curfews, and checkpoints has significantly restricted Palestinian movement. In 2012, there were 99 fixed checkpoints and 310 flying checkpoints. The border restrictions impacted the imports and exports in Palestine and weakened the industrial and agricultural sectors because of the constant Israeli control in the West Bank and Gaza. In order for the Palestinian economy to be prosperous, the restrictions on Palestinian land must be removed.

F. Boycotts

• In Gaza, the agricultural market suffers from economic boycotts and border closures and restrictions placed by Israel. The PA's Minister of Agriculture estimates that around US$1.2 billion were lost in September 2006 because of these security measures. There has also been an economic embargo initiated by the west on Hamas-led Palestine, which has decreased the number of imports and exports from Palestine. This embargo was brought on by Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel's right to statehood. As a result, the PA's 160,000 employees have not received their salaries in over one year.

14 V. PAST ACTIONS

Issues relating to the State of Palestine and aspects of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict occupy continuous debates, resolutions, and resources at the United Nations. Since its founding in 1948, the United Nations Security Council, as of January 2010, has adopted 79 resolutions directly related to the Arab–Israeli conflict. The adoption on November 29, 1947, by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution recommending the adoption and implementation of a plan of partition of Palestine was one of the earliest acts of the United Nations. This followed the report of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. Since then, it has maintained a central role in this region, especially by providing support for

Palestinian refugees via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA; this body is not a totally separate body from the UNHCR, the UN body responsible for all other refugees in the world) by providing a platform for Palestinian political claims via the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights, the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People, the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) and the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The UN has sponsored several peace negotiations between the parties, the latest being the 2002 Road map for peace.

A. UN Human Rights Council

• The Special Rapporteur on the question of Palestine to the previous UNHCR, the current UNHRC, and the General Assembly was, between 2001 and 2008, John Dugard. The mandate of the Rapporteur is to investigate human rights violations by Israel only, not by Palestinians. Dugard was replaced in 2008 with Richard Falk, who has compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians with the Nazis' treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. Like his predecessor, Falk's mandate only covers Israel's human rights record.

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• In March 2012, UNHCR was criticized for facilitating an event featuring a Hamas politician. The Hamas parliamentarian had spoken at an NGO event in the UN Geneva building. • Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu castigated the UNHRC's decision stating: "He represents an organization that indiscriminately targets children and grown-ups, and women and men. Innocents – is their special favorite target." Israel's ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, denounced the speech, stating that Hamas was an internationally recognized terrorist organization that targeted civilians. "Inviting a Hamas terrorist to lecture to the world about human rights is like asking Charles Manson to run the murder investigation unit at the NYPD", he said.

B. United Nations fact finding mission on Gaza conflict

• The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, also known as the Goldstone Report, was a team established in April 2009 pursuant to Resolution A/HRC/RES/S-9/1 of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of 12 January 2009, following the as an independent international fact-finding mission "to investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the occupying Power, Israel, against the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, due to the current aggression". • The Goldstone Report accused both the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian militants of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. It recommended that each side openly investigate its own conduct, and to bring the allegations to the International Criminal Court if they failed to do so. The government of Israel rejected the report as prejudiced and full of errors, and also sharply rejected the charge that it had a policy of deliberately targeting civilians. The militant Islamic group Hamas initially rejected some of the report's findings, but then urged world powers to embrace it. Goldstone stated that the mission "wasn't an investigation, it was a fact-finding mission" and that the conclusion that war crimes had been committed "was always intended as conditional".

16 • The report received wide support among countries in the United Nations, while Western countries were split between supporters and opponents of the resolutions endorsing the report. Critics of the report stated that it contained methodological failings, legal and factual errors, and falsehoods, and devoted insufficient attention to the allegations that Hamas was deliberately operating in heavily populated areas of Gaza. • On 1 April 2011, Goldstone retracted his claim that it was Israeli government policy to deliberately target citizens, saying "While the investigations published by the Israeli military and recognized in the U.N. committee's report have established the validity of some incidents that we investigated in cases involving individual soldiers, they also indicate that civilians were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy." • On 14 April 2011 the three other co-authors of the Report, Hina Jilani, Christine Chinkin and Desmond Travers, released a joint statement criticizing Goldstone's recantation of this aspect of the report. They all agreed that the report was valid and that Israel and Hamas had failed to investigate alleged war crimes satisfactorily.

C. Palestinian army

The Israeli Cabinet issued a statement expressing that it does not wish the Palestinians to build up an army capable of offensive operations, considering that the only party against which such an army could be turned in the near future is Israel itself. However, Israel has already allowed for the creation of a Palestinian police that can conduct police operations and also carry out limited-scale warfare. Palestinians have argued that the Israel Defense Forces, a large and modern armed force, poses a direct and pressing threat to the sovereignty of any future Palestinian state, making a defensive force for a Palestinian state a matter of necessity. To this, Israelis claim that signing a treaty while building an army is a show of bad intentions.

Since 2006, the United States has been training, equipping, and funding the Palestinian Authority's security forces, which have been cooperating with Israel at unprecedented levels in the West Bank to quell supporters of Hamas, the main Palestinian Islamist group that opposes direct negotiations with Israel. The United States government has spent over 500 million building and training the Palestinian National Security Forces and Presidential Guard.

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VI. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

A. One-State Solution Also called the “binational state,” this would create one democratic, secular state in which both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs would live as citizens with equal rights. Those who support a one-state solution generally see separating Israelis and Palestinians into two states as just too hard. The populations are too intertwined, and reaching agreement on things like borders and Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees is too complicated.

B. Two-State Solution This plan would create two states for two peoples, Israel and Palestine. Hypothetically, the Israel state would retain a Jewish majority, thus remaining a Jewish state, and the Palestinian state would have a Muslim Arab majority.

Note: Other proposals that don’t fall under one-state vs. two-state

C. Confederation

Basically, think of Israel and Palestine as sort of a mini-European Union. Each side would have its own government, but would work together on resources, security, and economic issues. There would be free movement and even residency between the two states, but citizens on each side could only vote in their own elections.

D. Autonomy-Plus

Naftali Bennett, a right-wing Israeli politician, calls for “upgrading” Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank in the areas already under Palestinian control. The Palestinians would hold their own elections and maintain their own schools and services, but would not control their own borders and would not be allowed to have a military. Israel would also annex West Bank territory already under its control. Palestinians consider this deal a non-starter.

18 E. Federation

This variant on the one-state solution applies Israeli law to the entire West Bank and gives full citizenship and voting rights to all the Palestinians living there. However, the resultant country would be divided up into smaller provinces or cantons in ways calculated to maintain a Jewish political majority (think gerrymandering).

F. Expulsion

Some on Israel’s far-right have insisted the only solution is to expel or “transfer” Palestinians from the entire West Bank. The idea horrifies most Jews and Arabs alike, who consider it nothing less than ethnic cleansing, even if it could somehow be carried out without bloodshed.

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VIII. BLOC POSITIONS

There are 3 main blocs which are:

1. Supporting Palestine: As per these countries, Israel is the main culprit and misusing its powers as it is more powerful. 2. Abstaining: These countries formally decline to vote or speak either for or against. 3. Supporting Israel: Like all things foreign policy-related, public opinion, money – and the influence money buys in politics – have also played a role in these countries’ policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.

20 VIII. QUESTION A RESOLUTION MUST ANSWER (QARMAs)

1. What would happen to Jerusalem, a city important to both peoples? a. Is it going to be continued ruling by Jewish Law or is there going to be a law amendment? 2. If there was a two-state solution, where would the two states be? a. What borders would define the Israeli state, and what would Palestine consist of? b. Where would the borders be between these states? 3. Are there any documents or constitution which rightfully indicates the legality of the annexation of East Jerusalem in the 1980s for Israel? If so, how has that affected the rights to security of the Palestine civilians? 4. How to ensure a non-partisan method which allows the subject of East Jerusalem status without the involvement of the United States of America in reference to the final voting procedures? 5. What roles do NGOs and other organizations play in ensuring the rights of the people in the Palestinian territory? 6. Is there an adequate standard of living for the Palestinians residing in the pre-occupied state, with emphasis on East Jerusalem? If the standard falls under severe, what assistance has been provided to ensure their rights, with reference to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3, regarding the right to life, liberty, and security of a person.

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IX. REFERENCES

1. © 2020 United Nations Human Rights Council, ‘’Welcome to the Human Rights Council’’ Retrieved from: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/pages/aboutcouncil.aspx

2. David M. Halbfinger, Adam Rasgon, 'Life Under Occupation:The Misery at the Heart of the Conflict,' New York Times 22 May 2021.

3. a b "17 policemen, 200 Palestinians hurt as hundreds riot on Temple Mount". The Times of Israel. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.

4. "Stop evictions in East Jerusalem neighbourhood immediately, UN rights office urges Israel". UN News. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.

5. Alsaafin, Linah (1 May 2021). "What is happening in occupied East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021.

6. Holmes, Oliver; Beaumont, Peter (10 May 2021). "Israeli police storm al-Aqsa mosque ahead of Jerusalem Day march". . Retrieved 18 May 2021.

7. "Violence flares between Jews and Arabs on streets of Israel". Financial Times. 14 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.

8. "TV: Palestinians stocked rocks for Temple Mount riots, police caught unawares". 9. The Times of Israel. 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

9. a b c Kingsley, Patrick; Kershner, Isabel (10 May 2021). "After Raid on Aqsa Mosque, Rockets from Gaza and Israeli Airstrikes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

10. Hasson, Nir; Khoury, Jack (10 May 2021). "Tensions over Jerusalem Day march, Temple Mount clashes culminate in rocket fire from Gaza". . Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

11. ^ Mackey, Robert (11 May 2021). "This Is Not Fine: Why Video of an Ultranationalist Frenzy in Jerusalem Is So Unsettling". The Intercept. Retrieved 18 May 2021

12. a b Ben Zion, Ilan (10 May 2021). "More than 300 Palestinians hurt in Jerusalem holy site clash". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

22 13. ^ Kingsley, Patrick (9 May 2021). "Israeli Court Delays Expulsion of Palestinian Families in East Jerusalem". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

14. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ‘’2021 Israel–Palestine crisis’’ Retrieved from : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Israel%E2%80%93Palestine_crisis

15. Sela 2002, pp. 58–121, "Arab-Israel Conflict"

16. ^ Gelvin, James (2014) [2002]. The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War (3 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85289-0.

17. "History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" (PDF). PBS. December 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2013.

18. "UN: Israeli-Palestinian violence nears 'catastrophe'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 December 2015.

19. ^ "Mapping the dead in latest Israeli-Palestinian violence". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 December 2015. 20. ^ "Saudi Prince al-Faisal tells Haaretz: Desire for peace exists both in Gaza and – Israel Conference on Peace TLV". Haaretz. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.

21. ^ "The Saudi Arabia peace initiative." Ynetnews. 23 March 2009. 21 September 2010.

22. ^ "Response of FM Peres to the decisions of the Arab Summit in Beirut.". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 28 March 2002.

23. Gold. The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2007. pp. 5–6.

24. ^ Golden, Jonathan (2004). "Targeting Heritage: The Abuse of Symbolic Sites in Modern Conflicts". In Rowan, Yorke M.; Baram, Uzi (eds.). Marketing heritage: archaeology and the consumption of the past. Rowman Altamira. pp. 183–202. ISBN 978-0-7591-0342-9.

25. ^ Stern, Jessica. "Frontline: Israel's next war?" PBS. 5 April 2005. 22 June 2010.

26. "Mahmoud Abbas: Right to return quote was 'personal view". Independent. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2013.

27. ^ Muasher, Marwan. "The Arab Peace Initiative." Archived 7 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Embassy of Jordan – Washington, D.C. 16 January 2008. The text of the Arab Peace Initiative is at the bottom of the page.

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28. ^ McGeown, Kate and Martin Asser. "Right of return: Palestinian dream?" BBC News. 18 February 2003. 15 July 2007.

29. ^ Flapan, Simha (Summer 1987). "The Palestinian Exodus of 1948". Journal of Palestine Studies. 16 (4): 3–26. doi:10.2307/2536718. JSTOR 2536718.

30. "Text of UNHRC Resolution S-9/1, 12 January 2009". Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June2018.

31. Report of the Human Rights Council on its Ninth Special Session Archived 6 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, UNHCR, 27 February 2009

32. United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict Archived 7 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. United Nations Human Rights Council. Retrieved 17 October 2009.

33. © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. Israel-Palestine is a State of Permanent Conflict Punctuated by Periodic Carnage. Only the Watching World Can Stop It What the World Can Do to End the Israel-Palestine Conflict | Time

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