Territories on the West Banks and Jerusalem have been disputed between Israel and Palestine for years, due to undefined charters. This has led to ongoing, escalating conflicts between the two nations.
Recently, many Palestinians have been facing evictions by the Israeli Supreme Court. In 1967, Israel claimed the West Banks, East Jerusalem, and Gaza territories during the Mideast war, however, it has not been recognized internationally. The Palestinians view these territories as their land and East Jerusalem as their capital. Since Israel views all of Jerusalem as its sovereignty, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are subject to different rights. Palestinians are granted permanent residency in Jerusalem and can gain Israeli citizenship if they choose to, but most refuse due to ethnic belief. Additionally, the Israeli government has begun to limit the growth of existing Palestinian neighborhoods, resulting in 350,000 Palestinians living in overcrowded and underdeveloped areas.
Many civil rights groups claim that this is a discriminatory act by the Israeli government against Palestinians. The restriction over housing, on land that both groups call their own, has driven many Palestinians to began building “illegal settlements.” Since it is difficult to obtain permits from the Israeli government, Palestinian settlements simply expanded without one. However, the Israeli supreme court has been evicting these residents and long-time families. There are currently 1,000 people on eviction row.
After immense scrutiny from the UK, the U.S., and civil rights groups, the Israeli Supreme Court temporarily suspended eviction hearings. Many groups even argue that the Israeli government has the power to stop the evictions, but deliberately chooses not to do so.
Currently, this conflict has escalated more due to bombings in the Gaza strip. In early May of 2021, Palestine launched a bombing campaign on Israel out of the Gaza strip. Israel retaliated, placing the conflict at the center of the global front. There are a lot of controversies regarding land sovereignty, warfare, and charters, however, at the heart of the issue lies thousands of people, on both slides, who simply want a safe place to live.