Bulletin of Palestine Studies

Abstract

Since the day the first Jewish settlers settled in Palestine, Israel has systematically occupied and annexed Palestinian territories through different methods. The wars with the Arab countries in the region, which started in 1948 and afterwards, have put Israel into an aggressive and paranoid structure, and it has put all kinds of methods into practice in order to protect the gains it has achieved and then to reach the geographical borders it targets. In particular, the sense of ownership of the city of Jerusalem, the cradle of the birth and life of the three Abrahamic religions, has become the focal point of the struggle. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent expansion of Israel's occupation after the 1967 Arab-Israeli Wars, the forced displacement of the Palestinian people living in the region, disregarding all human rights rules, the opening of settlements to Jewish immigrants at every opportunity, and more gravely, the fact that the whole world turns a blind eye to the inhuman cruelty has become the most important tragic reality of our day. Starting with the October 7 process, the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent people by the Israeli army is the biggest move towards the end of Israel`s occupation process. The forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes under the pretext of eliminating terrorism in the Palestinian territories can be seen as the final result of the occupation policy it has pursued since its establishment. However, Israel's disproportionate reprisals, violations of established international norms and laws of war, and attacks on civilians, including hospitals, will have serious repercussions on international relations, especially in the Middle East region. The subject of this study is to examine Israel's occupation and post-occupation policy from its arrival in the Palestinian territories until the current Gaza war.