Ramzan has historically seen an escalation of violence between Israel and occupied Palestine. This year, in hopes to maintain calm during the holy month, officials from both parties are meeting for talks in Egypt. Tensions have been high in the West Bank as many villages have been ransacked causing deaths and injuries.
Unilateral actions and escalation have added to the cycle of violence and Egypt’s foreign ministry hopes to mitigate this by providing an environment of peace. However, all Palestinian political parties have opposed the talks and called for a boycott. The contention, rightly so, has been that while authorities make issue statements about crimes of the occupation, no actual sanctions or measures are taken to pressure and curtail Israeli forces. The Jordan summit was a positive development and pledges were made to deescalate.
However, it is true that talks on this scale are unlikely to do much. Serious pressure from the global community is the only way to influence the occupying state. The military occupation from 1967 has introduced 700,000 Israeli settlers across the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. In 2023 alone, at least 89 Palestinians, 18 children and one woman have been killed. When peace talks were stalled in 2014, chances of a permanent solution dimmed.
Ramzan has been a critical month in the conflict as all clashes have erupted at the height of the month. Because Jerusalem is laid claim to by all three faiths, and the holy month coincides with Judaism’s Passover and Christian Easter. The recent Israeli raids have been alarming and while it seems that there is staunch opposition from the Palestinian front against the talks, it is hoped that a genuine de-escalation effort will allow a calm holy month. The US-backed conference from February did not dent the surge of violence and while there is little hope for this one, the rampage and gun ambushes by Jewish settlers in Palestine warrant an international call for extenuation.
