The Intelligence Review | volume 5 | issue 9 |

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borders. Despite the steps taken for improved relations, we canpredict with moderate confidence that tensions will remain asisfor the immediate future.BackgroundRelations between Israel and Palestine revolve largely around anarea claimed by both Jews and Arabs. The territory was underBritish control before efforts to establish a Jewish state withinthe area began in 1923 (Anon. 2017). Conflict over the territoryled the United Nations to release a plan separating the area intotwo states: Israel and Palestine. Israel accepted the plan, whilethe Arab community did not —leading to the 1948 Arab-IsraeliWar. When Britain withdrew, Israel declared itself an independentnation, and in response a conflict ensued between the new stateof Israel and the neighboring Arab states of Jordan, Iraq, Syria,Egypt, and Lebanon. Israel was able to gain territory from itsArab neighbors in both the 1948 war and then again in the 1967Six-Day War. (Anon. 2018). Despite two Intifadas, or uprisings,Israel still controls most of the land internationally regarded asPalestinian territory.Several peace agreements have been attempted, most notablythe 1993 Oslo Accords. In this agreement Israel recognized thePalestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as a “representativeof the Palestinian People” (Anon. 2018), while the PLOrecognized the state of Israel. In addition, Israel allowed thePLO limited autonomy to govern the Gaza Strip and West Bank.Tensions have continued over the years, and notably increasedin 2006, when Hamas, whose doctrine includes eliminating thestate of Israel, gained political power in the Palestinianlegislative elections with 57 percent of the vote. As a result ofthe election results, fighting broke out between Hamas andFatah, the dominant party of the Palestinian National Authority(PA), which is currently in charge of the West Bank. In June2007, Hamas conducted a “violent seizure” (Anon. 2020) of thearea and gained control of the Gaza Strip.36
Importance to the United StatesThe US is a significant actor in Israel-Palestine relations, oftenserving as an intermediary. The relationship with Israel servesas a way for the US to further its agenda in the Middle East,which revolves around stability, security, and access to energyresources. The US is Israel’s largest trading partner and annuallyprovides Israel with over $3 billion in military support. Israel’sstanding in the region, and consistency in promoting USinterests, is largely connected to its relationship with Palestineas conflicts with its neighbors are often connected to the lack ofa Palestinian state (Zunes 2002).Position of the United StatesHistorically, the US has maintained a more lenient positiontoward Israel regarding human rights violations, the militaryoccupation of Palestine, and West Bank settlements comparedto the international community. Past administrations, forexample, referred to West Bank settlements as “illegitimate”rather than illegal and have continued to provide Israel withsignificant defense assistance (Anon. 2017). The Trumpadministration, however, was known for its unabashedly pro-Israel policies. This includes the unprecedented stance thatthese settlements do not violate international law and movingthe US embassy to Jerusalem, an area claimed as a capital byboth Israel and Palestine (Borger et al. 2019). Several USpresidents have attempted to negotiate peace deals, mostrecently President Trump, which was immediately rejected bythe Palestinians for its alleged pro-Israel approach. The currentUS administration of President Joe Biden was expected to takea more neutral stance. Since his term started, President Bidenhas been said to be pressuring Israeli Prime Minister NaftaliBennett to stop the West Bank settlements, which PresidentBiden views as a threat to a two-state solution (Ravid 2021).Recent DevelopmentsTensions have been on an upward climb for years, most notablyduring the administrations of former Israel Prime Minister37
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Page 28 and 29: BackgroundIn the last two decades,
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Page 76 and 77: AnalysisThe French military has had
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