https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62e27j69q9o

(**Would’ve been uploaded sooner but I’ve been experiencing issues with the baileyclassroom website)

Summary:

This summary discusses the breaches in the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. It also gives an overview on the casualties in Palestine since the “ceasefire.” The Israeli Defense Forces said that their killing of 25+ civilians, who were in the religious endowments ministry building, was justified because they saw Hamas open fire. At the same time as that incident, the IDF struck a group of ten people, with one person dying; this is ironic because it was indicative of the chain reaction these two things set off. The IDF’s response to Hamas was to strike Palestinians all across the Gazan strip, regardless of the ceasefire; this resulted in the death of at least 20 people in 4+ following incidents.

Analysis:

This article is important because it sheds light on how easily it was for the ceasefire to break. The ceasefire was already so fragile, and Hamas violated their terms, resulting in an opportunistic Israel to take advantage of the breach and use it as an excuse to exert coercive forces throughout the conflict area. This fragile agreement proves that it’s becoming more difficult for the Palestinian quasi-state to become internationally recognized with a legitimate, powerful, government behind it. This incident will have both regional and international impacts. In the region, countries will start to polarize into two “teams” that back Israel and Palestine, because the escalation will continue to increase, and countries will begin to take sides out of fear of becoming collateral damage. States, IGOs, and MNCs are the main players in security issues like these because the article confronts questions relating to states’ legitimate use of hard power; to what extent can countries exert hard power to establish their dominance without infringing on the sovereignty and humanity of their neighbors? Furthermore, what exactly can IGOs do to keep peace in the region without the authority or permission to take measures that’ll actually grab everyone’s attention? Additionally, MNCs are a huge player in this because some companies suffer as collateral damage while others are profiting from the conflict. 

It’s also important to address the international effects that this event will have, because even though the shatter-belt that we call the Middle East is most affected by this, other countries around the world also play a part in this, because everyone is interdependent. We are already experiencing inflation, and altercations like these can cause a higher rate of inflation because countries in that region might jack up their prices in response to the conflict’s continuation. This further inflation could then infuriate other countries and lead to increased sanctions and tariffs, giving global producers and consumers the short end of the stick. 

Class Connection:

This article connects to the class because it relates to issues regarding sovereignty, legitimacy, hard power, authority, interdependence, and global stakeholders like IGOs and MNCs. Furthermore, this theme connects to human rights and power; it also brings up the common debate about the legitimacy of the international governing systems when it comes to dealing with altercations like these.