When will the war stop (original) (raw)
Related papers
War in the Middle East: From Gaza to Lebanon to Iran
Modern Diplomacy, 2024
What started as an Israeli invasion of Gaza and a “war” between Israel and Hamas has metastasized into a multi-front war between Israel, Iran, and other regional actors and non-state actors. The escalation threatens not only to plunge the region deeper into chaos but also to have global security and stability hanging in the uncertainty. The conflict in Gaza entered a new phase, in which other players in the region began to get involved. Soon after the Israeli atrocities began the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah entered the fray itself to stand with Hamas. By the time, what began a week ago, as sporadic exchanges of fire, had erupted into an Israeli invasion of Lebanese territory now. Iran, the mainstay of Hamas and Hezbollah, meanwhile, has been increasingly drawn into the widening conflict. However, fears of an all-out regional war have been heightened by Tehran’s launching of its first direct missile strike against Israel. Iranian proxies, with other militant groups, including Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria and Houthi rebels in Yemen, carried out strikes against Israeli and the US targets. By the time, Israel conducted retaliatory attacks in against of the Iranian attacks of with the 200 projectiles. In Gaza, as of latest data, nearly 43,783 Palestinians have been killed, along with 16,900 children and 11,500 women who are nearly 70 percent of the total deaths, per health officials’ report. In addition to that, more than a million civilians have been uprooted by the Israeli incursion into Lebanon. Until now, however, efforts to contain the widening conflict have been diplomatically futile. While publicly urging restraint, the United States has remained supportive in a robust military and political way to Israel. Egypt, Jordan, and many other Arab and Non-Arab countries voiced their support for Lebanon despite the fear of getting sucked into the maelstrom.
Xavier Pons Rafols, 2024
The purpose of this essay/editorial - closed on 8 January 2024 - is to formulate as fully as possible, although necessarily provisional, an approach from the perspective of International Law to the war in Gaza that began a little over three months ago, and more generally to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has lasted at least seventy-five years, with the creation of the state of Israel, the first Arab-Israeli war and the Nakba to which the Palestinian people have been condemned. In other words, this is a brief international legal approach to a moment of crisis and intensification of a historic conflict that, in these months, has been a real turning point in the endless cycle of violence that has plagued the region for decades. To this end, this essay addresses various issues of international legal relevance in relation to the current war in Gaza, such as the conceptualisation of international terrorism; the justification of legitimate self-defence used by Israel and, in particular, the conditions required by International Law for its exercise; as well as the possible commission of serious crimes of international concern - war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide -, the applicability of International Humanitarian Law and the call for individual criminal responsibility in this context. This essay also analyses the response of the international community organized in the United Nations to the current war in Gaza, highlighting the insufficient action of the Security Council during these months of acute crisis, the majority reaction of the General Assembly calling for a cessation of hostilities, and the repeated and futile humanitarian appeals made by its Secretary-General. In order to place the current crisis in the perspective of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, there are also briefly discussed the historical and political context, in particular the results of the occupation of territories in the Six-Day War of 1967, the consistent position of the General Assembly on the Palestinian question, the United Nations action on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as the Security Council’s action on these Territories and the proposed peace initiatives, in particular with regard to the two-State solution. The essay concludes with concluding remarks and an epilogue where, in view of the current humanitarian catastrophe and the protracted nature of the conflict, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the release of hostages, and for the current phase of the conflict to become a genuine turning point that can be grasped as an opportunity for peace in the region.
The Implications of War on Lebanon: A Historical Perspective
Lebanon stands at the epicenter of intersecting crises, where decades of political corruption, economic mismanagement, and repeated cycles of conflict have left deep scars on its infrastructure, economy, and society. From the devastating 2020 sovereign debt default to the destruction wrought by ongoing wars, Lebanon's trajectory reveals a nation trapped in a vicious cycle of instability, poverty, and systemic failure. Reliant on imports and a fragile tourism sector, Lebanon's economy faces mounting challenges exacerbated by hyperinflation, brain drain, and governance paralysis. Meanwhile, geopolitical entanglements and the emerging threat of cyber warfare further destabilized the nation's prospects for recovery. This document states and explains the multifaceted implications of Lebanon’s crises, exploring the fiscal and monetary consequences, the erosion of public trust, and the humanitarian toll. While the path forward is fraught with obstacles, sustainable recovery is possible through decisive reforms, inclusive governance, and strategic investments in infrastructure and human capital. Lebanon’s resilience offers hope, but time is of the essence to reverse its downward spiral and forge a sustainable future.
Lebanon: At the Edge of Another Civil War
DergiPark (Istanbul University), 2008
As the 2006 Israel attack divided Lebanese people into pro-Hezbollah and pro-Western lines, Lebanon has fallen into chaos among its sectarian groups for the first time after the 1975 Civil War. As the eruption of violence in May 2008 left at least 81 people dead and as Lebanon was politically paralysed, the opponent parties decided to withdraw from step back the Gulf Emirate of Qatar. To manage the inherent problems of a country having 17 religious minorities, a weak central state built on power-sharing and a violent history, it is essential to determine the internal and external factors influencing the country's political situation. In this context, this article argues that any agreement reached by the outer forces for Lebanon's peace and stability ignores the Lebanese reality and lacks an enduring solution to the long unresolved conflicts in the country. To understand the underlying factors causing conflicts in the country, it is crucial to note internal and external dynamics constituting modern Lebanon's politic structures' weaknesses.
Stabilisation to Crisis in Lebanon
An unpleasant truth often overlooked is that although war is a great evil, it does have a great virtue: it can resolve political conflicts and lead to peace. This can happen when all belligerents become exhausted or when one wins decisively. Either way the key is that the fighting must continue until a resolution is reached. War brings peace only after passing a culminating phase of violence. Hopes of military success must fade for accommodation to become more attractive than further combat.' (Edward Luttwak) Discuss with reference to the challenges of ending civil wars