The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the defining security-political phenomenon in the Middle East for over seven decades. While several United Nations Resolutions have granted Statehood to Palestine, its implementation strategy has not been operationalised. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, which sought to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish States. The British-mandated territory of Palestine was divided into three parts, The State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The anomaly of the division is that the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestine part of the divided territory, do not have a land bridge. The rationale for the division and how the division was implemented was fiercely resisted by the Palestinians and practically by all Arab States. Resistance to this division has led to more than four wars between Israel and the Arab States and hundreds of intifadas by the Palestinians against the Israelis.

This diplomatic conversation attempts to put into context the geopolitical impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its implications for peace and security in Africa. Watch the full discussion below:

The session was chaired by Aldrin Sampear, with discussants Prof Chris Isike from the University of Pretoria, Mr. Na’eem Jeenah, and HE Mr Mahdi Agha Jafari, Ambassador of Iran to South Africa.

Watch the full discussion:

*The HSRC would like to state its position as a non-aligned research organisation.