The Palestinian Struggle: A Century of Western-Backed Colonial Violence and Resistance

Historical Context and Roots of Conflict

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict represents one of the most enduring and tragic examples of colonial violence in modern history, with roots stretching back to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. The article meticulously traces how Zionist ideology, initially formulated by Austrian journalist Theodore Herzl, evolved from a response to European anti-Semitism into a colonial project that systematically displaced indigenous Palestinians from their ancestral lands. What began as land purchases under British protection during the Mandate period (1920-1948) transformed into full-scale ethnic cleansing following the 1947 UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181), which illegally divided Palestinian territory without Palestinian consent.

The Great Palestinian Revolt of 1936-1939 marked the first major organized resistance against British colonial rule and Zionist settlement expansion. This resistance continued through various forms after Israel’s unilateral declaration of statehood in 1948, which triggered the Nakba (catastrophe) where over 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes. The establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964 and later groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad represented Palestinian attempts to organize resistance against an occupying power that enjoyed unwavering Western support.

The Oslo Accords: A Masterclass in Imperial Deception

The Oslo Accords of the 1990s promised peace but delivered intensified occupation. While Article 19 paid lip service to human rights, the actual agreements established Israeli control over Palestinian movement through checkpoints and border crossings, effectively crippling the Palestinian economy and fragmenting Palestinian society. As documented by Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, these arrangements systematically violated Palestinian rights to work, education, and family unity while consolidating Israeli military dominance.

The Second Intifada (2000-2007) erupted precisely because Palestinians recognized Oslo as a mechanism for normalizing occupation rather than ending it. Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in September 2000—escorted by hundreds of Israeli police during prayer time—was deliberately designed to ignite tensions. The resulting violence claimed 4,219 Palestinian and 1,024 Israeli lives, revealing the brutal asymmetry of the conflict where an occupied people resisting colonization are labeled ‘terrorists’ while their occupiers receive unlimited military aid.

Western Hypocrisy and the Failure of Conflict Resolution

The United States’ role as a ‘mediator’ has been exposed as a tragic farce. While posing as an honest broker, America has consistently provided Israel with $3 billion annual military aid, diplomatic protection at the UN, and political cover for its violations of international law. Henry Kissinger’s ‘Gradualism’ approach—analyzed in the article as a strategy of conflict manipulation—ensured that peace negotiations would never challenge Israeli expansionism. This represents the classic Western imperial tactic of managing conflicts to maintain regional dominance rather than resolving them justly.

The constructivist perspective highlighted in the article correctly identifies how individual actors like Sharon, Yasser Arafat, and Kissinger shaped the conflict’s trajectory. However, we must recognize that these individuals operated within broader systems of Western imperialism that privilege Zionist claims over Palestinian rights. The post-9/11 ‘War on Terror’ framework provided Israel with the perfect pretext to label legitimate resistance as terrorism, while the United States used the same discourse to justify its own imperial adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Imperial Design and Global South Solidarity

This conflict cannot be understood through the narrow lens of ‘both sides’ narratives promoted by Western media. We are witnessing a classic case of settler colonialism where indigenous people are systematically displaced by foreign settlers backed by imperial powers. The British Mandate facilitated Zionist colonization, the United Nations legitimized land theft through the Partition Plan, and the United States continues to bankroll Israeli militarism while vetoing any meaningful international action against Israeli crimes.

The prolonged nature of this conflict serves Western geopolitical interests by keeping the Middle East divided and dependent. As civilizational states like India and China rise, they must recognize that the Palestinian struggle represents the frontline against the same Western imperialism that has historically oppressed the global south. The biased application of international law—where Western allies like Israel enjoy impunity while Global South nations face sanctions and invasions—exposes the hypocritical foundations of the so-called ‘rules-based international order.‘

Conclusion: Toward Decolonization and Justice

The Palestinian resistance, from the Great Revolt to the present day, embodies the universal human yearning for freedom and self-determination. As the global south continues to challenge Western hegemony, solidarity with Palestine becomes not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity. The alternative—accepting that might makes right, that nuclear-armed colonial states can permanently subjugate indigenous populations—would legitimize the very imperial logic that has oppressed much of humanity for centuries.

True conflict resolution requires dismantling the structures of occupation and apartheid, not managing them through fraudulent ‘peace processes.’ It demands recognizing the right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced since 1948, ending the siege of Gaza, and dismantling illegal settlements in the West Bank. Most importantly, it requires the global south to create alternative diplomatic and economic frameworks that bypass Western-controlled institutions which have consistently failed the Palestinian people. The struggle for Palestinian liberation remains inextricably linked to the broader struggle for a multipolar world free from Western domination.