TOPIC A: THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONUNDRUM
The Gaza Strip, a narrow strip of land on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea, has been
a perennial site for Israel-Palestinian conflicts. After the coming of Hamas into political
power in the Gaza strip, these conflicts, much to the dismay of the civilian population,
have taken a turn for the worse, becoming increasingly recurrent and bloodier. The
latest conflict arose in the aftermath of the killing of three Israeli teenagers in June,
which incurred a severe reprisal by the Israeli army against Hamas in the West Bank.
Tensions escalated further upon the revenge killing of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem
on the second of July. In a manner of days, Israel had bombarded Gaza with air strikes,
killing many Hamas leaders. Consequently, Hamas also opened fire, launching rockets
on Israel after a 20 month ceasefire. That retaliation spawned 'Operation Protective
Edge' by Israel, aimed at destroying Hamas' capabilities. Fifty days later, an uneasy
ceasefire was secured under the mediation of Egypt.
However, this latest conflict has lasted far longer than the Israeli offensives of 2009 and
2012, causing with it a far greater loss of life. The Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) of the UN has reported the death of 2104 people In the
Gaza Strip, whereas the injured count stands at an alarming 10,224 people, of which
around 3106 are children. The damage to infrastructure has been equally devastating,
with an estimated 17,200 homes and 58 hospitals/clinics destroyed in the aftermath of
'Protective Edge'. The Israeli death toll stands at 73, of which there are 7 civilian
casualties. With statistics as alarming as these, one can only shudder at the thought of
the plight of innocent civilians that continue to live under the shadow of this ghastly
war. Of particular concern is the frequency of these conflicts. The Palestinian people
have had to face the brunt of three Operations of the Israeli military in just a period of
six years, while the death toll has continued to rise exponentially with each passing one.
The need to find a viable solution to this conundrum has never been more pertinent.
The escalation of this conflict in recent years must be brought to a lasting halt; the
innocent people living in these lands deserve nothing less. The inability of the United
Nations Security Council to effectively come to a unanimous conclusion over this conflict
have been there for all to see, with around 15 resolutions on this subject being vetoed
in the past. The immense Human Cost of this conflict must be kept as the guiding light
of all discussions in the UNSC at LUMUN XI, so that countries can then overcome their
differences for the sake of humanity and agree to enforce a lasting solution to this
conflict. Though generations have passed, we must continue believing in Alexander
Pope's ageless words, 'Hope Springs Eternal', and hope in the possibility of a lasting
solution, for that is our duty as the makers and keepers of peace.
TOPIC B: COUNTERING THE THREAT OF THE ISLAMIC STATE IN IRAQ AND
SYRIA
The ISIS, which also goes by the name of the 'Islamic State' or the 'Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant', is a radical Islamist group carrying out an insurgency in Syria and Iraq.
It controls large areas in Eastern Syria and across Northern and Western Iraq and aims
to establish an Islamic 'Caliphate' over the occupied territories. The organized outlook
and mass appeal of the IS can be seen by the fact that foreigners numbering in the
thousands, even from western states, have also joined up in the fighting force of the
organization. However, the brutal nature of this entity is what has caused people all
over the world to sit up and take notice. Torture, summary executions, beheadings of
soldiers and journalists alike have sent a shiver down the spine of all and have
subsequently lulled the United States and the United Kingdom into carrying out a
military intervention to halt its progress.
However, the IS is unlike other militant organizations operating in the world today. With
the territories it now controls in Iraq, it earns millions of dollars in profits from the oil
and gas fields that fall in those territories. The offensive in Iraq has also enabled the IS
to acquire wealth stored in banks and large cities. Therefore, the world is dealing with a
self financed organization with an array of sophisticated weaponry, much of which has
been captured from the Syrian and Iraqi armies.
The offensives of the IS have also created a massive refugee problem across Syria and
Iraq, causing around 3 million Syrians and 1.8 million Iraqis to flee their homes and
seek shelter elsewhere, as has been reported by the UNHCR. The humanitarian aspect
of this conflict is further highlighted in the brutal treatment of ethnic and religious
minorities at the hands of the IS. The conflict of the IS has the potential to engulf even
more countries into its war, such as Turkey and Lebanon, thus causing a regional crisis
of a mammoth scale in a land already rife with a myriad of problems. The UNSC must
address this pertinent security concern in a timely and an effective manner before it
spirals out of hand completely. With every passing moment, the IS grows bolder and
stronger. Moreover, in any possible solution, a framework for rehabilitation, not just of
the refugees, but socio-economic and most importantly political rehabilitation, must be
established for Iraq so that the state does not relapse into another insurgency.