 Welcome to mapping fault lines news click show where we discuss major geopolitical issues across the world in today's story we're going to be talking about breaking developments in Palestine where Israel is launching all out assault on Gaza at least The Airstrikes beginning on Monday, but even before that they were invasions to the Al-Aqsa compound has been attacks on protesters in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. So these are not just attacks on Gaza, these are not just the attacks on Gaza that began on Monday but actually a series of incidents or weeks where Israel is sort of up the escalated the situation massively. So as far as we see now they've been continuous days of bombing in Gaza they've been of course rates by Israel in other towns in the occupied West Bank as well. But the Gaza rates being the most significant escalation of military assaults by Israel in recent times. Of course the number of deaths keeps increasing almost every few hours latest reports say somewhere around 85 it could be much more by the time even this video comes out. And we've also seen a lot of threatening comments so right now how do we see the position on the ground especially in the light of what Israel has been mobilizing and announcing. I think we have reached the most dangerous point post 2014 in Palestine occupied territories, as well as in West Asia today it looks like we face a possibility of a new war that Israel will launch on Gaza. Now on the question of Gaza, it's not that Israel is bombing only bombing Gaza. Gaza has actually been hitting back and it has also launched missiles, including Tel Aviv. So this is the first time that we see a number of missiles penetrating the iron door and hitting Israel. They already have six casualties, maybe numbers may, again, as you say, numbers may again grow. But this is something that they have not faced for quite some time because they felt that iron door really protected them from the low grade rockets that came from Gaza, which really were metal canisters filled with some explosives and with some food. So those are very crude rockets which is to go, which is refined earlier. The first time Hamas are in the frame, and that qualitatively changes the situation, because Hamas have obviously the greater capability, both militarily and in terms of the stockpile they have of being able to launch the missiles or rockets at Israel. So given that situation, that it is not going to be as painless as a thing, that is one. Again in the last Gaza war, 2014 war Israel really faced a rather difficult physical situation that the penetration into Gaza, which they used to think was an easy walk over, wasn't so. And they did face a much harder hand-to-hand combat in Gaza, the Gaza city, which is what they're targeted, and that means that if they enter Gaza again, which is what they're threatening, then this could have serious consequences in terms of casualties. In the continue with just an aerial bombardment, and you talked about the number of people killed, including children, high-rise apartment buildings which have been demolished, but also the desalination plant which provides portable drinking water to Gaza has also been destroyed. What happens during all these wars, it is the infrastructure which goes down first, which is electricity and water, and then of course the people are at the mercy of disease and other things. So this is the likely scenario for, as far as I can think, is that Israel won't get into Gaza very quickly. They will try to bomb Gaza, try to bomb the Hamas, other forces over there, and then see whether they can stop the barrage of strikes coming out of Gaza. As I said, they're not small in number at the moment, and they seem to be taking some serious hits, including artillery. So if that continues, then Israel will also find it very difficult then not to enter Gaza, and that's completely an unknown territory. What happens after that? And while it is true, Israel is of course the far bigger military power in the conflict in Gaza, and Gaza is by international laws definition is occupied territories because the skies are controlled by Israel, the borders are controlled by Israel, they do not have access to the sea, any entry or exit out of Gaza is at the moment effectively controlled by Israel in collusion of course with Egypt. So given that, that anything that gets into Gaza has to come through Israel or Israel's allowing it to come through in technical international law terms is in occupied territory. Otherwise it would have, you know, acceptance, it would be able to import things which it can't. And Israel has also really accepted that Palestine is occupied territories by opposing the entry of PLA into the United Nations. So Gaza is an occupied territory, and therefore Israel today, if it is to re-enter Gaza, it's not going to be easy for it and without re-entering Gaza I don't know how they can stop the bombardment that is taking place. The larger issue is of course the provoked by what you said earlier, the provoked by believing that Jerusalem is theirs to do as the please, as far as the occupied territories are concerned, which is the West Bank today, that there is nothing that they can do which others can oppose or resist. So they want to change the demography of Jerusalem itself. It's been long ongoing project, it's nothing new. And Sheikh Jarrah is of course the flashpoint today because it's been something which they have been trying to get, take people out of Palestinian origin out of that, Palestinians out of Sheikh Jarrah and then get the settlers in. That's been the ongoing battle. But this time this has been much worsened by the fact Al-Aqsa, which is one of the holiest spots of Islam, or Islam was attacked physically by security forces of Israel. And the fact that there are flashing grenades used, all that has had very bad repercussions in the entire Arab world. And I think therefore it has created a situation where the Israelis find it hard to put, how to emerge from it. I don't think they want to get into a war. A lot of this is really jockeying for position internally, the kind of political realignment that are taking place. Four elections have taken place in Israel and there is still no solution to who runs Israel. So, by default, you still have Netanyahu as the prime minister running Israel and deciding what he wants to do. And as we know war is always very useful or heightened state of war, the possibility of war is very useful for Indian government. So this is where I think the situation stands, but a very, very difficult situation because I don't see how each side can come out of it without getting it into a further conflict. Absolutely. I mean also in this context, it will be so good to look at the situation on the ground, especially in the context of earlier promises that were made in the 90s, when there was some hope of, you know, a two state solution when the Oslo process was going on. And over the years we've seen Israel's apartheid policies, occupation policies, intensify Israel, breaking all these promises, it made all the promises and commitments that in the international framework that were made to give Palestinians a contiguous state. So right now, especially when we see what's happening in Shejjarah where people are being expelled and their attempt is to build more settlements and give Jewish settlers more illegal structures for them. So how do we see the whole international process that was there and what is its future now? Because you know the two state solutions have been dead for quite some time and the reality that it is an apartheid state is emerging very clearly. I don't see how anybody can deny it because Israel has said that it is not going to let Israel go. Effectively that's what its position is and it is clear that the Palestinian people do not have rights in Israel, occupied West Bank has no rights whatsoever in Israel under Israel law and they're not even getting vaccine. So this is the situation at the moment, yes, hospitals and nurses, yes, but for the average population in the West Bank there is no vaccine available. So all of this and Israel has praised itself in the skies also something which has been applauded by the Western media that it's the most vaccinated country in the world except when you look at the occupied territories which now they agree is a part of Israel is a greater Israel is the never good in it. So Israel having declared itself that the rightful owners of Palestine, the larger Palestine and then denying Palestinian population rights, democratic rights which a citizen should should have, they have all made it into an apartheid state by all declarations and by law. Now they may deny it and there is again a huge lobby in the West, which, you know, given its historical complicity on oppression of the Jews. Now I would like to bend backwards to say any criticism Israel is anti is not simply anti Israel, it's actually anti Jewish, and therefore it becomes something which is under law, they have to stop. Any criticism of Israel as a country any criticism of its leaders, then gets into that kind of scenario in the West. So given that complicity of the West in the creation of Israel, and it's not only its military survival, but also seeing that it is very heavily armed against all its powers nearby. You just take a look at the map, and you will see that all the countries on this contiguous borders have absolutely no military power comparable to what Israel has except Egypt. And that's why post 1973 when Egypt almost created the situation that they, the Jewish state, the state of Israel was at risk that after that they made peace with Egypt. But that is not the situation visa be Syria Jordan, or obviously the Palestinian population. So given that they also have this problem that what do they do. So if they want to a flex their muscles they need an enemy. This is the way the internal politics of Israel also works, and therefore the fought with Lebanon in 2006 I think was the last war that the fought in Lebanon. And after that they found that getting into Lebanon beating up the Lebanese and coming back wasn't that easy. And they really got a bloody nose from his will over there. Given that then the thought he Gaza is the next easy one give them blows come back, and you then win the next election. Now that is the also what is is also the scenario that is taking place that Israel shift to the right is a part of this process that they don't see there is an enemy who can contest with what they're doing. Therefore the Palestinian people's rights do not matter. And increasingly the shift, not only to one state solution, but your one state apartheid solution, and which is shift more much more openly to the right. I think that is the trajectory it is following. So the Palestinian people have absolutely no hopes of getting an independent Palestine state. So the question is, what happens to Gaza, and what happens to the Palestinian people. And do we then fight for a secular, democratic, greater Palestine if you will, or a state of all people in the borders of what is existing occupied territories and Israel. Now that I think is the issue that is coming up. That will come up. That's the issue that history has to resolve, but at the moment, unfortunately, that's not where we are. All we have is a failed promise of a second to state solution, which has not been adhered to, which has been broken promises have been broken time and again, and under the direct pre patronage of the Western powers. Of course, the United States with the key among them. Thank you so much for you for talking to us. That's all we have time for today. Keep watching you sleep.