ECU professor explains current violence in Middle East
Airstrikes and other attacks in Israel and Gaza have left more than 70 dead.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in retaliation to the Palestinian militant group Hamas shooting hundreds of missiles into their territory.
So far, strikes on both sides have killed 69 Palestinians, 7 Israelis and injured hundreds more.
Hanna Kassab, a political science and security studies professor at ECU, said the violence stems from protests gone awry in Jerusalem.
“When the clashes continue between the Palestinians and the Israeli security forces, Hamas began firing a volley of rockets,” he said.
Kassab explained the recent violence is a result of a decades-long affair, ever since the debate over the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel in the mid-20th century. Israelis who claimed the land clashed with Arabs who lived there.
“People say it started because of a land dispute or it started because of clashes on the streets...” said Kassab.
“It’s the unresolved issues that are leading to these moments of great instability and violence.”
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday the United States is talking with both sides to encourage “calm, de-escalation and restraint.”
Copyright 2021 WITN. All rights reserved.
