For hundreds of years, Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting against each other for the land that both believe they should have. In 1948, Israel was established as a country by the United Nations, making Palestinians angry because they believed the land belonged to them. A fighter group, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), began to carry out attacks such as hijacking airplanes and went as far as killing Israeli athletes. A plan known as the Oslo Accords was proposed and signed in 1993, which let Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank self-govern under Palestinian authority. Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting because both want the land that they believe they were promised; the West Bank and Gaza.

According to CNN, a group known as “Hamas,” a radicalist Islamist group that works to protect Palestine and fight against Israel, carried out the recent protests in Gaza. The Hamas took control of Gaza before Israel put up a blockade and used it as a launching ground for rocket attacks.

Protests and fighting have not been uncommon, but a recent move by the United States caused the fighting to escalate. Previous Presidents of The United States have recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but President Trump took the next step and moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Palestinians are angry about this move because they also want Jerusalem as their capital. But since Palestine contains only territories, it does not have an official capital, but rather an administrative center in Ramallah, as well as an indicated capital in East Jerusalem.

According to an article published by The Guardian on May 30, Hamas says that Palestinian fighter groups located in Gaza have agreed to stop fighting if Israelis also stop fighting. This new development follows multiple rocket launches and mortar attacks in Israel and airstrikes in Gaza. After the agreement was announced by Hamas, there were no reports of violence. The Israeli minister, Yisrael Katz, made a statement regarding Palestinian fighter groups and the non-violence agreement on Israel Radio, saying “It all depends on Hamas. If it continues, I don’t know what it’s fate will be.” Authorities have said that schools will open as usual instead of being closed due to the frequent Palestinian rocket attacks.

In response to the fighting and constant attacks, the United States called for an emergency United Nations meeting to discuss the most recent attacks on Israel out of the Palestinian territories. The United Nations will discuss the attacks and what should happen in the future to stop the violence if it continues to escalate. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations stated, “The recent attacks out of Gaza are the largest we have seen since 2014. Mortars fired by Palestinian militants hit civilian infrastructure, including a kindergarten. The Security Council should be outraged and respond to this latest bout of violence directed at innocent Israeli civilians, and the Palestinian leadership needs to be held accountable for what they’re allowing to happen in Gaza.”

The United Nations Security Council made a proposal, a plan that would provide international protection for all Palestinians. The United States was the only country to not sign the draft, because they believed the plan put the blame on only one side. As of now, the UN is still coming up with a resolution to end the violence in Gaza and to help the Palestinians and Israelis solve their conflict.