MY TURN: Gaza Peace Plan
Evensizer
Hamas is an Islamist Palestinian political organization that has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007. The organization was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987. The Gaza Strip is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories. The other is the West Bank. Initially, Hamas was supported by Israel as a counterbalance to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to prevent the creation of an independent Palestinian state. The United Nations officially recognized the State of Palestine in 1974. Founded in 1964, the PLO initially sought to establish an Arab state over the entire territory of the former Palestine, advocating the elimination of Israel. In October 2018, the PLO Central Council suspended the Palestinian recognition of Israel.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantled its settlements and withdrew its military. In 2006, Hamas secured a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation. In the 2007 Battle of Gaza, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from rival Palestinian faction Fatah. Fatah retains control of the West Bank.
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