SUMMARY

The state of Israel was formed in 1948, following a declaration of independence in the wake of a UN decision to split British mandate Palestine into one Palestinian and one Jewish political entity. Neighbouring Arab states did not accept this division, and a number of wars followed in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982. The defining feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the occupation by Israel of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the 1967 war, and also the occupation of parts of southern Lebanon.

Violent protests against these occupations, and the violent repression of these protests by Israel, are what give rise to Israel’s inclusion as a one-sided violence actor. One-sided violence became particularly acute as the First Intifada began in 1987 as a popular uprising against the occupation, and also during the Second Intifada that followed on the failed Camp David talks. This uprising and other civil disturbances that followed, along with Israeli incursions and raids into occupied territories in Palestine and Lebanon to hunt for militants, gives rise to Israel’s inclusion in both the state-based and the one-sided categories of the UCDP database.

In the killing of civilians several arms of the Israeli state have been involved. Most civilians in Lebanon have been killed by the actions of the IAF (Israel Air Force), but also by the ground troops of the IDF (Israel Defence Force). In the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza the IDF has also played a role in one-sided killings, as has the Border Police and various units of the Special Forces (such as the Shin Bet).

A new and particularly violent phase began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel. In response, the Israeli government authorized the most destructive bombing campaign in Gaza’s history, followed by a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The government of Israel has been involved in the interstate, intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.