“This was a year that tested – largely to destruction – the notion you can have stability and quiet in the absence of a Middle East peace process. Instead, 2014 in Israel and the Palestinian territories was marked by a return to conflict in Gaza, which claimed over 2,200 lives, by increasing violence and tension on both sides, continued Israeli settlement building, and the introduction of a worrying religious aspect to the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
The fulcrum around which all this turned was the breakdown of renewed US-brokered attempts to move towards a final settlement of the conflict, which collapsed in April amid mutual recriminations after Israel reneged on an agreement to release a third batch of long-term Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
That in turn triggered unilateral Palestinian efforts to advance moves towards statehood in international institutions that as the year progressed saw a number of European states recognise Palestinian statehood – if only symbolically – led by Sweden and followed by a non-binding vote in the UK parliament.”* The Young Turks hosts Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola (TYT University) and Ben Mankiewicz break it down.
*Read more here:
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/dec/31/conflict-gaza-claimed-2000-lives
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