The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, specifically focusing on Israel's objectives and the challenges it faces in achieving them. It also highlights the complexities of the conflict and the difficulties in dismantling Hamas through military means. Reading this article will provide insights into the dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the factors that contribute to its continuation.
Israel launched an attack on Gaza with two declared objectives: to free the hostages taken by Hamas during a cross-border raid and to "dismantle" Hamas.
The attack resulted in the killing of 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and the displacement of almost 90% of the enclave's population.
Israel's undeclared objective was to rebuild its deterrence to prevent future attacks like the October 7 cross-border raid.
Hamas, a militant group in Gaza, is facing off against Israel, a much more powerful country in terms of military capabilities.
Israel, backed by the United States, has advanced offensive and defensive weapons and controls most of Gaza's borders.
Hamas has around 50,000 fighters with rifles and rockets.
Israel has launched a military operation to dismantle Hamas, but so far has only managed to free one hostage and mistakenly shot dead three hostages.
Israel claimed that a top Hamas command center was located in Gaza's largest medical facility, Al Shifa hospital, but has not provided evidence.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is an example of an asymmetric war, where one side is significantly more powerful than the other.
Israel has a good track record against conventional rivals but struggles against non-state actors
Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 lasted 18 years and did not bring peace
Israel invaded Lebanon again in 2006 to crush Hezbollah but had to accept a ceasefire
Hezbollah has since rebuilt its military strength multiple times
Israel carried out bombing campaigns in Gaza to weaken Hamas but could not prevent a deadly attack in October 7
Israel's main narrative in the current war is that Hamas is like the Islamic State (IS)
The IS was unpopular and lacked a social or political cause
Muslim armies were at the forefront of the battle against the IS.
The fundamental contradiction in the Israel-Palestine conflict is Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.
Hamas is seen as a terrorist outfit by Israel and its western allies, but many regional actors view it as fighting against Israel's violent occupation.
Hamas has a social and political cause - the liberation of Palestine - and is deeply rooted in Palestinian society.
Dismantling Hamas through military means is difficult as long as Israel continues its occupation.
Hamas is prepared for a long resistance against Israel and aims to deny them a quick military victory.
Israel's offensive in Gaza has led to high civilian casualties and global isolation for the Jewish state.
The Arab-Israel normalization is currently dead, and the conflict is widening with the involvement of the pro-Iran Shia rebels in Yemen.
The situation in West Asia is highly volatile.
Israel's invasion of Gaza has been intense and aimed at killing Palestinians and making Gaza uninhabitable.
However, if Israel's objective is to eradicate Hamas, free hostages, and strengthen its own deterrence, it has not achieved these goals.
The bombing campaign has been ongoing for 10 weeks and is one of the most intense of the century.
The importance of the Sahitya Akademi awards in acknowledging the linguistic diversity of India and promoting literature in various Indian languages. It highlights the benefits for writers, such as increased recognition and sales, as well as the opportunity for translation into other languages. It also emphasizes the need for better promotion of the Sahitya Akademi and its activities to spread awareness about India's rich literary tradition.
The Sahitya Akademi awards honor writers of 24 Indian languages.
This year, the Akademi has chosen books in Dogri, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Manipuri, Odia, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Santali, and others.
The awards acknowledge the linguistic diversity in India and the existence of marginalized communities and languages facing extinction.
Winning the Sahitya Akademi award provides encouragement to writers and can lead to increased sales and inclusion in schools and universities.
The awards also provide opportunities for translation into other regional languages and English.
Neelum Saran Gour, who won this year for her English novel, can expect her story to be translated into other Indian languages.
Sahitya Akademi awards, established in 1955, lack the same recognition as the Booker Prize or the Pulitzer.
The Sahitya Akademi aims to be the central institution for literary dialogue, publication, and promotion in India.
The Akademi holds lectures, readings, discussions, exchange programs, and workshops in various Indian languages, including English.
However, the promotion of these programs is inadequate, resulting in limited awareness among the public.
In addition to the Sahitya Akademi award, there are other awards such as the Bal Sahitya award, Yuva Puraskar, and Bhasha Samman.
The Akademi's website is not regularly updated and contains grammatical errors.
The Akademi's social media presence is poor.
The Akademi has published numerous books, but they are difficult to find.
The Sahitya Akademi should do more to promote India's rich literary tradition, especially among children who are increasingly losing their reading habits.
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