Since Saturday and the Hamas offensive in Israel, 20 minutes has produced numerous articles and interviewed numerous experts to shed light on the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some terms used are very specific to the context or to one of the two camps, such as kibbutzim. We decipher some of them here.
Pogrom
If the term “pogrom”, of Russian origin, became established in several languages at the end of the 19th century, acts of persecution against Jews date back to the Roman Empire. Pogroms refer to episodes of violence, looting and massacres in Jewish neighborhoods or localities, perpetrated by a majority community. Numerous pogroms took place in France, Spain, Russia, Austria and Germany, the phenomenon culminating with the Nazi regime. The use of the term in an Arab-Muslim context is, however, debated, with some specialists considering the pogroms as an experience specific to the Jewish communities of Europe. For others, the massacres perpetrated in recent days by Hamas in the kibbutz are comparable to pogroms.
Iron Dome
This is the name of the anti-aircraft defense system of the State of Israel, responsible for intercepting rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Developed by the company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and operational since 2010, the Iron Dome system is composed of a radar capable of tracking 200 targets per minute, a combat management computer and a Tamir missile launcher. Several Iron Dome batteries have been installed in various locations across Israel. The Iron Dome cannot handle several hundred rockets at a time, however, and is expensive.
Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Islamist movement Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, is made up of two entities: a political branch and a military branch, the al-Qassam Brigades. This branch is structured like an army, with different levels of command, training camps for soldiers and a leader, Mohammend Deif. Born in Gaza and actively sought by Israel, the “guest” never stays two nights in the same place. He is the architect of the upgrade of the Brigades, which today number between 15,000 and 40,000 very well trained and equipped fighters.
IDF
The term refers to the Hebrew acronym for the Israel Defense Army, a name chosen by the Israeli government in 1948. Its use therefore highlights the idea that the army defends Israel and its population. The Israeli army was made up in 2022 of around 170,000 active soldiers and 465,000 reservists from all strata of Israeli society, but can also rely on nearly 2.4 million young men and women capable of military service. , obligatory despite subtleties.
Green line
Before being the name of a masterpiece of cinema, the Green Line is the dividing line between Israeli forces and Arab forces following the armistice agreements in 1949. It is also called the “1967 border », since this line served as a border until June 4, 1967, the eve of the Six-Day War. This line extended the area of Israel compared to what was planned in the plan to divide Palestine, but also marked the division of Jerusalem. The “return” to this line, beyond which Israel has since founded colonies, represents a consensual border for supporters of the creation of a Palestinian state, which would then include the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem. East.