It began just after 1am on Monday, with a wave of missiles launched from airborne drones. Smoke and noise rose over the refugee camp of JeninA Palestinian city in an area of the West Bank occupied by Israel. as Israeli soldiers stormed in.

Thirty-six hours later, the chaos continued. Ten PalestiniansPeople from Palestine, an area located in the Southern Levant region of Western Asia. are believed to have been killed, with a hundred others wounded.¹

IsraelA country in the Middle East, and the only Jewish nation in the modern period. It is seen by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the Holy Land. claimed the assault on the camp was needed to root out terrorists. Palestinians call it yet another provocation from Israel's new far-right government. Either way, experts say, it is a sign that one of the world's longest-running conflicts still rolls on.

This conflict began in 1948, when two countries were formed. The UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security. had drawn the borders of an Israeli and a Palestinian state, with JerusalemAn ancient city that is considered holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. split between them.

However, war immediately broke out and Israel seized most of the land given to Palestine. Egypt and Gaza took over the rest: the Gaza stripThe smaller of two Palestinian territories, home to two million people. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, surrounded by Israel and Egypt. and the West BankA landlocked territory bordered by Israel, Jordan and the Dead Sea. It is the largest of the Palestinian territories. .

Then, in 1967, Israel declared war on Egypt, Jordan and Syria and swept the West Bank and Gaza. It put these territories under military occupationWhen one state takes over and controls area of another. Also a term for a job or profession. and annexedTake possession of an area of land without permission or by force. East Jerusalem.

After this, the outline of a future peace deal was settled. Israel should keep the land it had won in 1948, and a Palestinian state should be established in the West Bank and Gaza. This was called the "two-state solution".

But while most countries officially still support a two-state solution, most experts do not believe it will happen.

The first problem is disagreement over land. Since 1967, Israel has built many settlementsA place where people establish a community. on land earmarked for a Palestinian state. It is thought 700,000 Israelis now live in these settlements.

Most Israeli politicians want these towns to be part of Israel. But the Palestinians would not accept a peace deal that meant losing even more land.

Jerusalem is especially controversial. The Palestinians argue that they should be given back East Jerusalem to serve as a future capital for their state. But the Israelis claim the whole of Jerusalem as their capital.

This point is not easily solved. East Jerusalem contains some of the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Some Palestinians fear for the future of their holy places under Israeli rule.

Fear has been heightened, some say, by the recent behaviour of the new Israeli government. Hardline security minister Itamar Ben Gvir has appeared on it twice this year, breaking a convention that Israeli ministers stay off the site.

This points to another problem. Israeli politics has swung to the right. Today Israeli politicians rarely talk about a two-state solution. Some even want to drive the Palestinians out entirely and take the rest of their land.

Observers say they have emboldened settlers, who have grown more and more violent against the Palestinians. This only creates more bitterness.

It is also unclear who could negotiate for the Palestinians. Experts say the Palestinians' own government, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is widely hated. Many Palestinians think it is corrupt, incompetent and too close to Israel.

Critics say each time the PA fails to protect them from raids by Israeli settlers or the armed forces, it loses more legitimacyWhen a ruler or institution has the right to lead or rule. . That means it cannot make peace on their behalf. Thus, many say, the conflict keeps feeding itself.

Yes: People cannot live like this forever. Too many Palestinian and Israeli lives are being lost. Pressure will mount for a deal.

No: Neither side is in a position to make a peace deal. It is not even clear who would negotiate, between a far-right Israeli government and a discredited PA. Peace is far away.

Or... It is not really accurate to call this a "conflict". It is a military occupation by Israel that some Palestinians respond to with terrorism. So mere peace is not enough; what is needed is an outcome that delivers justice.