The Middle East has since time immemorial been on the global scope because of its explosive disposition. The Arab Israeli conflict has not been an exception as it has stood out to be one of the major endless conflicts not only in the region but also in the world. Its impact continues to be felt all over the world while a satisfying solution still remains intangible. A lot has also been said and written on the conflict, both factual and fallacious with some allegations being obviously evocative. All these allegations offer an array of disparate views on the conflict. This essay presents an overview of some of the major literature on the controversial conflict by offering precise and clear insights into the cause, nature, evolution and future of the Israel Arab conflict. An Annotated Bibliography on the Arab- Israeli Conflict On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted for a partition resolution that led to the establishment of the nation of Israel in May, 1948. This was great news for Jews in Palestine and the diaspora as it meant the fulfillment of the quest for the rebirth of their nation in their previous homeland after many years of wandering (Pappe, 2006, p. 12). However, their Palestinian Arab counterparts opposed to the establishment from the start felt cheated by the international community and remained categorical that the final answer to the Jewish problem would only be solved in blood and fire (Karsh, 2002, p. 8). This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl... ... middle of paper ... ... alike on the politics of the world, the Middle East and international relations. Works Cited Dumper, M. (Ed). (2009). Arab Israeli conflict: Major writings in the Middle Eastern studies. United Kingdom: Routledge. Karsh, E. (2002). The Arab Israeli conflict: the Palestine war 1948. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. Landau, J. M. (1993). The Arab minority in Israel, 1967-1991: Political aspects. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Pappe, I. (2006). A History of modern Palestine: One nation, two peoples (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shah, A. (2011, December 6). Middle East, global issues, social, political, economic and environmental issues that affect us all. Retrieved from www.globalissues.org/issue/103/middle-east Smith, C. D. (2004). Palestine and the Arab–Israeli conflict. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
The Middle East has historically rebuked Western influence during their process of establishing independence. When Britain and France left the Middle East after World War II, the region saw an unprecedented opportunity to establish independent and self-sufficient states free from the Western influence they had felt for hundreds of years. In an attempt to promote nationalistic independence, the states of the region immediately formed the League of Arab States in 1945. The League recognized and promoted the autonomy of its members and collaborated in regional opposition against the West until 1948 when Israel declared independence. Israel represented then and now an intrusive Western presence in the Arab world. The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict typifies this cultural antagonism. The Cold War refocused attention to the Middle East as a site of economic and strategic importance for both sides, yet the two hegemons of the Cold War now needed to recognize the sovereignty of the Middle Eastern states. With their statehood and power cemented, the Middle Easte...
Ben-Gurion, David. “Status-Quo Agreement.” In Israel in the Middle East: Second Edition, edited by Itamar Rabinovich and Jehude Reinharz, 58-59. Waltham: Brandeis University Press, 2008.
The Nation of Israel was founded out of the eastern area of a British occupied (former Ottoman Empire) section of western Asia known as the “Mandate of Palestine”. There was an attempt in November of 1947 by the United Nations (UN) to partition the region into Arab and Israeli states with the Holy City Jerusalem as an international city. (United Nations, 1949) The Jews accepted this proposal while the Arab League and other groups did not. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2006). What followed was an Arab strike that became violent and sent the Jews on the defensive. They rebounded and brought the civil war to an end, expelling over 250,000 Arabs. The day before the British mandate was set to expire; the region was invaded by four Arab States starting the yearlong 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Ultimately a cease fire and truce was reached with the establishment of bo...
Since the inception of an Israeli nation-state in 1948, violence and conflict has played a major role in Israel’s brief history. In the Sixty-One year’s Israel has been a recognized nation-state, they have fought in 6 interstate wars, 2 civil wars, and over 144 dyadic militarized interstate disputes (MIDs) with some display of military force against other states (Maoz 5). Israel has been involved in constant conflict throughout the past half century. Israel’s tension against other states within the Middle East has spurred vast economic, social, and political unity that has fostered a sense of nationalism and unity in Israel not seen in most other states. Over the next several pages I will try and dissect the reasons for why the nation state of Israel has been emerged in constant conflict and how this conflict has helped foster national unity and identity among the people of Israel.
The dispute over the territory called Palestine began relatively recently. Palestinian Arabs had lived as impoverished peasants under corrupt, continuous Ottoman rule for centuries ; political identification as a Palestinian within the broad current of Arab nationalism only...
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
In February 1947, Great Britain left their former colony in Palestine, leaving the mandate to the United Nations (UN). World War II just had ended, resulting in the systematic killing of six million Jews. The holocaust culminated in almost all Jews accepting that they needed a state of their own, what is basically the key idea of Zionism (Dowty, 2008; 80-81). The holocaust...
Though the First Intifada brought much death, destruction and economic loss to both Palestine and to Israel, it also brought worldwide attention to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The First Intifada provided not only the Palestinians a voice and ultimately a platform to stand up for their Nationalism; it also provided Israel a stage to show its strength. The Oslo Peace Accords, through interim in nature, would set a precedent that Palestine should be recognized as its own Nation-State. Nevertheless, following the First Intifada, the dialogue between Israel and Palestine continued to be strained, and in fact would further deepen the Israeli-Arab discord.
The Arab-Israeli conflict has lasted for many years and has affected many lives. In such a pivotal and emotionally charged political event, most powerful and influential politicians will take sides. The conflict’s factions do not represent good and bad but rather portray the biased views of two groups locked in everlasting disputes over land. American politicians such as Condoleezza Rice and Bill Clinton are interested in the events occurring over-seas and support the conflict and the factions in a variety of ways.
In order to be culturally relativistic when reading about the history of the conflict in the Middle East, one must understand that while anger and a desire for land play a role in the fighting these are not the main causes of this conflict. It is necessary to look beyond these common myths of war in order to look for the true causes of the bloodshed. A deep underlying truth that could explain some reason for this turmoil is that neither side, Israel nor Palestine, has come to terms with living with each other. Therefore, the two groups’ cultures clash as members of each side bind together in compassion and loyalty while fighting to gain power and prestige for their people.
For many centuries, Judaic and Arabian societies have engaged in one of the most complicated and lengthy conflicts known to mankind, the makings of a highly difficult peace process. Unfortunately for all the world’s peacemakers the Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly the war between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, is rooted in far more then ethnic tensions. Instead of drawing attention towards high-ranking officials of the Israeli government and Hamas, focus needs to be diverted towards the more suspect and subtle international relations theory of realism which, has imposed more problems than solutions.
No conflict has ever been quite as explosive or enduring as that between the Israelis and the Palestinians. With hundreds of years of alternating Israeli and Palestinian power within Palestine, the two cousins reach a conflict in the twentieth century. To whom does the land of Palestine truly belong to? This question has lead to years of bloodshed and terrorism. Solving an issue as complicated and intricate as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires an in-depth knowledge of the history of both sides. In my opinion, the best resolution to solve the conflict is to solve by the means of a peaceful, two state solution. Developing this solution can be described more easily if the conflict is broken down into solvable pieces.
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” Stated former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after three fourths of one million Palestinians had been made refugees, over five hundred towns and cities had been obliterated, and a new regional map was drawn. Every vestige of the Palestinian culture was to be erased. Resolution 181, adopted in 1947 by the United Nations declared the end of British rule over Palestine (the region between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River) and it divided the area into two parts; a state for the Jewish and one for the Arab people, Palestine. While Israel was given statehood, Palestine was not. Since 1947, one of the most controversial issues in the Middle East, and of course the world, is the question of a Palestinian state. Because of what seems a simple question, there have been regional wars among Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, terrorist attacks that happen, sometimes daily, displacement of families from their homes, and growing numbers of people living in poverty. Granting Palestinian statehood would significantly reduce, or alleviate, tensions in the Middle East by defining, once and for all, the area that should be Palestine and eliminating the bloodshed and battles that has been going on for many years over this land.
1948 brought terror to Palestine and a homeland for the Jews who had long migrated to the area following the brutal Holocaust just ten years earlier. Now began the age of the returning Jew, seeking a homeland in Palestine. Since then, the Palestinians have been both driven under the burden of the Israeli occupation manifested in tedious checkpoints, soldier patrols, and a massive wall, and have experienced the semi-liberation of self-rule under Hamas. The political history of the Israel/Palestine conflict is the subject of several conflicting narratives. While for Israel, the walls, checkpoints, and patrols ensure safety and security from terrorists, to Palestinians, they are oppressive
Territorial disputes over which religion should have control over the holy lands have been ongoing for about two thousand years with little to no resolution in sight. Everyday, on the news, there is a story about how there was retaliation over the killing of a Palestinian or Israeli. As a result of these more are killed leading to the cyclical pattern of retribution. This conflict has diminutive weight in the eyes of the people of the world since it has been carried on for so long. The argument for both groups is a claim that Jerusalem is the rightful possession of their religion and the key to the survival of their cultures. Promises for peace are frequent but never upheld by either side. As the everyday struggle for peace continues little is accomplished to up hold that pledge for peace to end the violence and hate. The shouting voices of the Palestinian People in the streets cry out in anger, ”Down the olive branch, long live the gun.” There is more to the never ending holy war than that of which the media allows us to see, the fear and loathing for that of a better life. The trifling stories of the individual are frequently untold even though they are a transgression committed against personal liberties.