The Israel and Palestinian conflict has been going on for over a century now; it consisted of five wars since 1948. That isn’t counting the dozen of battles, raids, and skirmishes that also have taken place, all this for a piece of land. The Israel and Palestinians conflict was a fight over territory, and believed they had claim of the territory for an extremely long time. The territory is in Western Asia between both the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and is surrounded by Arabia, Syria, and Egypt. This land has been in the hands of quite a few people; however, the Israel/Palestinian conflict began with the rule of the British mandate during 1922-1947. While the Israelis and the Palestinians both lay claim to the land of Palestine based on historical claims of geography and culture, the increasing religious intolerance on both sides prevents the two from living peacefully side by side.
Demography:
During 1947 a plan to form two separate states one Jewish and the other Arab: this came about by the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. While the Jews accepted the partition plan with seemingly little upset the Arabs rejected it. With the Arabs rejection came about a civil war later in the year of 1947, and a year later the establishment of the State of Israel came to be. “The Palestinians became dispossessed refugees throughout the Middle East after the state of Israel” This means that the Palestinians were forced out of their homes; thus, making them practically exiles. (Emadi) The remaining areas of Palestine were divided between Jordan and Egypt. During 1950-1967 most Palestinians lived in refugee camps, and unemployment and poverty was high in the Gaza Strip. “Arabs opposed the Israeli occupation of Palestine an...
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...pendence, May 15, 1948
“Palestine… is where the Palestinian Arab people were born, on which it grew, developed and exceled…. [Its] willed dispossession and expulsion… was achieved by organized terror. In Palestine and in exile, the Palestinian Arab people never faltered and never abandoned its conviction in its rights of return and independence….and the right of sovereignty over territory and homeland…. The Palestinian National Council… hereby declares the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory…
--Palestinian Declaration of Independence, November 15, 1988 (Yiftached)
Conclusion:
Even though the Israel and Palestinian Conflict started out to be based on both of them having historical claims of geography and culture, it eventually turned in to a conflict of religion; thus, makes it almost to live side by side in a peaceful coexistence.
The first argument I am going to present is that under International law, Palestine is considered a state. Under the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and D...
According to Shlaim, the conflict begins during World War 1 when the British made various promises to both Jews and Arabs while simultaneously plotting with the French to divide all the territory into spheres of influence . The British assumed that Palestinians and Jews could leave peaceably in a single state, but Britain's obligation to the Jews could only be met at the expense of the Arab majority. The British carved up the territories under their mandate without regard for religious, ethnic, or linguistic composition of their inhabitants.
Bob Hawke once said; “Unless and until something concrete is done about addressing the Israeli-Palestinian issue you won't get a real start on the war against terrorism.” Perhaps Hawke put into a few simple words one of the most complicated issues within our world today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Israel continues to strip the Palestinians of their land and fears it’s very existence because of the Palestinians terrorist acts, there seems to be no solution in sight. The world appears to be split and all over the place when it comes to this matter. According to The Middle East Institute for Understanding approximately 129 countries recognize Palestine as a state while many others do not. Over all the political matters within this issue not only affect Palestine and Israel but the world as a whole, as the Middle East and the West seem to disagree. This has had and will continue to have an enormous impact on many political affairs all over the world particularly in the current fight against terrorism. Personally I feel that the Israeli Palestinian conflict while being a very complicated matter has a simple solution. Within this issue I am a firm believer that the occupation of the West Bank by Israeli forces is extremely unjust and must come to an end. Once this is achieved a two state solution will be the most effective way to bring peace to the area. The occupation of the West Bank violates political and legal rights, human rights, and illegally forces Palestinians who have lived in the area for hundreds of years from their land. This conflict is at the height of its importance and a solution is of dire need as nuclear issues arise in the Middle East due to the tension between Israel and it’s surrounding neighbors, and the...
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...
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).
The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was preceded by decades of proposals on how to best partition the land and sovereignty of the region. The establishment of the British Mandate for Palestine’s prolonged presence in the region and its subsequent downfall play an essential role in the establishment of Israel as it is known presently. Britain’s role in the fragmentation of peace in Palestine is relatively undisputed, however the impetus of Britain’s attempts to maintain control in Mandatory Palestine remains up for debate.
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.
“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.
After World War II, the United Nations handed the Jewish people a piece a land so they could live together. This land known as Israel has holy places for the Jewish religion and is surrounded by Muslim countries. Before the United Nations relinquished the land to the Jewish people it belonged to the Palestinian Muslims. This land is important to the Muslims as they consider it holy. There is a religious belief among Palestinians to regain control of East Jerusalem as part of lasting peace region. Also Palestinians are in an occupied nation with Israelis have military rule. The Palestinians have retaliated with a terrorist network to attack innocent Israeli civilians. Israelis believe they must control the Palestinians with military force to protect against terrorism.
The Israeli-Palestine conflict is an event that has been well documented throughout the course of Middle-Eastern history. The conflict dates back as far as the nineteenth century where Palestine and Zionist, will later be known as Israel, are two communities each with different ideologies had the same overwhelming desire to acquire land. However, what makes this clash what it is, is the fact that both of these up and coming communities are after the same piece of land. The lengths that both sides went to in order obtain they believed was theirs has shaped the current relationship between the two nations today.
Since the Arabs were living in Palestine when the Ottoman Empire control it. Since the Arabs defeated the Ottoman Empire with the help of from Germany, “Just short of 6 months the Palestinians were crushed, militarily and psychologically” (document 8) On the other hand, Israel grew beyond the partition lines, gained more defensible borders and they destroyed Arab homes reducing their population. The Palestinians rightly felt that the Israelis were taking over the area and were pushing out of lands promised to them in both the Balfour Declaration and the UN 1947 Partition.
The Arab-Israeli conflict is perhaps the most complex political issue of our time. Many have resorted to simply blaming one side or the other. If people took the time to understand the history and correct the misconceptions a potential path forward for the Palestinians comes in place. The main reason as to why the conflict continues is because both Palestinians and Israelis have been fighting over land for the past 66 years.
Because the Palestinians were furious about owning less land than the Israelis but, they began attacking Israel with bombs and rockets; the angered Palestinians were terrorizing the Israelis with terrorist attacks because they owned more land than they do (Issitt and Montanez - Muhinda). Will this conflict ever be solved? Should the United States get more involved with any of this? Yes, the United States should continue to help the state of Israel because the ambassadors of each country, Israel and Palestine, do not get along very well, the United States’ relationship with Israel will continue to grow and become stronger, and fewer deaths and terrorist attacks will occur in both Israel and Palestine.
When Yasser Arafat addressed the United Nations General Assembly, he tried to articulate the actions the Palestinian Liberation Organization had taken and to justify those actions. Arafat points out that the struggles with Imperialism and Zionism began in 1881 when the first large wave of immigrants began arriving in Palestine. Prior to this date, the Muslims, Jews (20,000) and Christians all cohabitated peacefully (pop. 1/2 million). In 1917, the Belfour Declaration authorized increased immigration of European Jews to Palestine. 1 From 1917 to 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine increased to 600,000 and they rightfully owned only 6% of the Palestinian arable land. Palestine population at this time was now up to 1,250,000. 1
The partition of India and its freedom from colonial rule set a precedent for nations such as Israel, which demanded a separate homeland because of the irreconcilable differences between the Arabs and the Jews. The British left Israel in May 1948, handing the question of division over to the UN. Un-enforced UN Resolutions to map out boundaries between Israel and Palestine has led to several Arab-Israeli wars and the conflict still continues.