The Palestinian Liberation Organization, whilst proving to have little effectiveness in accomplishing their aims in the period of 1964-1974, had a significant and enduring effect on the events in the Middle East. Created in 1964 on the initiative of Egyptian president Nasser, the PLO would soon become one of the most influential bodies of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Born out of a desire to liberate the Palestinian homeland in an ‘armed struggle’, it was largely responsibly for the fedayeen raids that contributed to the outbreak of the 1967 war. Following the 1967 war, Palestinian nationalism grew, and a stronger sense of identity emerged. With this, the PLO under Yasser Arafat, became a powerful independent organization, that utilized terrorist activities to accomplish their objectives. However, these acts of terrorism proved to be ineffective in accomplishing the aims of the PLO, and so it turned to peace and diplomacy to achieve its goals. Accordingly, in the period of 1964-1974, the PLO was somewhat ineffective in achieving the aims of its covenant, accelerating the Palestinian cause in name only.
Forming in 1964, the PLO was to initially have somewhat of an effective role in the Arab-Israeli conflict till 1974. The organization set out with an aim of ‘organizing the Palestinian people to enable them to carry out their role in liberating the homeland and determining their destiny’. As Historian Sayigh suggest, the formation of the PLO saw the evolution of Palestinian national identity, providing Palestine with political legitimacy. Importantly however, the PLO itself was created by Nasser as a response to the fedayeen groups that threatened to drag Egypt into another war with Israel. The PLO had been continuing the border ra...
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...raeli conflict were seen to be largely unproductive.
As aforementioned, the PLO’s responses to the events of the Middle East were rather unsuccessful in achieving the organization’s aims in the period 1964-1974. Although playing a central role in the region, the PLO did little to alter the course of the conflict, and failed to achieve the goals of its covenant. Its formation in 1964 was a significant step in the Palestinian imitative, and its participation in fedayeen raids saw it become heavily involved in the 1967 war. The later terrorist activities of the PLO, whilst giving international recognition to their cause, did little to ignite change. The adoption of a new diplomatic strategy saw the PLO make slight advancements for the Palestinian people. However generally, the PLO’s efforts in the period of 1964-1974, furthered the Palestinian cause in name only.
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...
HAMAS, an Arabic acronym meaning “Islamic Resistance Movement”, is the name of the socio-political organization currently in power over the Gaza Strip. For decades Jews & Muslims and Israelis & Palestinians, often one in the same, have fought for control over the region. Each have killed thousands of the other, destroyed infrastructures and used underhanded tactics to gain an advantage. Nations such as Japan, the European Union, the United States and (of course) Israel classify the group as terrorists, while nations such as Turkey, Russia and Switzerland do not. (King, 2010) Many factors are taken into consideration before a Nation-State denounces an organization as a “terrorist group”. A profile of HAMAS may help make clear why it is not uniformly denounced by all nations and with historical context, if they truly are freedom fighters in a resistance movement.
The Kurds and the Palestinians are two nations that are knowingly similar in their struggle for independence, yet every one of them has a unique, different history toward this struggle. These two cases initially began in the earls of the 20th century, after WWI, with the history of these nations dating way further than that. Britain was indirectly responsible, with France, for starting these dilemmas in the Middle Eastern region which remain unsolved until our days.
The Haganah, the Irgun, and the Lehi were different Zionist military underground movements that were active during the duration of the British mandate. Their goal was to establish an independent Jewish state in Palestine. These movements fought hard and used particular strategies in order to reach their goal. However, many of the strategies they used to deal with the British and the Arabs during the period of the mandate are frowned upon by some and even viewed as acts of terror. In my opinion, the movements were definitely effective in attaining their goal of establishing an independent Jewish state as Israel currently exists; the methods the movements used to reach their goal can be viewed as immoral at first, but some of the movements' actions were justified whereas others were not.
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...
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.
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.
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Nation of Islam Movement “God is black”. All black men belong to Islam; they have been chosen. And Islam shall rule the world” (Baldwin 319). This is the principal message of the Nation of Islam movement. Although the movement has existed since the early 20th century, it gained a lot of momentum in America in the 1960’s, according to African-American essayist and novelist James Baldwin.
Palestine (PFLP) formed in 1967 after the Arab States defeat in the Six Day War and is classified as a Marxist-Leninist group lead by George Habash. The group formed originally started under the authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (State, US Department of). The PLO was established three short years before the PFLP due to rising conflicts of the Arab nations in regards to politics and Israel (Robinson). The Popular Front
This group was created in 1978 and continues to expand its power today. It began as a branch of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. This terrorist group has several goals ranging from creating a Islamic state to continuing the armed struggle against Israeli occupation of Palestine territories. Their acts of terrorism to date have included suicide bomb attacks against Israeli civilians to attacks on suspected Palestinian collaborators.
...and being helpful and non-intrusive in the peace making process. Since the UN General Assembly met in 1947 and recommended that the land be partitioned among the two groups. In this the Jewish people took less land than they originally had previously wished to control. The PLO was formed of the different Arab groups that wanted to control the Israeli occupied territory. This is an example of how intervention from groups could be used to further their cause. In 1974 the UN recognizes the PLO as a legitimate representative body of the Palestinian people and therefore fueling the nationalism within the hearts of its people which is good for their cause. After the Israelis had defeated the Arabic aggressors they then were forced by the UN to return the settlements taken in the war. This action would not have been taken if the Arabs were to win. The PLO would have let them keep the lands since their primary goal was to destroy Israeli. Because of these efforts to maintain peace it is a better premise than if it were to be left up to the factions to settle disputes for themselves. The UN has used their influence to pursue a more peaceful resolution and to save the lives of the citizens.
In early 1974, the Secretary General of the United Nations, U Thant, invited the Palestinian Liberation Organization to attend the General Assembly gathering on November 13, 1974, and in doing so gave legitimacy to the Palestinian Liberation Organization as a governing body. In Yasser Arafat’s speech to the General Assembly, he thanked the United Nations for recognizing his organization and its legitimacy. When Arafat addressed the General Assembly, he made the argument that the actions taken by his government were not acts of terrorism, but these were acts of revolution and their purpose was to regain control of Palestine’s occupied original territory. The problem we confront is, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism and the international community should be able to come up with one. The major hurdle in defining is the states’ ideas of what terrorism is.
"The only thing necessary for the persistence of evil is for enough good people to do nothing." (Peter Benenson). Those words have reflected the reality of our world since the cavemen ages to the present time. If those words had been heeded, Germany wouldn't have advanced past Rhineland to cause World War 2. If those words had been followed, people in places like Burma or North Korea would have the right to express their opinions. If only all human beings followed that simple one sentence, our world would be a more beautiful, peaceful, and joyful place for everyone. However, it is never too late to change the way people listen to those words. Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization formed in 1961 is designated to stop the persistence of evil by helping all citizens in the world gain internationally recognized human rights such as freedom of speech, humane treatment of prisoners, the right to education, and they also make a global report each year to inform the world about human rights issues in each country.