Holocaust Survivor Research Paper

Where a holocaust survivor stands as far as the Arab-Israeli conflict goes is not an easy thing to define. As there are two sides to the argument (supporting Palestine becoming its own country, or supporting Israel enveloping Palestine, ) a holocaust survivor could swing both ways.
Perhaps he or she wants to show support for his or her own country (Israel is Jewish, ) and supports the assimilation of Palestine. But perhaps not. Here’s where things can get complicated. Thought the Jewish holocaust survivors feel the need to support the country founded by their own religion, perhaps they feel that the Muslim Palestinians (who don’t have nearly the amount of rights the Jewish Israeli have) are having their rights violated in a similar way as

theirs were.
When Hitler sent out orders to start killing Jews, they moved to Europe and began what basically became a landgrab. The jews became ‘zionists,’ and made decided to try and find a country of their own, and they ended up choosing what was the Palestine. But, in doing so, the Jews pushed the Palestinians out of their homes, leaving them with nowhere to go. Now the newly-made refugees were forced to either assimilate into a community where they were not welcome, or they could try and survive on their own.
When the UN attempted to resolve the conflict, they ended up offering to split Palestine into two equal parts.

This destroyed the way of life for many Palestinians. So, they rejected the idea. Then, several Arab states attacked the newly created Israel. Israeli forces then basically wiped over four hundred Palestinian villages and cities off the face of the earth, and to make matters more intense, when the Palestinians tried to return to their homes, they found that Israel had not only taken them over, but had barred the Palestinians from entering what had once been their homes. Those that had not left became second class citizens, and soon, the numbers of Palestinian refugees numbered in the millions. Most of the refugees went to, and still are in, the Gaza Strip, West Bank, or

Jordan.
So, perhaps it is easy to see why the holocaust survivors can sympathise with the Palestinians. They were both driven from their homes, and forced to live as refugees while the people who drove them out enjoyed the original people’s land and cities. But, what if there was another point of view? There are, as with most stories, two sides.
When Hitler pushed the Jews out of Germany and Austria, the aforementioned Jews had to flee their countries, and they had nowhere to go.

So, some Jewish Europeans became ‘Zionists,’ and they attempted to choose a new home for the jews. The pioneers searched and searched, and put their eyes on Palestine.
The Arabs of Palestine were ‘not a national group and never had been.’ They were largely undifferentiated from the inhabitants of much of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. They had no authentic tie to Israel, and many only came for economic opportunity after the Zionist movement began to make the land fruitful and the economy thrive. Palestine was never a separate state and Jerusalem was never a capital. The Zionists brought peace to Palestine, as well as prosperity, and when the UN tried to honor both Palestine and Israel in a two-state deal, Palestine selfishly

declined.
This started a war, but that the Jews realized they would be massacred if they lost, and fought with absolute determination to prevent another Holocaust. they managed to win the war, but there were casualties. There were Palestinian towns and villages destroyed, but that was just a necessary sacrifice. In the end, it was all worth the price of progress. The Palestinians were not expelled. They fled, in most cases, because they were ordered and cajoled by their leaders and the Arab states, in order to make room for conquering Arab armies. In many cases Jewish officials pleaded with the refugees to stay. The Israeli decision to prevent refugees from returning was justified, as otherwise Israel would be destroyed by a hostile Arab internal majority. Ultimately, the responsibility and blame rests with the Arab leadership for rejecting the partition resolution. So, There are always two sides to a story.

Rizvi, Ali A. "7 Things to Consider Before Choosing Sides in the Middle East Conflict." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

"Israel Palestine Conflict 101." Jewish Voice for Peace. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

Beauchamp, Zack. "Everything You Need to Know about Israel-Palestine." Vox. N.p., 21 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.