The Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Palestine grew out of the Zionist movement

[Gloria]

The state of Israel arose out of a conflict between two people occupying the same general territory and unable to settle their differences within it. the struggle began in the area of Palestine after the Balfour Declaration of 1917. It was a struggle between two rights; it found expression in the two movements of Zionism and Arab nationalism, both of which movements antedated that struggle. The existence of a substantial and active Jewish community in Palestine grew out of the Zionist movement whose aim was to obtain national sovereignty for a group of people who were enduring severe oppression and constant harassment and for a group of people who have not been absorbed in any of the countries in which they had settled. (Sinai and I. 1-3).
Following the Balfour Declaration in 1917, Palestine was granted to Britain as a League of Nations mandate to build a national home for the Jewish people. The Arabs resented the Jews coming in to take their land. Led by Grand Mufti Hajj Amin El Husseini, they rioted repeatedly and later revolted, creating a history of enmity between Jews and Arabs in Palestine. Britain stopped Jewish immigration to Palestine. Following the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, pressure on Britain increased to allow Jewish immigration to Palestine. Leone in his “Middle East” suggests that the conflicting promises made to both Jews and Arabs at the time of World War 1 by Great Britain and France set the stage for the struggle of these two peoples. Palestinians feel they have been deprived of their homeland and denied the right of self –determination. Israelis feel they have legitimately acquired their homeland for rebuilding a Jewish national life (Leone, 128) .

Taking for example the land of Palestine, it was historically, traditionally and by religion considered as the original land of the Jews and hence the need to fight for it however, the need for a national state also meant the deprivation of the indigenous people who were already on the land and so was the reactive force of the Arabs who claim to be the real owners of the land due to their first inhabitance. According to CNN “In-depth specials”, In November 1947 the United Nations ordered the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, and the end of the British Mandate by May 15, 1948. The Arab powers of the Middle East rejected the partition plan, and hours after Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declared Israel a state on May 14, the forces of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Transjordan and Lebanon invaded the new country. Bitter fighting ensued, but by July 1949 Israel had repulsed the invasion, established borders similar to Palestine under the mandate, joined the United Nations, and been recognized by more than 50 governments around the world. This reactive force however “receded following the annexation of the west bank to the Heshemite kingdom of Jordan after the 1948 war.

The founding of the “Palestinian Liberation Movement” (al-Fatah) in the mid 1960’s, contributed to the resurgence of Palestinian Nationalist feeling. This recently gained further momentum following the October war of 1973 and the pro-PLO vote at the U.N General Assembly in Novembe, 1974. The Nationalist feeling encompasses at present large segments of the Palestinian Arabs, about 70 of whom reside within the territory which constitutes approximately 80 percent of original British Mandate Palestine”. ( Ma’oz 8.).
Thus, the “Establishment of Israel was seen by the Arabs as a phase, an initial step, in the advance of Zionism to its ultimate objective- the subjection of the whole Arab nation to the worst kind of imperialism, territorial imperialism….. They further realized that the success of Zionism in Palestine was closely related to the interests of the west in the Middle East. Little theoretical distinction was, in fact, made between Western imperialism and Zionism, and the two terms were often used interchangeably”. ( Kazziha 4).
In short, the Muslim Brothers viewed Zionism as an extension of the European crusades, whose object had been to humiliate the Arabs and Islam. A return to the rules of Islam was thus envisaged as the only way for the Arab and Muslim community to save itself from a total collapse. ( Kazziha 2). According to Don Peretz, the area of Jewish state partitioned from Palestine by the United Nations in 1947 was approximately 6,000 square miles. This was increased to nearly 8,000 square miles during the first Arab-Israeli war in 1947-48, which was terminated by armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. After the June 1967 war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan areas under Israeli control within the new cease-fire lines totaled nearly 35,000 square miles. The sparsely settled desert of the Sinai Peninsula captured from Egypt constituted more than two-thirds of this area. Also included were the Syrian Golan Heights and those remnants of former mandatory Palestine held by Egypt-and Jordan- the Gaza strip and the West Bank” ( Peretz 8-10)

Although the Arab-Israeli conflict tends to dominate the world media with almost tedious regularity today, other issues, both related and unrelated to the state of Israel contribute to the explosive nature of this region. Prominent among the issues are: The Palestinian question, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, historic inter-Arabic rivalries and the global need for mid-east oil. ( Leone 13). According to Leone, at the core is the extent to which oil is essential to modern industrialization. Ownership of oil or unimpeded access to it has become vital to wealth and power. Nationalism in the Middle East has led to conflicts of interest between the oil-producing nations of the region and the major oil consumers in Europe, Japan and North America. The Middle East oil states and the U.S have supported opposite sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the quest for Palestinian national rights. (Leone 17).

Leone continues to say that, as in 1973, the October war between Israel and the Arab states, influenced the months following the embargo and price increase in 1974. Hints or threats that the United States might intervene militarily to secure access to oil in the Middle East were common. The history of direct U.S governmental involvement in aid of the oil companies meant that the possibility of U.S intervention could not be taken lightly. (Leone 18).
Considering the efforts of Internal peace treaties in this conflict, the 1967 six Day, war was a turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Under the command of its then chief of staff, General Yitzhak Rabin, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) captured the Golan Heights, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and Gaza Strip. This war however re-energized international efforts to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. In November 1967, the UN security council passed Resolution 242, which enshrined the notion of Israel’s relinquishing captured Arab land in exchange for peace and agreements on “Secure and recognize borders”. (Makovsky: 3). However, despite periodic efforts over the years to resolve the political dispute, and notwithstanding the 1981 Ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and the PLO, the OSLO accord marks the first comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement in an almost 100-year old conflict. (David Makovsky; Making peace with the PLO: Westview press 1996: pg 12: A division of Harper Collins publishers.

“The Oslo Accords (or "Declaration of Principles On Interim Self-Government Arrangements") were signed on September 13, 1993 by representatives of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Washington ceremony was hosted by US President Bill Clinton in which Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ended decades as sworn enemies with an uneasy handshake. This then marks the formal beginning of the "Peace Process" designed to bring the hostilities between Arabs and Israelis to an end, but that hope has not been fulfilled. In fact, the Israelis have been subject to increasing attacks, deaths, injuries, and loss of property since the Oslo process began. And the carnage has escalated since Yasser Arafat rejected an historic offer of concessions from Israeli Prime Minister Barak at Camp David on July 2000 and began the al-Aqsa intifada on September 2000. The Israelis now have a name for this time period: “the Oslo War”. In my opinion, it is very difficult to evaluate and draw conclusions based on these facts because each party involved in this conflict has a different interpretation and a different view all together. However, whether Israelis or Palestinians, there is the need for peace in these regions and hence the need for such party leaders to come together and work towards it. This is not easy but I think that organizations like the United Nations (UN) and Countries like the United States, can play important roles in organizing regular peace conference, inviting the leaders and knowing the causes of some of their actions and trying to work things out instead of just supplying ammunitions and troops in such areas tending to make this region if not, among the most heavily armed regions in the World.


Works Cited
1. Leone, Bruno. The Middle East. Minnesota: Green Haven P. 1982.
2. Ma’oz, Moshe. Palestinian Arab Politics. Jerusalem: Jerusalem Academic P. 1975.
3. Makovsky, David. Making Peace With The PLO. New York: Westview P. 1996.
4. Robert and Anne Sinai. Israel & The Arabs. New York: Facts on File.
5. Peretz, Don :The Government And Politics Of Israel. B’der, Colarado: Westview P. 1979
6. Kazziha, W. Walid. Revolutionary Transformation In The Arab World. NY: St. Martin P. 1975

[cinbadd]

The handshake between Arafat and Rabin, as shakey as it may have been, was a pivotal moment in World History. I remember watching it on television. Both leaders are dead now, so who knows what "might have been"? Unfortunately, as Gloria has said, the hope of bringing hostilities between both sides to and end has not been realized. In fact, the situation has become more volitile today than it was during the so-called "Peace Process".

Like Gloria, I believe there should be some sort of peace conference(s), organized by interested parties, to get everyone to the table to talk. Both sides need to feel like they are being heard, and the rest of the world needs to listen. Supplying people with guns and ammunition encourages war. Supplying people with a safe and neutral atmosphere to discuss differences encourages peace.

[Atubiga]

this Israel and Palestinian war began in the Bible and i don't think anything is going to make them stop. the hatred seems to be in their blood and it will run through from generation to generation until thy kingdom come. in the past many peace agreements have been broken and yet UN and co continue to work reaching one accord. however, the main problem as i said earlier on is within their blood and within their hearts and hence very difficult to control.

[zhar]

Israel is really acting like a rogue nation, they bomb universities, hospitals and houses in Palestine. They are making life hell for Palestinians, it seems it is their strategy, they want to make living unbearable for palestanians and then take over gaza strip and other land. USA helping Israel is all this evil deeds is what is making people in Middle-east angry over US.

[zowie]

Originally Posted by zhar

Israel is really acting like a rogue nation, they bomb universities, hospitals and houses in Palestine. They are making life hell for Palestinians, it seems it is their strategy, they want to make living unbearable for palestanians and then take over gaza strip and other land. USA helping Israel is all this evil deeds is what is making people in Middle-east angry over US.

Hamas is not making it any easy for Palestinians. Their proclaimed aim of annihilation of Israel at any cost is going to prompt Israel to reciprocate any attack with brute force. Any one in Israel's shoes would have done the same thing. If zhar's country was at the receiving end of a threat from any one of total annihilation, you would also have treated the origin of the threat the same way Israel does.

[ro1e]

This is very sad to see almost everyone is looking at the conflict that reversed. The Palestinians are not victims here. Israel has several cities that people are living in fear every day under the threat of missiles from Gaza. Israel did not react in a missile attack, but trying to stop the terrorists without damage the human innocent. So rarely happens to people who are innocent casualties of the attempts of these, it's not on purpose.
If you would ask me to replace the Israel I would first of all evacuate all Gaza.

[HARRY256]

Israel = USA
Israel is the State that USA has to control the area for oil and its a strategic military point.
Israel has caused so many troubles in the area that i dont see any reason in the future for Israel to be ever friend of the countries around.

[manu1991]

^^ I wont be so hasty in my judgment , surely Israel has attacked and counter attacked Gaza many times, but in a majority of cases its been Hamas which has started the retaliation , the only reason why Israel needs USA is to neutralize all the gulf nations standing by Palestine

[DaughterUK]

The Palestinians aims are to destroy Israel. They refer to the USA and Israel as the great satan and the little satan. Their aim is not peace for land, as some people believe, their aim is mass murder of the Jewish people. The Hamas is nothing more than a hate group akin to the Nazis, and they should be treated as such by the rest of the world. In the long run this means that we should FULLY SUPPORT Israel morally, militarily and if necessary economically, and declare war against it's enemies if they continue to send rockets into Israeli territory.

The Hamas sends CHILDREN into battle and sends CHILDREN on blow-yourself-up martyrdom missions. These brutes who do this to their own children MUST be stopped at all costs.

It isn't just the Palestinians though, is it. It's also Iran. President Mahmood Ahmadinejad vowed to 'wipe Israel off the map'. Why? Because of Islam. Muslims are brainwashed into hating Jews because their prophet hated the Jews. The scary part is that unlike the Hamas, Iran might develop weapons of mass destruction and use them against Israel in an act of shameless and heartless genocide.

Make no mistake... the genocide is coming and it is because Muslims will not tolerate Jews. The only question is, which country will be the one to drop the first atomic bomb on Israel?

These nations have already made it quite clear that they wish to commit mass murder, so why are we sitting about debating what land should be handed over to Palestine and debating oil and so on? Palestine should get NO land from Israel.

As for accusing the ISRAELIS of committing atrocities? That is beyond the pale. Israel doesn't send it's LITTLE CHILDREN into battle armed with guns and bombs, nor does it target anything other than military installations for bombing. If Palestinians arm their children and send them to battle, blow up thier own children and then complain that said children have died, then whose fault is it but the Hamas? Palestine accuses Israel of doing what it is itself guilty of, the hypocracy is truly breathtaking.

The most disturbing part to me is that the Hamas was actually ELECTED. What does that tell you about the hateful mindset of the Palestinian people? It says that most of the Palestinian people approve of the mass murder of Jews. It's disgusting.

I know that many here might be offended by this post, but please before you condemn Israel compare it's actions with the actions of the Hamas, then you will know which is worse.

Whoever is right war is not an answer to it. If Israel and Palestine will fight like this the time is not far when both of the countries will face a worse crisis ever before. I think the involvement of Israel Media also plays an important role in the war stage.

[Fracker]

@DaughterUK

Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) hated jews? You have no idea about who is actually Prophet muhammad (SAWW). If you are really interested in facts, then go back into history you will see Palestine land was belong to palestinies.. Jews were intruders which were sent by USA and British government of that time.. who start to demolish palestinies houses.. and kicked out of that area (still millions are living in gaza strip, syria, and lebenon, which you can visit today).. We should saluate hamas who are fighting with Israel which has full support from US. While Hamas and hizbullah don't have much support from any country.

If israelis are so good why they don't just let palestini state? even after Yasir arfat accepted Israeli state on the agreement that they will go back onto 1967 boarders.. But israel is looking to kill all palestinians.. what if they send their children to kill israeli soldiers? Hamas already knows that they (israeli) going to kill them anyway.. so it is better to die with the honor rather then like that .

And what you calling mass murder, tell me how many jews are been killed by palestinians throughout 60+ yr of dispute.. we will compare it with whether they are equal to the mass murder of israel in lebanon, or anywhere equal to killing of palestines last yrs?