The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a problem that has existed since the 19th century and to this day tension continues to grow. But before we delve into all the different issues the Palestinian and Israeli conflict has, lets discuss the history of how the conflict all began. During the 19th century, the land was inhabited by Palestinians which consisted of 86% muslims, 10% christians, and 4% jewish, all living in peace. It was during this time that the rest of the world began to distinguish themselves as nations and demand national rights (Weir, 2014). Since the Jews were spread all over the world, they wanted a nation that they could immigrate to; this is known as the Zionist movement. The first Zionist movement occurred in 1882, when the first wave of European Jews migrated to Palestine. Palestine seemed to be the best place to create a Jewish homeland since it was the site of Jewish origin, or the holy land. At the time, Palestine was part of the Ottoman empire. As the Ottoman empire sided with Germany in World War I, the British supported the Arab revolt of the Ottoman empire and promised them self rule. However, the British also promised the Jews a homeland in Palestine, this is known as the Balfour Declaration (the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 2014). After WWI, Britain became mandate over the area known as Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. In 1947, the United Nations intervened and recommended giving 55% of Palestine to the Jewish state, although the Jews only represented 30% of the population and obtained under 7% of the land. This caused the 1947-1949 war which resulted in Israel conquering 78% of the land. Then again, in the six day war in 1967, the Israelis conquered the final 22% of Palestine. However, it is illegal under international law to acquire land under war. These regions are merely occupied by Israel (Weir, 2014). It wasn't until 2005 that Israel left these parts in Palestine. Soon thereafter, a group called Hamas took control. Much of the world sees Hamas as a terrorist group since it refuses to recognize Israel as a state. The Hamas group wants Palestine for the Palestinians, as it once was, and has and will continue to use violence to implement this idea. After Hamas won elections in 2006, Israel has had Gaza under a blockade. In 2008, Israel sent soldiers into Gaza where 1,300 civilians in Gaza and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed. During an 8 day long Israeli operation, about 167 Palestinian and 6 Israelis were killed. More recently, over 2,200 people--most of them palestinians--were killed during the 51 days of attacks on Gaza. On August 26, 2014, a ceasefire was agreed upon by Hamas and Israel (Guide, 2014). Although there is has been a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel over Gaza there are still many issues between the Palestinians and Israelis that are far from being solved.
In this picture you can see the transformation of the land of present day Israel and how this has affected the issue of land loss. As time progressed the Israelis occupied more land and the Palestinian land decreased. (http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/new/)
As you can tell from the complex background history, there isn't simply one problem that this issue consists of, but rather a multitude of them. The main issues focus on land, more specifically , the city of Jerusalem. Both, Israel and Palestine, want control over the city because for both groups, it is a focal point of religious significance, however the conflict has grown to be bit more complex than that. (Reiter). In addition to conflict involving land, the Palestinians argue that they are being oppressed, imprisoned, and in some cases tortured by the Israeli occupation. It is even said that this occurrence is “producing an escalating a humanitarian crisis” (Weir, 2014). Israel claims that all that they wants is to be recognized as a Jewish state and to live in peace. It is the Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Another issue that has caused this conflict is that neither state will recognize one another as an independent state causing the borders to become questionable. Due to these issues, the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is an ongoing problem that is becoming more difficult to resolve.
Beneath the tragedy of the war and the complications of the politics, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is a matter of national identity. With the recurring tensions of Israel and Palestine coming to the surface over the summer of 2014, the two countries struggle to see a compromise over the continuous land disputes. The lack of identity for Palestine has left the country in a confused and belittled state having to be governed as a singular country with Israel. Professor Annick Wibben defines identity politics as an “inspir[ation] by the interest of, and intended to benefit, a particular group with a shared identity” (Wibben, 2013). However, the two nations do not identify as one country but are governed as so. Palestine is not identified as a separate country but as a territory within one, creating animosity towards a nation that once was. The brokenness of Palestine and Israel causes grief and strife between the two countries because they have pride over their land. According to Elena Barabantseva, nationalism serves “to maintain, sustain, and normalize the socio-cultural boundaries of the society” (Barabantseva, 2013). Our nation does not necessarily identify us but it does give us a sense of realm; yet, with the recurring land disputes the two countries have non-existing peace. With so many negotiations and meetings to help ease the tensions, the animosity and resentment will fuel to the fire of a hopeful separation of the two lands creating a new sense of nationalism and identity.
Works Cited:
Arab-Israeli Conflict. (2014). In Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://0-ic.galegroup.com.ignacio.usfca.edu/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVV9&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999209&source=Bookmark&u=usfca_gleeson&jsid=1d39e4da74a225355713f3a50949804f
The Arab-Israeli Conflict: A brief history. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/flash/0,,720353,00.html
Black, I., & Tran, M. (2007, June 15). Hamas Takes Control Of Gaza. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
Barabantseva, Elena . "How do people come to identify with nations." Global Politics: A New Introduction 2nd Editon. 2nd ed. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013. 246. Print.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2014, July 8). Zionism (nationalistic movement). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/657475/Zionism
Guide: Why are Israel and the Palestinians fighting over Gaza? (2014, August 27). Retrieved September 5, 2014. from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20436092
Prager, D. (2014, April 28). The Middle East Problem. Retrieved September 1, 2014. from
Primer on Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict | Middle East Research and Information Project. (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014. from http://www.merip.org/primer-palestine-israel-arab-israeli-conflict-new
Sherwood, H., & Balousha, H. (2014, August 26). Gaza ceasefire: Israel and Palestinians agree to halt weeks of fighting. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from
Reiter, Y., & Khalaf, M. (2001, January 1). Jerusalem’s Religious Significance. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=169
Weir, A. A Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/
Wibben, Annick. "Who do we think we are?." Global Politics: A New Introduction 2nd Editon. 2nd ed. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013. 85. Print.
I am fascinated by this subject. I sympathize with both sides, and I think most of us agree that there is no "one" answer. It is also interesting to look at the US's role in the conflict, as we have historically known as the watchdog of Israel yet recently that has begun to change, especially as the Israeli occupation grows ever more militaristic. One thing's for certain: the system currently in place cannot perpetuate for much longer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Luke's point that the role the U.S. has played in Arab-Israeli conflict is very important and I'm glad you mentioned it in your post. I also think that the cold war effects are very important, because for a long time it was not just the U.S. that was very invested in the region but the former USSR as well. This issue is so tied to a long history of special interests and hidden agendas (or not so hidden) that we have got to go way back to understand today's conflict.
ReplyDeleteI think this subject is hard so controversial because we are easily able to side with both the Israelis and the Palestinians. I like that you added why the conflict began in your post and also added a link (ifamericansknew.org/history) to further elaborate on the reason for the conflict. This alongside the map showing all the land that Palestine lost, really helps one understand each of the nation's plights.
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