The Arab-Israeli Conflict - Assignment Example

The importance of the Middle East can hardly be overstated. Spread across North Africa, Asia Minor and Near Asia, the term Middle East' refers to 22 countries. In geographic terms, these countries are the doorways to Africa and Asia. In economic terms, they are the world's largest repositories of oil and natural gas, holding the majority of the world's known reserves of natural energy. Further, in economic terms, the Arab Middle East represents a valuable source of investment capital which has the potential to significantly contribute to the economy of any nation it is even partially diverted to.

In political terms, the Arab Middle East has, officially, been the voice of moderate Islam - a force which the Western world can no longer afford to ignore or dismiss as inconsequential, considering that it is the world's second largest religion and it is fastest growing one.At the present moment, the West and the Arab Middle East are engaged in a conflict which, to date. In other words, the protraction and continued intensification of the Arab-Israeli conflict have negatively impacted on the West and on Middle East-West relationships.

The West and the international community cannot afford the continued alienation of the Arab Middle East. From the strategic perspective, they can not afford it from the economic, political or security standpoints. At the same time, the international community cannot compromise on the issue of the survival of the State of Israel or on its right to security. The implication here is that the international community has to devise an approach to the conflict which is founded upon international law.