Conflict Between Palestine and Israel - Essay Example

Conflict between Palestine and Israel The Israeli- Palestinian conflict started in the mid 20th century between Israelisand Palestinians. From the beginning, the Zionist wanted to dispose of the Arab population so that Israel becomes a Jewish state. The Zionists is a form Jewish culture that supports the land of Israel, which is a Jewish National state. When the Arab community learnt of the Zionists intentions, they opposed further Jewish immigration and land buying because it was the biggest threat to the existence of Arabs in Palestine (Gelvin, 2007).

In this essay, I discuss the components of these conflicts, reasons why, where, when and how the conflicts began in general. I also discuss the current issues in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The fight between Israel and Palestine nation has been and continues to be bloody and yet, both nations have realized that the only chance for peace is compromising politically with the establishment of a Palestinian state that is self-ruled (Gelvin, 2007).Land, settlements, and boarders The Jewish community occupied and expanded their settlement with about 220,000 populations in the West Bank, which belonged to the Arabs.

The Arabs demanded withdrawal from the land because it was initially theirs from 1967. However, the Jews had migrated to Palestine in 1882 and by then, less than 250,000 Arabs lived there. Therefore, the Jews continued to expand their settlement (Gelvin, 2007). Terrorism The Palestine groups that were involved in politically motivated violence were Hamas, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General demand (PFLP-GC), Abu Nidal Organization and others.

Almost all of these groups were founded to destroy Israel using violence. However, in 1993 PLO group renounced their aim by signing the Oslo Declaration of Principles and agreed to Honor a resolution that recognizes Israel’s right of existence. In return, PLO entered West Bank and Palestinians gained control in this area. Groups that objected to these agreements started suicide bombings on Israel. Since 2000, Palestinians have killed thousands of Israelis in terror attacks and in defense; the Israelis have killed over 3,500 Palestinians (Gelvin, 2007).

Repression At the beginning of the Oslo process, Israel responded to the violence started by Palestinians by cutting down the flow of workers from Palestine to Israel and strict checking at the boarder. The checkpoints made it difficult for Palestinians to work in Jerusalem or travel between their own towns. After year 2000, the Palestinian raids became severe and following this, Israel launched a defensive wall in West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added more checkpoints and kept towns under siege.

The IDF has killed so many Palestinians and destroyed their property (Gelvin, 2007).Water conflictsSince capturing the West Gate and Gaza in 1967 Military orders 291 (1968) and 92 (1967) have been pursued by Israel to monopolize access of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and denying Palestinians to drill or repair existing wells. The government of Israel views this compromising situation on water as a way to maintain its security, and it has become independent about the water upon the land it occupied.

The government says that giving the Palestinians a fully-grown state would jeopardize Israel’s survival (Gelvin, 2007). After the death of Yasser Arafat, a new era began in Palestinian- Israel relations. In a free, democratic election, Mahmud Abbas became the president of the Palestinian National Authority. He said he would put an end to these conflicts and negotiate peace with Israeli to withdraw from West Bank and Gaza. He has repeatedly declared that he will not use force against armed groups.

He says that law enforcement will be maintained and that PNA will not condone chaos by the armed groups. However, conflicts between the two groups are ongoing mainly because of;Corrupt governmentWide varieties of resources including some Palestinians have considered the Palestinian authority corrupt. They argue that it is unsuitable for governing the state because it provides support for militant movements and for this reason; organizations like Likud party are anti- Palestinian state (Gelvin, 2007).

As a result, the violence from these conflicts has prompted security and human rights concerns between both sides and internationally. The ongoing violence has also curbed expansion of tourism. ReferencesGelvin, J. L. (2007). The Israel-Palestine conflict: One hundred years of war. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.