Palestinian Conflict - Essay Example

Palestinian Conflict Module Module ID: INTRODUCTION: The present paper aims to eluci the claims made by the Jews and Muslims on the Palestinian soil (including the present-day Israel) in the light of the literary pieces produced by the Israeli nationalist poet Yehuda Amichai on the one hand, and the Muslim poet Mahmud Darwish on the other. The main objective behind exploring the Jewish and Muslim claims includes the unearthing of the reasons behind bloody clashes have been in vogue between both the communities in the name of racial and religious superiority as well as proclaimed association with the land, where both the communities declare Palestine as the land of their ancestors and spiritual mentors. The Jews associate Palestine with their first patriarch, while the Muslims declare it as the land of the Islamic prophets. Such claims are not confined to the political and social life of the communities; rather, the reflection of conflict can also be found in the literary pieces produced by the poets and writers belonging to the region; the same can be witnessed by going through the poems created by renowned contemporary era Muslim poet Mahmud Darwish, who seeks his strong relationship with Palestine since ever, as his roots were entrenched with his motherland ‘before the birth of time’ as well as before the opening of the eras (Identity Card: lines 22-24). Though unconditionally adored and revered by different civilisations as a sacred and sanctified region, the land of Palestine has been bone of contention between the followers of the Abrahamic faiths. As a result, it has developed from the area of worship and meditation into the region of war, bloodshed and homicide for the last several decades, which not only cost thousands of precious lives, but also paved the way towards the destruction of infrastructure and development of the entire region by reversing the wheel of progress and prosperity at large. One of the most imperative reasons behind the political and economic instability of the area includes the ethno-racial and religious hatred, conflict and disparity among the followers of the three Abrahamic faiths, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam; as all the three seek their spiritual and ancestral association with Palestine. However, Christians are comparatively less involved into the conflict, and the state of conflict could be observed between Jews and Muslims in the real sense. It is therefore Amichai views that in the shops are decorated in blue and white and everything is written in three languages i.e. ‘Hebrew, Arabic and Death’ (Memorial Day for the War Dead: Lines 24-27). The Jews make their claim on the concrete foundations of multiple reasons; first of all, they declare it as the same land God had promised to their first patriarch as well as the Holy Prophet Abraham; secondly, it was the House of Jacob, which developed it to inhabit and develop it on political, social and economic grounds. Thirdly, the holy shires of all the three patriarchs including Abraham, Isaac and Joseph are also situated in the same soil, which serve as the place of great reverence as well as pilgrimage for the Jews belonging to all parts of the world. Similarly, the Christians take Palestine as the birthplace of Holy Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, as Nazareth and Bethlehem are also situated in the premises of Palestine and adjacent to Israel. In addition, the King Solomon’s holy temple and Church of Nativity are also situated in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine, which remained in the possession of Israelites and Christian rulers for centuries before it was captured by the Muslims during 7th century A.D. Consequently, Palestine is revered by the community for being the birthplace of Christian faith. The Christian poet Philips Brooks demonstrates his sentimental attachments with Bethlehem by stating the dark street of this town are shining with the everlasting Light, where the ‘hopes and fears of all the years are met’ (Lines 1-4). Islam is the third and final one of the Abrahamic faiths, and the Muslims proclaim it as their spiritual soil on historical grounds. Since the holy men discussed in the Torah and Bible have also been revered and admired in the Holy Qur’an, the Muslims associate Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Zachariah, Mary, John and Christ with Islam by calling them as the holy prophets belonging to Islam. The great historical Al-Aqsa Mosque is regarded as the place towards the direction of which the Muslim offered prayers before Ka’aba was declared as their qibla. It is therefore Darwish blames the Jews of ‘stealing the orchards of his ancestors, as well as the land which he cultivated along with his children, which have been snatched by the Jews from the Arabs’ (Identity Card: lines 39-43). Hence, he simultaneously proved his ancestral and personal claims on the Palestinian land through his verses, which reflect his unflinching love for his fatherland. Although acclaimed as the region where Kind David had laid the foundation stone of first Israelite monarch, an overwhelming majority of Palestine belonged to Muslims until the end of WWI by the first quarter of twentieth century. The area turned to be the bone of contention between Jews and Muslims during nineteenth century when the Zionist Movement was launched by the Jewish writers, poets, philosophers and statesmen. Wright (1994) is of the opinion that the repeated emphasis in the Psalms that the Creator of the Universe had decided to take up residence on the little hill called ‘Zion’ left indelible impact and religious fervour and enthusiasm. Famous Romantic Era Jewish poet Lord Byron got published his Hebrew Melodies in 1815, where he laments over the capture of Jordan’s banks at the hands of the camel straying Arabs, where once the ‘Baal-adorer bows on Sinai’s steep’ (On Jordan’s Banks: lines 1-3). Hence, the Jewish community had always been zealous to return to their fatherland in order to establish their political and social set up in the light of their religious teachings and age-old traditions associated with Palestine; the verses created by Amichai points out towards the same. On the one side, Amichai appears to be stating, in his poem “An Arab Shepherd is Searching for His goat on Mountain Zion”, that Palestine as an area where the Jews are searching out their lost children, while the Arabs simply look for their goat in the land. Hence, the Jews maintain their ancestral connections with the land of their forefathers and generations as well, but the Arabs have only economic links with Palestine (Lines 1-8). Somehow, Darwish refutes the very notion through his works by demonstrating Palestine as belonging to their ancestor and Prophet Abraham; consequently, the love and fondness of the Arabs with Palestine appears to be quite natural. The historical records endorse the very reality that a significant majority of the Arab people is the descendant of the Prophet Abraham through his elder son Ishmael (the Prophet Ismail according to the Islamic sources). Darwish submits to state that he used to reside the land when Palestine was not familiar with the word sword altogether (I Come From There: lines 12-13). Darwish has elaborated the services of his forefathers for the land, where it was his grandfather, who ploughed on the earth, and made it worthy of producing fruits, vegetables and crops of various kinds by dint of their hard work as a farmer (Identity Card: lines 27-29). Hence, unlike the Jews, who claimed to be the progeny of the kings and rulers, Darwish negates his relationship with the privileged class altogether. Thus, instead of claiming to be associated with the crown and throne, he feels pride in showing his connections with the objects of nature including the sun, moon, grass and others. The poet observes that the sun provides him with energy, the moonlit nights bless him with hope, and working on the green attire infuses passion in him. Moreover, he also claims the ownership of the bounty of birds, and the immortal olive tree, which exist in the gardens and meadows because of the services he and his ancestors have rendered in turning Palestine emerald and green (I Come From There: lines 8-11). Darwish argues that he has spent the days of agony and suffering in the prison for the sake of his homeland; consequently, he cannot surrender his right from Palestine. In addition, he has no repentance on cultivating hope under the life of siege and imprisonment amongst the stones of hills (Under Siege: lines 4-9), inflicted upon the Arabs by their racial and religious rivals. It is the sheer feelings of his unabated love for the homeland that he has no remorse on spending the precious years of his life in the dark prisons, as his death would give him the message of eternal liberty from all imprisonments, and his soul will be in a position to move everywhere in Palestine (Under Siege: lines 14-18). Darwish’s sentimental and sublime poesy reflects his unconditional love and affection for his homeland, where his association with this very soil is as old as the history of the arrival of civilisations on the face of the earth. His soul is familiar with this environment since ever due to the very reality that his forefathers had cultivated the soil with their sweat and blood. The entire developments, progresses and prosperity, seen in the region, could be stated as the outcome of the services the Arab had rendered in the agricultural, industrial and trade sectors. It is therefore, the Arabs are justified in declaring Palestine as their homeland, for they did not discontinue their connections with the land, though a large majority of the Jews migrated from Palestine for the better employment and other prospects. The Jews were expelled from Palestine by the Romans, but the Arabs did not inflict such cruelty upon the Jews. He also alludes to the homicide being committed in Palestine, where ha has also leading a life of helpless and unprotected gazelle amid the beasts, and the souls of the martyrs encircle him and encourage him to remain firm and dauntless in the face of hardships. Thus, the verses endorse the long relationship with the Palestine and commitment of the Arabs with the holy land, which has turned into an inferno for all peace-loving creatures of the world. Bibliography Amichai, Yehuda Brooks, Philips O Little Town of Bethlehem Utmost Christian Writers Retrieved from http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/pd-poetry/pd-poetry-271.php Byron, Lord (1815/1890) Hebrew Melodies W. Drugulin Publishers Darwish, Mahmud Wright, Tom (1994) Jerusalem in the New Testament (Originally published in Jerusalem Past and Present in the Purposes of God. P. W. L. Walker, Ed.) pp. 53–77. 2nd edition Carlisle: Paternoster. Grand Rapids: Baker Retrieved from http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Jerusalem_New_Testament.pdf http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/The_Jewish_Claim_To_The_Land_Of_Israel.html Read More