Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict - Essay Example

Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Israel has existed as a nation for the past 58 years, established by the Jewish Provisional State Council after World War II and 11 years after Great Britain proposed the idea of a split nation in front of the United Nations. The Arab nations voiced immediate opposition to the UN’s 1947 plan, joined soon after Israel’s foundation by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, in a struggle that continues to this day. In the years following World War I, Jewish immigration steadily increased in Palestine under the British Mandate sparking ever increasing acts of aggression between Palestine’s Jewish and Arab population. “Between World War I and World War II, over 230,000 Jews arrived in the area of Palestine from Russia, Poland, and Germany, providing skills and infrastructure for a future Jewish state, but also fueling violence between Palestine’s Jewish community and Arab community who feared displacement” (Meyer, 2006). Because of the rising tensions, Britain had tried to restrict Jewish immigration to Palestine until after WWII when worldwide support demanded that a Jewish state become a reality (U.S. State Department, 2004). This international backing led to the 1947 UN partition plan with the General Assembly voting by a two-thirds majority to “partition western Palestine into a separate Jewish and an Arab state” (Laqueur, 1969). Troubles continued to escalate forcing the British to leave on May 14, 1948. Soon after, the State of Israel was proclaimed and was quickly invaded by neighboring armies of the Arab nations which had ignored the UN partition plan. “This conflict, Israel’s War of Independence, was concluded by armistice agreements between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in 1949 and resulted in a 50 percent increase in Israeli territory” (Meyer, 2006). The clash between Israel and the Palestinians is one of the longest unsettled battles in history. The 1929 Massacre in Hebron and other cities shows that Palestinian terrorism predates the 1948 beginning of the state of Israel. In the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority agreed to end all provocation against Israel, Israelis and Jews yet beginning with the declaration of the state, for more than 55 years the conflict has cost thousands of lives, involved neighboring countries in major wars, and unsettled the politics of the entire region. In 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine was estimated to be around 590,000 as compared to approximately 1,320,000 Palestinians, making the Jews equal approximately 31 percent of the total population (Kjeilen, 2006). The UN was established shortly after the end of WW II and played a significant role in creating the state of Israel, “due in large part to the millions of Jews who died in the Holocaust” (Taube, 2005). Over 325,000 Jewish survivors fled Eastern Europe in hopes of establishing a Jewish homeland (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2002). The UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) was the first independent committee set up to inspect the Palestine issue. Palestine Arabs boycotted the1947 UNSCOP hearings in Jerusalem. The Arabs refused to accept this plan and in the ensuing mayhem, about 1,700 people lost their lives. In April 1948, the Jewish forces launched a full-scale attack on the Arabs forcing about 400,000 Arabs to evacuate their homes becoming refugees in the Arab countries. On May 28 of that year, Israel was officially declared a state by Jewish authorities in Palestine (Cattan, 1976, p. 24-25). Both the United States and Soviet Union accorded it immediate recognition (“Country Profile”, 1983, p. 469). Other Arab nations came to the aid of the Palestinian Arabs, but they were too late and attempts to overthrow the new state of Israel failed. Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria signed an armistice agreement with Israel after the war of 1948 (Cattan, 1976, p. 24-25). Arab nations, continued to assert that the creation of Israel was a theft of Arab lands as the situation between Israel and neighboring Arab States “continued to be tense and explosive and was punctuated by breaches of the armistice” (Cattan, 1976, p. 26). The new state of Israel submitted its application for admission into the UN immediately upon its declaration of Statehood. Israel did not possess a defined territory at that time which Arab state members of the UN body were quick to point out. Despite this issue, in March 1949 the UN Security Council (except Egypt) as well as more than two-thirds of the General Assembly membership recognized the State of Israel. Justifying the recognition without defined boundaries, the US representative on the Security council, Professor Philip Jessup, remarked that “although the classical writers are not in full agreement on the point yet, both reason and history demonstrates that the concept of territory (of a state) does not necessarily include precise definition of the boundaries of that territory” (Adaramola, 1990, p. 173). Since the state was founded, much of the world’s population, including opinion in the Israel-friendly United States, has become opposed the existence of Israel as an independent state. The same sentiments are found in Europe. According to recent polls, most Europeans believe that Israel is alone responsible for the current conflict even though a majority believed that Yasser Arafat genuinely sought peace. “By two to one, Europeans take the Palestinians’ side. While overwhelmingly condemning suicide attacks, most Europeans still see Palestinian terrorism as a consequence of Ariel Sharon’s aggressive policies. … 15 percent go so far as to justify terrorism and make Israel’s right to exist conditional on the establishment of a Palestinian state. Fewer and fewer Europeans see Israel’s existence as sacred.” (Ottolenghi 2004). Anti-Jewish violence in France often centers around the most obviously observant Jews. “Jews are attacked because of their alleged unconditional support for the policies of the state of Israel in the Palestinian territories” (Camus 2003). Many Europeans, still vastly sympathetic of the Holocaust, yet deny the right of an Israeli state as do many Americans whose government supports sovereignty of Israel. Western nations frequently condemn Israeli actions including, on occasion, some which Israel claims as being necessary to protect itself from Palestinian terrorism and Arab hostility. Still, many of the European states have made it a habit to abstain from anti-Israel votes. Many European countries, such as France, Russia and Germany, have been strong supporters of Israel, but also support the foundation of a Palestinian state. Although a few countries have consistently supported Israels actions in the UN, such as the U.S. and Australia, Israel has particularly few supporters in the United Nations. This is due, in part, to the large Muslim contingent (57 countries) and their influence: in terms of sheer voting strength in the General Assembly, this block represents about one-fourth of the delegates, though no Muslim country holds a permanent seat on the Security Council. To the victors go the spoils including the destruction or creation of nations. The western allies that triumphed in WWII created and have sustained the State of Israel all the while in the belief they were pursuing justice for the oppressed and disenfranchised. But as long as this State exists, Arabs will also pursue acts of violence that they believe to be justified. Works Cited Adaramola, F. “The Recognition of the State of Palestine: A Score Evened at International Law.” The Calabar Law Journal. Vol. III, No.1, 1990. Camus, Jean-Yves. “Viewpoints: Anti-Semitism and Europe.” BBC News. December 3, 2003. International Edition. November 5, 2007 Cattan, H. Palestine and International Law. 2nd Ed. London: Longman, 1976. Central Bureau of Statistics. “Immigration to Israel.” Jerusalem Post. Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, December 29, 2002. “Country Profile: Israel and Palestinian Territories.” BBC News. (March 29, 2006). November 5, 2007 Kjeilen, Tori. “Israel: History.” Encyclopedia of the Orient. (2006). November 5, 2007 < http://lexicorient.com/e.o/israel_5.htm> Meyer, Cheryl. “A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World: Israel.” Crime and Society: A Comparative Criminology Tour of the World. (February 10, 2006). November 5, 2007 Ottolenghi, Emanuele. “Europe Wants Israel to Lose.” Jerusalem Post. July 28, 2004. Oxford University. November 5, 2007 Taube, Michael. “60 Years Later, UN Doesn’t Get It.” Canoe Network. (January 25, 2005). November 5, 2007 U.S. State Department. Background Note: Israel. Department of Near Eastern Affairs. (September 2004). November 5, 2007 Read More