Geopolitical Issues of Israel and Palestine - Research Paper Example

ISRAEL AND PALESTINE Question What short of taking Hamas out of Power can be done to stop the blockade on Gaza Allowing Humanitarian aid through? There are few geopolitical issues as complex and difficult to solve as the conflict in the Middle East. It has a long and bloody history and many people have tried and failed to solve it before. Nothing new has happened in the last few years to make it any easier to solve. In fact, some things have gotten quite a bit worse. There is little visionary leadership available on either side. Basically, there are no good solutions in the region. This is a difficult situation. But the only way it will be solved is by sitting down and talking to one another with international help. It is not useful to try to blame the whole situation on Israel. Both sides have had their faults. Once that is recognized we can move on together. The blockade of Gaza is far from a perfect situation. It would be hard to get Hamas out of power in Gaza, so Israel needs to look at other ways to move things forward. However, there are clear and important reasons for the blockade on Gaza to be maintained. The aim of the blockade is not to block humanitarian aid from reaching the people of Gaza. It is clear that the people of Gaza are indeed suffering. However, Hamas is effectively using the people as a human shield. Hamas does not have to be removed, although this is what Israel would like best of all. What Hamas needs to do is agree not to smuggle weapons into Gaza inside of the humanitarian aid shipments. This is the reason that Israel blocks the shipments. Hamas has no scruples about delivering weapons in ambulances. They will pretend that the shipments are for the people when in fact they are for Hamas foot soldiers. Once Hamas promises to stop doing this, then Israel will consider lifting the blockade. This would be a fair resolution of this situation that all sides could accept. We have seen in the past year different measures taken to try to remove the blockade. These measures have provoked violence on the part of Israel. That violence may not in the end be completely justified, but it is a natrual consequence of the kind of measures taken to break the blockade. The blockade will not be forcibly broken by civilians ships sailing from Greece and Turkey. Other countries and other armies will not lift the blockade. The only way that the blockade will be lifted is through negotiations between the State of Israel and Hamas. The two parties need to come to an agreement. Israel would be happy to open the blockade in exchange for promises on behalf of Hamas to stop smuggling weapons and to renounce terrorism. This is a vital issue in this conflict. How can anyone expect Israel to make concessions in negotiations when one of its negotiating partners, Hamas, refuses to renounce terrorism. They keep this weapon in their back pocket ready to use it at any time. The problems that have hovered over Gaza since 2005, inform many Israeli actions when it looks at the blockade or possible land-swaps in the West Bank. No reasonable country would behave otherwise. Those who criticize the blockade have no real understanding of why it is in place. They need to look more closely at the situation. Question 2 For the purpose of a commonly shared holy land, what will Israel do to eliminate checkpoints and create a de-militarized and safe land-route if peace is achieve from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem for Palestine? Peace is a two-way street. Both parties in this conflict need to show they are serious about achieving it. Israel is not a war-like country. All it asks of Hamas is to renounce terrorism and recognize the fact that Israel has a right to exist. Israel is willing to eliminate checkpoints and demilitarize areas as part of a trust-building exercise over many years. We need signs of good faith from the Palestinians. The reason that these checkpoints exist and that it has become so difficult to for Palestinians to enter into Israel is due to recent history, especially the second intifada. Israel came under attack ten years ago with massive waves of suicide bombings. These were a traumatic and devastating attack on Israel and set back the peace process years. They violated all international laws and norms. Israelis still have a great deal of trouble trusting their neighbours. These attacks did a great deal of damage to trust between the two parties that had built up over the years. Israel felt it needed to protect itself. Indeed, the government of Israels first priority is the security of its people. It must protect them from rockets and from suicide bombers. It is a precondition for any lasting peace deal that both Hamas and Fatah give up terrorist tactics. The Israelis are not going anywhere. We will be staying where we are. You cannot drive us into the sea. So we must come to an agreement. That involves laying down arms in exchange for land. Israel is not to blame for the strict conditions imposed on the Palestinians. The tactics by the Palestinian leadership over the long years of the intifada and retaking of Gaza led quite naturally to these consequences. In order to make peace, Israel must have a partner in peace. It is important to remember the Israeli experience in Gaza. Israel sacrificed a great deal in 2005 when it withdrew from Gaza, this like the elimination of checkpoints was intended to show trust and put forward a peaceful position that would advance the peace talks. Instead, Israel was met by the rise of a Hamas statelet. Hamas foot soldiers took over the land that Israel has demilitarized and started to use it to fire missiles at Israel. The government of Israel does not want a repeat of this situation. The goal of the peace talks is to build trust. Trust is established via quid pro quo transactions. The Palestinians must show that they are serious about peace by taking their own steps, especially to renounce terrorism. Hamas must recognize that Israel has a right to exist. Less heated rhetoric on all sides would be a good first step in this regard towards peace. We need to move past the blame game and start looking to the future. Once that is done it will be possible to focus on easing the constraints that Palestinians live under. Israel wants a Palestinian state to be prosperous and a trading partner. But this goal is still a long way off under current conditions. Question 3 If the west bank is to be apart if sovereign Palestine... what will be done to combat the Illegal settlements in the west bank? and more importantly will will brink those Israeli criminals (who are still breaking the law), to justice? One of the highest principles in Israel is the rule of law. No one is above the law and it applies equally to everyone. Anyone who breaks the law will be subject to punishment. If indeed, the west bank becomes part of Palestine, measures will be taken to ensure that the law there is respected. It will be much harder to build settlements there. Once again, however, this is a trust building exercise. The last time that Israel undertook to remove Jewish settlers, the result was more rocket attacks from Hamas. The truth is that both sides need to work together to come to an accommodation on this issue. It is important to remember the history of Israel and how much it has suffered. It is a product of the Holocaust in which six millions Jews perished. Israel is a peaceful state. It wants peace. But it is still looking for a partner in that peace. All sides in this conflict must work together in order to bring back hope and peace to the region. Israel will abide by the law and do what it can in this regard. It is a question that has plagued this conflict for generations. Whose land is it? Is the Israelis or is the Jews? When you really study history, it is clear that the Israelis lived there 2000 years ago and that many of the most holy Jewish sites are present in Israel. It makes sense that these lands should belong to Israel. The Palestinians claim that they lived on the land. Well, that is true, but the Jews have a longer and more historical claim to it. This debate, however, is sterile. It does not take into account the present situation. Israel is committed to a two-state solution. It wants a viable Palestinian state that has renounced terrorism. Once this happens, everything (except the Right of Return) is on the table and both parties can enjoy peace together. Works consulted Citron, Sabina. The Indictment: The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Historical Perspective. New York & Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2006. Gelvin, James L.. The Israel-Palestine Conflict: 100 Years of War. New York & Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge, 2005. Israeli, Raphael. Dangers of a Palestinian State. New York & Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2002. Katz, Shmuel. Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine. Shapolsky Pub., 1973. Read More