The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Historical Perspective - Essay Example

The conflict has a religious background also as Israelis believe that this land was promised to them by God and have a divine right to live and rule in this land. They consider this as their divine right because it was promised to them in Hebrew Bible. Muslims also consider this region sacred because not only Muhammad stayed in Jerusalem on his night’s journey but they also believe that this land belongs to all children of Abraham and not to the children of his eldest Son Isaac only. Similarly, Christians also have religious reverence for the place and tend to accept the right of Jews to live and rule this land. Christians also view the return of Jews to this land as one of the important signs of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. All three major religions of the world, therefore, view this region as their own because this region is the center from where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam emerged.

There have been four large-scale wars between Arabs and Israel on this issue including the 1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai War, the 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. All the wars resulted in damage to both sides, however, further complicated the overall relationships between the various Arab States and Israel. As a result of the 1948 war, Israel was also able to capture areas beyond its mandated boundaries, and further demarcation in the land took place with Gaza Strip being controlled by Egypt and West Bank by Jordan.

Many Arab States including Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel. The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979 whereas Jordan entered into a similar agreement in 1994 to end the conflict and hostilities while at the same time agreeing to resolve other issues. Israel’s relationships with other countries including Iraq and Iran however, remained volatile as Iraq attacked Israel during Gulf War in the 1990s. Iran is also believed to be supporting Hezbollah and Hamas, the groups directly engaged with Israel in conflict.

As discussed above, this conflict has now largely been a local conflict between Israel and Palestinians with Palestinians fighting for what they believe is their right over their land. Oslo agreements, however, have given some rights back to Palestinians and as a result of this, a limited independent Palestinian government exists in the region. Through various uprisings, suicide attacks, and other tactics, Palestinians are still engaging Israel in limited conflicts.