The Causes of Eternal Warfare in the Holy Land - Report Example

THE CAUSES OF ETERNAL WARFARE IN THE HOLY LAND Introduction The eternal war in the Holy land has its roots in the ancient times. The Jewish community and the Arabs were both fixated with the concept of nationalism as they came to regard their home to be in the Holy Land. Numerous accounts by scholars have tried to find the causes of the eternal war but few studies have been successful. However, most arguments have revolved around the issue of Nationalism as an element, which have caused the war in the Middle East. According to scholars, religion and history are also elements, which have led to the development of national consciousness (Roskin & Berry, 2012). Currently, as the war in the Middle East looms large, only the root cause can alleviate the contemporary problems associated with the region. Many individuals and proponents alike have taken a stance, which tends to point a finger at the Palestinians for aggravating the war; I believe that the nation has real grievances, which is the cause of all the problems. The Palestinians and Jews’ homes were snatched from them over thousand years ago without their knowledge. Consequently, Israel was taken by force during the development of the Israel state. Therefore, this paper dwells on the root cause of the eternal war, which has led to the subsequent problems in Middle East. Discussion According to Holy Scriptures, the Jewish communities are the genuine owners of the Holy Land. However, the Holy Land was invaded by many conquerors from various nations forcing the Jews to disperse to various places. Axyria and Rome conquered the land. As the community migrated from one region to the other, they never forgot about the original homeland. This was solely done through attachment with the Holy Bible. For many years in alien land, the Jewish community assimilated with other communities and ultimately developed a new way of life (Roskin & Berry, 2012). In the 19th century, Europe was characterized by Nationalism. With the revolution and the development of nationalism, many individuals in foreign countries felt the need to have their own home and characterized by their own people, heritage and way of life. Foreigners developed a sense of being in bondage as they were never free to practice their values and traditions. Thus in the 19th Century the Jewish community gathered the urge to go back to their own country. This force led to the birth of Zionism from the word Zion, which was a hill in Jerusalem (Roskin & Berry, 2012). A journalist, Theodore Herzl, who advocated for the Jewish community to have their own country, led Zionism. In 1897, Theodore organized the first Jewish Congress with the assistance of Russia and Poland, which was mostly constituted of Jews, and thus the birth of Israel came to being. At this time, many countries were against the Jewish and thus mass protests were organized in various regions. For example, Tsarist government promoted anti-Jewish protest, which forced many Jews to flee Europe, leading to mass migration. In the process, a few of the Jews settled in Palestine. In the wake of the 1900, Palestine was mostly an Arab nation; living amidst them, the Jews paid little attention to the Arabs. To develop the land, the Jews raised funds for the training of Jewish settlers and young Zionists and development of the whole community. Hebrew was invigorated as a language for the community and Tel Aviv became a Jewish Town in 1903 (Roskin & Berry, 2012). According to the chapter, the Zionists position to migrate to Palestine was to reclaim their Holy Land. With the Arabs and Jews living together, many problems arose in no time as Jews were building their community in the region. Consequently, this did not go well with the Arabs as they became violent. As a result, the Jews were forced to fight against the Arabs. Numerous proponents argue that the war between the two communities was as a result of the Holy Land because the Jewish migration and the subsequent process of reclaiming the land by purchasing was viewed by the Arabs as a danger to the community. Therefore, the community opposed the plans of the Zionists (Roskin & Berry, 2012). This included the Jewish National Fund, which funded the community’s plans of redeeming the Holy Land. Hence, the Arabs were familiar with the strategies that were in play and utilized by the Jews. A group of Jews that belonged to the Yishuv community existed before the migration of the Zionist into Palestine. This community lived in harmony with the Arabs as they were driven by religious motive than political, which characterized the Zionist community. During this epoch, there was little conflict between the Palestinian Jews and the Arabs. However, this changed in the 1880s when the Zionist immigrated into the country. Proponents argue that even the Yishuv Jews were not happy with the Zionists. The Zionists mistreated the Arab peasants by depriving them of their human rights. These resulted in conflict, as the Arabs did not take the mistreatment well. Even though, the two communities were sworn enemies, they tried to formulate policies, which might lead to mutual understanding and collaboration. After 30 years since the Jews migrated into the country, the Arabs promulgated for a new Zionist policy aimed at a bi-national settlement program, which would incorporate both the communities. The policy would involve joint farming projects where the Arabs would farm alongside the Jews. Consequently, schools, libraries and hospitals would be for all the citizens of Palestine and not only the Zionists. However, this proposition failed to garner appreciation and support from the communities (Roskin & Berry, 2012). The Jewish and Arab communities were also motivated by religious issues, which led to their uncompromising culture. Thus, the contemporary problems between the two communities are influenced by their differing and conflicting religious beliefs. The Muslims and Zionists believed that they were the chosen people, who were the inheritors of the Promised Land and Jerusalem as the chosen city (Roskin & Berry, 2012). According to the Hebrew Bible, Eretz Yisrael also referred to as the Land of Israel was the chosen place, Canaan, by God to the Jews (Children of God). Therefore, the Jews viewed themselves as the children of God in reference to the Holy Bible. Consequently, Muslims argue that Israel is their rightful claim according to the Quran. In contrast to the Bible, whereby the Land was promised to the descendants of Abraham’s younger son Isaac, the Muslims protest that the Holy Land was promised to his elder son Ishmael. Therefore, the problems that arose during war were as a result of the Holy Land (Roskin & Berry, 2012). The 1948 Palestine War represented the climax of the conflict between the Jews and Arabs, which dated back to almost three-decade. Due to the mandatory power of Britain in the country, the European power had sought numerous solutions but failed to garner the ability to reconcile the two communities. Consequently, Britain referred the problem to the United Nations in 1947, and in November of that year the UN passed a proposal to partition the country, which aggravated the problem further. The proposal was to divide the country into two regions. The Jewish community agreed to the plan but the Arabs states were not happy with the partition and thus rejected the proposal. The subsequent violence orchestrated by the Arabs to frustrate the partitioning process led to the civil war, which the Jews won. Later the Jews established a sovereign state, Israel, on 14 May 1948. This was on the wake of termination of the British mandate in Palestine. Ultimately, the establishment of Israel by the Jews led to an aggravated civil war between Israel and Palestinians (Roskin & Berry, 2012). The animosity between the two communities became unbearable and thus attracted foreign countries notably France and Britain as both the Jews and Arabs lacked the resources to fight against each other. Moreover, Arab solidarity after the formation of Israel became evident. The Arab League was established to indicate its solidarity and support for Palestine (Roskin & Berry, 2012). According to proponents, of the super powers involved in the conflict between the two communities, the Great Britain played a pivotal role in augmenting the Palestine civil war. Pro-Zionists argue that Britain armed her allies to ensure that the Jewish plan of a home would not be successful. Consequently, it is argued that America also played its role in promoting the war as it allied with both the Zionist loyalists and the Arab state. However, in the fall of 1947, President Harry Truman decided to support UN’s proposal of partitioning the Arab country (Roskin & Berry, 2012). Conclusion Therefore, the causes of the conflict and war between the Jews and Arabs was both of political and religious nature. The Holy Land of Canaan led to the conflict between the communities. It is evident that the values and beliefs of the Arabs are linked with the Jewish people. Both the communities believe that the Jerusalem is their rightful homeland as indicated in the Quran and Holy Bible. The immigration of the Zionists from Europe was the cause of the Palestine war as the Jews wanted to displace the Arabs to establish their home. However, this was not to be with uproar from the Arabs. The objective of this paper was to investigate the causes of the Eternal Warfare in the Holy Land, which was characterized by the Arabs and Jews. It is now evident that religious motives of establishing Israel as the Holy Land were the main cause of the conflict. Reference Roskin, M., & Berry, N. O. (2012). IR: The new world of international relations. Boston: Pearson Longman. Read More