Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Case Study Example

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possibly the most enduring struggle in human history. Itis a battle for territory, which both sides claim. Before 1918, the disputed territory was a part of the Ottoman Empire, known as Palestine. Most of the inhabitants were Arabs; the Jews formed the minority group. However, the situation changed after the First World War. Britain took control of the territory after defeating the Ottomans. In the process, they brought in thousands of Jews immigrants. Thus, from 1920s to 1930s, many Jews started settling in the area. The move elicited discontent among the Palestinians (Beinin & Hajjar 2-3). In the 1940s, the number of Jews immigrants escalated following the Nazi-propagated holocaust in Europe. As a result, the rising tensions between the Arabs and Jews culminated in deadly clashes (Bard 31). In 1948, the Jews forces seized control of the territory and proclaimed the State of Israel. In the process, they forcefully evicted all the Palestinians living in the area. Most of the displaced Palestinians fled to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt (Bard 31-33). Some Arab countries, particularly Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq attempted to abolish the new nation, but they failed. However, Jordan annexed East Jerusalem while Egypt took control of Gaza. Thus, from 1948 onwards, the displaced Palestinians began settling in East Jerusalem and Gaza as refugees (Beinin & Hajjar 6). Currently, the Palestinians occupy Gaza and East Jerusalem along the banks of River Jordan (West Bank). One of their major problems is the geographical isolation of the two territories. West Bank and Gaza are on the eastern and western parts of Israel respectively. Since the corridor between Gaza and West Bank is an Israeli-controlled territory, Palestinians are unable to move freely between the two regions. Thus, the restricted movement between Gaza and West Bank possibly separates families (Beinin & Hajjar 6). In my opinion, the restricted movement of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank contributes to the increasing hostilities between Israel and Palestinians. The Israeli blockade has damaged the economy of Gaza, pushing many Palestinians to poverty. As a result, they react by attacking Israel. However, if the Palestinians were given their freedom of movement while the Israelis obtained guaranteed security, there could be no violence. Thus, any peaceful resolution to the conflict may not be reached unless the two sides agree to respect each other’s concerns. Climate is one of the geographical issues that contribute to the conflict. After 1948, the Palestinians settled in Gaza and West Bank. The soils in both territories are infertile; they barely support agricultural activities. As a result, the Palestinians are unable to produce sufficient food. Also, some Palestinians who could have otherwise been employed in agriculture find no jobs. Thus, they are forced to rely on aid organizations for food and jobs in order to feed their families (Anthology of Ideas). The control of water resources is another issue fuelling the conflict. River Jordan is one of the main sources of water in the region. Before 1967, Israel had very little access and control of the Jordan River. However, after the Six-day War, Israel seized Golan Heights and West Bank, the strategic territories of controlling water supplies from the river. Most parts of the Palestinian territories do not have piped water. Thus, they rely on Israeli supplies (Isaac 3-4). After the 1967 war, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling Israel to withdraw its forces from the occupied territories. Israel, however, failed to comply with the UN resolution. Nevertheless, it negotiated a separate peace treaty with Egypt from 1978 to 1981. In the treaty, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, but retained control of the Gaza Strip. Since the Arab armies lacked an edge over Israel, nearly all of them avoided a direct confrontation with Israel. Thus, most of them shelved the Palestinian issues throughout the 1970s and 80s. Consequently, the military wing of the PLO resorted to terrorist attacks against Israel (Beinin & Hajjar 7-8). In my opinion, the weakness of the 1967 UN resolution impedes the peace process between Israel and Palestinians. Both parties have different interpretations of the same UN resolution. For instance, the phrase ‘recent conflict’ does not refer to any conflict in particular. The UN should be blamed for contributing to the delays because it passed a resolution that is open to interpretation. Thus, if the peace process is to succeed, the UN should intervene by providing the appropriate interpretation of the phrase. The inadequacy of resources in some parts of the disputed territory is another geographic factor that fuels the conflict. Gaza and West Bank are indeed disadvantaged in terms of resource distribution. Gaza is under an Israeli blockade. The movement of people or supplies is highly restricted by the blockade. The situation in West Bank is no different; the Israeli barriers and Jordanian restrictions make the crossing of borders virtually impossible. Thus, Palestinian towns in both territories are unable to grow, forcing people to stay in small areas with inadequate resources. As a result, conflict arises (Anthology of Ideas). The city of Jerusalem is another geographical factor contributing to the conflict. It is a strategic city for both Israelis and Palestinians. In the proposed two-state solution, Jerusalem is supposed to be divided into two. The future state of Palestine takes the east, while Israel gets the western part of the city. However, Israel is reluctant to accept the suggestion. Instead, it wants a united Jerusalem as its capital. Israel also prefers exchanging some outlying regions, annexed in 1967. Israel’s interest in Jerusalem lies on the Biblical version of events. On the other hand, the Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of the ultimate state of Palestine. They do not recognize the 1967 Israeli annexation of the city. In fact, the city contains the al-Aqsa mosque, one of the holiest places in Islam. The US has distanced itself from the Israeli annexation of Jerusalem; it does not recognize the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem (BBC). In my opinion, Israel is unwilling to give up Jerusalem because it fears losing the much-needed access to River Jordan if it were to follow the borders before 1967. Apart from losing an important water supply, the Jews might also lose access to the holy city itself. The territory was under the control of Jordan, which the UN called Israel to surrender. On the other hand, the Palestinians do not access their holy sites freely because of the Israeli occupation of the city. The new border of Israel with the proposed state of Palestine is a geographical factor fuelling the conflict. Israel is interested in retaining control of its northern border with Lebanon and Syria in any deal that might lead to land swap. The northern border is important because of Golan Heights, a strategic military position. The issue of borders is highly divisive even within Israel itself since it is governed by fragile coalition governments (Alpher 7). The current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accepts the two-state solution whereby Israel and Palestine exist as Jews and Arab states respectively. Thus, Israel will have to withdraw from the West Bank at some point. The Prime Minister proposes a border that will allow Israel to retain East Jerusalem and some parts of occupied the West Bank. Indeed Mr. Netanyahu is ready to swap land with the Palestinians in the process. However, some members of the Israeli cabinet reject a two-state solution to the conflict. According to the Palestinians, the borders should be base along the 1967 boundaries (BBC). Settlement in the occupied territories is another geographical issue contributing to the conflict. Israels main interest is keeping its major settlements in the eastern part of Jerusalem and the larger West Bank. If the Israeli authorities depart from this policy, the coalition that forms the government would break up. Therefore, the Israeli authorities are keen not to make concessions that could break the fragile coalition government. Indeed, in some occasions, the government has refused to freeze new settlements in the occupied territory, a precondition for peace talks. On the other hand, the Palestinians want Israel to abandon all settlements in West Bank the way it happened in Gaza (BBC). In my opinion, Israel is in a difficult position when it comes to swapping land with the Palestinians. If Israel were to exchange parts of its territory, the Palestinians would probably prefer northern Israel. However, this territory is a strategic defensive position for Israel particularly against Lebanon and Syria. The issue of Palestinian refugees contributes to the conflict. According to the 1967 UN resolutions, Israel is supposed to give the Palestinian refugees the right of return to their previous homes. However, those who are not willing to return home should be compensated. The Israeli government rejects the right of return policy. It argues that the return of Palestinians would outnumber the Jews populations and in the process destroying the state of Israel (Zanotti 13). Israels concerns posit that the return of refugees would also cause the creation of a unitary state of Palestine (BBC). The Palestinians are aware that the right of return to their former homes might be unrealistic, but they are interested in getting compensation as a fair deal. The Palestinians are also concerned with the recognition of Israel as a Jews state. Their point is that the recognition undermines the rights of Arab-Israeli citizens (BBC). Security Israel is worried about the security challenges posed by the future state of Palestine. According to the Israeli government, the future state of Palestine might be used to attack Israel. It is also likely that Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, might take over Palestine. Thus, the Israelis propose a demilitarized state of Palestine. Palestinians reject Israeli claims that the future state of Palestine would be used to attack Israel. They are also against demilitarized Palestine because it would be impossible to repel any future Hamas takeover (BBC). In my opinion, the unresolved issue of refugees damages the Palestinian economy. Most Palestinians would remain poor for many years because their restricted freedom of movement and doing business. If a two-state solution is reached, there should be a corridor connecting Gaza and West Bank to allow a free mobility of people and supplies. Israel has legitimate concerns about its security. After withdrawing from Gaza, Hamas took over and started attacking Israel with rockets. Prior to the withdrawal, there were no rocket attacks. Works Cited Alpher, Yossi. “The Future of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Critical Trends Affecting Israel. United States Institute of Peace. 2006. Web. 4 November 2014. . Bard, G. Mitchell. “Myths and Facts: a Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict.” AICE. 2012. Web. 4 November 2014. . BBC. “Middle East Peace Talks: Where They Stand.” BBC. 22 July 2013. Web. 4 November 2014. . Beinin, Joel and Hajjar, Lisa. “Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict.” N.p., February 2014. Web. 4 November 2014. . “How Geography Contributes to the Israel-Palestinian Conflict.” Anthology of Ideas. 14 July 2006. . Isaac, Jad. “Core Issues of the Palestinian-Israeli Water Dispute.” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 November 2014. < http://www.nad-plo.org/userfiles/file/Reports/core.pdf>. Jensen Kristin, Foote Jillian, and Neighbor W. Tese. “A Resource for Educators.” N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 4 November 2014. Zanotti, Jim. “Israel and the Palestinians: Prospects for a Two-State Solution.” US Department of State. 2010. Web. 4 November 2014. . Read More