Debate on Israel Palestine Conflict - Report Example

Debate on Israel Palestine Conflict In this debate, my group is going to support Israel and Jews. In our opinion, Jews have the legitimate right to live in their homeland where they lived for thousands of years. No one can deny the fact that over the last 3000 years, the only period when Jews did not have their presence in the West Bank was the period from 1948 to 1967 when Jordanian government banned Jews from living there (“Settlements”). No one can deny the fact that Israel is holy to Jewish people, as Koran itself says that “enter into the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you” (5:21). Jews had the desire to come back to Israel even before the birth of Islam, and they expressed this desire in their daily prayer, in the blessing after meals, and in placing Israeli soil in the coffins of their deceased. Just like Mecca and Medina are holiest to Muslims, and Vatican city to Catholics, Jerusalem is supreme and holiest to Jews. It is known to everybody that when the place was conquered by Jordan in 1959, Jewish people were forbidden from entering and praying from the Western Wall and places like the Mount of Olives cemetery were destroyed. The second point is that the refugee problem is the result of the attack unleashed by seven Arab nations on Israel upon its inception in 1948. In addition, one has to remember the fat that approximately one million Jewish refugees were expelled from Arab nations in the year 1948 and all those people were accommodated by Israel (“Arab-Israel conflict”). In other words, Israel did no use those people as political pawns in the way Arab nations presently use the refugees for political pressure. If Israel could accommodate all those people, all the so called Arab nations could easily accommodate all the refugees if they really cared for them. In addition, one should remember the fact that there are about 1.2 million Arabs in Israel who enjoy all the benefits of normal citizenship and governmental representation. Now, how many Arab nations could claim that they accommodate so many Jews in the same way? Evidently none. Another point I would like to put forward is that throughout all these years, Israel was ready and open to handover land to Arabs for peace. The agreements it reached with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 are examples of this altruistic approach. No one can deny the fact that even Israel helped Palestine authorities with land, money, weapons, training, and intelligence to end terrorism but instead of preventing it, the tendency is to support terrorism. Also, I would like to draw your attention to the formula ‘Land for Peace’. The formula reveals the interests of both the parties. While Israel is looking for peace, what Arabs are looking for is just land; nothing else. Some people might allege that Israeli military is using deadly attacks on Arabs, causing deaths of many innocent civilians. However, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that though the use of lethal force against non-lethal enemies cannot be justified, the terrorist activities which are committed by Palestine terrorists so patently are not innocent in nature. The PLO unleashes deadly terrorist attacks on Israeli targets. Some examples are the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre when PLO killed eleven Israeli athletes after taking them hostage. It only requires commonsense to understand that athletes are no different from common citizens. In addition, no one would forget how they made air travel a nightmare for many through the skyjacking ideas in 1970. In addition, the unarmed, wheelchair-bound, Leon Klinghoffer was shot dead by PLO in 1985 in Achille Lauro cruise liner. Though Palestine might argue that Israel attacks killed some innocent victims, everyone can easily understand that the attacks were not aimed at innocent civilians just like PLO does. Yet another argument is that the active support the terrorists receive in Palestine and Arab nations and the totally hostile attitude of Palestine people towards Israel have their basic reason in religion. The Israel-Palestine issue is one among the so many terrorist activities undertaken by Islamic radicals, who, in all probability, are interested in revenge and ‘Jehad’, not peace. Another important point to be raised here is that even if the land is handed over to Palestine, it would not be able to ensure peace in the area, nor would it refrain from terrorist activities. For example, when there was Jordanian rule, the Mount of Olives cemetery and 58 other Jewish synagogues were destroyed. Similarly, when Israel handed over the military control to Palestine authorities, angry Palestine mobs destroyed and burnt many holy sites and sacred artifacts at Jericho, Hebrew, and Joseph’s tomb in Nablus. In addition, in 2002, thirty monks were taken hostage inside the Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. Also, the church was profaned and desecrated. However, under Israeli rule, all the religious sites including Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites were open to all. In addition, when Israel reunified Jerusalem in 1967, instead of forbidding Muslims, it allowed Muslim Waqf board to administer and control the Temple Mount and to maintain the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Now, if one argues that Israel should remove blockade and withdraw troops, the question I would like to ask is will Palestine be able to ensure zero terrorist attacks on Israel if all military activities and checking are given up? They will not. For this reason, we argue that as far as Palestine authorities are not able to control their own people and their own terrorist activities, it is impossible for Israel to reduce military presence as it is important for the nation to guard its people and land. Also, we would like to argue at this juncture that in many Arab nations, the governments are unable to control their own internal conflicts, and in many of them, even the governments are threatened. In such a situation where there is total anarchy, it is rather cruel to force Israel to ease blockades and military action and let the miscreants play havoc with national security. Regarding the settlements, our argument is that Jews had their cultural presence in the area like West Bank throughout history, and hence, they too have the right to be there, and it was only during the Jordanian rule between 1948 and 1967 that Jews did not have their presence there. Also, it is argued that as the disputed territories did not belong to any sovereign nation, there is nothing illegal in the voluntary settlement of the land. Regarding refugees, our argument is that the Arab nations like Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have the ability to accommodate those refugees and to offer them a normal life. Also, Israel already accommodates about 1.2 million Arabs without any discrimination within its territory. In addition, all the Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries are well accommodated by Israel. Evidently, the issue of refugees arises only because Arab nations use them as political weapons. Regarding compromise, we argue that it was Israel that always tried to seek peace in the area. However, the Arab nations cold not reciprocate with equal interest in the peace process. In other words, as far as there are lethal terrorist attacks, Israel will not be able to withdraw military activities. Finally, regarding holy places including Jerusalem, we argue that it is utmost important for the places to be under the control of Israel. When they are under Israel, they remain open to the entire world. Under Arab nations, other people will be restricted from visiting the place, or due to high instability in the region, no one else will be able to visit such places for fear of life. As those places are religiously very important for Jews, it is only reasonable to given them the place. Works Cited Settlements. Israel: Learn the Facts. Web 25 July 2011 Arab-Israel conflict: Basic facts. Israel Science and Technology. Read More