The US-Led Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks - Essay Example

? Current Event: U.S. Led Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks CURRENT EVENT: U.S. LED ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE TALKS of the Event The current event to be studied is the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which have kicked off again after previous attempts failed to resolve the issues bogging the people of this region. These peace talks were proposed by the US government through Secretary of State John Kerry and involve peace negotiators from both Israel and Palestinians (Reed, 2013). They are the first direct talks since 2010, and they began with Israel releasing twenty-six prisoners to set the stage for renewed talks. The aim of the peace talks is to negotiate a deal that will see Palestinians granted an independent state. oweverfH kghfdfwwfewgtetjhntymk ,lkop/o”?p[;?sbdhsjhdb lllllggg However, according to the article, Israeli aircraft launched strikes on sites launching rockets in Gaza just hours prior to the beginning of the talks. Over 2,000 people at Gaza’s Erez crossing met the released prisoners; they were honking, shouting, and shooting, they carried home the released prisoners shoulder high. The Palestinians and Israelis are, however, skeptical of any results from the talks. According to Israeli negotiators, it is important for both sets of people to calibrate their expectations because it is almost impossible to come up with a permanent agreement on the status of the Palestinian state in the current talks (Reed, 2013). The talks do harbor the possibility to come up with interim agreements on some fundamental issues. The US, which is sponsoring the talks, contend that tackling the pertinent issues dogging both sides is the priority, including security and borders, particularly in the earlier part of the talks (Reed, 2013). Issues have arisen because Israel insists on maintaining presence militarily on their border with Jordan, as well as retain large settlement blocks for Jews. Palestinian officials, on the other hand, aim to reject the presence of Israel on their territory, insisting that the borders adhere to those prior to the 6-day war. The Palestinian position, however, is weakened by the recent financial crisis, while the Israeli government is a coalition with the Jewish Home Party that opposes Palestine as a state represented. In addition, the construction of over 1,000 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank also threatens to derail the peace talks. In spite of the decreased expectations surrounding the current round of talks, various analysts believe that political and financial pressures on the Palestinian Authority, as well as fears in Israel of isolation diplomatically and economically may be a positive indicator for the talks (Reed, 2013). Analysis of the Event Competition as a sociological concept arises from the fact that the desires and needs of humans seem insatiable, and rewards for competition are short in supply (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). People all over the world are always in competition for dwelling space, and this is no different in the Palestinian-Israeli issue. While the Palestinian people occupied the land before 1945, the end of the war saw Jews seek to create the Jewish state of Israel on their land. Since then, there has been competition for land to build new settlements, which has led to conflict with the Palestinians. There is also competition for other resources such as water with the West Banks especially being the location for competition over the Jordan River. Nevertheless, another sociological concept that can be applied to this article is the community, which is referent to a collective of persons in a specific geographic area (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). Community is a collection of people who possess specific social structures, which also gives a sense of belonging to its people. With regards to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the Israelis have come together as Jews to form a Jewish community that forms the basis for their state. On the other hand, they have prevented the Palestinians from forming their own community by separating them and denying them the right to form their own state. This is what the talks between the two peoples are meant to correct by allowing the Palestinian community to form their own state. Ethnocentrism as a sociological concept is also applicable to the situation discussed in the article. Ethnocentrism refers to the manner in which different societies, places their culture in the middle of everything that they do (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). It involves the comparison of other cultures to one’s own and concluding that they are inferior. In this case, the Israelis have placed their Jewish culture and faith at the center of their state, which has resulted in them viewing the Palestinian Muslims as inferior and pushing them out of their land. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have reacted violently to what they refer to as Israeli Zionism, seeing it as contrary and inferior to Islam. Conflict as a sociological concept probably fits best in this article. Conflict, different from competition, entails a particular group attempting to destroy or harm their competition. In conflict, the various groups seek to destroy each other at all costs (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). In the article, it can be seen that the Palestinians launch rockets at the Israelis, which is reciprocated with air strikes. The most striking aspect of conflict is that it is very destructive, and this can be seen with the land that the Israelis are using for settlements. The Palestinians previously occupied this land, but during their conflict, their homes were destroyed, only to be replaced by Jewish Settlements. Moreover, the prisoners being released were imprisoned after being caught in conflict with the Israelis. Finally, the recent airstrikes by Israel are a pointer to an ongoing conflict. Their insistence on maintaining a military presence in the West Bank also points to the conflict that has been going ion in the region. Social institutions as a sociological concept refer to an integrated and complex set of norms that revolve around maintenance of their basic societal values (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). In the article, the major social institutions described are the Jewish Home Party and the Palestinian Authority. The Jewish Home Party seeks to preserve the rights of Israeli Jews to build homes in what is a Jewish State, whereas being totally against infiltration of their Jewish territory by the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, is fighting for a Palestinian state that values Islam and is free from Jewish infiltration. Finally, the concept of accommodation refers to various agreements made between rival groups, allowing them to cooperate on limited terms even if the issues that divide them are not resolved (Andersen & Taylor, 2011). The Palestinians and the Israelis have made promises of coming together and working towards an agreement. By releasing Palestinian prisoners, the Israelis have sought to accommodate the Palestinians in the talks, even though, an agreement over a Palestinian state is yet to materialize. The accommodation by the Israelis is part of formulating a solution to the Palestinian state’s status issue that still divides them. References Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2011). Sociology : the essentials. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Reed, J. (2013, August 14). Israel and Palestinians begin direct peace talks . 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