The Middle East conflict between Israel and the Arab state has been in the forefront of international news for years. However, despite the recent focus on the Middle East, statistics show that conflict has been gradually subsiding since the 1970’s. Throughout this essay I endeavor to clearly analyze the factors contributing the Arab-Israeli conflict and how they might be resolved.
Arguably, there are very many modern phenomena in the world today. Arab Israel can be elaborated to be one of the modern scenarios in the globe. The Arab Israel war began in the 19th century, and up to date it is one of the debatable international issues. The Arab-Israel conflict has led to various wars in the region in 1948-49, 1956, 1967, 1973-74, as well as 1982. The conflicts and tension between Arab states and Israel have been heightened and complicated by strategic, economic, as well as political interest.
The conflicts between Israel and Arab states date back to the creation of Israel. Therefore, most of the conflicts are a form of revenge and claims on the original injustice on issues pertaining ancestral homeland. In the 19th century the rise of Arab nationalism and Zionism marked the modern form of conflict that exists between Israel and Arab states. The religious arguments are believed to be invoked by Christians, Muslims, as well as Jews.
The concept of the Promised Land is an issue of contention between Israel and Arab states. According to Muslims, the Quran accords them the right to own the Promised Land, while the Israelites claim that the Bible promised them the land of Canaan. The Arab states have become more aware of the intention of the Zionists. Therefore, there is a great resistance to migration of Jews and the continued intention to buy land. The main intention of the opposition is the essence that the immigration possess imminent and real danger to the Arab community.
In addition, the Arab-Israel war has decreased the move to seek for legitimacy and room to maneuver in the entire world. The insecurity that is caused by the war has made these nations unable to build its relations with their neighbors, especially on issues of trade, and foreign policy. The effects of the Arab-Israel war are far much reaching since it has affected various nations in the globe. These nations include Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, as well as the United States. In the Palestine, the West bank has been affected by the conflict. In general perspective, the Arab-Israel conflicts have affected this nation politically, economically, and socially. It is evident that, if this conflict is not solved the Arab-Israel war can take decades to end. The Palestinians (PLO) depended on the Arab’s diplomatic, financial, and military support to survive the fight against Israel. With their determination to destroy Israel, the PLO Charter's claimed that it had a right to demand the Arab states' help. This expectation was often unfounded.
Israel became a nation about two thousand years before the rise of Islam. Modern day Israel shares the same language and culture based on Jewish tradition (" Israel Science and Technology Directory.") Jews have had an important presence for well over three thousand years. However after the Romans overtook Jerusalem about two thousand years ago, those of Jewish faith were exiled to Diaspora (" Israel Science and Technology Directory."). A group called the haganah was formed as an underground military organization of the yishuv in Eretz Yisrael from 1920 to 1948.
Religious strife continues to be the driving facto between the states of the Arabs and Palestine. Jews desperately wished to return to Israel (Galloay). The mass immigration of Jews back to Israel from the Arab countries began to slowly take place, with Jews finally re-establishing their place within their homeland of Israel (" Israel Science and Technology Directory."). In 1948, Jews reestablished their sovereignty over their ancient homeland with the establishment of the modern State of Israel (" Israel Science and Technology Directory.").
Rumors persisted that Jews came from Judea not Palestine. There is nothing that makes Palestinian culture distinct from that of the Arabs in the area. Palestinians are Arabs indistinguishable from Arabs throughout the Middle East (" Israel Science and Technology Directory."). Palestine includes Israel and Jordan. Before World War I, the Middle East had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire for close to five hundred years. In 1923 an agreement transferred claims of Palestine to Britain who in turn transferred claims to Transjordan (" Israel Science and Technology Directory.").
The Balfour agreement established Palestine as the national home for the Jewish people. In 1947 the remaining land was into two states, a second Arab state, Palestine, and Israel until 1967 when it was combined into the modern State of Israel. Jerusalem has always remained the Jewish capital.
In 1947 the Arab leadership in Israel and in the countries surrounding it, planned a Jihad, against Israel and encouraged all Arabs to leave Israel. They promised to allow their return after they removed all of the Jews (Ruben ).
During 1940's through 1950's, the Jews also were forced to flee from Arab countries to avoid persecution. Refugees became numerous and had to be re-integrated into the tiny country of Israel. The conflict started as a political and nationalist conflict over competing territories. Over the years from the large scale regional Arab–Israeli conflict slowed to a more local Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Peace agreements were signed in 1979 and1994, yet the Arab world and Israel generally remain at odds with each other over territory. These two separate communities within one country were key factors for the conflicts in Arab-Israeli history. Torture and brutality performed on these citizens rivaled that of the German Nazi’s against the Jews. Chang states, “Not only did live burials, castration, the carving of organs, and the roasting of people become routine, but more diabolical tortures were practiced, such as hanging people by their tongues on iron hooks or burying people to their waists and watching them get torn apart by German shepherds. So sickening was the spectacle that even the Nazis in the city were horrified, one proclaiming the massacre to be the work of "bestial machinery." (Chang)
What little success they had was eventually eroded in the 1980s and 1990 with a series of political mistakes made by the PLO. The shifting political system and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait all caused stress on the relationship (Ruben ). Their policy was based on regime interests with a desire to shape of regional politics, alliances, and power balances. Most Arab governments took the opportunity to withdraw further from the conflict or even to reduce help for the PLO. The Palestinian change from revolution to statehood is an important new factor in inter-Arab politics (Ruben ). These political factors all lead up to the 2008 war on the Gaza strip.
In conclusion, it is crucial for all the responsible stakeholders to solve the causes of the conflict. The conflicts to be addressed include hallowed land, Zionism, Jewish land Acquisition, the rejection of Israel, as well as Palestinian exodus. Some of the cause dates back to the creation story in the Bible and Quran, making the conflict one of the controversies in the world.
Works Cited:
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Chang, Iris. The rape of Nanking: the forgotten holocaust of World War II. New York, NY: BasicBooks, 1997. Print.
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Erskine, B. Palestine of the Arabs (The Rise of Jewish Nationalism and the Middle East). Hyperion Press , 1974. Print.
Galloway, George. The philosophy of religion,. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914. Print.
"Peace now." Peace.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
Ruben, B. "Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab States." Mideast Security and Policy Studies. 36. (1998): n. page. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
Strong, W. (2008, July 30). Arab-israeli conflict: Violent consequences of material and political inequality. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/arab-israeli-conflict-violent-consequences-material-1729877.html?cat=75
