Causes and development of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
The conflict between Palestine and Israel has been proceeding for almost a century, and it remains unsolved up to this day. None of the parties wants to make the large-scale concessions, following the minor conditions of a shaky truce. The origin of the conflict can be seen even before the First World War. Precisely, the main causes of the conflict have the religious and racial nature based on the territorial issue. In addition, it is worth considering that the escalation of the conflict has been associated with the creation of the State of Israel, which was corroborated by the most powerful countries of the world such as the UK, the USA, and the USSR. The resolution on the partition of Palestine and the creation of Israel started the Arab resistance movement that led to the problem of refugees and terrorist organizations. It is necessary to take into account the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and determine its main causes I order to better understand its essence. The study of this issue is relevant today because the conflict has not been settled yet. The main causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are rooted in the distant past, but their definition and understanding can help in resolving the dispute today.
The History of the Conflict and its Beginning
The problem of Palestinian-Israeli relations has gone far beyond the Middle East region since its inception. It has become an integral part of the world politics. The course of its development for more than 60 years reflects the main trends of the world development, starting from the end of the Second World War. It refers to the confrontation between the two socio-economic systems in the conditions of the "cold war." Thus, the situation in the Middle East affects the geopolitical aspirations of the Soviet Union, and Washington's policy against communism. The conflict was magnified because of the territory importance and "its intersection with politics in the world's most important oil-producing region, and by the connection of the conflict to the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States". The situation in the Middle East reflects the consequences of the confrontation resulting from the collapse at the turn of the 80's–90's of the 20th century of communism as a system of socio-political and socio-economic organizations, and especially the tendency towards convergence and the formation of the anti-terrorist coalition of the world countries in the beginning of the 21st century.
Therefore, the logic of historical development requires new approaches in the evaluation of the events that occurred in the Middle East during the second half of the 20th century. This is especially important in the aspect of the history of international relations and foreign policy. "The Arab-Israeli conflict is now in its seventh decade. An earlier conflict between the small Jewish and the much larger Arab community in Palestine had first erupted in the late Ottoman period". The issue of the unification of the Arab world has troubled many Arabs since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire during the World War II in the post-war rise of the national liberation struggle. The Arab political forces of various kinds tended this issue: "New military regimes came to power—in Syria in 1949 and in Egypt in 1952—seeking to throw off Western tutelage and to affirm Arab national identity." The State of Israel appeared on the political map of the world in May 1948, but the preparatory work for the establishment of a Jewish state was carried out long before. For many centuries, the Jews wished to return to the "promised land", which was once their country; moreover, this movement has also a religious-political nature. Then, the first Zionist political parties papered in Palestine, which that formed the basis for the formation of the future multi-party system in Israel. Therefore, if one talks specifically about the causes of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it should be clarified that it has been going on for a century and continues to this day. The formation of The Zionist movement and its activities in the Palestinian territories can be considered the beginning of the conflict and its main cause: ""Israel has embraced a narrative of separation with the Palestinians. Early Zionist leaders envisioned Israel as an outpost of European civilisation in the Middle East." The conflict began to escalate after the First World War, when both sides, i.e. the Israeli and the Palestinians, began to make plans for the assignment of the territory of Mandatory Palestine. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, many countries bordering on Palestine declared war on Israel. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has gone beyond the limits of Palestine and has become an international. In fact, the main reason for the conflict is the creation Palestine the State of Israel on the territory of Mandatory, which was supported by the major powers such as the Soviet Union and the United States. In addition, the United Kingdom has made a considerable contribution to the creation and development of the conflict, as it assisted in the creation of the Jewish state, acting "against the will of its Arab population".
The Role of the British Government in the Creation of the State of Israel
It is well known that the creation of the State of Israel has been a long-standing dream of the Jewish people. Hence, according to the religious tradition, this state was to be created in the land of Palestine. However, Palestine was the key to the Middle East with its huge sources of oil: "One purpose of Britain and France in World War I was to control the Arab land East of the Mediterranean for its strategic location and oil reserves". The US, the British Government, and the USSR were interested in the oil reserves of the region most of all. The UK held the dominant position in the region with major oil companies at that time: "In November 1947, to the dismay of the Arabs, the UN partitioned Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state (as well as an international enclave for Jerusalem), giving 55 percent of the territory to the Jewish state." The Soviet Union and the United States, which became the enemies after the Second World War, planned and looked forward to a serious weakening of the British position. The USSR and the United States had sought to occupy the vacant niche of influence, having great economic, political and other dividends by undermining the British position in the region. The position of the UK was the establishment of general Arab-Jewish state, which prevailed on the Arab population in Palestine. The Soviet Union and the United States have achieved a resolution, which satisfied both of the states: "After the fighting stopped in 1949, Israel gained about 5,200 square kilometers (2,000 sq. mi.) beyond the area allocated in the UN partition plan, thus occupying over 75 percent of Palestine."
The role of the British government in the establishment of the State of Israel is quite significant. Even before the creation of a full-fledged state in aid of the Jewish immigration, Britain contributed to the Jews in Palestine, which greatly angered the Arabs resulting in "the new Palestinian intifada that rapidly assumed the form of a serious anti-colonial revolt." In 1920, the British colonial rule was established in Palestine, which opened up the opportunities for the Zionist penetration in the country and the development of socio-economic structure of the future state: "Former prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak famously described the goal of Zionism as maintaining a "villa in the jungle". However, the desire of the Jewish community to the national and state sovereignty has encountered stubborn resistance of the Palestinian Arabs. The Arabs, who were led by their religious leaders, refused to discuss the possibility of the partition of Palestine, as it was "a shameful dereliction of the Palestine Authority's duty to realise Palestinians' human rights and national aspirations." The 30s marked the fierce political confrontation and armed conflict between the Jewish and Arab communities. Thus, "as British forces withdrew, a civil war erupted between Jews and Arabs". In the postwar period, especially in 1947, they have grown into a real war, gripping much of the country. In such circumstances, it was obvious that the British government was forced to refer the question of the future status of Palestine to the United Nations. In November 1947, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the United States and the Soviet Union, voted in favor of the abolition of the British mandatory regime in Palestine in May 1948 and the creation on its territory of two independent states – i.e. the Jewish and the Arab. Thus, it can be said that the British government has played a crucial role in creating the state of Israel, as its initiative started the process of resolving the Arab-Jewish conflict. However, Noam Chomsky believes that the British Government is not the only responsible for the conflict. He states, "The United States should also be condemned and punished for providing the decisive military, economic, diplomatic and even ideological support for these crimes".
The Reasons for the Arab Involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
In his interview, Mr. Abdul Ghani Rafii, the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, said that Israel had "no real intention" of reaching a negotiated settlement." He continued, "All main Arab governments recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole representation of the Palestine people." The current oppression against the territory expansion fins it roots in the first anti-Zionist speech, which began in Palestine in 1917 after the approval of the "Balfour Declaration" as the basis for the creation of the Jewish autonomous territory. Moreover, The Arabs protested against Jewish immigration and accused the Jews in the growth of unemployment: "Arabs are the poorest, least educated citizens and unemployment among them is higher than in any other group; they have no access to welfare or subsidized housing". The growth of the Arab nationalism played an important role. Immediately after the proclamation of the state of Israel in 1948, the joined forces of Transjordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon came on the territory of Palestine, while Saudi Arabia and Yemen declared war against Israel. The Arab States had intended to stop the territorial expansion of the Zionists and to prevent the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution on the partition of Palestine. This event, i.e. the resolution on the partition, has become a major cause of the Arab involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As it has been already mentioned, the UK and the US played a significant role in the creation of the policy conflict. The British government has sought to maintain its position in the Middle East because of the oil supply, while The US government tried to establish control over the strategically important areas of the Middle East, which would give them a significant advantage over the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the Arab people lost the war. Therefore, it becomes evident that the today's conflict has the strong roots. Since 30 July 2013, Israel "has advanced 10,489 housing units in settlements (or over 52,000 new settlers), killed 44 Palestinians, conducted 3,360 military raids, arrested 2,702 Palestinians, and demolished 154 homes, according to the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD)." Today, the international policy is clearly on the Palestinians' side. "Israel's colonies are an obvious breach of Article 49 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which forbids an occupying power from moving its civilian population onto occupied territory." Therefore, it is right to say that today "Israel should be held accountable, but so should the Authority."
The Importance of Understanding the Problems of the Past in today's Conflict
As it has been discussed, the reasons for the birth of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict go far back into the past. Understanding and study of these causes can be an important part of the solution of the conflict today, which does not cease to fade, affecting the lives of millions of people. The religious and racial nature represents the main causes of the conflict. Both Arabs and Israeli unwish to make concessions to each other. The main problem consists in the territorial boundaries of the state of Israel. All the Arab countries neighboring Palestine opposed the creation of Israel and the partition of Palestine. One should also pay attention to the problem of racism and apartheid, which formed the basis of the conflict. This dispute cannot be resolved in the short term. Noam Chomsky claims, "in the West Bank, Israel will continue to take whatever it finds valuable—land, water, resources—dispersing the limited Palestinian population while integrating these acquisitions within a Greater Israel". However, many of the leading countries in the world have played a negative role in the development of Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine too. The reason for this was the collaboration of the countries such as England, the USA, and the USSR, which pursued a personal benefit in the development of the conflict. Consequently, the understanding of the problems, which became the basis of the conflict in the past, may be useful today. Nevertheless, some researchers do not believe in a peaceful conflict resolution, stating that recent attacks on Israelis will only serve to "entrench the idea that Israel must maintain the status quo or face more terror."
In conclusion, if one considers the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a historical context, it becomes clear that the current state of affairs depends on the countries such as the United States, the UK, and the Russian Federation, as these states have created the basis for the emergence of the conflict between Arabs and Israeli. The present analysis of the past and the present of the conflict allows discovering the main cause of the conflict and determining the complexity of the situation in the Middle East. The study of the conflict in a historical context leads to the conclusion that both sides need to consider their policies today. The European Union, the United States, and the Russian Federation should make every effort to promote the search for a compromise between Israel and other Arab countries.
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