The tussle between the Palestinians and Israelis is one of the most explosive and lasting of all the earth's conflicts. It has its base in the significant claim to the soil which is located between the river Jordan and shores of the Mediterranean (eastern side). For the Palestinians the previous centuries have brought military occupation, expulsion and colonization closely pursued by a long and hard search for autonomy and for coexistence with the state they hold accountable for their miseries and loss (Tessler, 34). For the Israelis (Jewish people), the going back to the land of their ancestors following many years of discrimination around the globe has brought no harmony or security. They have endured many catastrophes as their bordering states have sworn to wipe their state off the map (Tessler, 35). In these study am going to talk about if at all Israel have a legitimate right to exist as an independent state and my suggestion on how Palestinian claims to the contested territories be handled.
Israel has a right to exist as an independent state: UN partition plan authorized the formation of two states on the residual 20% of the Palestine jurisdiction: the state for the stateless Arabs and country of Israel for the Jews in 1947(Tessler, 38). The leaders of eight Arab nations did not want a non-Arab state. Consequently, they discarded the UN agreement and concurrently started a three-front war of obliteration against the newly formed state of Israel -- on the same day of its formation in 1948. Israel implored for harmony and offered cooperation and friendship to its borders (Tessler, 42).
The Arab dictators discarded this offer and reacted with a war, which they eventually lost. A state of war in the Middle East has perpetuated uninterruptedly since, for the reason that most Arab states have snubbed to sign a peace treaty with Israel, and have rebuffed to acknowledge the authority of Israel (the Jewish state). To date, the Palestinians and the Arab states submit to the crash of their effort to obliterate Israel as Al-Nakba -- The Disaster. What for one citizens was a joyous dawn was viewed by the others as a catastrophe (Tessler, 43). The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) intention to announce a Palestinian State, Jordan relinquished all territorial claims to the west bank and East Jerusalem in 1988. Given that the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, about 130 UN Member Nations have acknowledged the Palestine (state), comprising the Palestinian territories. It has not been acknowledged by various Western nations, with United States being no exception, and its neighbor Israel. Soon, nonetheless, the Palestinian Authority was created in the result of the 1993 Oslo Accords, practicing limited mandate over parts of the Gaza strip and West Bank (Tessler, 56).
The Palestinian National Authority, the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the European Union and the International Court of Justice consider East Jerusalem as section of the West Bank, thus a section of the Palestinian territories. On the other hand, Israel considers it a section of Israel consequently to its annexation in 1980 deferring Fourth Geneva Convention through the Israelis supreme courts (Tessler, 57). In 1995, the Oslo Accords created entry to Gaza from sea-from shore within 20nm- which was later reduces to 20 miles by the Berlin commitment in2002. In 2006 the Israelis reduced it (6miles) and after Gaza war reduced it to 3miles. The Palestinians are off limits to use the Dead Sea. I think the bodies above should come on board and share the equally land (to the affect) to resolve this issue amicably.
In conclusion, Palestine and Israel are different sovereign countries and should be allowed to control their jurisdiction accordingly.
Work cited
Tessler, Mark A. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. New York: Indiana University Press, 2004.
