Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Introduction
The Israel-Palestinian conflict, as its name implies, is the ongoing struggle between the two nations of Israel and Palestine that began in the middle of the 20th century. This conflict is complex and involves many issues between the two nations such as recognition of each other as a separate state, matters of territories and boundaries, control of Jerusalem, water issues, Palestinian freedom and rights, among other things. Since there are many issues at hand, the conflict between the two countries is ongoing until now, with no chance of a solution or point of compromise in the near future. In addition, it has been the subject of many international issues such as historical, security, and human rights, and many countries and nations have tried to intervene between the two countries.
One way to take a look at this issue deeper is to examine come of the causes of the conflict, both short-term and long-term. In addition, the effectiveness of one of the proposed solutions dubbed as ‘The Two-State Solution’ will be analyzed. In this way, a more comprehensive understanding regarding this issue can be achieved.
As mentioned earlier, there are many issues involved in the whole debacle surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some of these are short-term; they are issues that emanate from the conflict and are caused by deeper issues. These issues can be solved in relatively shorter duration than the others. Other causes are long-term; they can be considered the root causes of the conflict itself and solving these issues will greatly improve the situation between the two warring factions. However, these issues are multifaceted and involve a great deal of legal, moral, and ethical justifications so they are generally not easy to resolve.
Perhaps the primary issue at hand regarding this situation is the issue of land, which is then considered a long-term cause in itself. All throughout history, the Jews wanted to settle in a land in which they can claim to be theirs. However, many events throughout history have caused the Jews to relocate from one place to another, with no place to call their own until Britain gave them Palestine in 1917. Palestine has been in control of the Turkish Empire until the end of the World War One in 1917, where it was seceded to the British. The British, in turn, issued the Balfour Declaration, which stated that the state of Palestine will be a home for the Jews, and thus they migrated there. However, the Arab occupants in the Israel do not approve of the Jews there, hence the conflict.
Another long-term cause is the issue of religion. Basically, the Muslims in the region do not approve of people of another religion living in the state, and thus they do not like the idea of Jews who are living in the same region as theirs. Therefore, they sought out to attack the Jews so that they may be removed from the state of Israel, and thus conflicts ensued between the two regions.
One of the short-term causes, one that resulted from the long-term causes, is the control of Jerusalem. This is caused by the religion conflict. It was said that Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, plays a significant part in the conflict and thus control of it would lead to a great victory. As of now, Jerusalem is controlled by the Muslims. The Jew’s attempt to seize the city and put it under their control is one of the factors that contribute to the conflict.
Another short-term cause of the conflict is about the issue of water. Like with any other civilization, water is crucial to the survival of civilization. It is needed not only as a drinking source by the inhabitants, but also as a source of irrigation in agriculture. In the Middle East Area, the main source of water among the states surrounding it is the Jordan River, but the West Bank’s mountain aquifer and the Sea of Galilee were also viable candidates as well. It is argued that the water is mainly controlled by the Israelis, which in turn restricts the Palestinians from using their own source of water. The Palestinians then have to purchase water from other sources at a high price, thereby crippling the economy.
Two-State Policy: A Solution?
In order to resolve the conflicts between the two factions, many solutions have been laid out. One such solution involves treating Israel and Palestine as two states independent of each other, which is dubbed as The Two-State Solution. However, the effectiveness of this is questionable since it leaves out the issue of coexistence with another religion, which is one of the primary causes of the problem. Even if the two were treated as separate, the ideologies of the citizens would not change, which will likely cause problems later on.
Perhaps a better solution to the issue would be a general shift in the perspective of both sides. Arabs can put aside differences in religion in order to live peacefully with the Palestinians, and the Palestinians can start recognizing that there are other people in their land aside from their own. A paradigm shift is not simple and does not happen overnight, but if small steps are taken, the big issue between the two countries could finally be resolved.
Bibliography
Asser, Martin. “Obstacles to Arab-Israeli Peace: Water”. BBC. Accessed 3 May 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11101797
Gabrieli, Francesco. Arab Historians of the Crusades. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969.
History Learning Site. “Palestine 1918 to 1948”. Accessed 3 May 2016. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-middle-east-1917-to-1973/palestine-1918-to-1948/
Humphrys, Mark. “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, MarkHumphrys.com. Accessed 3 May 2016. http://markhumphrys.com/israel.conflict.html
