Introduction
The Middle East has experienced more conflicts compared to the other regions of the world. As a matter of fact, the partitioning of this region after the First World War facilitated an increase in instability as well as unrest. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a continuing conflict between the Palestinians and the state of Israel since 1948, the year when the latter gained independence. It is depressing to note that this conflict has remained one of the most problematic dilemmas facing the global community. In essence, no real success has been achieved in spite of several peace plans, which have been advocated to facilitate a final peace agreement. The Israelis describe the conflict as the “War of Independence” whereas we, the Palestinians refer to it as “the Catastrophe.” Ideally, this conflict is not about religion as many individuals might think, but it is a political conflict. In other words, the conflict is deeply rooted in politics with competing claims over land being at the center. For this reason, the present paper delves into its impact.
The conflict can be described as a multifaceted war where the Jewish community in the newly proclaimed Israel state battled against a pan-Arab volunteer force, Palestinian Arabs, and the armed forces that comprised six Arab countries, namely, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. The conflict started as a struggle for the land. In particular, the competing claims over British-mandate Palestine by the Jews and Arabs have been the major source of the conflict. Both Palestinians and Jewish had claimed Palestine before 1948. However, the partitioning of this land into two states, an Arab state called Palestine and Jewish state called Israel, after the approval of the U.N partition plan triggered the conflict as all the neighboring Arab States were against it.
Specifically, the Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt voted against the plan and vowed to challenge its execution by force. Up to this date, the Israelis have continued to maintain that the land was a historical site of their Jewish Kingdom. They also base their claims on the biblical promise of the land to the Abraham. On the other hand, our claim to the land is essentially based on the reality that we were the majority and its occupants for a long period. Consequently, we have a reason to fight for our homeland because it was taken by force and devoid of our consent. It is understandable why our countrymen were unhappy with the partitioning of our land.
The Arabs viewed the partitioning of Palestine as an act of betrayal by the global community. Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, the Arab States bordering Palestine, attacked Israel immediately after it declared its independence on May 14, 1948. During this period, the British troops were leaving Palestine. The Arabs started the fight by launching an attack on Tel Aviv and the newly formed Israeli State fought back. The Arabs armies then invaded the former Palestinian mandate. By early 1949, Israel had gained a decisive military success. It expanded its domain of our land by conquering big new territories. It is disheartening to note that our countrymen did not attain their goal in the end. Particularly, despite fighting for what was rightfully ours, they ended up with much less land compared to the land they would have gained had they accepted the partitioning plan. The conflicts between Israel and our country has continued up to the present day.
The Israelis won the war due to some reasons. For one, they fought with determination. They believed that Palestine was their legal land. They fought hard for their independence and liberation. They continue to believe that it was the land that Abraham and his descendants were promised. Additionally, the Israeli forces had a unified command. However, this was not the case with the Arab forces. These forces were poorly armed, trained, and organized. The Israeli forces were superior and stronger compared to our forces since they were better trained and equipped. The other factor that contributed to the success of Israeli was the divisions among the Arab leadership. In essence, the Arab states that participated in the fight had conflicting goals and interests. Their forces did not have agreed-upon goals. They had mixed motives. For instance, Jordan aimed at annexing the Palestinian State while Egypt aimed at destroying Israel and forestalling the move by Jordan. Surprisingly, each Arab State was distrustful of the motives of the others.
The conflict led to some serious consequences. First of all, the war facilitated the problem of Palestinian refugees. An exodus of Palestinian Arabs from our land that became the state of Israel happened during the war. The commencement of exodus of the Palestinian Arabs was initiated by the hostilities that occurred between December 1947 and March 1948. Hundreds of thousands of our fellow countrymen had been forced out of our homeland by the end of 1948. Their immigration had started in November 1947 following the approval of the U.N partition plan. The declaration of Israel’s independence in the subsequent year worsened the situation as Arab armies invaded Israel. An increasing number of Palestinian Arabs fled away to find refuge in the regions that were safe. Specifically, a large number of the Arabs left their homesteads within the Palestine regions, which the Jews began to control.
The conflict left a substantial number of Palestinians homeless. They left their homes as a result of their fear of Israeli atrocities and attacks. The Israeli fighters killed several Palestinians in Deir Yassin, a Palestinian urban center, by hurling grenades at them and parading them through the streets. As a result, this increased tension among the Palestinians and forced them to flee their homes. The Israelis used their forces to conquer an increasing number of Palestine territories. They applied aggressive military tactics to scare away and flee as many Palestine civilians as possible. Consequently, this raised the number of refugees. More than 700,000 Palestinians became refugees as a result of this conflict. The Arab forces also facilitated the exodus of the Palestine civilians. These forces at times encouraged the Palestinian Arabs to migrate so that they could get an open battleground to fight with the Israeli forces. The Palestinian Arabs accepted to leave their homes believing that they could return soon, but this did not happen. In fact, they ended up becoming refugees in the bordering countries as Arab armies did not win the war.
The conflict also affected the Palestinian socio-economic and demographic structures. The Palestine civilians at the high and middle social classes left their homeland and became refugees in the neighboring countries. They left behind the civilians of the low social classes, especially the rural populations. The land seizures in the newly formed state of Israel had an adverse impact on the agriculture. Consequently, this had an adverse impact on the economy of Middle East. The Palestinian civilians who run away from their homes thanks to the conflict caused an immense refugee problem within the Middle East. The high number of refugees from Palestine turned out to be a social and economic burden to the bordering countries. The Israeli government drafted the laws to expel our nationals who succeed in sneaking back to our homeland.
The conflict also resulted in territory alterations. Israel increased its territory thanks to its victory. It acquired our land, thus, leading to the reduction of our territory. In essence, the rivalry between Israeli and we has continued to the present day. A long-lasting solution to the conflict has not been found. Some of the Arab states that participated in this conflict also increased their territories. For instance, Egypt increased its territory by gaining the Gaza strip while Transjordan did so by gaining the West Bank.
In conclusion, the paper has elucidated the major cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of 1948. Specifically, the issue of land triggered the conflict which is still ongoing. Ideally, the question of land still lies at the heart of this conflict. Both Israelis and Palestinians have been claiming the same land. The paper has demonstrated why we as Palestinians we have the right to fight for what rightfully belongs to ours. Our ancestors were the longest occupants of this land and the majority. The Israelis were given the land, which did not rightfully belong to them. The paper has also discussed the Arab states that fought Israel following its declaration of independence and the partitioning of Palestine as well as the factors that contributed to the Israel’s triumph. Specifically, the Israelis forces fought with determination. They also had a unified command and were better trained and equipped than the Arab forces. What is more, the Arab leadership was divided as Arab states that participated in the fight had conflicting goals and interests. The paper has also described the consequences of this conflict. In particular, the conflict led to the problem of Palestinian refugees and also affected the Palestinian socio-economic and demographic structures.
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The Partition of Palestine: UN General Assembly Resolution 181, November 29, 1947
