An Analysis of the Israeli-Palenstinian Conflict

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The thesis of this article is an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and both the things that have prevented it from being resolved as well as potential solutions or measures directed at establishing peace. The Author’s major arguments in this article start with Israel and how they feel that they have a Biblical right to occupy the areas of the West Bank. The author then goes on to discuss how the Palestinians also feel that they have a right to this land as a birthright because they have occupied this land over time as their own. After discussing why both sides feel as if they deserve to call the land in conflict their own he discusses neither side is happy with what is going on. In this section he discusses how the Israelis face three choices, none of which are beneficial in one way or another. Although these choices are not desirable for various reasons, the author discusses how recent changes have made the two-state solution the most desirable option currently. The most potentially influential change in the eyes of the piece’s author is President Obama’s election and how by acting differently than our previous two presidents Obama can help facilitate legitimate and long lasting strides towards peace.

The author of the article presents various strengths and weaknesses for the arguments throughout the article. The first argument is in his discussion of the Israeli view to rightfully possessing the West Bank. This argument is supported by the Israeli perception that Biblically they have a right to this land but the author disproves this argument by pointing out how other Arab nations view this occupational standpoint as one that is very hollow. Other Arab nations view Israeli governmental financial and protective b...

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... which not only has been shown by history but is also reflected in the author’s analysis. This viewpoint most likely comes from my personal conscious assumption and general knowledge of the subject and how it has been an issue of great debate and animosity between both sides involved. A question that I had prior to this piece and one that was not really addressed by this article is why did the Camp David Summit of 2000 fail? I feel that this was an essential part and failure of recent negotiations and this article’s brief mention of it caused me to wonder more about what the cause of its failure actually was.

Works Cited

Ben-Meir, Alon. "Negotiating an Israeli-Palestinian Breakthrough." Middle East Policy 16.1 (2009): 53-62. Web. 20 Oct 2010. .

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