The Gaza Strip is a 360-sqaure-kilometer strip of costal land running along Israel’s southwestern flank of the Mediterranean Sea and on the border with Egypt. About 1.7 million Palestinian Arabs live there, and it is governed by the militant Islamist group Hamas. Gaza’s history dates back 5,000 years and for most of its existence it has been at the center of controversy. Solving this controversy could hold the key to peace in the Middle East. Gaza has been ruled, destroyed, and repopulated by various dynasties, empires, and people throughout the past 5,000 years. Gaza was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 63 BCE and for nearly six centuries it experienced relative peace and prosperity. It was a hub for trade and commerce, connecting Africa to the Middle East. Under Roman rule the city was inhabited by a diverse group of people including Greeks, Canaanites, Jews, Egyptians, Persians, and Phoenicians. During this time the region was dotted with pagan temples and it citizens worshiped a vast array of native Gods. It was not until around 250 CE that Christianity was initiated there. However, it did not take hold until after the fall of the Roman Empire. Upon the fall of the Roman Empire, Gaza became a territory of the Byzantine Empire. Thus, it became heavily influence by Christianity. For instance, it became the starting point of pilgrimages around 540, making it an important city in the early Christian world. It also remained an important commercial center during this time. At the end of the Byzantine era, Gaza became inhabited by a group of Arab traders who eventually gained control of the territory. Muslim influence was accompanied by several drastic changes. Churches were transformed into Mosques, the Christian populat... ... middle of paper ... ... order to secure peace. Finally, a plan would be developed to provide refugees with aid and homes. This would benefit all in accordance, by removing a lot of political instability in each country within the region. The removal of radical terrorists would have a dual benefit of promoting harmony and legitimacy. Thus, creating stability. Military mobilization would also help to stimulate Middle Eastern economies. And finally, it would promote political diplomacy. Obviously, years of chaos and divide cannot be overcome in one conference. However, it could lay the foundation for renewed peace talks in the Middle East and usher in a new era of prosperity within the region. Starting by solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would do much to improve the lives of the 1.7 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and potentially unlock the key to peace in the Middle East.
Even though the current city is under the church its beginnings were not at all related to Christianity. The old legend tells the reader that two brothers, Romulus and Remus, found the city. In reality group of people settled in the seven hills and the population grew and the Roman population came about (Trauman). From there on the city went under various ruling strategies such as being senatorial republic to finally being under the emperor (Cowling). Then onwards it became the capital of the Roman Empire. Even though the Roman outskirts land was very organized like a grid pattern, this was not the case at the capital. The capital never followed a structure (Kostof 1991). Being built near river Tiber is the only strategy it f...
Anson Rainey and R. Steven Notley are the authors of The Sacred Land Bridge, which is an Atlas of the biblical world and includes maps, pictures, and historical cementation as to the significance of this region. The biblical world that this atlas focuses on is defined as the eastern Mediterranean littoral, or more commonly called the Levant in modern archeological discussions. In my critique of this book I will be focusing on pages 30-34 which will define the boundaries and explain the importance of the Levant.
Jerusalem or Zion, is where the church of Jesus Christ got their stard. But in apostolic time a different city came to overshadow Jerusalem in some respects. The city of Antioch, capital of the Roman province of Syria.
The fight between Israel and Palestine has been seen as an unfair battle, due to the high-tech supplies given to Israel by the US. Israel’s military is extremely strong and constantly growing, with people joining from all over the world, while Palestine’s main defense is a terrorist group called Hamas. Israel has been forced into building a wall surrounding the Gaza strip to stop these terror attacks from harming the citizens of Israel. Palestine believes that Israel’s fighting is too severe compared to Palestine’s attempts at attacking Israel. Gideon Levy wrote, “Once again, Israel’s violent responses, even if there is justification to them, exceed all proportion and cross every red line of humaneness, morality, international law, and wisdom (Document 5, Palestinian View)”. The Palestinians believe that the Israeli military is fighting too much and unfairly, and should not be allowed to take these measures against them.
Bob Hawke once said; “Unless and until something concrete is done about addressing the Israeli-Palestinian issue you won't get a real start on the war against terrorism.” Perhaps Hawke put into a few simple words one of the most complicated issues within our world today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As Israel continues to strip the Palestinians of their land and fears it’s very existence because of the Palestinians terrorist acts, there seems to be no solution in sight. The world appears to be split and all over the place when it comes to this matter. According to The Middle East Institute for Understanding approximately 129 countries recognize Palestine as a state while many others do not. Over all the political matters within this issue not only affect Palestine and Israel but the world as a whole, as the Middle East and the West seem to disagree. This has had and will continue to have an enormous impact on many political affairs all over the world particularly in the current fight against terrorism. Personally I feel that the Israeli Palestinian conflict while being a very complicated matter has a simple solution. Within this issue I am a firm believer that the occupation of the West Bank by Israeli forces is extremely unjust and must come to an end. Once this is achieved a two state solution will be the most effective way to bring peace to the area. The occupation of the West Bank violates political and legal rights, human rights, and illegally forces Palestinians who have lived in the area for hundreds of years from their land. This conflict is at the height of its importance and a solution is of dire need as nuclear issues arise in the Middle East due to the tension between Israel and it’s surrounding neighbors, and the...
One of the first cities taken by Christians was Nicaea otherwise known as Iznik, Turkey in 1097. Then soon after Antioch, now Hatay Province, Turkey in 1098. The Crusaders reached and captured the center of the Holy Lands, Jerusalem, in June of 1099; they were reduced to half due to starvation, injuries, and sick...
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
Maalouf’s main thesis in The Crusades Through Arab Eyes is that the crusades are a major part of history and have truly influenced every one of our lives. The second pa...
The Christians and Muslims traded it back and forth during The Crusades, and the Jews control it now. The Israeli government still allows Arabs to utilize Jerusalem as a place of worship. Unlike when Jordan controlled this area Jews were forbidden to practice their religion worship on this ground. What is being afforded the Israeli government now, is an opportunity to show the rest of the world that it is truly a gracious government. Jerusalem as a shared space, must be a place for both peoples and religion to come together. This city has been passed from one owner to another throughout history, by forcible means. What if we were to pass this city one more time? Not to one set of people but to another kind of governing body, a blending of both Islam and
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” Stated former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after three fourths of one million Palestinians had been made refugees, over five hundred towns and cities had been obliterated, and a new regional map was drawn. Every vestige of the Palestinian culture was to be erased. Resolution 181, adopted in 1947 by the United Nations declared the end of British rule over Palestine (the region between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River) and it divided the area into two parts; a state for the Jewish and one for the Arab people, Palestine. While Israel was given statehood, Palestine was not. Since 1947, one of the most controversial issues in the Middle East, and of course the world, is the question of a Palestinian state. Because of what seems a simple question, there have been regional wars among Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, terrorist attacks that happen, sometimes daily, displacement of families from their homes, and growing numbers of people living in poverty. Granting Palestinian statehood would significantly reduce, or alleviate, tensions in the Middle East by defining, once and for all, the area that should be Palestine and eliminating the bloodshed and battles that has been going on for many years over this land.
Main Events in the history of Jerusalem. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2011, from Century One Educational Bookstore: http://www.centuryone.com/hstjrslm.html
The conquest to pursue war against Sejul Turks, who were Sunni Muslims, began when Crusaders realized the Jerusalem had not been under Christian control in 461 years. This was shocking because Christianity has spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in Late Antiquity. After Muslims captured Jerusalem in 1076, any Christian who wanted to pay a visit to the city of Jerusalem faced many obstacles because Muslim soldiers made it very dangerous for them to do so. Jerusalem is very important to Christians because it has lots of biblical references. In Europe the Pope along with the Papacy has assumed the power of utili...
The graphic novel Palestine written by Joe Sacco is a trustworthy description of different stories in the heart of the century-long conflict between Arabs and Israeli. Sacco produced the graphic novel after spending two months with the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories in late 1991 and early 1992. Things certainly have changed since thenThe story is all about what happened in that part of the Middle East at the beginning of the 1990s. In this respect, a critical viewpoint should be applied in order to discuss the main topics in detail. Thus, Palestine is actually a guide for a Westerner willing to know what occurs in the Middle East each time the conflict between Israeli and Palestinians takes place.Excellent contemporary graphic novel. The characters convincingly portrayed. Sacco has a journalist eye and a storyteller’s heart.
In 63 B.C. Roman power spread to Judea, the Jewish homeland. At the time King Herod was the ruler of Judea, he accepted Roman rule and angered many Jews by doing so. After the death of Herod many Jews revolted against Roman rule for 10 years. At this time there were two main factions of Jews, one group, the Zealots wanted to rid Judea of Roman influence. The other group was waiting for a messiah as scripture had prophetized. The Messiah, or Savior would restore the kingdom to the Jews.
Another casual night: the air is sticky, and the water is scarce, all throughout the country the sound of gunshots are ringing through the air. For most people, this “casual” night is beyond their wildest imagination, but for Syrians it is an ongoing nightmare. Faced with the trauma of a civil war, Syrian refugees seek protection and a more promising future than the life they currently live in their oppressive country. Many seek refuge in other Middle East countries like Turkey and Jordan, but others search for hope in the icon of freedom, the United States of America. However, in America, there is an ongoing debate about whether or not Syrian refugees should be accepted. America needs to accept the Syrian refugees because if they do not, the