Middle East

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The Middle East has always been in conflict, from biblical times, to the crusades, and on through modern times. Since around 1900, the conflict has primarily been between two groups, Jews and Arabs. During this time, the British occupied the land and under their control the conflict remained minimal. But within months of their departure, and the division of the land between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations, war broke out. The Arabs were unhappy with the UN's divisions of the land, and in an attempt to obtain the land, which they believed was rightfully theirs; they attacked the State of Israel. To the surprise of many, the armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan fell to Israeli troops and instead of gaining land, they lost it. Almost twenty years later war broke out once more. This time Egypt had blocked off the Straits of Tiran, which supplied most of Israel's exports, and mobilized most of their fighting army on the border with Israel. Israel, instead of waiting for Egypt to attack first, Israel made the first move and attacked Egypt. Israel destroyed almost all of Egypt's bombers while they were still on the ground. Syria and Jordan both responded to this attack with an aerial assault on a few Israeli bases and war was waged. The war only lasted six days, hence the name The Six-Day War, and during this time Israel more than doubled its territory. They secured the Golan Heights to the north, the hills of Judea and Summaria to the east, and the Gaza Strip and the Sinai desert to the south. Besides the Sinai Desert, which was returned to Egypt as part of a peace agreement, most of these lands are part of Israel today. The Yom Kippur War was latter fought between the same countries but in this war no territory was gained or lost.
Palestinians, as they are now called, were the people that were left in the territories that were capture by Israel in the Six-Day War. Palestinians were unwanted by the countries of their origin, even specifically told to stay in Israeli refugee camps, and were forced to stay in Israel. The Palestinians now claim that the land is theirs and that Israel stole it from them. In response to the Israeli "theft" of their land, Palestinian terrorist groups have sent suicide bombers into prominent city squares, heavily populated markets, and on to multiple buses; all in the attempt of regaining the...

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...specially since Israel has the upper hand in this situation; which ends up being tied behinds its back, a little bit because of fear of war and a little bit out of lack of American support; it shouldn't be the one who is required to give up something for nothing. But unfortunately it doesn't work that way, the peace process can't be tested, it isn't an equal agreement, and it isn't the next step to world peace, so it has no chance of surviving. Peace can't answer the problem. The terrorist won't stop until they get all of Israel, they have said so. The problem that believers in the process have is that they don't realize the motives of the terrorists, they don't want some land they want it all. Peace won't be able to satisfy that. Peace just won't work.
Bibliography
Israeli Defense Forces. Internet: World Wide Web http://www.idf.il/english/statistics/statistics.stm, 10/06/01
Katz, Samuel BattleGround Fact And Fantasy In Palestine. New York: Bantam
Books,1973.
Palestinian National Authority The Official Website. Internet: World Wide Web http://www.pna.net/peace, 10/06/01
Westwood, J.N. The History Of The Middle East Wars. New York: Mallard Press, 1984

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