During World War II, millions of Jews fled from Germany to escape the brutality of Adolf Hitler. A Zionist movement established that all Jewish refugees were to flee to Palestine, a concept founded by The Jewish State, by Dr. Theodore Herzl, in order to unite all Jews in one holy state. The British were convinced in 1917 by Chaim Weizmann that all Jews needed their own territory in Palestine, and in the early 1920s, the British were given a mandate over Palestine by the League of Nations. Palestinians felt threatened by the rise in Jewish presence in their state, causing widespread fighting in order to expel Jews from the Arabians’ sacred Palestinian land. Ben-Gurion (also known as a member to the World Zionist Congress) was leader of the Jewish peoples in 1947, whereas there was no single leader of the Arabs, there were several influential figures to the cause: Haj Amin el-Husseini – grand mufti of Jerusalem, Azzam Pasha – secretary-general of the Arab League, King Abdullah of Transjordan – only leader open to a Arab-Jewish compromise, and Glubb Pasha – commander of the British-trained Arab Legion.
Along with the views of King Abdullah of Transjordan, there had been talks of a compromise between the two, of which the Jews were favoring and the Arabs condemned. In 1947, the United Nations Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) ordered that Palestine be split into two states – one Jewish, one Palestinian. The US viewed itself as a “world role model” in the situation. In order for the UNSCOP order to be enacted, a majority two-thirds vote would be needed from the General Assembly, to which it was awarded in a thirty-three-thirteen-ten decision, sparking an arms race between the now opposing states. Zionists were at a loss at this time, ...
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... place. The Jews and the Arabs fought for sixty years, over something so simple as the Jews wanting to become their own state after they were forcefully expelled out of Germany. To me, that seems like two siblings fighting because one came into another’s room without permission. I know that it was a bigger deal than this, but it could have been resolved in better a better way than fighting for sixty years, and that’s just my opinion. “Oh, you want some of my territory? Well, how does my bringing in outside forces to break you down until you surrender sound?” An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind, right?
“Mankind must put a stop to war before war puts an end to mankind.” –JFK
Works Cited
Stoessinger, John G. “The Fifty Years’ War in the Holy Land: Israel and the Arabs.” Why Nations Go To War, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2005. Print.
Late into the 19th century, Zionism (a biblical name for Jerusalem) started to rise when Theodor Herzl published an article that concluded Jewish assimilation and emancipation could not work in Europe. It was this that started plans for the creation of a Jewish statehood. During this time, the population of Jews were spread out across different countries, and in each of these countries, they had represented a minority. Throughout this period, they had longed for a state in which they called Eretz Israel, the land of Israel. Herzl’s proposed solution was for the revival of a Jewish homeland where they could set up a state belonging to themselves. Following his publishings, the First Zionist Congress was held in Switzerland. The program state that “The aim of Zionism is to create for the Jewish people a homeland in Palestine secure by public law”. Much of the Jewish community at this point held mixed views about this movement but it was this time period of the late 19th ce...
Conflicts between people often have multiple causes and effects. A majority of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an argument that dates back to Biblical times. The Jewish argue Palestine was the historical site of all Jewish kingdoms, which was promised to Abraham and his descendants. The Arabs argue that Ishmael, forefather of Arabs, is the son of Abraham so God’s promise that the land should go to Abraham’s descendents includes Arabs as well . Some of the main causes which worsen the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are the disparity between Sykes-Picot agreement and Balfour Declaration, The United Nation Partition plan of 1947, which was the separation of the boundaries, and Hitler’s Final Solution. While these causes affected both sides
The Nation of Israel was founded out of the eastern area of a British occupied (former Ottoman Empire) section of western Asia known as the “Mandate of Palestine”. There was an attempt in November of 1947 by the United Nations (UN) to partition the region into Arab and Israeli states with the Holy City Jerusalem as an international city. (United Nations, 1949) The Jews accepted this proposal while the Arab League and other groups did not. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2006). What followed was an Arab strike that became violent and sent the Jews on the defensive. They rebounded and brought the civil war to an end, expelling over 250,000 Arabs. The day before the British mandate was set to expire; the region was invaded by four Arab States starting the yearlong 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Ultimately a cease fire and truce was reached with the establishment of bo...
The Middle East has since time immemorial been on the global scope because of its explosive disposition. The Arab Israeli conflict has not been an exception as it has stood out to be one of the major endless conflicts not only in the region but also in the world. Its impact continues to be felt all over the world while a satisfying solution still remains intangible. A lot has also been said and written on the conflict, both factual and fallacious with some allegations being obviously evocative. All these allegations offer an array of disparate views on the conflict. This essay presents an overview of some of the major literature on the controversial conflict by offering precise and clear insights into the cause, nature, evolution and future of the Israel Arab conflict.
Cleveland, William L. A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2000.
Subsequent to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I Palestine was under British control and during this time most people living in Palestine were Palestinians. In November 1917, the Balfour Declaration was issued by the British Government announcing that the establishment in Palestine was to be a national home for the Jewish people (“Creation of Israel”, n.d.) In 1922, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Palestine which included, “provisions calling for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, facilitating Jewish immigration and encouraging Jewish settlement on the land” (“Creation of Israel”, n.d.)
World War II left Europe in ruins and devastated those who lived there, but nobody was more affected than the Jews. When the war ended, the U.S. and other countries revealed to the world the amount of torture and mistreatment the Jews suffered under Nazi control. Many wanted to help these suffering outcasts, so Jewish Zionists suggested the Jews be relocated to Palestine, where they could live in peace away from others(Devine, 1). Britain and President Truman felt sympathetic for the Jews, and decided to help them establish a new Jewish homeland in the Middle East. During the formation of Israel, the U.S. played a big role by establishing a committee, supporting U.N. and Jewish intentions, and recognizing Israel as a country. Although the recognition was a success, each event had some type of effect on the Palestinians or Americans.
The revolt caused the Jews to develop greater self sufficiency in the region. For example, when the British destroyed the Port of Jaffa, the Zionists were able to obtain permission to build their own port, increasing their influence and limiting the Palestinians’. M.J. Cohen notes the uncompromising nature of the Zionists to Palestinians demands shows their commitment to their goal. His analysis of the political interactions between the two groups reveals that negotiations were unsuccessful because the leaders on both sides were unwilling to make sacrifices, particularly in regards to continued Jewish immigration and the number of Jews in Palestine. This shows that the main political bodies of both groups had greatly opposing views to the point that compromise was unable to be made between
The news of people dying and suffering, killings of women and children, and bombings by terrorists and militaries, has undoubtedly grabbed the world’s attention towards the Israel-Palestine conflict. While Palestinian children scream for their dead parents, the world’s leaders and academics initiated a frantic debate, trying hard to point out the real cause and viable solutions for the current situation. This has led to many peace initiatives by the international community that were unfortunately a devastating failure. This deadlock had left leaders and supporters of both sides blaming each other for their stubbornness, in some cases elevating the unrest in Israel and Palestine (Reynolds). In this difficult condition, it is hard for us to determine what actually caused the failure of the peace talks without being biased towards one side. Therefore, my goal in this essay is to examine the cause of the peace talks’ failure objectively by observing the history of past peace talks, the reasons for disagreement that are given by Palestine and Israel and the key issues discussed in peace talks. Finally, I will conclude my research by developing my stand on the causes based on the research I have conducted.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history. The expansion of Israel since 1947 is seen as the beginning of the conflict, although its origins go back to the end of the 19th century, when Jewish immigration to Palestine began to increase. Since the start of the conflict, several peace negotiations have been carried out, resulting in variable degrees of success.
The international Zionist movement, birthed in the 19th century, served as a major catalyst for the Jewish state. Jews from around the world developed their longing for a revived homeland into political and social action. August 29, 1897 marked the First Zionist Congress, convened by Theodor Herzl in Basle.1 Out of this gathering arose a collective proclamation for the Jew's right to a national homeland. Recognized by the world in the early twentieth century with the British-issued Balfour declaration, the state of Israel was officially realized on May 14, 1948, at the signing of the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, which deemed “the State of Israel … open for Jewish immigrati...
The Arabs of Palestine were ‘not a national group and never had been.’ They were largely undifferentiated from the inhabitants of much of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. They had no authentic tie to Israel, and many only came for economic opportunity after the Zionist movement began to make the land fruitful and the economy thrive. Palestine was never a separate state and Jerusalem was never a capital. The Zionists brought peace to Palestine, as well as prosperity, and when the UN tried to honor both Palestine and Israel in a two-state deal, Palestine selfishly
In order to be culturally relativistic when reading about the history of the conflict in the Middle East, one must understand that while anger and a desire for land play a role in the fighting these are not the main causes of this conflict. It is necessary to look beyond these common myths of war in order to look for the true causes of the bloodshed. A deep underlying truth that could explain some reason for this turmoil is that neither side, Israel nor Palestine, has come to terms with living with each other. Therefore, the two groups’ cultures clash as members of each side bind together in compassion and loyalty while fighting to gain power and prestige for their people.
In the Middle East, tensions between Jews and Arabs have been present since biblical times. When the Jewish state of Israel was created in 1948 in the Arab homeland of Palestine, severe unrest emerged between the two groups and the Palestinian War began.
“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.