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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides feel that they are the heirs of a long history, the Jews of Israel returning to their homeland after a 2,000 year exile, and the Muslims and Christians of Palestine maintaining that they have dwelt there for 1,500 years.This conflict is the main element in a larger Arab-Israeli conflict, which, in turn, is a part of the greater Middle East conflicts.

Summary of article

The area which Israelis and Palestinians are in conflict about is within the former British Mandate of Palestine, which today is defined by the borders of the State of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and the Kingdom of Jordan. This area was originally ruled by Turkey from 1517 until 1917. In 1917 Britain's army took control of Palestine. The British government issued the Balfour Declaration, "viewing with favor" the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In 1922 the British cut off the eastern three quarters of Palestine and created the Kingdom of Jordan. In 1948 the British departed, the State of Israel was declared in most of the western quarter of Palestine, and a number of Arab nations declared war against Israel. Israel won this war. All Arab nations rejected a 1947 plan by the United Nations for the partition of western Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Palestinian.

Civilian unrest and military conflict has intensified in recent years in two Palestinian uprisings, called intifadas(literally, the shaking off): the First Intifada in 1987-1991, and the "al-Aqsa Intifada" beginning in 2000, up to the present day. The first intifada was followed by a period of relative quiet and reconciliation from the early to mid-1990s, with hope for a settlement to all Israeli-Palestinian hostilities, culminating in the Oslo accords. The second intifada erupted after a series of escalations by Israeli and Palestinian combatants. After the failure of the peace process in 2000, and in the wake of provoking symbolic acts by Israeli and Arab conservatives, the violence has resulted to date, in over 1200 deaths.

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History

World War I and the British Mandate of Palestine

The British were given a mandate by the new League of Nations in 1920 of the land then called Palestine, including all of what would later become the State of Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, a part of the Golan Heights, and the Kingdom of Jordan. The population of this area was mostly Arab, with a growing Jewish minority (approaching 10%) and Bedouin and Druze. Britain was given effective control over Iraq, while France received Lebanon and Syria as mandates.

In 1921 the British mandate was split up into several administrative units. The British claim to have fulfilled their mandate promise by turning an area to the east of Jordan River, consisting of 78% of the whole Mandate of Palestine, into an independent Arab Kingdom of Jordan. This area east of the river Jordan was mostly arid and populated by Bedouins.

Arab opinion did not accept the arrangement as just: Firstly they opposed the approach of dividing the Arab populated areas into multiple territories under the control of various European nations or rulers appointed by Europeans. Secondly, they opposed the proposed scheme of turning part of Palestine into a Jewish state. This was the source of much of the Palestinian Arab and Arab resentment against British rule. It also extended to the growing number of Jews immigrating to former Arab lands.

Jewish Immigration

Jews were allowed to immigrate only into the Mandate proper, and Arabs were allowed unlimited immigration into both the Jordanian part of Palestine, as well as the western quarter. In 1923 Britain transferred a part of the Golan Heights to the French mandate of Syria, in exchange for the Metula region. Arab immigration was allowed; Jewish immigration was limited by a continually decreasing quota.

During the 1920s, 100,000 Jewish immigrants and 6,000 non-Jewish immigrants entered Palestine. Initially, the trickle of Jewish immigration emerging in the 1880s, met little opposition from the local Arabs. However, already by the late 1800s there was opposition and it was strong by the late 1920s. As anti-Semitism grew in Europe, Jewish emigration to Palestine began to markedly increase, causing Arab resentment of the British government's immigration policies to explode.

There was loud, and sometimes violent opposition from the Palestinian population at large. In an increasing new trend, land purchased by the Jewish agencies from absentee landlords led to the eviction of Palestinian tenants, who would be replaced by Jewish settlers. In addition, the influential Jewish trade union Histradut demanded that Jewish employers only hired Jews. As a result, Arabs argued that they were increasingly shut out of the labor market.

The Olive Tree

When immigrating Jews purchased land from the British both parties ignored long-established laws and customs that governed Palestinian ownership rights. These rights often did not extend to the land but to the trees they planted. The olive tree is particularly important here as it can remain productive for over a 1000 years and represents a long family history, lifestyle, and means for making a living. This extended into lands designated for Arabs as well, often for industrialization and to make use of increasing amount of Palestinian labor.

The British put severe limitations on the Jewish immigration to Palestine. Immigration was allowed but it was restricted by a quota. For their own reasons, both Arabs and Jews disliked this policy. The Palestinians would frequently riot and commit acts of violence against Jewish communities and two Jewish groups, the Irgun and the Stern gang carried out several acts of terrorism against British targets.

The Great Uprising

In 1936 the British proposed a partition between Jewish and Arab areas, which was rejected by both the Arabs and the Zionist Congress. [1]

During the years 1936-1939 there was an upsurge in militant Arab nationalism that later came to be known as the "Great Uprising". The uprising came as Palestinian Arabs saw they were being marginalized in their own country. In addition to non-violent strikes and protests, some began resorting to terrorism that would eventually leave hundreds of Jews dead. The uprising was put down by the British force, with the concerted forces of the Jewish self-defence organization, Haganah.

The British placed restrictions on Jewish land purchases in the remaining land to limit the socio-political damage already done. Jews alleged that this contradicted the provision of the League of Nations Mandate which said;

"...the Administration of Palestine ... shall encourage, in cooperation with the Jewish Agency ... close settlement by Jews on the land, including State lands and waste lands not acquired for public purposes."

Jews complained that the British had alloted over twice as much land to Arabs, relative to Jews; this violated the contract. Arabs held that the contract was disproportionately in favor of Jewish settlement when the relative size of the two populations at the time are considered.

World War II and its aftermath

The British appointed Haj Amin Al-Husseini as "mufti of Jerusalem", in order to have an official representative of the Palestinean people. This turned out to be a major mistake. The mufti soon emerged as an open supporter of Hitler and convened with Nazi leaders several times. Despite being no great friend of the Arab cause, Hitler accepted Palestinian support in the hope that they would rebel against his enemies, the British, in the region, thereby advancing Hitler's military interests. Though many prominent Arab intellectuals opposed the persecution of the Jews by the hands of the Nazis including Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia and Egyptians Tawfiq al-Hakim and Abbas Mahmoud al-Akkad, the British were eventually forced to imprison Arabs who actively supported Hitler.

During the war and after, the British forbade European Jews entry into Palestine This was partly a calculated move to maximise support for their cause in World War II among Arabs. The Jewish support for the anti-semitic Axis was unlikely and the British seemed to consider it more important to sacrifice Jewish sentiment in favor of securing Arab support. The immigration policy was also in response to the fact that security in Palestine had begun to tie up troops much needed elsewhere.

The Jewish leadership decided to begin an illegal immigration (haa'pala) using small boats operating in secrecy. About 70,000 Jews were brought to Palestine in this way between 1946 and 1947, and a similar number were captured and imprisoned by the British while sailing.

Details of the Holocaust(which resulted in the death of approximately 6 million European Jews by the Nazis) had a major effect on the situation in Palestine. Seeing that the situation was quickly spiraling out of their control, the British announced their desire to terminate their mandate and to withdraw by May 1948. This decision threw Palestine into the middle of civil and ethnic unrest.

Israeli terrorism and Palestinian terrorism

Opposing the British policy to disallow new emigrants from Europe, even until after the war was over, an underground group, the Irgun, in 1946 blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of the British administration, killing 91 people, and injuring hundreds more. This was condemned by the Jewish leadership. The Irgun also bombed the British embassy in Rome. (Add summary of Palestinian terrorism here, with links to relevant articles.)

Division of Palestine by the United Nations

The United Nations, the successor to the League of Nations, attempted to solve the dispute between Jews and Palestinians. The UN appointed a committee, the UNSCOP, and considered two main proposals. The first called for the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states in Palestine, with Jerusalem to be placed under international administration. The second called for the creation of a single federal state containing both Jewish and Arab constituent states. A majority of UNSCOP adopted the first option.

The partition plan was rejected by most Palestinians but was accepted by most Jews, including the Jewish Agency, which would become the new Jewish government. Several prominent Jews, however declined the proposal. Menachem Begin, Irgun's leader and later Prime Minister of Israel, declared: "The partition of the homeland is illegal. It will never be recognized. The signature by institutions and individuals of the partition agreement is invalid. It will not bind the Jewish people. Jerusalem was and will for ever be our capital. The Land of Israel will be restored to the people of Israel. All of it. And for ever."

Begin's views were rejected by the majority of Jews, both then, and now. Palestinians, however, claim that Begin's view is secretly the real intention of most Jews. Some Palestinian Arabs claimed that Israel's public and internal acceptance of the UN proposal was orchestrated propaganda for the ears of powerful Western nations, and was part of a conspiracy to take over all of the British Mandate of Palestine. Today the Palestinian Authority publishes many books and pamplets "proving" that "the Jews" desire to take over all of the West Bank, Gaza, all of Jordan and parts of many other Arab nations. These proofs are widely considered by western historians to be propaganda.

End of British Rule

On the date of British withdrawal the Jewish provisional government declared the formation of the State of Israel. The then created provisional government said that it would grant full civil rights to all peoples within its borders, whether Arab, Jew, Bedouin or Druze.

"We appeal ... to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions."

Palestinians did not accept this at face value and claimed that despite the assurances of equal rights for all, the State of Israel would be complicit in discriminating in numerous ways in favor of Jews. They point to the Israeli Right of return, which gives automatic citizenship to Jewish immigrants as a preferential treatment to Jews. Such a policy, they claimed, was indicative of a Jewish theocracy, not a democracy. Palestinians considered a statement by one of the Zionist leaders, Chaim Weizmann, to be a more accurate a statement of the intention of the founders of Israel: "(Our intention is to) finally establish such a society in Palestine that Palestine shall be as Jewish as England is English, or America is American." Israelis respond that it is ludricrous to use the quote of one man as "proof" of the feelings of most Israelis.

Wars between Arab nations and Israels

A separate entry exists with more details on other aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This entry describes a number of topics, including the 1956 Suez War, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War and the Lebanon War.

The Arab and Jewish refugee situation

Over 650,000 Palestinian Arabs became refugees as a result of the conflict. Over 800,000 Jews were forced to leave their homes in the surrounding Arab countries as a result of the conflict. Palestinian refugees were virtually imprisoned in refugee camps in a number of Arab nations; to this day most have never been allowed to become full citizens of any Arab nation (with Jordan as a partial exception). Jewish refugees from any nation were embraced by the Israeli government, and allowed to become citizens. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs today still live as refugees in unsuitable conditions. Many Arabs under Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza also live in refugee camps; there have been many proposals to change the situation, but the peace process has not yet developed to the point where a peaceful solution is at hand.

Peace and reconciliation

Despite the long history of conflict between Israelis and Arabs, there are many people working on peaceful solutions that respect the rights of peoples on all sides. This section discusses the many successful projects that work to create a peaceful and productive co-existence between Israelis and Arabs.

Neve Shalom Humanitarian Aid Project

The Israeli Jewish-Arab Village of Neve Shalom-Wahat al Salam provides a remarkable model of coexistence. They organize humanitarian projects, including providing medical assistance for Palestinians in need of help.

Hamidrasha Jewish-Arab Beit Midrash

Hamidrasha, a center for study and fellowship, works to address alienation, estrangement, and mutual ignorance between Jews and Arabs. Hamidrasha is establishing an inter-cultural Beit Midrash (Hebrew, "House of study"), which will serve as a basis for mutual personal and communal encounters, and for the study of cultural narratives and modern texts of both peoples. Jewish, Muslim and Christian men and women will engage in a true inter-cultural learning experience, with the goal of making a significant contribution to the ongoing dialogue between Jews and Arabs, and strengthening their reciprocal ties.

Ir Shalem co-existence program

In many ways the city of Jerusalem has been at the center of the conflict. The Israeli political movement Peace Now in [1994]] has created an initiative called Ir Shalem, the goal of which is to build a peaceful equitable and inspiring future for this city, with Jewish and Arab citizens working together to find solutions based on equity and justice. This program brings together volunteer architects, planners, lawyers and other professionals to analyze problems, and offer solutions. Among other efforst, Ir Shalem is developing the first-ever planning model for East Jerusalem that will equitably meet the needs of the Palestinian community.

Ir Shalem

Seeds of Peace

Seeds of Peace was founded in 1993 by John Wallach after the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. He created the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Otisfield, Maine, USA, and brought togther several dozen Israelis, Palestinian and Egyptian teens. The goal of his organization was to create a new generation of leadership in the middle-east, one in which both Arabs and Israelies would no longer accept outdated and harmful sterotypes about each other; this would occur by bringing together people to literally put a human face on those who were previously perceived as an enemy. Since that time Arab children from Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia have joined. Seeds of Peace camps now operate programs in the Middle East as well. Seeds of Peace has also branched out into bringing teenagers together to help solve the Balkans conflict, the Greek and Turkish dispute over Cyprus, and the Indian-Pakistani dispute.

Seeds of Peace

The American Jewish Committee

While forcefully speaking out against Islamic anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli rhetoric, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) has worked since 1985 to enhancing relations between Jews and Muslims. The AJC encourages and engages in dialogue on many levels with like-minded groups committed to fostering tolerance and cooperation. The AJC has issued many public statements over the years condemning those who scapegoat all Arabs for the sins of a few; the AJC has repeatedly issued warnings about the potential breaching of civil liberties of Arab-Americans, and speaks against attacks on Muslims within the U.S. The AJC worked to lobby America to intervene on behalf on Muslims in Bosnia. In 1993 the AJC sponsored the first national conference on "Muslims and Jews in North America: Past, Present and Future" with the Institute for Islamic-Judaic Studies at the University of Denver in October. In 1999 the AJC helped aid Muslims in Kosovo. In 2001 the AJC initiated a new project designed to advance understanding between Muslims and Jews by publishing two books:

Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, by Professor Reuven Firestone, a scholar of Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, was written to describe Judaism to Muslims; Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Islam for Jews, by professor Khalid Duran, was written to describe Islam for Jews.

AJC Jewish Muslim relations

Related Articles

Conflict: Ethnicity: Geography: People:

Religion: Places: Background

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