Conflict, Israel and Palestine
The conflicts between Jews and Arabs are wells published. These conflicts have historical roots and seem to never end. Though there have been efforts to mediate between the two parties, these efforts have often produced limited results and after a short duration of peace, the conflict reemerges. This paper will examine the sources of the conflicts as well as proposed solutions.
It started after it was declared that Palestine would be the new home for Jews in the Balfour Declaration. This resolve was open to debates in the years that followed the recommendation. However, the issue gained more urgency after the treatment of Jews in Germany and its affiliated countries in the Second World War (Smith, 2007). America played a significant part in the conflict. For example, following the expression of the Palestinians that they did not want the Jews to be settled in Palestine, the American government promised that it would not play a role.
However, this stance changed after the Second World War, when the need to resettle the Jews gained more urgency (Smith, 2007). In addition, the role of America in the war was amplified by the support of American to the Israeli government in the conflicts. This stance has led to a significant amount of ill will against American policies in Arab countries and may be among the leading reasons for Arab involvement in terrorism against the united states. In addition, Smith proposes that the involvement left the Palestinian feeling overwhelmed and the other Arab nations feeling the need to help the Palestinians. This has resulted in a united Arab front against the Israelis (Smith, 2007). This aspect was best captured by the Gulf war. In addition to the political causes, there are other reasons that contribute to the conflict (Smith, 2007).
[...] They only produce peaceful results for a small duration of time before the conflict recommences (Ifat, 2005). In conclusion, there is a consensus among the sources that the conflict is likely to continue for many years to come. Though they diverge in their assessment of the cause, they tend to converge on the point of Israel invasion of Palestine and historical differences between the two. For example, the source of the recurring conflicts is a result of historical differences among the two. These conflicts create cultural biases and thus result in more conflicts. [...]
[...] Smith proposes that the immediate cause of conflict was the land. According to smith, both parties laid claim on the land. The Zionist movement had a claim that was based on the biblical accounts of the Israel. The Arabs on the other hand had special interest in Palestine due to the activities of Prophet Mohammed (Smith, 2007). This implies that the root of the conflict was based on religion. Smith also proposes that if the two parties were united by religion, the strain would be less severe. [...]
[...] The conflicts are a result of unofficial conflicts. According to Shoshan, these conflicts have been an attribute of third party conflicts between the two nations. In essence, these conflicts reduce the role of mediation because third parties do not take part in the resolution process (Shoshan, 2008). For example, after the first wave of Palestine protests that ended in 1993 these parties felt that the resolutions were driven by the West as opposed to a need by the parties involved to solve their differences. [...]
[...] He proposes that ethnonational conflicts like the ones in Israel and Palestine strengthen the ability of people to cope with the stress derived from the conflicts (Nadim & Daniel, 2008). However, these psychological factors also reduce the ability of the conflicting parties to change. The result is that these partiers are constantly at war with each other, just like their ancestors, because of the psychological conditions. Therefore, according to Rouhana, the continued conflicts are a function of past conflicts, and unless the people can come up with a way to reduce them, there will continue to be war for many years to come (Nadim & Daniel, 2008). [...]
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