Free «Arab-Israeli Conflict» Essay Sample

The Arab-Israeli conflict is the political disagreement that existed between the two distinct groups, the Arabs and the Jews. This fight has since lasted for many years from time in history. The conflict started as a political war, whereby the two communities were competing over territorialborders. Each of the communities had ambitions to occupy better space than the other. This was from the time of the Ottoman Empire. There is a religious aspect of the same disagreement. The two distinct groups have unchanging and uncompromising faiths that will not subdue to the others superiority. They had a different interpretation of the chosen people, and who should occupy the Promised Land. This paper will therefore study the basis and origin of the battleconcerningIsrael and Palestine. The discussion will base on the history and origin of the conflict.

A brief history on the land of Israel:

The Israelites originally occupied the land of Canaan that was called the Promised Land. According to historians, the land of Canaan was given to the children of Israel by God. The Israelites occupied the land in the 13^th and 14^th century BCE to the 7^th century CE. This is according to the teachings of the bible. Muslims also have their claim in the same land. As per the Quran, contrary to the reading of the bible, the Promised Land was for the descendant of Abraham through his son Isaac. They claim that the land was equally promised to the elder son Ishmael, from whom Arabs descent (Beinin & Hajjar 1). There are historical sites in the land that are claimed by the Arabs too. They worship the same sites that the Israelites revere. The Arabs also constructed Islamic landmarks including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. They also have faith that their prophet Muhammad went by Israel on his way to heaven. Because of these key reasons,Muslims have claimed the land of Palestine as an Islamic territory that must be ruled by Muslims.

History of the conflict:

According to history most of the Jews had joined Zionism. The movement took care of the rights, and interest of Jews. At this time,Jews were being persecuted. The Jews also wanted to join the modern states in Europe. Many of the Jews then migrated to Palestine into the Ottoman Empire. At the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Jews and the Arabs joined hands with the allied nations to liberate themselves from the ottoman rule. This led to a wide spread of the Arabic nation. Later In 1917, after World War 1 the British government issued the Balfour Declaration(Beinin & Hajjar 3). It favored the Jewish people and supported the rights if the Jews, while the Arabs were not included in the declaration. The British government believed that the success of the war was due to the participation of the Jews. The Arabs did not like the declaration and it made them angry.

The area then became under the rule of Britons. Because of this declaration, more Jews migrated to Palestine. As the number of the Jews increased in Palestine, the Arabs felt more threatened. The Jews bought land in Palestine. They started companies and intended to employ the Arabs as their workers. This was not acceptable before the Arabs. The Arabs blamed the declaration that it supported the Jews only. They then began to protest against the Israelites. This protest later developed to riots in which Jews were killed. The British ruler then restricted the numbers of the Jews in Palestine. The British ruler sought help from the United Nations. Members of the United Nations agreed that the land should be shared. The Arabs were given their territory, and Jews had their share.Later in 1948, the British withdrew its rule from Palestine(Beinin & Hajjar 5). The Jews declared themselves to be free, and sovereign though they had no borders. They later invaded the Arab territory which marked the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Palestinians fled their, land and became refugees. The fight came to a halt after the signing of the Armistice Agreement.

In 1948, Israel was declared a state. Most Arabs had fled to Arab countries. All the Jews were high persecuted in the Arabic land. Most of the Jews were forced to flee back to their nation. Others were killed, and many suffered hardships especially in Aden and Syria. In 1960, it became more evident that war between the two communities was still taking place. Any Arab caught to have broken a law in Israel would suffer heavy punishment, and likewise of any Jew in the Arab territory.

Relationship between Israel and America

The relationship between Israel and America has stood the taste of time. This is because of the constant help Israel has received from America. America has supported Israelites from the time they got independence, and had their own homeland in 1948 (Butterworth 2011). Israel has since been receiving help from the United States especially during the attacks by Syria, and Aden. The prime minister requested for assistance from the American President. The American president assisted in the initiation of peace talks between Egypt and Israel. During this time, America was able to restart its relationship with Palestinian after a long time.

In 2007, the American president declared that they would increase military forces to Israel. The military assistance is to support and help them in the constant fights of the Middle East. This amounted to 6 billion dollars in the next ten years (Butterworth 2011). The Obama administration also supported the military support to Israel. The foreign operations contribute3 billion dollars to Israel to maintain a strong military edge. This is to increase security in the region and against threats from conflicting nations. This will also bring and enhance peace in the region once that war has stopped. In 2010, Israel was supported by the fund from America to buy its own weapons of war. Israel was able to buy its first war planes from the funds.

The election of the Obama in the United States was a positive sign to many people. The coming into office of the new president revived hope for the peace negotiations of the Israeli-Palestinian war. Many people looked forward to the participation of Obama in the negotiation processes that had been started by President Bush. However, there was more than what met the eye. For the success of the talks, there were several factorsto be considered. The involvement of the United States, Israel, and Palestine politics, availability of peace agreements, and the international situation as a whole (Abunimah 2008). These factors played a key role in the enhancement of peaceful negotiations between the two nations. However, looking from a more critical point of view, these should not be that basis of the negotiations. Otherwise, peace between Palestine and Israel will be a distant dream.

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Thereare still high hopes in the restoration of peace in the region. There are several parties that support Obama in enhancing peace negotiations. Giving up hope in these negotiations would be losing a battle that has been long fought yet victory is at the corner. President Obama has been urged by supporters of their mission not to delay negotiations. The security advisor to President George Bush advised Obama to start peace negotiations early after being elected (Abunimah 2008). Stating the negotiations will not only be a step into victory, but also will change the hostile mood between the Israelites and the Palestinians. President Jimmy Carter also repeated the same message to Obama. That he is not to copy what other presidents did, to neglect conflict that has shaken the world. In return, Obama pledged to initiate peace talksonce he got into office.

A lot of hope was seen from the speech that Obama said on March 2007. Obama highlighted his likes about Israel. That he wanted peace to reign in the region. Obama supported the fact that Israel should protect its borders. He went further to say that the boundaries of Israel and Palestine oughtto be centered on the lines that were set in 1967. He claimed that after the clear separation of the borders, the inhabitants of each will be able to enjoy ownership, and citizenship in their land (Abunimah 2011). He promised that he will ensure that the military aid is released as agreed in every decade. He stated that Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel.

The president is also ready to ensure that the dispute land issue is settled. According to the American president, the 1967 borders will sought out the conflict, but he adds that land swaps should also be considered. This means that land swaps will compensate for the disputed area, and create a new point of reference for peace negotiations (Landlers & Myers 2011). On a different note, the president urged the two nations to be positive about the negotiation talks (Filipiak 2011). He tells the leaders of Israel and Palestine that they need to be positive about the peace talks. Otherwise, it will be a futile effort if they are leaning on the hopes of other leaders. He says that the two conflicting parties must be ready to come together with an agenda of solving their differences. This will go a long way in the healing and restoration process. It will also be easy to coordinate the two parties to a peaceful agreement.

However, it is yet to be determined on the extent that Obama will go to restore peace in the war-torn region. So far the president has been quoted to utter statement of hope that has been echoed. The question remains is he going to do the talk? President Obama in still beg supported by leaders of other countries together with the former president of the united states. In the long run, decision made at the white house will affect peace in the Middle East, and the world at large.

In conclusion, the war between Israel and Palestine has stayed for a long time. Many people have lost their lives, and others have suffered in the wars. Most of the interveners have tried to solve the conflict. Many efforts have not borne any fruit. On the contrary, the conflict gets worse. The hatred between the two communities has been transferred from one generation to the next. The war between the two nations has not only affected the Israelites and Palestine’s, but the world at large. Therefore, the peace reforms are critical at this time.

The intervention of the president of the United States is also being looked forward to as one that will bear fruit. The United States should take the initiatives to bring this war to an end. Using the power and influence Obama has, can calm the rough atmosphere, and solve the dispute between Israel and Palestine.