Any dispute, be it personal squabbles or diplomatic tensions between nations, has a tendency to quickly degenerate into a fog of contradictions and opposing claims to the ‘truth. ’ Opposing factions often see in black and white, whereas the reality lies somewhere in the middle.
Perhaps nowhere has this been more apparent than in relation to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, with its overtones of nationalism and religion. The two sides make overtly similar claims – the desire for peace and self-governance – yet these two points of view, as similar as they may appear superficially, can ’t coexist. At some point, if the recently resumed negotiations are to prove successful, compromise must be struck. But at what cost? What sacrifices must be made by both Israel and the State of Palestine to deliver a lasting peace? And is it possible for those sacrifices to be made, without sowing the seeds of future conflict?
The Creation of Israel
The historical basis for the conflict over the Middle Eastern region of Palestine is difficult to pinpoint exactly. Ancient history is filled with various conquests around the Mediterranean, but the seeds of the present-day conflict can perhaps be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century.
In the fallout from World War I, amidst much redrawing of maps and borders, perhaps the most significant change was the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. As victors, Britain and France found themselves suddenly in control of large swathes of land in the Middle East. The subsequent carving up of this territory left France in control of Syria and Lebanon, while the United Kingdom received mandates to govern Iraq, and Palestine, a region that was later divided into present-day Jordan and Israel. Additionally, parts of the former Ottoman Empire were annexed to present-day Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
British rule of Palestine came into effect in 1923, by which point more than 100,000 Jews already lived in the region, immigration having begun 30 years previously. In the years leading up to World War II, a further quarter of a million Jews would find their way to Palestine, fleeing from persecution in many European and Middle Eastern countries. Resistance to British rule and the continuing immigration of Jewish settlers led to a series of Arab revolts during these years. The largest of these, between 1936 and 1939, led to Britain restricting Jewish settlement and also the first proposal for a two-state solution. This proposal, the Peel Commission, was provisionally accepted by Jewish leaders as grounds for discussion, but the plan was rejected outright by Arab leaders.
Following World War II, with Britain unable to find a solution acceptable to both parties, and facing armed insurrection by Jews as well as continuing agitation from the Arabs, the problem was referred to the newly formed United Nations. As a result, in 1947 the UN General Assembly voted to partition the territory of Palestine, creating independent Jewish and Arab states, whilst maintaining Jerusalem as a city administered by the United Nations.
In retrospect this initial UN resolution, proposing a two state solution, is very similar to the basis for today ’s peace talks. However, at the time, although Jews in Palestine greeted the proposal positively, Arabs in the region again refused to accept it. It was this refusal to recognize Israel ’s right to exist, a position still taken by Hamas today, that led to the outbreak of civil war in the region. After initial setbacks, the nascent Jewish state gained the upper hand and pushed outside of the borders mandated by the UN, taking control of areas of mixed Jewish and Arab population. The initial conflict took place while the region was technically still under the authority of Britain. The withdrawal of Britain however led to an immediate escalation of the conflict as surrounding Arab powers intervened on behalf of the Palestinians.
The Four Arab-Israeli Wars
In 1948, as British forces pulled out of the territory of Palestine, the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq all sent troops into the region. This offensive was the first of four full-scale wars that would be fought between Israel and various Arab nations. This First Arab-Israeli war resulted in a shock defeat for the Arab forces, the scars of which have played a principle role in the ongoing conflict. After initial gains, the combined Arab forces were first stopped, and then pushed back by the Israeli Defense Force, a collection of formerly disparate militia groups. The IDF eventually recaptured all the land lost to the Arabs, and then pushed on, reclaiming all the territory initially mandated for Israel by the UN resolution, and further claiming portions of the Arab mandate.
A series of armistices were signed between Israel and the various Arab nations involved in 1949. These ceasefire agreements – no treaties were ever signed – resulted in the formation of Israel ’s borders. However, in 1956 hostilities during the Suez Crisis led to the outbreak of a second war, this time involving military intervention by Britain and France on the side of Israel after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. The UN demanded and enforced a ceasefire after a week of hostilities, but Israel remained in occupation for another four months before withdrawing.
The Six Day War, or the Third Arab-Israeli War, was brought on by escalating border tensions, primarily between Israel and Syria, but also with Jordan and Egypt. The outbreak of a full-scale war however began with a pre-emptive strike by the Israeli Air Force on Egypt, and the result was a resounding Israeli victory, with Israel occupying the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights – effectively trebling its territory.
Israel ’s occupation of these territories led to the Fourth Arab-Israeli War in October of 1973. In an attempt to reclaim the lost territory, Egypt and Syria launched simultaneous surprise attacks on Israel. However, advances across the Sinai Peninsula and into the Golan Heights were soon halted, and Israel reversed the course of the fighting, carrying the offensive into Arab territory. When a UN ceasefire was imposed to end the fighting, Israeli forces were threatening both Damascus and Cairo.
Surprisingly though, as a result of this conflict Israel and Egypt entered into direct talks, the first such instance since before the First Arab-Israeli War. US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was instrumental in bringing the two sides together, and his remarks on US policy toward the conflict still ring true today:
Our position is that… the conditions that produced this war were clearly intolerable to the Arab nations and that in the process of negotiations it will be necessary to make substantial concessions. The problem will be to relate the Arab concern for the sovereignty over the territories to the Israeli concern for secure boundaries. We believe that the process of negotiations between the parties is an essential component of this.
Following years of negotiations and shuttle diplomacy conducted by Kissinger and other US officials, the Camp David Accords were signed in 1978, normalizing relations between Egypt and Israel with Israel ’s complete withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula.
Recent Conflicts and the rise of the PLO
Since Israel ’s peace agreement with Egypt, two more full-scale conflicts have broken out, both of these involving Israel and Lebanon. The first outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, in 1982, was caused by tensions between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who had sponsored terrorist attacks on Israel and rocket attacks from bases inside Lebanese borders. The second, in 2006, was waged between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group also based in Lebanon, but unaffiliated with the PLO.
In the decades following its formation in 1964, the PLO sponsored a prolonged campaign against Israel and Israeli forces.
‘We must remember that the main enemy of the Palestinian people, now and forever, is Israel. ’ So spoke the Minister of Justice for the PLO as recently as 1995. Accurate words, as the PLO was organized with the intention of liberating Palestine through armed struggle.
A shift in policy though in the early 1990s, with Chairman of the PLO Yasser Arafat agreeing to renounce violence and officially recognize Israel, led to secret negotiations between the PLO and Israel. The result of these negotiations was the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, granting Palestinians the right to self government – as the Palestinian Authority – in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, in exchange for recognizing the right of the State of Israel to exist. The Oslo Accords however failed to bring about an official State of Palestine, although the UN recently recognized Palestine as a ‘non-member observer state. ’ In 2006, the victory of the political party Hamas in Palestinian elections led to a split in Palestinian leadership, with armed conflict breaking out the following year. As a result, Hamas consolidated control of the Gaza Strip, with Fatah, representing the Palestine Authority, now the State of Palestine, controlling the West Bank. Conflict between Israel and Hamas has been ongoing, as Hamas, unlike the State of Palestine, still refuses to recognize the right of Israel to exist.
The Resumption of the Peace Process
As a result of the stance of Hamas, the recently resumed peace talks are being conducted solely between Israel and the State of Palestine, as represented by Fatah. What now lies ahead will be a tough series of negotiations. Both sides claim to be seeking a two-state solution. For the Palestinians however, much will depend on the borders Israel agrees to set and the territory she is willing to cede back to the State of Palestine. For with regards to territorial rights, Israel remains in the position of power. From her perspective however, what remains crucial is full recognition from the Arab world of the right to exist and a guarantee of secure borders.
Negotiations have been set to last for a period of nine months. Nine months to find a solution that has so far failed to appear in nearly 70 years.
, Israel and Palestine: The Enduring Conflict www.ozeldersin.com bitirme tezi,ödev,proje dönem ödevi