Israel vs. Palestine: The Conflict

1. Israel vs. Palestine:The Conflict

2. Introduction • Two conflicting sides over land, resources, sovereignty, religion, and culture. • Jerusalem/Temple Mount • Jordan River • Israelis – Judaism, claim rights to ‘Israel’ a recognized state of the UN • Palestinians – Islam, claim the same land as ‘Palestine’, are not recognized by the UN, but have a central ‘PNA’ • Both sides have contributed considerably to violence.

3. The Issues • Palestinian Refugees and the Right of Return • Status of Jerusalem • Borders and the Occupied Territories • Israeli Security Concerns in relation to sovereignty • Settlements in the West Bank

5. Ancient History • Cultural Conflict goes back several thousand years – mainly religious • Old Canaan conquered by Israeli tribes out of Egypt (according to Torah) [1200 BCE] • Hebrew settlements/conquests of present-day Jerusalem under Solomon • First Temple Built in Jerusalem on “Temple Mount” • Later split into two kingdoms: Israel and Judea (both later fall to Assyrians) after Solomon’s death • Land referred to as ‘Palestine’ by ancient Egyptians and ‘Israel’ by the Jewish tribes • Same place, different language

6. Ancient History cont… • Control continuously changes from app. 530 BCE – 61 BCE ending with control from Roman Empire • Christianity is founded around 4 BCE – 35 CE, followed by Islam in 622 CE • Non Jewish inhabitants of Israel/Palestine convert begin to practice Islam/Christianity • Roman Empire Collapses after schism, Israel/Palestine is conquered by Persians in 614 CE • Then, conquered by Arab Islamic armies – Al-Aqsa Mosque is built in 715 CE on Temple Mount (considered Third Holiest site in Islam)

7. Ancient History cont… • European Christian crusaders begin their attacks on ‘The Holy Land’ occupied by Saladin and his Kurds • Crusaders briefly occupy Jerusalem in 1229 CE, retaken by Mameluke Muslims, later defeated at acre and evicted from ‘Palestine’ • Ottoman/Turk conquest of area in 1517, part of official Ottoman Empire until 1917 • Demographics in Jerusalem under Ottoman Rule: 7120 Jews, 5760 Muslims, 3390 Christians

8. Modern History • World War I breaks out; Turkey (Ottoman Empire) fights against Allies • Balfour Declaration by the UK in Nov 1917 • “His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object…” - British Foreign Policy during wartime • British control of Egypt extends itself to the Israel/Palestine area under pressure from the ‘Zionist Movement’ Dec 1917

9. Modern History cont… • Faisal-Weizmann Agreement – Jan 3, 1919; part of the Paris Peace Conference • Leader of the Zionist Commission (Chaim Weizmann) met with Emir Faisal (Kingdom of Hedjaz) • Encourage mass Zionist/Jewish settlements in Palestine, in exchange for an Arab nation encompassing present-day Iraq, Syria, and the Fertile Crescent • Became irrelevant – Kingdom of Hedjaz was conquered in 1923 and incorporated under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

10. Modern History cont… • European Zionists continue to settle in Palestine – Britain begins to decolonize – grants independence to nearby Egypt and Transjordan • League of Nations – France and Britain divide the Middle East into ‘Mandates’ • Churchill White Paper (June 3, 1922) – clarifies Balfour Declaration in response to anti-semetic riots in Palestine • Main Point: Europe dividing new nations for ‘self-determination’ – deconstruction of imperialism

11. Modern History cont… • Britain caught in the middle of appealing to Palestine and Israel – violence escalates • Racial profiling, religious desecration, segregation, power struggle within Palestine • Zionist immigration continues • British policy continually changes with pressure from both sides • Progress in Middle East halts somewhat as WWII begins in Europe • Britain is distracted, situation becomes even more unclear, violence continues to escalate

12. Modern History cont… • WWII – large portion of Jewish population flees Nazism for Palestine, many join Zionist movement, seek new life • Wounded Britain pulls out of Palestine completely by 1948 • Organized fighting with armies and weapons begins, bombings, massacres, spontaneous fighting from both sides • State of Israel declares independence May 14, 1948 • Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia all declare war on Israel • United States immediately recognizes new state, followed by USSR • Israeli War of Independence 1948 - 1949

13. Modern History cont… • Result: app. 800,000 Palestinians are displaced (PALESTINIAN REFUGEES) • Yasser Arafat founds the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) 1964 • Six-Day War (Jun 5–11, 1967) • Israel aquires West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights – OCCUPIED TERRITORIES • Fighting causes many Palestinians to flee into neighboring Arab countries, especially from the Golan Heights • OC’s under martial law – not represented by MP’s • First Intifada – 1987-1993 : Violence moves from organized to massive civil warfare • Triggered by Palestinian students : boycotting Israeli goods, strikes, graffiti, barricades, planned terrorism, resistance of authorities

16. Modern History cont… • Oslo Accords (Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements) • GOI and PLO meet, sign accords on September 13, 1993) • Sets up the Palestinian National Authority • Mutual recognition between PNA/State of Israel • Government over the ‘Occupied Territories’ gradually phased over in a period of 5 years to PNA • IDF (Israeli Defense Force) to withdraw from the areas, eventual sovereignty given to PNA • Failed • Only addressed borders – no status of Jerusalem, refugees • No provisions for a permanent Palestinian state • OCT still under Israeli military control • Cultural violence continues (Israeli anger at Palestinians/vice versa)

17. Yasser Arafat Yitzhak Rabin

18. Modern History cont… • Second Intifada (Al-aqsa Intifada) – response to failed Oslo Accords : suspended all-out civil war returns • Triggered by a MP visiting temple mount with over a thousand police guards, leading to violence • Response: International inquiry • Mitchell Report of 2001 by UN, EU, US, Egypt, and Jordan • Camp David Negotiations – US President Clinton facilitates talks with Israeli PM Ehud Barak and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat • Tried to negotiate final status of Israel and Palestine • Israel agreed to a partial two-state solution, rejected by Palestinians • Ultimately failed – neither side reached an agreement • Israel uses the complete Palestinian rejection of this plan as an example of unwillingness to seek peace on the part of the Palestinians • Palestine uses the unfair ‘compromises’ presented by Israel as an example of Israeli greed; especially disliked the ‘Israeli Security provision’

19. Modern History cont… (final I promise!) • League of Arab States conference in Beruit – Saudi Arabia pushes movement to normalize Arab-Israeli relations • Arab Peace Initiative – March 28, 2002 • Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, and West Bank completely • Israel would finance the return of the Palestinian refugees to Palestine, or give them compensation • Israel basically ignores the Initiative’s existence, no formal mention of it or response.

20. Right Now • Palestinians live in OCT’s under Israeli military occupation • Human Rights Violations • Access to education, healthcare, even basic necessities is sporadic • Some representation under PNA - Parliament • App. 4.5 million Palestinian refugees today • Original number: 800,000 in 1947

21. UN Involvement

22. Israel and the UN • Israel is a nation with ‘special status’ in the UN • They are active members in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) in NY • Are not part of UN operations in Geneva – barred from standing in elections, participating in Geneva committee debates, etc. • Many accusations of Anti-Semitism in the UN by Israel and US • Israel tends not to trust the UN resolutions, does not always comply with peacekeeping forces based in Israel/Palestine Territories • Government of Israel says that it must have equal rights to equally honor the wishes of the General Assembly

23. Palestine and the UN • ‘Palestine’ is not a recognized state of the UN, but representatives from the PNA speak as guests • ‘Observer’ status in the UN – Palestinian National Authority is responsible for providing representation for the ‘Palestinian’ peoples • Given because there is no legitimate national government for Palestine

24. Previous UN Action • Britain refers issue to the UN May, 1947 • UNSCOP (UN Special Committee on Palestine) : Resolution GA 181 • Two State: Arab and Israeli • Establishes ’47 Borders • Jerusalem would be internationally administered – part of neither state, temporarily run by UN • Never fully implemented • Geographic puzzle made navigation difficult for the still-fighting populations • Neither side would accept compromise, Israelis wanted all of it, Palestinians wanted all of it • Furious at Jerusalem plan

25. Previous UN Action cont… • General Assembly Resolutions – calls for violence to end, continued relief to aid Palestinian refugees • 1949 - UNRWA: provides food, education, aid, and temporary shelter – continues • Security Council Resolutions • 1967 – UNSC242 - Israeli withdrawal from OC’s, peace • 1973 – UNSC338 – Demand for peace, continuted conflict negotiation • All bark, no bite.