|
It is now more
than 50 years since the creation of Israel. For
most of those 50 years, there has been a state of
tension between Israel and her Arab neighbours
which has exploded into war on four occasions.
Although the conflict is highly complex, it is
seen in relatively simple terms by each of the
protagonists. For Israelis, the survival of their
country is at stake. For the Arab states, Israel
is an interloper and Western Trojan Horse to be
driven back into the sea. To Palestinians, their
homeland has been stolen and all measures for its
recovery have been seen as justified.
Geo-political and religious issues have made it
not only more complex but a world issue. Standing
at the crossroads of continents and cultures, it
not only pitched two of the major World religions
against each other but became one of the theatres
of the Cold War. Western support for the
democratically looking Israel, however, has been
at times compromised by the presence of some of
the World's most important oil fields in the Arab
states.
1)The Origins of this conflict go far back, at
least to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire
during the First World War:
a) GB (&Fr) responsible for the creation of new
Arab states out of the mandates gained in the
area.
i) Sykes-Picot/Macmahon agreements promised much
to the Arabs
ii) Led to the creation of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan
and Iraq.
but
b) Balfour declaration 1917 gave hope to Zionist
movement of a homeland in Palestine for Jews.
Since most of this area was kept as a mandate, GB
tried to fulfil both this promise and its
obligations to the Arabs.
c) By 2nd World War, dramatic rise in Jewish
immigration has led to fears and reaction from
Arabs &GB proposed partition through the Peel
plan and a White paper tried to limit immigration.
Rejected by all.
d) Holocaust makes the need for a Jewish homeland
urgent. GB unable to regulate flow & were
pressured by Jewish terrorist groups such as
Irgun.
e) Therefore handed to UN who applied the
Partition. Arab States and the Arab zone of
Palestine immediately attacked the Jewish zone,
now called Israel and the subsequent war produced
a strengthened Israel and the disappearance of
Palestine into Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
f) The issue at this stage were clear: The
survival of Israel................
2) By 1967, the success of Israel not only to
survive but to strengthen its frontiers with the
capture of the Occupied Territories, changed the
nature of the conflict and brought the focus to
the Palestinians themselves..... |
The Open Door Web Site