Israel-Palestine

Israel-Palestine By Olivia Kerrigan and Isabelle Wozniak

History of the Conflict By Isabelle

History of the Dispute

Obstacles to Resolving the Conlfict Wall of Apartheid By Olivia Jerusalem Sacredsites.com Water Bbc.com Refugees Joggermom.com Palestinenote.com

Obstacle 1: Jerusalem • The status of Jerusalem as an international city is disturbing to both Israelis and Palestinians alike because of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif section of the city. • Neither group is willing to relinquish their claim to the land, and so Jerusalem continues to impede talks of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Why is Jerusalem such an issue? Jews… Muslims… • …believe that the Temple Mount, the site of two ancient temples that have since been destroyed, is the location where a third temple will be construction in preparation for the return of the Messiah to earth. • By giving up their claim to Jerusalem, they fear they are telling the Messiah not to come again. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.). • …believe that this same (1)site, which they call the Haram al-Sharif, is the third holiest place in the world. There are two mosques, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa, located there. • www.atlastours.net/

Obstacle 2: Palestinian (2)Refugees • In the first Arab-Isreali War in 1948, 700,000 Palestinian Refugees (3) emigrated from their homeland to escape violence. • There are now 4.7 million refugees living in many places, including the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. • 1.4 million of them are in deplorable conditions in refugee camps • Israelis and Palestinians cannot agree on how to deal with these refugees. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Jenin refugee camp. http://www.primeau-canada.com/pal-jenin.htm

What are the view points? “No war – No Palestinian refugee problem” “No Zionism – No Palestinian refugee problem” • This Jewish slogan references the first Arab-Israeli war, which began when Palestine rejected the UN proposal to make Jewish and Muslim sectors of Palestine. Jews blame Palestine for the war and the refugee problem. • Jews also believe they cannot handle the return of the refugees without losing their sovereignty, since the refugees would make Israel more Muslim that Jewish. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.). • Palestinians have a right to return, as described in international law, and also believe that it’s basic fairness that they should return. • What international law? • Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states: “Persons thus evacuated shall be transferred back to their homes as soon as hostilities in the area in question have ceased.”

Obstacle 3: (4) Settlements • The problem of Israeli settlements is the opposite of the problem with Palestinian refugees; refugees want to return home but cannot, while Israeli settlers have left home and refuse to return. • Settlers in Palestinian territories makes the border dispute more complicated. • Israeli leaders have generally committed to removing some of the settlers, but they maintain that they cannot and will not remove all of them. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

There are two types of ‘settlers’ Economic Settlers ‘Religious-Nationalist’ Settlers • “Jews who moved to Gaza or the West Bank to take advantage of government subsidies and enjoy a higher standard of living than would have been available to them in most Israeli cities” (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.) • “(5)Nationalistic, often highly religious, Jews who set up unauthorized outposts in the West Bank to enforce Jewish claims to the land they know as Judea and Samaria” (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Obstacle 4: Separation Wall Israeli ‘Security Fence’ ‘Wall of Apartheid’ • Israel claims that the wall they erected is necessary to keep suicide bombers from Palestine out of the country. • Palestinians claim that the wall is blatantly a land grab, since it extends into what is Palestinian territory on the West Bank. • The wall creates hardships for Palestinians who live on one side and work on the other, since their routes to work are complicated. • “Cut off not only from their work but also, probably, from extended families, schools, farmland, wells, and social services, some have found themselves in the strange situation of having to obtain permits to live in their own homes. “(Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Palestinians and Israelis alike have tried to make the wall inspirational, rather than allowing it to oppress their spirits. http://www.powerofculture.nl/en/current/2005/march/muur.html

“To exist is to resist” http://www.uruknet.net/index.php?p=m58212&hd=&size=1&l=e

Free Palestine http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/06/12/scaling-the-wall-in-ramallah/

Obstacle 5: Water • Water is a scarce (6)resource in the Middle East. Israel won’t abandon must of the land that belongs to Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank because they rely on the water that is underneath it. • Two of Israel’s three main sources of water, the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranian Aquifer have fallen to low levels, so Israel relies on water that belongs to Palestine. • Many Palestinians who live blocks away from Israelis have to use less than the 26 gallons per person per day recommendation from the WHO, while Israelis use ten times that amount! • Also, water is sold to Palestinians at extremely high prices, while water sold to Israelis is government subsidized. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Global Implications By Isabelle

Nuclear Weapons and Violence • With their current weaponry, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only directly effect on the inhabitants of the immediate areas targeted. • However, the Israeli government has recently acquired a variety of nuclear weapons, and pro-Palestinian militants could potentially do the same; the use of such weapons could greatly increase the size of the area directly effected by violence. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

World War III • Albeit unlikely, “a new war in the Middle East could lead to World War III.” (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.). • It would be very difficult for the UN to intervene and act as a peace-broker in such a situation because of the variety of stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the Security Council. • The United States--which have historically defended Israel--could face attacks from the Middle East as they work to protect their interests in the aforementioned region. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

International Relations • “The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is poisoning international relationships and undermining efforts to achieve greater international cooperation.” (World Conflicts Today) • Although they are not necessarily correct, the Middle East frequently points to the US as being the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, having both armed and supported Israel; they also feel that the US should use its power over Israel to end the conflict. • Unlike the US, the European Union has taken a much more balanced approach to the conflict, stating that Israelis have the right to live free of fear but nevertheless feel the government has failed to instigate a peace process. • Because of the differences in their stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, relations between the US and other nations have been strained. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

War on Terrorism • The conflict has also added another wrinkle to the war on terrorism, which affects highly and under developed nations alike. • Some Muslim extremists “believe that God has ordered them to cleanse Muslim lands not only of the presence but also of the contaminating influence of non-Muslims.” (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

Regional Implications By Isabelle

Palestinian Oppression • Palestinians’ living conditions are deplorable: • An estimated 200 000 Palestinians living on the West Bank are living without clean, running water. • “A 2007 UN report revealed that roughly 46 percent of Arab households in the West Bank and Gaza were ‘food insecure’ or in danger of becoming so” (World Conflicts Today) and 30% of Palestinian children are malnourished. • Palestinians are subjected to “curfews, military searches, home demolitions, imprisonment, injury, and death” (World Conflicts Today) by the Israeli government. • To prevent the entrance of Palestinian terrorists into Israeli occupied zones, Palestinians are frequently forced to pass through time consuming check points. • (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.).

The Future of Israel • “Israel’s future as both a Jewish and a democratic state is under threat.” (Palestinian Territories: Obstacles, n.d.) Due to a higher birthrate, it is quite possible that Muslims will outnumber Israelis by the next generation. • As of now, the inhabitants of the Palestinian controlled areas do not have the right to vote; were Palestinians to successfully demand this right, power could potentially shift from the Israelis to the Palestinians.

Possible Solution By Olivia

If past talks have failed, how can Palestine & Israel reach an agreement? • Clearly, talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders have historically been largely unsuccessful. Thusly, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is one that warrants international help. • Much of this responsibility will ultimately fall on the United States because, whether we relish the role or not, we are generally utilized as the international police force. • (Avishai, 2011, p. [1]).

United States ‘Blueprint’ President Obama's new task in Palestine and Israel is to create a blueprint, to be approved by all major world powers and organizations, that will outline a plan for peace. Obama understands that when American can act, they must act, and yet they must not act alone. This philosophy is key in negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since any attempt the United States makes along will fail. The president must act as he did in Libya, and rally world leaders, Israelis, and Palestinians behind a blueprint for peace. (Avishai, 2011, p. 1). • “Sometimes, the course of history poses challenges that threaten our common humanity and common security. Real leadership creates the conditions and coalitions for others to step up as well; to work with allies and partners ... to see that the principles of justice and human dignity are upheld by all.” – President Barack Obama

So what exactly is this ‘blueprint’ nonsense? • Palestinian Authority President MahmoudAbbas and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert had made notable progress in resolving the conflict in 2007 and 2008. While there were still gaps in their plans, they were smaller gaps than there had been previously, and they mainly disagreed over settlements and refugees. • Obama's job would be to decide what to do about these gaps in reasoning between Israeli leaders and Palestinian leaders. After making such a decision, Obama would need to get strong international backing for his decision so it could ultimately be successful. • (Avishai, 2011, p. [1]).

I get the blueprint thing, but what’s it actually going to do? • The blueprint would.... • put pressure on conflicted parties to have an open discussion and move towards peace. • rekindle an international conversation on the issue. • make Israel feel that they must participate in negotiations to remain an internationally relevant and involved (7) state. • empower the (8) globalised, moderate Israeli parties that are willing to work on a compromise, not the radical parties. • give hope to the Palestinian youth that change is coming and confirm that they must fight terrorism and violence to allow that peace to finally arrive. • (Avishai, 2011, p. [2]).

Connections to Geography By Olivia

The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis connects to… Political Geography Physical Geography • The Arab-Israeli crisis relates to political geography because it involves “spatially uneven outcomes of political processes.” (wikipedia) • The outcome of the divide of Palestine and Israel is spatially uneven because Israel was given more land than is proportional to it’s population, while Palestinians were forced from their homes. • The crisis also relates to physical geography because of the issue of water. • The natural resources in the conflicted regions is uneven, so the physical geography of the land is actually a factor in the dispute.

Citations! • Avishai, B. (2011, March 29). Next, and Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plan [Editorial]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/ 03/30/opinion/30iht-edavishai30.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&sq=israelpalestineconflict&st=cse&scp=2 Bernard Avishai is the author of “The Hebrew Republic: How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace at Last.”

Citations! • Palestinian Territories: Obstacles. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2011, from ProQuest database. • Telhami, S. (2008). Does the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Still Matter? Retrieved April 10, 2011, from

Israel-Palestine