Israel and Palestine by Molly McComb

History: 3700 thousand years ago when Moses led his people away from the oppressive rule of Egypt’s King and to the promised land of Israel. The land was said to be promised to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jewish community was united under the rule of King David and had political autonomy over the land until the destruction and conversion of Israel and Jerusalem into Palestine and Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. Although the Jewish Community survived, it proceeded to be ruled by various empires over 2000 years. Regardless of the abuse endured, the Jewish Community persisted. In the 18^th Century Palestine was similar to the rest of the Middle East in that in was inhabited by many different cultural groups. Palestine and was about 86 percent Muslim, 10 percent Christian, and 4 percent Jewish. In the late 19^th century, a group of European Zionists decided to colonize the land by creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine. As more Zionists began to move in, fighting broke out between the indigenous population and the colonists. During Hitler’s rise to power, conflict grew as more Jews immigrated to Palestine. After WWII ended, the United Nations (UN) decided to intervene by using outside powers to divide the land in 1945. Under Zionist pressure, the UN recommended that 55% of the land be taken away from Palestine and given to the Jewish population. This did not end lightly. From 1947 to 1949 the newly created state Israel fought and won a war against the Palestinians. By the end of the war, Israel had conquered 78 percent of Palestine; 750,000 Palestinians had been made refugees; over 500 town and villages had been obliterated; and a new map was drawn up. IN 1967, Israel conquered more land following a second war called the “Six Day War” in which Israel attacked Egypt. Now Israel occupied the 22 percent of Palestine that the Palestinians had kept from the Israelites. According to the UN, since these lands were acquired nu war, they are not owned by Israel. Today, Israel has continued military occupation and confiscation of privately owned land in the Palestinian land of the West Bank, and control over Gaza, are extremely oppressive, with Palestinians having minimal control over their lives. To the Palestinians, this conflict has a huge impact on everyday life. The Israelis are extremely oppressive towards the Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children are held in Israeli prisons, with very little of them have had a legitimate trial, and physical abuse and torture are frequent. Israeli forces control both internal and external borders. Periodically men, women, and children are strip-searched; women in labor are prevented from reaching hospitals, which can result in death. Food and medicine are blocked from entering Gaza, producing an escalating humanitarian crisis. Israeli forces invade almost daily, injuring, kidnapping, and sometimes killing inhabitants.

Israel Point of View: After WWII, the Jews mainly wanted a country of their own; a place of safety where they could escape the horrors of the holocaust. They also believed that they have the right to the land due to their history. 3700 thousand years ago, Moses led his people away from the oppressive Egyptian king. Israel is also constantly defending itself against Palestinian attacks; because of this they view themselves in a constant state of defense. The Security of Israel is the main priority of the state because the security of the state has never been guaranteed because of the constant Palestinian attacks. They reason that they have a right to place Israeli villages in the Palestinian areas of the Gaza Strip and West Bank because the borders have never been finite due to the constant warring.

Palestinian Point View: The Palestinians believe they should not have to accept less than 100% of the West Bank and Gaza because the total of both territories only comprises 22% of what was originally Palestine, when the UN mandated that Israel and Palestine should have an equal 50% of the land. Israel has been establishing settlements in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula. The Palestinians view this as a violation of international law regarding territory seized during war.

Suggestions For Peace: To achieve peace, many steps must be taken by both sides as both sides have make mistakes. The Israeli people need to release any Palestinian people in their prisons and remove all settlements. In return the Palestinians need to stop protesting and attacking the Israeli people. If these preliminary steps can be taken, the leaders of both countries should meet and redraw the borders of both countries to the equal amount requested by the UN.

A regional map of Israel/Palestine

This is an image of the UN proposed Israel/Palestine

A comparison of Israel/Palestine from 1947-Present

The territories that Israel has occupied since 1967