Israel and Palestine?

Question

Can any one tell me briefly what the conflict between these two countries is about?

Answer 1

what some of the others neglected to tell you is that there is such a bitter hatred of jews among arabs that they can't stand the idea of there being a jewish state at all. The particular land wasn't that important to the palestinians (a misnomer because there really is no nationality) it was because jews were there. The other arab states don't even want the so called palestinians. There could be peace if these people would live in peace. The Israelis want it but they will no longer tolerate terrorism or a threat to their security. Can you blame them?
Just for the record..I am not a jew and I do not hate palestinians. I pray they can find a way to live in peace.

Answer 2

I realise this answer may contract itself but, here goes....

The issues that currently separate the Israelis and the Palestinians are so divisive, that you're unlikely to get a balanced answer on this one, particularly when discussing more recent events (though that's not to discredit the answers already on here).

Basically, following the end of the War, there was considerable Jewish immigration into British administered territory of Palestine. This became British after the Treaty Of Versailles in 1918 (which concluded the First World War), which previously was part of the Turkish Empire. In 1947 after widespread violence between the communities, but also directed at the British authorities, Britain handed the problem over to the UN.

The UN set up a partition, and the Jewish half declared that it was the sovereign state of Israel in 1948, which is when the last of the British troops left. But not soon after both sides were attacking each other, in which the Israelis fared better and seized a lot of territory the UN had designated Arab.

So, briefly it started a conflict over territory, but like Northern Ireland, it's become about so much more. Ethnicity, religion, terrorism, Cold war politics, Western oil interests in the Middle East, and of course a long history of animosity between these groups have all contributed to this onrunning dispute.

Answer 3

Israel was a country belonging to the Jewish population until they were exiled around 2000 years ago. Since then it had been occupied by many different people. The Jews were forced to live in Persia (now Iraq) and over time became dispersed all over the world, but mainly to europe.
In the early 1900s, Theodore Herzel, a secular Jewish journalist recognised the necessity for a place where the worlds Jewish population could live together, in the face of sustained and rising anti-semitism in Europe. He hence founded the Zionist movement. In forums with European councils, the idea of giving a piece of Euganda to the Jews was suggested but, having no historical relation to it, or reason to take that land, the idea dissapated. The Zionists began collaborating with the very small Jewish population in Palestine and began to buy land, and leagally occupy it. After the holocaust in Europe, the West also rocognised the necessity for a Jewish land and started to push their cause. After the War there was an influx of Jews that survived the holocaust from Eastern Europe and as the population grew the previous occupants of the land became discontented which lead to violence and warfare between the two. A war followed, after which Israel claimed independence in the land that they rightfully and leagally gained.
Ever since there has been fighting and several wars between the two. The Jews' claim to the land is ligitimate and the Palestinians have a right to a home too. Hence the proposed "two state solution" where they can live side by side in borders that Israel and the West have been quite generous about, regarding the Palestinians. The work of Yassir Arafat was to plant hatred into the hearts of the Palestinian people and "not stop until the Jews have been pushed into the sea", making it extremely difficult to have constructive dialogue, and the carrying out of peace processes between the two.

It is not a simple subject, that is black and white, but very much grey, so can barely be summarised but here is a "brief" overview of it.

I also respect the fact that you arent being ignorant about the issue, but are showing genuine interest in an issue so sensitive and volotile in international politics. Respect ;-)

Answer 4

Briefly, after WW2 the international community decided to create a homeland for the worlds Jews in the part of the world where they had originally come from as a race.

This was in a piece of British adminstered territory in North Africa known generally as Palestine.

Some of the local Arab tribes who lived in that area took exception to this and formed various guerrilla groups to have their own homeland with an independant government called Palestine.

Palestine as an area had been previously governed by the British, Turks, Crusaders, Arabs, and Romans. It had never been an independant country as such.

So the PLO and other groups waged a war of terror and hijackings on the Israelis, plus Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan all tried to beat Israel militarily, and so the Israelis then started mistreating the Palestinians.

Therefore you have the situation that exists today.

Answer 5

Hey, if I was Palestine, I'd be pretty hacked off if the United Nations just gave away my land too! The Jews wanted a homeland and (partly) cited what happened to them during WW2 as justification (along with some blah blah from the torah, from what I understand). Given the EXACT same arguement, why doesn't the United States government grant a "homeland" to all of the Native Americans (resevations don't count; they are mostly wasteland) in honor of all of the Natives that were slaughtered by the US Army during westward expansion??? I guess that so long as it's the United States that's commiting genocide, then it's O.K. This whole we-got-ours-but-you-can't-have-yours BS is stomach-turning.

Answer 6

First thing is to understand what "Palestine" means. There is / has never been a country called Palestine.

The region of Palestine is today divided among the countries of Jordan, Israel, parts of Lebanon and Syria, and the disputed territories of Judea/Samaria and Gaza.

In 1922 the British carved off Palestine east of the Jordan River to create the state of Jordan. In 1948 Israel declared its independence.

The stateless Arabs of Judea/Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza took on this identity of being "Palestinian" in the 1970s, as a tactic in the effort to destroy Israel.

Or, in their own words:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism."

- PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein, 1977


Check out http://www.palestinefacts.org

Answer 7

The Jews declared Israel as their country (Zionist movement) since they were there during the feudal ages and needed a home after the second world war. The problem was that the country already belonged to the Muslims (Palestines) and so the Jews invaded it using terrorist tactics etc.
The West ignored this because of the things done to the Jews during the second world war. Soon Israel was recognised as a state.
Palestine is just trying to push back the invaders using terrorist tactics. (Look up Hamas).

If your really interested in this you should look up the Crusades to the Holy Land during the feudal ages since it all began there.

Answer 8

It starts here:
Palestine doesn't have a country. They are people without borders. Yasser Arafat had been kicked out of Syria and one other country for encouraging civil unrest. It seems the Arab nations are using Palestinians as a tool to cause problems for Isreal.

Not all Palestinians are in conflict, I believe most would just like to live in peace.

Answer 9

Simple, Israel doesn't want to give back Palestinians land to them.
While Jews immigrated to Palestine (60 years ago), they wanted all of their lands to make a new country (Name Israel). So they founded this country by killing Palestinians, destroying houses, running out Palestinian, etc.
They won't let others even speak about their activities including, looting, killing innocents people, etc.
Thus freedom countries are protesting against Israel guiltiest.

Also, UN can't do anything about Palestine because US will use its Veto voting to disappoint all of peaceful activities against Israel.

Answer 10

Land.. The Jews took land that didn't belong to them (But did thousands of years ago)

The worst thing is that the Jews were persecuted by the Germans - Look what they're doing now - even building a wall... Sounds familiar... ;(

I wish Jews would live with the Palestinians for a while - see how the other side lives.