Please provide your insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...?

Question

Whichever group you side with, please offer your insight on how this conflict began and how it has evolved and changed over the years. I know that after the Holocaust the Israelis, who themselves were displaced, were "given" the lawless Jerusalem, which Muslims considered to be their Holy Land. Also...what is your solution?

Answer 1

Good question, and one that is seldom asked.

The reason is a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews. Both believe themselves to be the descendants of Abraham (see the Old Testament). However Jews are the descendants of David (a child of Abraham and his wife, Sarah) and Muslims are descendants of a child of Abraham and a concubine (one of Sarah's servants, Hagar). God promised Abraham that his child would be blessed. The Jews believe that the "chosen" child was David because he was legitimate. The Muslims believe that the "chosen" child was the other (I don't remember the name) because he was first born. Israel (and Jerusalem) is the land that was promised to the "chosen" descendants. Therefore, the Jews believe that the land should belong to them and the Muslims believe the opposite. It's a thousands-of-years-old religious feud.

Moreover, the Jews believe that David will return to reign in a palace restored on the Temple mount in Jerusalem. However, that can't happen while there currently exists a Muslim mosque there. The mosque (to the Jews) is a desecration of the Temple Mount and must be destroyed in order to build David's palace.

Answer 2

It began millenia ago when the Israelites founded Israel and Jerusalem, and built the 1st Temple. They've been fighting for their existance ever since. Sure, Israel fell to the Muslim hordes who then built a mosque on top of the holiest Jewish sites - the 1st and 2nd Temples. But Jews continued to live there, and live in all the lands of Arabia.

In 1948, after many, many decades, centuries, of seeking to reclaim their homeland of Israel, they were successful when the English, under the guise of the newly created UN, and with US backing, gave a tiny portion of TransJordan to the Jews to establish a homeland, in the location where Israel had previously existed.

For whatever reason the Jordanians now called "palestinians" left Israel, because they were forced out, or to give the 5 Arab armies freedom to maneuver when they attacked, is moot now. Just as many Jews were kicked out of Arab countries with nothing but the clothes on their backs. These were accepted by Israel - why did the Arabs not accept the Jordanians? Must be that Muslim brotherly love, the same one that has caused over 60,000 Iraqi deaths since the US invasion.

The Muslims have been fighting the existance of Israel ever since, and have not been successful. One would have hoped that they'd eventually realize that Israel has a right to exist, and they're not going away. Perhaps the Palestinians should focus on providing a future, and not a bomb vest, for their children.

Answer 3

People have been fighting over this land for thousands of years. Many different religious groups believe this is "their" sacred land.

Nothing we or anyone can do will stop the fighting. They will still be fighting over this land thousands of years from now, unless one side completely wipes out the other, and that is unlikely.

If you want a solution, the only maybe radical solution is to move "everyone" out of the disputed area and not let anyone in.

It all comes back to religion and peoples belief that theirs is the only correct one and that everyone else's religion is wrong.

Realistically none of us really knows what the correct religion (if there is one) is the correct one. We usually go along with whatever religion we were brought up on.

I was raised catholic, and spent 12 years in catholic school. I am now just a believer in god and do not follow any religion.

All the religions are too radical in one way or another, and as I said believe that theirs is the only one and everyone else is wrong and if you don't believe in theirs you will go to hell.

Answer 4

Given that we can't usefully go back and blame the Romans for the sack of Jerusalem and the diaspora, the point at which the Jewish race effectively became a people without a country, the modern origins of the current conflict essentially lie in WW1, with the British and to a lesser degree the French.

Start perhaps with:

The Balfour declaration (possibly to be seen as an inducement for Jewish groups, especially American Jews, to support the British cause in WW1)
'His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,"

While at the same time various promises were made to Arab rulers, in part for their aid against the Turks. (Mc Mahon correspondence, etc. "The whole of Palestine ... lies within the limits which His Majesty's Government have pledged themselves to Sherif Husain that they will recognize and uphold the independence of the Arabs." )

The incompatibility of these two strands of diplomacy set up much of the still-existing divide.

Post-WW2, the Arab cause had lost political sympathy as many Arab authorities had inclined towards Germany (having seen the British lack of honouring *their* promises!?), whereas the horror of the holocaust increased abstract sympathy for Jews, even though this was in most countries coupled with a distinct failure to respond to an appeal to allow significant immigration of Jewish refugees.

So, a war-weary Britain, mandate holder.
A traumatised but determined Jewish movement of return,
Arab leaders, who had shown German sympathies, out of favour internationally...

And from there...

(From 1944 to independence, Israeli freedom fighters/terrorists killed about 500 British servicemen.)

See sources: short source, long source

Answer 5

The solution is for them to settle down to talk and with some give and take on both sides they may come to some accord.
That I feel is wishful thinking as they have been talking now for decades and still no end is in sight.
There are too many non negotiable points on both sides.
What is more as long as one side will not recognise the other it is still going to be an uphill battle.

Answer 6

The conflict is simple, jews wanting to live in Israel and arabs/muslims wanting to drive them out or make them dhimmis under the dreaded islamic law. Palis are friendless ppl, pawns in a much larger game. First it was the Arab nationalists who wanted an arab state from morocco to Iraq. Israel geographically divided that goal, so arab govt backed Pali extremists so the land would be under arab control. With arab nationalism failing, they tried islamism. Again the Palis are pawns to fight israel under the pretext that now Jeruselem is the *THIRD holiest city* for muslims(screw the fact that its first holiest city of jews and christians) and it and its surrounding areas should be governed by Muslims...Arabs by default. Its still the same thing though, driving out the jews for arab rule from spain to the phillipines.

Answer 7

Muslims consider it to be their Holy Land?

I thought that was Mecca.

Let's stipulate that they do consider it to be one of their holy places.

Are there any other religions that also claim it as a holy land?

Perhaps as their primary holy land?

Who has the oldest claim?