religious conflict in the Congo

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israeli-palestenian_conflict.pptx
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The Israeli – Palestinian Conflict

By Kyle Wilson

Beginnings:

Let it be said first off that this conflict has traces that go back to biblical times and that there is no way to cover the entirety or the complexity of the conflict.

To vaguely give background, the modern beginnings of what we know as the Israeli-palestenian conflict today, we’ll start with the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century when they ruled over palestine. During this era jew and christians and muslims lived side by side without many issues.

During this time the Austro-Hungarian empire was coming apart at the seams with ten different nations wanting their own separate states.

This all was fueled by the golden age of nationalism and social Darwinism and it would lead to extreme palestinian nationalism as well as Zionism – Jewish nationalism and desire for each groups to have their own homelands.

Beginnings Continued

WWI saw lots of conflict in the mid east and when the conflict concluded the British empire took control of Palestine with the

1918- Britain gains control of Palestine from the ashes of the Ottoman empire under the British Mandate of Palestine.

From 1918-1948 the British govern over the Jews and Muslims living in this area.

1927-First Intercommunal acts of violence when British give land east of Jordan River (Now known as Jordan) to Emir Abdullah to create Hashemite Kingdom. Violence erupts on Tel-Aviv border on May-Day leaving scores of Jews and Muslims dead. Second eruption of violence occurs in 1929.

1936- Violence and riots erupt when British kill Sheikh Izz Al-Den Al Qassam, arabs revolt. Rioting lasts until 1939 when British ban most land sales to Jews.

The Modern Conflict

1947- General UN Assembly recommends partition of British Mandate into two separate states; one for Jews and one for Arabs. Fighting Breaks out soon after.

1948- Israeli War of Independence takes place as British Troops leave Palestine. All surrounding Arab Armies attempt to drive the Israelites into the Mediterranean but they are able to fend off the Arab armies. Meanwhile Jordan takes control over the West Bank with the tacit agreement of Israel and Egypt establishes control over the Gaza Strip. Control of Jerusalem is split between Israel in the west and Jordan in the East.

The Modern Conflict

1948-1967- Continued skirmishes and border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

1967- Six Day War: Israel launches an assault against Arab forces arrayed for strike along Israeli borders. Israel captures the Sinai peninsula, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank, and East Jerusalem. They triple the size of their territory in 6 days. They do eventually give much of it back.

UN Security Counsel Passes Resolution 242 which calls for withdrawal of IDF(Israeli Defense Force) from captured territory.

The Modern Conflict

1973- Yom Kippur War- Egyptian and Syrian forces launch a surprise attack on IDF forces in Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. This was a three week war in which Israeli force successfully held their ground against these two aggressors.

Un Security Council passes Resolution 338 which called for immediate cease-fire.

4 July 1976 Israeli commandos rescue Jewish hostages aboard an AirFrance Airbus in Uganda being held by Palestinian terrorist.

1978/1981- Camp David accords were held between US president Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. Israel agrees to hand back the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in return for peace and normalization. This was significant because it was the first time an Arab country signed a peace treaty with Israel and thus accepted the state’s existence. Signing the Camp David accord made Sadat unpopular among Egyptians as well as Arabs living outside Egypt. Egypt was then expelled from the Arab League as a reaction to the peace agreement. In 1980, Egypt and Israel establish diplomatic relations. This led directly to the assassination of Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, by 3 soldiers of the Egyptian Army.

The Modern Conflict

June 6, 1982: Israel invades Lebanon to set up a security zone in Southern Lebanon in order to block Hezbollah (a Lebanese Shi’a Muslim group whose name means “Party of God”) forces from launching attacks on Northern Israeli communities from Lebanon. The Israeli Army reaches Beirut and succeeds in driving out Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Arafat moves his organization to Tunisia.

1987 first “intafada" starts; this means uprising or riot in arabic. This marked a period of violent bloodshed with thousands being killed on both sides. This eventually led to the Oslo Accords where the Israeli Prime Minister, Yessar Arafat, and Bill Clinton were able to largely make peace between the Arabs and the Israelis at least for a while.

The Modern Conflict

Ultimately the Oslo Accords fail due to the palestinians not being able to come up with their own solutions or agree to proposed solutions by the U.S. Mediator. As a result PLO headquarters are moved to Tunisia and eventually the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, is assassinated. In 2000 the 2nd Intafada starts and lasts until 2005.

2007 HAMAS and radical islamic forces take over Gaza and use it as a launch pad for attacks, mortar strikes, and rocket fire. The Israelis invade in 2008 with Operation Cast Lead which lasts until 2009 with thousands of casualties and billions of dollars of damage.

Since this time there have been many different instances of rocket fire, mortar strikes, and countless small border clashes in Gaza. Hamas remains a thorn in Israels side.

The Current Situation

Currently there is a blockade of Gaza, the Israelis have a naval blockade encircling Gaza from the sea, and the Egyptians are cooperating with IDF Forces by maintaining the ground blockade. This is an effort to maintain quiet in the area as best as possible and to control who and what gets in and out.

The Israelis are working with the palestinian authority in the westbank where they are attempting to use economic means to bring a complete close to the conflict. There are many Israeli settlements on the West Bank and there is continued construction of said settlements that continues to cause controversy. The U.S. is attempting to mediate between the two parties. Whether a freeze in settlement building, a large land return to the palestinians, or a stop to all movement in the future is unknown. However progress in the West Bank is starting to come about.

As of Now

As of now progress in the West Bank is delicate but it looks as if things could still turn out in favor of peace. Public views in both Palestinian and Israeli citizenry are increasingly becoming willing to look for solutions for a lasting peace.

The story is quite different in Gaza and the situation is still very volitile and chaotic. There seems to be no possibility of peace anytime soon.

There are outside factors on the situation such as ISIS, the Syrian Civil War, Iran and the threats made towards Israel, and other non-state actors that have denounced Israel and their right to Exist.

The Mid-East is in a great time of turmoil and the situation is very delicate and tense.

What Could Be Done

What are possible solutions to the Isreali – Palestinian Conflict that perhaps have been talked about or not yet mentioned at all?

Is it possible that a decent aggrement on territory can be made on the West Bank so as to create a lasting peace there?

Is there a solution to the situation in Gaza other than a brutal military campaign to rid Gaza of Hamas?

Do you ever see feasability in a lasting peace in the area?