What’s the issue?
The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is one of the most contentious issues of both our generation and our parents’ generation. It is one of the major branches of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, which is incredible when you remember that the land that everyone is fighting over is barely a third of the size of Tasmania!
The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting since we were born, but when and how did this all start? The beginning dates back almost 4000 years to ancient times when both Jews and Arabs inhabited the region that is now commonly thought of as Israel. Scholars have debated for years about who has the right to claim the area as their homeland and nation state. There is no definitive history which we can refer to, as even the chronology and events of the region are hotly contested issues. However, we can try to gather information on some of the general historical background in order to understand the basic roots of the conflict.
Who does it affect?
You hear people toss around the terms Israelis and Palestinians – but what do these labels actually mean?
- Israelis are any citizens of the state of Israel. Although approximately 77% of Israel’s 7 million people are Jewish, there are a large number of Christian, Druze and Muslim citizens.
- Palestinians are generally thought of as people with family origins in Palestine. There are around 10 to 11 million Palestinians in the world today – many of whom are not citizens of any country. About half of the Palestinian population lives in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The others are known as the Palestinian Diaspora and live in many other countries throughout the world.
To complicate the issue further there are not merely two sides. Israelis and Palestinians have diverse opinions on the issue. Like any debate, there are those on both sides with more moderate approaches and those with extreme points of view. In addition, the surrounding Arab states of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan all have their own vested interests in the fate of Israel. Israel is often faced with conflicts both within its borders and along them. The involvement of these nations and other surrounding countries is why this issue is often referred to more generally as the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’. There is almost no way to separate the intertwining battles between all of the states and cultures in the Middle East.
But beyond these large and diverse groups, the conflict really does affect everyone, including us. The fighting between Israelis and Palestinians is perhaps the single largest contributor to the instability of the Middle East as a whole, which is without question an issue of global importance.
Key events
A full account of the events involving Israelis and Palestinians since the 20th Century would require a book and a very large book no less! These are a (tiny) selection of some significant events which have contributed to the current situation.
- At the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire fell. Palestine was one of the former Ottoman Arab territories and the League of Nations placed it under the administration of Great Britain.
- In 1917, Great Britain issued the Balfour Declaration expressing support for ‘the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people’. The Jewish people saw this as their rightful return to their promised nation, whereas the Arab inhabitants felt it was a Jewish invasion of their homeland. (For a copy of the Declaration, visit http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/The%20Balfour%20Declaration)
- In 1947, following years of violence, the UN proposed a peacekeeping solution called the Partition Plan. This document segregated the country into two geographically and politically separate states: Palestine and Israel. Israel was willing to go through with the plan, but the Palestinians and fellow Arabs in the Middle East did not accept it. Many believed that Israel had no right to exist. (For an map of the Partition Plan, visit http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+
Maps/1947+UN+Partition+Plan.htm)
- In 1948 Israel seized an opportunity to declare Israel an independent Jewish state. As soon as this happened the surrounding Arab countries went to war with Israel in what is now known as the War of Independence. Palestinians refer to it as the ‘catastrophe’. By the time the war ended in 1949 Israel held much more of the land than was allotted to them in the original Partition Plan, resulting in a mass number of Palestinian refugees.
- In 1967, Israel fought against Eygpt, Jordan and Syria in the Six Day War. The result of this war was that Israel acquired a significant amount of extra land including Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. In 1979 Israel gave control of Sinai back to Eygpt, and in 2005 all Israeli settlers withdrew from the Gaza Strip and autonomy of the area was given to the Palestinians.
- In 1987-1993 the First Intifada occurred. The Intifada was a violent uprising against Israeli civilians and security forces in the West Bank and Gaza (which had become known as the ‘occupied territories’ ). In 2000 the violence erupted again with the Second Intifada. Since 2000, over 3500 Palestinians and over 1000 Israelis have died as a result of Intifada violence.
- In 2002, Israel began the construction of a wall to mark off the areas of Palestinian population in the West Bank. Israel claims it is for protection against violent Islamic fundamentalists and suicide bombers, while Palestinians have dubbed it the Apartheid Wall because of the oppressive effect it has on their lives.
The crux of this unending battle is that all the debates and wars over land are underscored by huge cultural, ideological and emotional divides that can’t be solved simply.
Where does Australia stand?
The Australian Labor Party has always supported close ties between Australia and Israel. Australia was one of the first countries to publicly give political support for a Jewish state. In fact, it was the first country to vote in favor of the Partition Plan in 1947. Kevin Rudd supports the total disbandment and disarmament of Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Australian Liberal Party advocates aggressive preemptive attacks on would-be terrorists. They support joining the U.S. in its efforts to stabilize the Middle East in order to create a safer world.
Where can I learn more?
As with any hotly contested issue, particularly a religious, political and ideological one, it can be very challenging to gain an unbiased understanding of the situation. So be careful and critical of everything you read. In addition, you have probably noticed that the situation changes so quickly that even the newspapers struggle to keep up.
For current developments, here are some great places to start:
For a different, less western perspective:
This page was updated by kate elise
How do I know this?
BBC News Website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4314423.stm
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
www.mfa.gov.il
Gouttman, Rodney, ‘Australian NGOs and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’,
Quadrant (October 2004)
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3597073/Australian-NGOs-and-the-Israeli.html
MidEastWeb Gateway,
http://www.mideastweb.org
The Liberal Party of Australia Website, www.liberal.org.au Official Website of the Australian Labor Party
www.alp.org.au/media/0305/msfais010.php
‘The PLO Charter’, Information Regarding Israel’s Security (Iris)
www.iris.org.il/plochart.htm
‘Question of Palestine’, Division for Palestinian Rights (UN)
http://www.un.org/depts/dpa/ngo/history.html
UN News Centre
www.un.org/news/
