Here's a little history on the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. Sorry for the scattered, incomplete thoughts. (also, I would put it in bullet format to organize it better, but since people here read from right to left, the tab button won't work)
Basic Problem:
One land. Two communities (Israel and Palestinians) What do you do when one group has lived in the land for centuries, and the other lived there before and wants it back?
Jews:
From time of Joshua to Roman destruction of the temple. They were here first
Arabs: from the Islamic Empires
Jews start returning to Israel with Zionist movement.
Mandate Period: British helping Arabs overthrow the Turks (who were allies with the Germans) British promised Arabs independence if they would help them. Gave countries such as Iraq and Iran to Arab rule. Kept Israel under British rule until they became self-governing.
1917: Balfour Declaration
"His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities
Unit Partition: British gives them their own states. Israel state is unconnected. Jerusalem= world center. War immediately breaks out, Israeli now has control over most areas. Palestinians have never had their own state. Jordan controlled the west bank, Egypt controlled the Gaza strip.
Six-day War: Israel preemptive attack on Egypt. Israel gains Gaza, West Bank, Golan Heights, Sinai (gives back to Egypt later)
Gaza now ruled by Hamas, but it's heavily guarded- least amount of in and out as possible.
UN is technically against this, but they are doing nothing to help the Palestinians
UN resolution 242
The security council expressing its conned concern with the grave situation in the middle east, Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every state in the area can live in security.....
Intifada 1987
Palestinian resistance against israeli occupation- rocks and strikes
Oslo Accord: Withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the West Bank (except Hebron). Palestinian self-rule of those areas. Israel recognized as a state.
Second Entifada: Ariel Sharon (guy threw out PLO). Goes up on the temple mount to show that Israel still controls the Temple Mount. Thousands of lives were killed because of it because of the sacredness of the Temple Mount that Palestinians hold.
Suicide bombings start occurring. Why?
(over 100 occurred since the year 2000) Palestinians are under martial law. Israeli soldiers can go into their homes at any time and arrest, beat up, etc. anytime they want. They are trying to make Israeli's feel the same terror that Palestinians feel in occupied Israel. Lack of conventional weapons. Rewards for families, hopelessness
Palestinians are starting to accept that Israeli's aren't going away.
Israel won't give back land because of security, they built the infrastructure, et.
Why does US support Israel? cold war days, we need a strong ally in this area, they have more of a democratic gov. , Christian perspective- prophecy that they would get Israel back
Palestinians want land, return of refugees (2 million total throughout Near East and Africa), reparations, statehood
this leads to the building of the Separation Wall
Is this a political or religious struggle? Yes. :)
Israel wants to be recognized as a "Jewish" state
religion
Why can't they overcome main issues?
Israel- settlements
Palestine- right to return
both- Jerusalem
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