Land & Religion:Middle East Conflicts

© 2011Clairmont Press

Israel and Palestine

• Israel claims that the lands were theirs long before the creation of the Islamic religion.

• The new Israel was attacked immediately by Arab states and controlled 50% more lands after they defeated the Arab states.

• The lands that Palestinians lost were a result of the loss of their war against Israel.

• Israel is surrounded by enemies and relies heavily on western support to remain secure.

• Israel has the strongest military and air force in the region.

• Israel is a nuclear state; they obtained nuclear weapons in 1979; this capability greatly exceeds those of Palestine and other Middle East foes.

• Palestinians immediately refused to give up lands to Israel and attacked the Israeli state soon after it was proclaimed by the British.

• The Palestinians were defeated by Israel and many were forced to leave lands that Israel never had any intention of controlling until they were attacked.

• Palestinians today are the rallying cry of the Muslim world. Nearly every Muslim country supports the Palestinians. Iran is the greatest supplier of illegal weaponry to the Palestinians.

• Hamas, a Palestinian religious and political organization is recognized as a terrorist group by western countries but many Arab nations support their causes.

• This is a major center of conflict in the Middle East and most of the terrorist organizations and sponsoring states refuse to acknowledge and openly challenge the existence of the Jewish state.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm#history

Gaza The Gaza strip is a narrow stretch of disputed land on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The strip borders Egypt and Israel and is 25 miles long and about 7.5 miles wide. The population of Gaza is 1.6 million; it is densely populated. The Gaza Strip was willingly ceded to the Palestinian authorities in 2005 but has remained a hotbed of activity. The Gaza strip sees renewed violence regularly and political struggles hurt the area.

West Bank The West Bank is a region that borders Israel to the northeast of the Gaza Strip. The West Bank is technically controlled by the Palestinian authority but in reality, Israel maintains a strong control in the area, especially the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Since 1967, many Israelis have set up settlements in the West Bank which draw the ire of the Arabic world.

The West Bank has been the sight of many attacks by opposition forces. because of the Israeli military occupation since the 1967 Israel-Jordanian conflict that resulted in Israel claiming the old city of Jerusalem and other lands. Israel refers to the area as the Judea and Samaria Area and they control areas of the West Bank as protection and for claims to cities like Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

The Arab-Israeli conflict refers to the political conflicts between Arab countries and the Jewish community in the Middle East, especially with regards to Israel. This conflict takes many forms, including argumentative and violence. The Arab-Israeli conflict plays a major role in the foreign policy of the United States and our allies. The Arab nations feel that the United States will do only what is best for Israel, and Israel feels that it cannot exist without the support of the United States.

Israeli Air Force pilots are considered some of the greatest fighting forces in the world. Every citizen in Israel mustserve a role in their armed forces.