How to Achieve Peace in the Middle East

¶ … achieving peace in the Middle East. The writer explores the problems between Israel and Palestine and looks at possible solutions. There were five sources used to complete this paper.

The dispute between Palestine and Israel is long standing and difficult. Each side believes that it is in the right and both sides accuse various nations including the United States of taking sides against them. "Palestinians want an independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem - but hardliner Sharon will accept only small Palestinian territories and no Israeli withdrawal from East Jerusalem."

The conflict began in 1917 at the time Britain conquered Palestine. It was during World War II. It was called the Jewish homeland. During the United Nations talks of 1947 a plan was designed that divided the land between the Jews and the Arabs. That plan called for the founding of the State of Israel about a year later. This triggered the first war between the Arabs and the Israelis. The land began to change hands over and over again as one side or the other would get the upper hand during the most recent war or skirmish (Freedom, 2001).

"Meanwhile Palestinian terrorists carried out attacks, including the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11 athletes and coaches were killed. In 1993, Arafat's PLO renounced terrorism and recognized the state of Israel. Israel agreed to Palestinian rule in Gaza Strip and part of West Bank. But tensions remained high and the latest peace talks collapsed last September. Since then, 626 Palestinians and 175 Israelis have died (Freedom, 2001)."

WHO IS WRONG?

When asked who is at fault each side points to the other, while the world watches the constant tug of war for the land in between. Part of the problem comes from small groups on each side. Several times the leaders of both sides have had round table discussions, sometimes with a third party mediator, other times without one. These discussions have resulted in talk of peace and stand offs. Each side promises not to attack the other side. Then, a small group of independent loyalists for one side or the other shoots or attacks the other side and the war is re-ignited (Edwards, 2000).

When this happens the finger pointing begins. The United States administration has often stepped in to try and mediate the situation to little avail.

One of the things that will assist in making this situation better is for the media to be more careful in its coverage of the problems. The media is letting itself get used for the benefit of whatever side is angry at the time.

"Each side is trying to persuade the rest of the world to accept its version of what's happened (Adams, 2000)."

It is a religious war for the most part though over the years the politics and economics have entered the picture. While one side believes it is the Jewish homeland and has been there for many years the other side believes it is their land and they have a right to it regardless of various political decisions and interventions. The entire thing ripples out to involve politics and economics for both sides. The natural desire for each side is to elect and have officials who will help them realize their eventual goal regarding the land and who it should belong to. This causes many political decisions and platforms to be based in the argument over the land and this is to the exclusion of other issues. The religious question is at the forefront but many experts believe it has become more of a power struggle for some than an actual spiritual situation (After, 2002)

"The route to settlement is blocked both by the miseries of the past 19 months and by the hardliners on either side. Israel's far-right coalition and the Palestinian militants in Hamas and Islamic Jihad are the spoilers, not the producers, of a decent agreement. But the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, who want to live their lives without fear or fighting, know that their only lasting escape is through an agreement acceptable to both sides (After, 2002)

Led by Saudi Arabia, all the Arab countries have now said that they will accept Israel once it has withdrawn from its conquests in the 1967 war, a withdrawal first demanded by the UN Security Council 35 years ago. The two-state solution is now even agreed to by Mr. Sharon, though his concept of a Palestinian state on less than half the West Bank would be, in Palestinian words, no more than a collection of "statelets in Israel's belly (After, 2002)."

Each time there is a war the hatred grows deeper and stronger on both sides. In addition the current and ever growing technology has begun to preset itself as clear and present danger should either side determine it will use it against the other. These facts bring to light the urgency of resolving this century old conflict in the near future.

The easy solution is to have the Palestinians give up the land. However they object to such a solution based on the fact that they have already given up 78% of it in various deals to try and achieve peace.

"Of the 3.5m Palestinians in the occupied territories, 2.5m live in the West Bank or East Jerusalem and 1m in Gaza. In the West Bank, under the Oslo process, they have full control only over the cities, or 18% of the territory- -and since the latest Israeli incursions, this has been lost. In Gaza, they controlled about 75% of the land before the intifada, but buffer zones and new roads have now reduced this to nearer 60%(After, 2002). The Israelis have about 200,000 settlers in the West Bank, and roughly the same number (though they do not call them settlers) in East Jerusalem. They also have some 7,000 zealously guarded settlers in Gaza."