The following brief and factual history of the conflict should give you a good idea of the causes and effects of the conflict.
The seed of this conflict was planted in 1882 when the Zionist movement started with a group of secular (non-religious) European Jews to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. Up to the 1920's, Jews lived in peace with Muslims and Christians in Palestine for about 1300 years (except when the European Crusaders killed all the Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem 900 years ago). Most of the Jews who lived in Palestine till then were Arabs.
When Britain occupied Palestine during World War 1, it gave a declaration (Balfour Declaration 1917) to the Zionist Federation that Britain will facilitate establishing a national home for the Jews in Palestine. There was one big problem however: the land already was populated by native Arabs (Mostly Muslim, but with significant Christian 7% and Jewish minorities 9%).
Britain opened the door to Jewish immigration from Europe, which increased in the 1930's and 1940's because of Nazism and the Holocaust. In 1948 the Jews made up 33% of the population of Palestine, but owned only 7% of the land. The UN voted to split Palestine 55% for the Jews and 45% for the Palestinians to establish a Jewish and Arab States in Palestine, and to make Jerusalem an international area. War broke out between the Arabs and Jews in 1948 and the Jews occupied 80% of Palestine and established Israel on it. In the process Israel ethnically cleansed (forcibly removed) 80% of the Palestinians from the land they occupied and destroyed and depopulated more than 400 Palestinian villages, massacred thousands of Palestinians and made 0.75 million Palestinians refugees.
The UN voted in 1948 (Security Council Resolutions 93 and General Assembly Res. 194) to tell Israel to allow the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, but until today Israel never complied. In 1967 Israel militarily occupied the remainder of Palestine (The West Bank and the Gaza Strip). The Security Council again voted in 1967 and 1973 that Israel return to the 1967 borders and allow the refugees to return, but Israel never complied (Security Council Res. 237, 242, 338).
This gives you a brief history of the roots of the problem. The Palestinians now negotiate to get only the lands occupied in 1967 back to establish their own state on it, and for Israel to allow the deposed people in 1948 and 1967 to return to their original homes.
Israel is only accepting to return only parts of the lands occupied in 1967. The land they accept to return has no borders with the outside world (making it an effective jail guarded by the Israelis). They also refuse to allow the refugees to return. They also have built many illegal settlements in the West Bank and planted nearly 500,000 Israeli extremists in them. Israel has taken control of nearly 5/6 of the water resources in the West Bank, and has built an apartheid wall that dwarfs the Berlin wall around and through Palestinian cities and villages in the West Bank ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyO2F3HD47A ). They also refuse to return East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank, to the Palestinians.
Again this is a very brief background. It in no way describes the daily suffering, abuse, humiliation, terror and deprivation of basic human rights the Israelis inflict on the Palestinians.
You can get more information from Wikipedia in the link below:
The causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict are many. One is Pan-Arabism, the belief that only Arabs should inhabit a huge landmass which includes Israel. Zionism, which is the belief that Jews deserve a homeland, is another cause. Note: Zionism doesn't necessarily mean kicking Palestinians out of their homes, nor negating a founding of a Palestinian state; rather, Zionism just means finding a state for the Jews, and nothing more.
The effects are many. The Jews were able to establish their state; though, surrounding Arab states attacked the Jewish state, and lost. This prevented any Palestinian state from being founded, since the result was Israel winning land from aggressors and Egypt and Jordan winning the rest of the "Palestinian" land (which they held on to for about 20 years, and did nothing to even start the process of founding a Palestinian state). Israel won those areas in the 67 war, and since then is seen as occupiers of the land. Currently, Israel doesn't trust (with good reason) the Palestinian population, and set up road blocks and blockades against the West Bank and Gaza. While this has drawn international criticism, it should be noted that these measures are, unfortunately, affective: West Bank terrorism in the form of suicide bombings and attacks are down 90% since the wall was built, and rockets from Gaza have gone down as well.
Hamas is important to consider: They are the ones the Gazans elected, and their charter clearly states that they desire to see Israel destroyed, and they have launched multiple attacks against Israelis. While they are the elected body of the Gazan Palestinians, they are still identified as terrorists by the US and the EU, among others. That is why Israel has them under a blockade, as well as Egypt, who also doesn't trust them.
Israel has offered to cede a bunch of land to the Palestinians, and has done so already. They gave the PA authority in the West Bank, and completely withdrew from Gaza (a decision they'll later regret, given the situation that later occurred there). In Camp David, Arafat, the leader of the Palestinians, was offered 97% of what the Palestinians claimed they "wanted". Instead, he chose to reject the offer, without even trying to make a counter-offer. He was interested in it all, and without the Jews (considering he endorsed terrorist bombings). He heavily hampered the decision process, by siphoning a lot of money from Palestinians, to himself.
Not that the Israelis are 100% innocent, either. While most have the worst image of Arabs and Muslims from the terrorist attacks taken against them, some have gone too far against them. Settlers in the West Bank sometimes harass Palestinians, and one or two nutjobs have, unfortunately, murdered some.
Here is a site which explains a lot to do with the conflict. Its up to you to make up your own mind as to the rights and wrongs of this 60 year old conflict
Comments
The following brief and factual history of the conflict should give you a good idea of the causes and effects of the conflict.
The seed of this conflict was planted in 1882 when the Zionist movement started with a group of secular (non-religious) European Jews to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. Up to the 1920's, Jews lived in peace with Muslims and Christians in Palestine for about 1300 years (except when the European Crusaders killed all the Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem 900 years ago). Most of the Jews who lived in Palestine till then were Arabs.
When Britain occupied Palestine during World War 1, it gave a declaration (Balfour Declaration 1917) to the Zionist Federation that Britain will facilitate establishing a national home for the Jews in Palestine. There was one big problem however: the land already was populated by native Arabs (Mostly Muslim, but with significant Christian 7% and Jewish minorities 9%).
Britain opened the door to Jewish immigration from Europe, which increased in the 1930's and 1940's because of Nazism and the Holocaust. In 1948 the Jews made up 33% of the population of Palestine, but owned only 7% of the land. The UN voted to split Palestine 55% for the Jews and 45% for the Palestinians to establish a Jewish and Arab States in Palestine, and to make Jerusalem an international area. War broke out between the Arabs and Jews in 1948 and the Jews occupied 80% of Palestine and established Israel on it. In the process Israel ethnically cleansed (forcibly removed) 80% of the Palestinians from the land they occupied and destroyed and depopulated more than 400 Palestinian villages, massacred thousands of Palestinians and made 0.75 million Palestinians refugees.
The UN voted in 1948 (Security Council Resolutions 93 and General Assembly Res. 194) to tell Israel to allow the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, but until today Israel never complied. In 1967 Israel militarily occupied the remainder of Palestine (The West Bank and the Gaza Strip). The Security Council again voted in 1967 and 1973 that Israel return to the 1967 borders and allow the refugees to return, but Israel never complied (Security Council Res. 237, 242, 338).
This gives you a brief history of the roots of the problem. The Palestinians now negotiate to get only the lands occupied in 1967 back to establish their own state on it, and for Israel to allow the deposed people in 1948 and 1967 to return to their original homes.
Israel is only accepting to return only parts of the lands occupied in 1967. The land they accept to return has no borders with the outside world (making it an effective jail guarded by the Israelis). They also refuse to allow the refugees to return. They also have built many illegal settlements in the West Bank and planted nearly 500,000 Israeli extremists in them. Israel has taken control of nearly 5/6 of the water resources in the West Bank, and has built an apartheid wall that dwarfs the Berlin wall around and through Palestinian cities and villages in the West Bank ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyO2F3HD47A ). They also refuse to return East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank, to the Palestinians.
Again this is a very brief background. It in no way describes the daily suffering, abuse, humiliation, terror and deprivation of basic human rights the Israelis inflict on the Palestinians.
You can get more information from Wikipedia in the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_palestine_conf...
If you prefer documentaries, the following two documentaries are the best you can find on the subject:
1) Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land (79 minutes)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-660477589...
2) Occupation 101 (88 minutes)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-245190845...
This recent one from CBS 60 Minutes program (Jan 2009) is also a good one (13 minutes)
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4752349n
The causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict are many. One is Pan-Arabism, the belief that only Arabs should inhabit a huge landmass which includes Israel. Zionism, which is the belief that Jews deserve a homeland, is another cause. Note: Zionism doesn't necessarily mean kicking Palestinians out of their homes, nor negating a founding of a Palestinian state; rather, Zionism just means finding a state for the Jews, and nothing more.
The effects are many. The Jews were able to establish their state; though, surrounding Arab states attacked the Jewish state, and lost. This prevented any Palestinian state from being founded, since the result was Israel winning land from aggressors and Egypt and Jordan winning the rest of the "Palestinian" land (which they held on to for about 20 years, and did nothing to even start the process of founding a Palestinian state). Israel won those areas in the 67 war, and since then is seen as occupiers of the land. Currently, Israel doesn't trust (with good reason) the Palestinian population, and set up road blocks and blockades against the West Bank and Gaza. While this has drawn international criticism, it should be noted that these measures are, unfortunately, affective: West Bank terrorism in the form of suicide bombings and attacks are down 90% since the wall was built, and rockets from Gaza have gone down as well.
Hamas is important to consider: They are the ones the Gazans elected, and their charter clearly states that they desire to see Israel destroyed, and they have launched multiple attacks against Israelis. While they are the elected body of the Gazan Palestinians, they are still identified as terrorists by the US and the EU, among others. That is why Israel has them under a blockade, as well as Egypt, who also doesn't trust them.
Israel has offered to cede a bunch of land to the Palestinians, and has done so already. They gave the PA authority in the West Bank, and completely withdrew from Gaza (a decision they'll later regret, given the situation that later occurred there). In Camp David, Arafat, the leader of the Palestinians, was offered 97% of what the Palestinians claimed they "wanted". Instead, he chose to reject the offer, without even trying to make a counter-offer. He was interested in it all, and without the Jews (considering he endorsed terrorist bombings). He heavily hampered the decision process, by siphoning a lot of money from Palestinians, to himself.
Not that the Israelis are 100% innocent, either. While most have the worst image of Arabs and Muslims from the terrorist attacks taken against them, some have gone too far against them. Settlers in the West Bank sometimes harass Palestinians, and one or two nutjobs have, unfortunately, murdered some.
And all of this only scratches the surface.
Here is a site which explains a lot to do with the conflict. Its up to you to make up your own mind as to the rights and wrongs of this 60 year old conflict
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