The Arab–Israeli conflict (Hebrew: הסכסוך הישראלי-ערבי HaSikhsukh HaYisre'eli-Aravi , Arabic: الصراع العربي الإسرائيلي Aṣ-Ṣirāʿ al-ʿArabī al-'Isrā'īlī ) spans roughly one century of political tensions and open hostilities, though Israel itself only was established as a sovereign state in 1948. The conflict involves the establishment of the Zionist movement and the subsequent creation of the modern State of Israel in territory regarded by the Jewish people as their historical homeland, and by the Pan-Arab movement as belonging to the Palestinians, be they Muslim, Christian, Druze or other (and in the Pan-Islamic context, in territory regarded as Muslim lands).
The conflict, which started as a political and nationalist conflict over competing territorial ambitions following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, has shifted over the years from the large scale regional Arab–Israeli conflict to a more local Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though the Arab World and Israel generally remain at odds with each other over specific territory.
Religious aspects of the conflict
Several studies argue that groups on both sides, including Hamas and Gush Emunim, evoke religious arguments for their uncompromising positions. The Likud party is currently the most prominent Israeli party which includes the Biblical claim to the Land of Israel in its platform.
The Land of Canaan or Eretz Israel (Land of Israel) was, according to the Torah, promised by God to the Children of Israel, i.e. Jews. The Jewish people conquered and ruled that land from the 11th to the 6th century BCE. Contemporary history of the Arab–Israeli conflict is very much affected by Christian and Muslim beliefs and their interpretations of the idea of the Chosen concept in their policies with regard to the "Promised Land" and the "Chosen City" of Jerusalem.
In his 1896 manifesto The Jewish State , Theodor Herzl repeatedly refers to the Biblical Promised land concept (though Herzl was an atheist himself). In the same period, Jewish migration to Palestine (Aliyah) increased in volume.
Christian Zionists support the Jews in this war because they recognize their ancestral rights to this land as explained in the New Testament by Paul in Romans 11. Some also believe that the return of Jews in Israel is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus.
Muslims too claim to have religious priority in accordance with the Quran. Contrary to the Jewish belief that this land was promised only to the descendants of Abraham's younger son Isaac, they argue that the Land of Canaan was promised to all descendants of Abraham, with Arabs claiming to be the descendants of his elder son Ishmael. Additionally, Muslims also revere many holy sites which were originally founded by Biblical period Jews (such as The Cave of the Patriarchs and the Temple Mount), and in the past 1,400 years have constructed Islamic landmarks on these ancient Jewish sites, such as the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Muslims also believe that Muhammad passed through Jerusalem on his first journey to heaven.
History
Main article: History of the Arab-Israeli conflictEnd of 19th century–1948
In the late 19th century, under the banner of a movement called Zionism, many European Jews began purchasing swamps and other desert land from the Ottoman sultan and his agents. Theodore Herzl, the founder of the movement, appealed to the Ottomans as a way to raise tax revenues and to modernize the relatively sparsely populated and barren land. At that time, the entire city of Jerusalem was contained in its tiny walled area and only had a few tens of thousands of inhabitants. Under the Zionists, collective farms, known as kibbutzim, were established, and cities were founded, such as Tel Aviv. Generally, at first, the Arabs welcomed the Zionists with their standard of living, education, capital, and jobs. Many Arabs moved into the region, matching the increase in Jews from Europe.
Before World War I, the Middle East, including Palestine, had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years. During the closing years of their empire the Ottomans began to espouse their Turkish ethnic identity, asserting the primacy of Turks within the empire, leading to discrimination against the Arabs. The promise of liberation from the Ottomans led many Jews and Arabs to support the allied powers during World War I, leading to the emergence of widespread Arab nationalism.
In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, which stated that the government viewed favourably "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." The Declaration was issued as a result of the belief of key members of the government, including Prime Minister Lloyd George, that Jewish support was essential to winning the war; however, the declaration caused great disquiet in the Arab world. After the war, the area came under British rule as the British Mandate of Palestine. The area mandated to the British, included what is today Israel, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza.
By the 1920s, the Jewish and Arab populations had grown hostile to each other and acts of violence persisted from both sides of the conflict. European anti-semitism had spread to the Middle East, and there was great association with the upcoming Nazi movement in Germany. There are notable photos and other documents linking Hitler to leaders like the Grand Mufti in Jerusalem. Similarly, anti-Arab sentiments and prejudices grew steadily among the Jewish population in Palestine. Eventually, violence between Arab and Jews had begun a vicious cycle which continues to this day.
Jewish immigration to Palestine increased. By 1931, 17 percent of the population of Palestine were Jews, an increase of six percent since 1922. Jewish immigration increased soon after the Nazis came to power in Germany, causing the Jewish population in Palestine to double. Palestinian Arabs saw this rapid influx of Jewish immigrants as a threat to their homeland and their identity as a people. Moreover, Jewish policies of purchasing land and prohibiting the employment of Arabs in Jewish-owned industries and farms greatly angered the Palestinian Arab communities. Demonstrations were held as early as 1920, protesting what the Arabs felt were unfair preferences for the Jewish immigrants set forth by the British mandate that governed Palestine at the time. This resentment led to outbreaks of violence. In March 1920, a first violent incident occurred in Tel Hai, later that year riots broke out in Jerusalem. In August 1929, Arabs murdered 67 Jews in the city of Hebron, in what became known as the Hebron Massacre. By 1936, escalating tensions led to the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.
In response to Arab pressure, the British Mandate authorities greatly reduced the number of Jewish immigrants to Palestine (see White Paper of 1939 and the Exodus ship). These restrictions remained in place until the end of the mandate, a period which coincided with the Nazi Holocaust and the flight of Jewish refugees from Europe. As a consequence, most Jewish entrants to Palestine were illegal (see Aliyah Bet), causing further tensions in the region. Following several failed attempts to solve the problem diplomatically, the British asked the newly formed United Nations for help. On 15 May 1947 the UN appointed a committee, the UNSCOP, composed of representatives from eleven states. To make the committee more neutral, none of the Great Powers were represented. After five weeks of in-country study, the commission recommended creating a partitioned state with separate territories for the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine . This "two state solution" was accepted with resolution 181 by the UN General Assembly in November 1947 by 33 votes to 13 with 10 abstentions. The Arab states, which constituted the Arab League, voted against. On the ground, Arab and Jewish Palestinians were fighting openly to control strategic positions in the region. Several major atrocities were committed by both sides.
In the months prior to the end of the Mandate the Haganah launched a number of offensives in which they gained control over all the territory allocated by the UN to the Jewish State, creating a large number of refugees and capturing the towns of Tiberias, Haifa, Safad, Beisan and, in effect, Jaffa.
On May 14, 1948, one day before the end of the British Mandate of Palestine, Israel declared its independence and sovereignty on the portion partitioned by UNSCOP for the Jewish state. The next day, the Arab League reiterated officially their opposition to the "two-state solution" in a letter to the UN. That day, the armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq invaded the territory partitioned for the Arab state, thus starting the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The nascent Israeli Defense Force repulsed the Arab nations from part of the occupied territories, thus extending its borders beyond the original UNSCOP partition. By December 1948, Israel controlled most of the portion of Mandate Palestine west of the Jordan River. The remainder of the Mandate consisted of Jordan, the area that came to be called the West Bank (controlled by Jordan),
Israeli Products.com - MADE IN ISRAEL Gifts, Dead Sea Skin Care ...
Support Israel. Buy a wide variety of Israeli Products. ... How Can You Help Israel? During these difficult times, when we can give less to help others, the Israeli organizations ...
White Plains For Israel: Main Page
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Support the Israeli Economy Buy Israeli Products and Services The Israeli economy is suffering. Between the dramatic drop in tourism and the contraction in the hi ...
ISRAELI PRODUCTS
F OODS... Candies/Nuts: Carmit, Elite, Geva, Rimon, Karina, Lieber, Oppenheimer, OSEM, Taste of Israel, Israel Edible Products - Telma: Cheese: Kfir Bnei-Brak Dairy Ltd., Tnuva ...
Israel Products, Manufacturers, Importers and Suppliers
Find Israel products or contact with Israel manufacturers, suppliers and importers at Alibaba.com.
Shop in Israel
Israeli Products: Israeli Services: Manufacturers and Distributors: Fine Foods ... Click below to subscribe to our newsletter
Israeli Products Home
Who We Are BIG is a consumer guide for the retail purchase of Israeli products. Use this site to identify Israeli products likely to be available in retail stores in your market ...
Boycott Israeli Products Campaign
Boycott Israeli Products Campaignname=Keywords>... BOYCOTT ISRAELI PRODUCTS CAMPAIGN: An Appeal to all Citizens of the World
Israeli Products- How to reach us
You can reach us by telephone at: (410) 358-9551 Toll Free - Orders only: 1-877-BUY-ISRAELI (1-877-289-4772) By Mail: Israeli Products.com, P.O. Box 5376 ...
Israeli Products
Israeli Products Staff Writer : JEDDAH, 12 September 2003 — Anti-trade fraud department officials have questioned a Saudi trader in Dammam over allegations that he sold Israeli ...
Israeli Products : 4U Gifts, Jerusalem, Israel
4U Gifts, Jerusalem, Israel : Israeli Products - China Crystal & Glassware Cookware Gifts Toys Specialty Items Judaica Cutlery Israeli Products Oven To Tableware Bridal Registry ...
