The Middle East

Israeli Palestinian Conflict The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

is a dangerous and volatile situation that has attracted

American attention for some decades. The conflict is a

sensitive subject that produce strong emotions in people. This

conflict deals with Jewish nationalism, distribution of

resources, and politics. About a hundred years ago, Jews

underwent a drastic change in their view of themselves. At

first a few, and then more, began to call themselves Zionists.

Zionism is a term that in its broadest and early sense meant

simply the "return" of Jews to their ancestral homeland. That

homeland was called Zion (or Israel) and its heart was

Jerusalem, known as the "City of Zion." Early Zionists were

simply pious, nonpolitical, religious Jews who thought they

could best practice their faith in the Land of Zion. Some went

primarily to pray, to study their religious books, and to

await the arrival of the Messiah. Politics played a

influential role in their thinking. By the beginning of the

20th century, however, Zionism came to have a political

meaning: that Jews were not just a religious or ethnic group

but were a nation of people who should have their own state.

Today Zionism is the term for Jewish nationalism. Not all Jews

agree upon what Zionism is, but to a point there is agreement,

it is upon three things: there should be a Jewish state; it

should be permanent, independent, and secure; and Jews who are

threatened anywhere in the world should be able to go there to

be safe. All other issues--the boundaries of the state, the

nature of government, relations with the Palestinians,

relations with American Jews, religious law--are in dispute.

It is important to understand the Palestinian views . Keep in

mind two points. First, people respond to the circumstances in

which they live. If one is rich, one sees problems one way; if

one is unemployed, one sees it a second way; if one owns a

small shop, one sees it a third way. One must understand the

circumstances in which Palestinians live if we are to

understand their positions and actions. Second, there are

about five million Palestinians. Like Americans, they disagree

on political issues. They also change their minds as new

circumstances develop. It is wrong to think Palestinians have

a common view that remains unchanged. Their view changed

considerably over the years. They view that the Israelis are

taking the land rightfully theirs, and are being " bullied" by

Israelis. They are the ones who had their land taken away from

them and are left with no where to live. In 1948, there were

approximately 860,000 Palestinians inside today's Israel.

About 700,000 were driven out or fled during the fighting that

followed the declaration of Israeli statehood. The Palestinian

population of Jerusalem went from 75,000 to 3,500; of Jaffa

from 70,000 to 3,600; of Haifa from 71,000 to 2,900; of Lydda-

Ramle from 35,000 to 2,000; of Tiberias from 5,300 to zero.

All refugees lost their property (about 800,000 acres were

taken for Israeli use.). The 160,000 Palestinians still in

Israel in 1949 when the fighting stopped lost another 250,000

acres. The Palestinians in Israel were left without resources

or strong leaders. When the Likud Party took power in 1977, it

intensified colonization, pouring some $1 billion into

settlement building over the next seven years. Today, land

taken from the Palestinians and earmarked for military

purposes or Jewish settlements amounts to