Over the last week or two we've begun to speak about Zionism and the modern state of Israel. This raises a plethora of issues related to the modern state of affairs, many of which we'll discuss in class. One issue that we discussed this week was how and when did the modern conflict begin. Many scholars suggest that it began with World War I. During this time period the British, eager to find allies in their fight against the Ottoman Empire, made promises to Jews and Arabs alike. In the Balfour Declaration, they expressed their support for a Jewish state in Palestine. In the McMahon letters they corresponded with the Arab leader Hussein bin Ali and promised Arab sovereignty in much of the Middle East. In my opinion a close reading of these two documents gives the impression that the British never outright lied to either side, but that doesn't mean the language they used didn't start sowing discord. Perhaps more damning is the Sykes-Picot Agreement the British signed with the French, in which the two European powers divided up the Middle East between themselves. Regardless, during and immediately afterward World War I it seems like there was still a chance for peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, as expressed in the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement between the Jewish and Arab leaderships. So how did we arrive at the situation? Was the clash inevitable due to competing interests? Did European greed compel the British to encourage Jews and Arabs to fight? Was it all one, big unhappy accident? Do the Jews and/or Arabs themselves deserve the blame? How did this whole thing start?
שבת שלום! pt. 2
8 years ago
I think that this situation in which Israelis and Arabas were in conflict, and are still in conflict is inevitable. No matter what, if two different parties have opposite beliefs, there is going to be conflict. I think that the British wanted to do whatever was best for them at the time. They did not really care about the people that were actually living there which was shown in the Sykes-Picot Agreement. They created boundaries based on what Britains needs were, not what the people living in the land wanted. I think this was a huge part of the conflict that was created because they mixed types of people that did not get along. I think that overall, the Arab and the Israelis did not have to much to do with the conflict because although they were the ones that carried out the fight, Britain really made everything worse when they csme in between the Arabs and Am Yisrael. Obviously the British did not start the conflict, which began when Am Yisrael first returned to Eretz Yisrael, but I think Britian played a large part in making matters worse.
ReplyDeleteI think the main cause of this larger conflict is how easy it is for something small to spiral out of control. The fact that the Jews and Arabs wanted the same land inevitably sparked the conflict. Even though it may have just started as a few small things, it is easy to spiral out of control because each group of people wanted to present themselves as a strong nation. Because of this, if the Arabs did one small thing to the Jews, the Jews would fight back so they don't seem weak and vice versa. Then, these small fights grew and grew, and now we have the dominating conflict we have today.
ReplyDeleteI think that this clash was inevitable due to competing interests, since eretz yisrael is such a holy place for both religions. While part of me thinks that the british encouragemt for jews and arabs fighting sprung from greed, it was also a big accident. Neither side intended to create conflict, but any time we have opposing ideas, there is bound to be disagreement. This being said, neither side deserves the blame. This conflict has existed since we returned to israel (as Eli said) and looks as though it may never go away.
ReplyDeleteDuring the period of World War I there were no bad guys and there were no good guys; everyone was at fault to some extent. For the Arabs and the Jews I think that their clash was inevitable because of their differing beliefs and intents regarding the land and people overall. The British were most definitely interested in Palestine for the sole reason of helping themselves grow and succeed. They were only rooting for their own team and everything that they did was encompassed by their own desires and needs. This being said, I think that when the British put themselves in the middle of two opposing sides and making promises to both of them, they added to the tensions and worsend the situation. I'm not blaming the British for the conflict, but I think that their involvement in the event instigated much of the fighting between the Arabs and the Jews.
ReplyDeleteClearly, there is no right answer about how the Israeli-Arab conflict begun. This conflict is not something that popped up in the past 67 years, but has been a conflict for thousands of years. I think that the conflict related to the modern day and age was started when Jews started the first Aliyah and took over the land that they technically bought, but belonged to Arabs. In my mind, since then, we have had issues. As time went on, the Balfour Declaration definitely made the issue so much worse than it already was. By promising land to both sides, no one could be truly satisfied with the land they were given. There is no answer to the ongoing conflict, but I think that it is necessary that we try to make peace before it is too late for all of the states in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteFinding the exact beginning of the Arab/Jewish conflict is hard, since it can be traced back a very long time, long before Word War I. One thing that is certain is that when the Arabs rejected the Partition Plan, that sealed the deal, leading to 70 years full of violence, hatred, and war. There were opportunities before that point for peace, but as you said in class, the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. If the Arabs had agreed to the plan, the last 70 years would have been drastically different. There's no way to know how they would've gone, but one could assume they'd be more peaceful. So no matter when the conflict started, on that fateful day in 1947, instead of putting the issue to rest, it was magnified and prolonged by at least 67 years.
ReplyDeleteI think that the conflict between Jews and Arabs has always existed, but for a long period of time, it was insignificant. When the British started putting ideas in people's heads, that is when I believe that the fighting truly began. The Palestinians did not want to leave the land that they had comfortably lived in, and the Jews wanted to return to the land that they had been forced to leave 2000 years prior. Either way, the situation could not have worked out well. I think that the British meddling and false promises to both sides did not help the situation and only raised tensions. I do not think that any of the three in particular is to blame for the conflict, but at the same time, I think that the British, Arabs and Jews are all at fault in one way or another for the conflict. The bottom line is that everyone wants Israel, but if that is the case, not everyone is going to be happy. If the Arabs had not abstained from showing Israel to the UN, there might have been a different outcome to the partition plan, and potentially a very different looking Israel today.
ReplyDeleteThe conflict between the Jewish people and the Arabs has been going on for a long time, much prior to 1947. Their feud can be traced back to the beginning of time it seems, so finding the exact cause is hard to do. However since both sides desire the same plot of land, this huge conflict seems to be inevitable. Personally, I do not believe either side intended on fighting so much with the other, but they both truly believed that ereys yisrael was rightfully theirs, resulting in this huge mess. I do not believe neither side nor the British is at fault for this; for they are all at fault. All sides contributed to this conflict, but I think it is time that we put it to rest and try to make peace with the Palestinans, for this conflict has gone on for far too long. I know that this peace can and will not be immedate, but I feel it is something we can all work towards.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I find it very interesting that this clash between the Jews and the Arabs has been going on for so long. We know it as a pressing current issue, but I had no idea that it has existed for many years. As easy as it seems to go back in time and find the root of the problem, it's much more complicated than that. I believe that the conflict between the Jews and Arabs was inevitable. For thousands of years, Eretz Yisrael has been a holy land to both the Jews and the Arabs. Despite the British intervenience, these two religions were fighting for the same land, which is bound to spark conflict. Because of the holiness of the land, I don't know if there will ever be a resolution which satisfies both parties, but we can only hope that we will come to a peaceful conclusion soon.
ReplyDeleteI think that this conflict was inevitable. The fact of the matter is that both sides want this land, and both sides are too stubborn to compromise on it. No matter how much Israel may agree to different conditions proposed by its opponents, the Arabs believe they hold full claim to this land. As long as a Jewish state is present in eretz yisrael the fighting will continue, because both peoples are too stubborn to give in. At this point it is a pointless battle of wills over a comparatively small amount of land.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this conflict was inevitable. The fact of the matter is that both sides want this land, and both sides are too stubborn to compromise on it. No matter how much Israel may agree to different conditions proposed by its opponents, the Arabs believe they hold full claim to this land. As long as a Jewish state is present in eretz yisrael the fighting will continue, because both peoples are too stubborn to give in. At this point it is a pointless battle of wills over a comparatively small amount of land.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that Britain played a role in escalating Israeli-Arab tensions and territorial disputes throughout the Middle East. However regardless of Britains manipulative promises to both Jews and Arabs, ideological differences and eventual violence between the two groups was inevitable. The Faisal-Weizmann agreement showed that there was a chance of peace between Israelis and Arabs, but that was only one of many failed attempts for peace between the two groups. For decades Israelis and Palestinians have tried to establish a lasting peace, even for a brief periods and it has been to no avail. The fundamental beliefs of these two peoples will not allow them to live harmoniously so long as one group feels oppressed by the other. Even if there is a two state solution within the land of Israel, there is no assurance that either side will feel content.
ReplyDeleteI think that this clash was inevitable. It was inevitable because not only have the two groups been arguing over religion, but also land. Both groups claim that they were there first, and both are correct in a sense. Both need a place of refuge and fight over who desseserves it more, I believe that European greed did start this balagon because they promised each side the land that they most likely were not going to give anyone. They also created unconvieniant land lines that force Arabs and Israelis to live next to each other, which sparks more of an internal conflict
ReplyDeleteIn the world today anyone can see that religious conflict is inevitable; not one religion will stop believing what they have been ever since the establishment of their beliefs just to make peace, especially not the Arabs and the Jews. Ever since Arabs and Jews found a common interest in the land of Eretz Yisrael, they have not found peace. I wouldn't say this conflict is at all modern for it has lasted somehwere near 1000 years. Similar to the Shite and Sunni Islamic groups, they find themselves in a constant battle over who is right. Whereas the Jews and Arabs fight over who gets the land. Both situations start out small and blow up to be long lasting
ReplyDeleteand bloody. We are both to blame for letting this battle over land get out of control. As hard as it is, Britain can't be scolded for propgandizing and allowing this fight because that's what Israel is doing now, in different circumstances. They don't
ReplyDeletecondemn the fight completely so they have time to figure out a solution for the nuclear deal.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the conflict stated when the Jews arrived, not because they did anything wrong, but because Arabs hate Jews. The conflict was inevitable, but can be solved, only if the Arab leadership today will accept peace.
ReplyDeleteI think that you can blame one side in this situation. I think both sides would say they have done things that they aren't the most proud of. But we both believe that we should be here. We both think that we should have the right to live and practice are religion freely here and that's what started this whole thing. Jews believed that they had a right to come back to Israel as Muslims saw it as a intrusion of their holy space. When two religions are so close together there is bound to be tension and that is what happened here and that is what's still happening.
ReplyDeleteI think the conflict between the Arabs and Jews was bound to happen at some point. When two people, or groups both want the same thing and both believe it belongs to them and that they deserve it, conflict will occur one way or the other. The British only speeded up the process by, technically promising both sides the same thing and using their power to do whatever worked for them, rather than actually solving the land issue and tension that had already been building up.
ReplyDeleteI think that the conflict is not because of any one event, but instead a mix of many unfortunate events that all converged onto the arab world and spawned the conflict we know today. I think that the Sykes-Picot agreement certainly caused issues for this tribal community. On top of that, the creation of Israel itself, and the presence of Jews has all combined to be one big conflict in the middle east, and so I do not think it is possible to single out one agreement or event that can be blamed.
ReplyDeleteBecause the British offered both the Jews and the Arabs land in return for helping with the war effort, a conflict was bound to happen. I think much of the conflict could have been avoided if both parties had accepted the UN Partition plan, but because one side did not then peace became impossible for the time being. Neither side is really to blame because both sides killed each other, but both sides are going to have to work together if peace will ever be possible.
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