Arab Israeli Relations and the Middle East Conflict Essay

Arab Israeli Relations and the Middle East Conflict - Essay Example However, the Muslims are the majority while Christians are the minority in Palestine (Smith, 2006). The war has been fought since then with no signs of it ending any time soon despite efforts being put by the two warring factions to strike a cease-fire to end the war. In fact, the war has led to the death of many people in the region something, which is so alarming. As such, the United Nations and the U.S. have been at the forefront in trying to bring the two warring factions to the negotiating table so as to end the war. Nevertheless, it is surprising that even after making an agreement, it seldom take too long before the wear regenerates again. This war has led to much research being conducted to establish its real cause as regards the views held by the two warring factions. In this regard, historians have established that the conflict has mainly been attributed to the struggle over land. This is because the war of 1948 was fought purely on the land question that later led to the d ivision of Palestine into three parts namely the West Bank, the Israel State and the Gaza Strip. Palestine, as it is known internationally is a small area of about 10,000 square miles. The war over this land degenerated over the fight for its political control (Smith, 2006). The Jews claim that the land was given to them in according to the torah where God promised Abraham and his descendants the land. In fact, they argue that the land has been a historical site for the Jews people of Israel, which had been illegally occupied by the Roman Empire. Therefore, the Jewish are of the opinion that the land rightfully belongs to them and nothing whatsoever can deter them from occupying this land. Palestine Arab’s, on the other hand, claims that the land rightfully belongs to them based on the fact that they have lived on this land for several years. They also claim that, demographically, they represent the majority on this land, which signifies their legitimate ownership of the land . Therefore, they refute the argument put forwards by the Biblical-era kingdom that claims that the land belong to the minority Jewish. In fact, Palestine Arabs argue that based on the fact that Ishmael, the son of Abraham is an Arab’s ancestor, then the promise of God to the Abraham’s descendants also include the Arabs as well. Therefore, they object any attempt aimed at snatching them the land, which they believe rightfully belongs to them (Lesch and Tschirgi, 1998). It is noted in the 19th century, preceded by the trend that began in Europe, many people across the globe began to identify themselves as sovereign nations that culminated to the demand for independence. As a result, the Palestine and Jews started developing national consciousness aimed at achieving their national agenda. However, since the Jews were spread all over the world, there came a need to identify a place where the Jews could call home thereby leading to the formation of the Zionist movement. Th e Jews later found Palestine to the right place since it represented the place of Jews origin. As a result, in 1882, the Zionist movement initiated mass immigration of the Europeans into Palestine. However, what is noted is that, at this time, Palestine formed part of the Ottoman Empire. The Jewish settled mainly in four major cities in Palestine particularly those with religious significance such as Jerusalem, Safad, Hebron, and Tiberas (Mahler and Mahler, 2010). As the Jews continued to