Can Peace in the Middle East Exist?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has proven to be one of the most complex and “intractable” conflicts of modern history – or as some may even add – of all time. And after many decades of failed attempts at peacemaking in this region, there still seems to be no conceivable end to the conflict. During those same decades, most of the parties involved as well as the international community have embraced the idea of a two-state solution, but the question we pose today asks whether this solution is still a viable option considering the present context, and if not, is it finally time to consider a one-state solution? This essay will argue that although a two-state solution remains the more

This solution will eradicate mass murders and even out the distribution of land. Intifadas and suicide bombing have taken the lives of many innocent Israelis and Palestinians. In fact, “Since 1944, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have dispatched more than 80 suicide bombers. The terrorist have blown up buses in major Israeli cities, as well as shopping malls, cafes, and other civilian targets” (Doc. #5). Hamas had the same goal as the PLO; destroying Israel and creating a Palestinian state. It’s important to realize that Hamas and the PLO’s main motive was not to eliminate other civilians, but in order to gain their property back for their fellow Palestinians. Many of these suicide bombings could have been prevented if a two-state solution was established, which would have left both parties untroubled. Unfortunately, we have seen intifadas start to rise in Israel, which have caused more deaths in the country. In detail, more than 8,184 Palestinians were killed after the 2 intifadas, and more than 1,581 Israelis were killed after the uprisings (Doc. #7). Some might say that the Palestinians started the rebellion by these killings, and therefore the conflict istheir fault. But if the world and the Quartet (EU, U.S, U.N and Russia) decided on a multi-state resolution, they could have stopped the conflicts. More than 9,765 people died all because of the international community not providing help by splitting up

The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most long-term, pressing, and largely confounding social, political, and national quandaries of our age. Since we have been moving with surprising velocity into the vast horizons of globalization, the conflict has built up tremendous momentum and has called into question the adequacy of our current attempts at coming to a peaceful resolution that can simultaneously and successfully address both sides of the struggle. The purpose of this paper has been to understand the prospect of a two-state nation solution for Israel and Palestine. The discussion arises a retrospective view of the context behind the present analysis. We begin with a discourse that informs the reader of the historical narrative between the Jewish inhabitants of Israel and the Palestinians who also seek to live in the lands which comprise Israel. At the forefront of the discussion are some key issues such as trends in Israeli settlement expansion over time, the manner in which these settlements create political challenges towards the prospect of a two-state solution, and the fragmentation of power within Palestinian political parties which inhibit the opportunity for proper negotiations amongst the two parties. Finally, we delve into a discussion on nationalism, it’s importance in the discussion of a two-state solution, and the challenges posed when trying to formulate US Foreign Policy towards the matter.

Many Palestinians are religious, and when the Israelis seized their homeland, they took away many of their sacred sites. Palestine is home to a multitude of sacred sites such as Jerusalem. As you can see by the changes from Document 1 to Document 2, in the span of about sixty years, Palestine has endeavored many changes. Palestine originally was composed of predominately Israeli occupied territories, but that fact is not correct today. Both, Jews and Muslims find Jerusalem sacred, which could lead to future problems. When attempting to establish a peace settlement, there will be vast conflict about it; neither group of people would be willing to give up such a holy city where so many vital biblical events have occurred. Religion is extremely powerful and important in places such as these, so it would be difficult and highly unlikely for one group to compromise. If anything, this may result in further violence. Thus, people’s religion contributes a large factor to the reason why there is a small chance for a peaceful settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The two solutions are the One-State and Two-State solutions, and each is self-explanatory. The One-State solution would have Israel annex all Palestinian land to create one large Israeli state. On the other hand, the Two-State solution involves Israel and Palestine becoming two separate states in hopes that it would end the conflict. As previously mentioned, I had debated changing my preferred solution. This would have had me favor the One-State over the Two-State; however, I had come to realize that the One-State would have possibly provoked further conflict rather than solve

Since 1967 the borders between Palestine and Israel have been unfair. The Israeli people have taken a majority of the Palestinians land. This had caused conflict between these two territories for years. The Israel and Palestine conflict has been going on for many decades and nothing seems to be able to solve this issue. All because the Israeli government is very stubborn. They are not willing to make a compromise in this situation. The main issues between the Palestinians and the Israelites are; Israel has been unfair to the Palestinians and have taken the land which used to be their own. Not only has Israel created unfair boundaries but, they are also reluctant to let outsiders into Jerusalem. A place that is not only religiously important to the Jews but also to the Arabs. And above all of that Palestinian people feel as if they have to live in fear from the Israeli people. Israel militia has shot at mothers and children. These problems are still prevalent today; if we can solve the unfair borders, Jerusalem, and security we could have a safer Middle East.

Since the Independence of Israel in 1948, there has been a greater tension between the Israelis and the Palestinian community. It is very important to know that both have been living Israel before it was considered an independent state. Not only Palestinians have been in conflict with the Israelis but also Arabs and Muslims. They might not have the same issues with Israel as the Palestinians do, but they both dislike Israelis for different reasons. Palestinians issue has been over property ownership while the Arabs and Muslims community has been over religious reasons. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that Israel belongs to

There will never be peace in the Middle East. The idea of peace in a certain region is a silly notion. What region has truly ever known peace? Allow me to rephrase my thesis: There will never be peace in the Middle East as long as western powers intervene into Arab affairs. It is common knowledge that throughout history western powers have colonized, occupied, and exploited indigenous people in the name of national interest, national security, and manifest destiny. The Middle East is not exempt. It started with British intervention into Egyptian affairs, controlling the Suez Canal in the name of national interest, then the deposing of an elected government in Iran to stop the western-controlled oil companies

Considering this “It is also not unusual that one community should be the majority within a nation and seek to maintain that status” (Mitchell) the status of the pure Jewish society because “The Jewish people are a nation with a shared origin, religion, culture, language, and history”.( Mitchell). Meaning each individual Jewish person is held close by the community and the society that they live in. In other words the Israel should be a state itself with the addition of Palestine because of the Jewish society and the people Jewish that need to maintain the status of having a Jewish state.

Is peace possible in the Middle East? This question weighs heavy on the minds of many individuals and international players. Turmoil and conflict in the Middle East not only affects the people inhabiting this region, but also has global consequences. To answer this question, one must analyze the sources of conflict in the Middle East, historically, currently, and in the future. The limited amount of natural resources in this region has arguably served as the most major source of conflict in the Middle East. Other contributing factors to conflict are the leadership styles of the key players in positions of power, and religious strife. History is often the best indicator for the future. Unfortunately, the Middle East has had a history of

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is just one of the many facets that have shaped modern day politics in the Middle East. It is a conflict rooted in generations of violence, discrimination and prejudice that is complicated by a history older than any of the modern day superpowers. Ever since the creation of the state of Israel by the 1947 UN partition of Palestine

After listening to the Israel-Palestine panel, it became clear to me that a two-state solution is the only viable option. The panelists from Friends of Israel, J Street U, and Jewish voices for peace all clearly stated their support for and belief in the two-state solution. From discussion during the panel, I gathered that a two-state solution would include Israel as a Jewish, democratic state that will coexist peacefully alongside and independent Palestinian state. Borders in this solution would be based on pre-1967 lines with agreed land-swaps to allow each state to incorporate large population centers on the other side, and of course, there would be compromises over Jerusalem, as well as mutual access to all holy sites.

If the Palestinian people outnumbered the Jewish people by double the population, it’s not very fair or negotiable that half of the land should belong to the Jews. In “The 1948 War” it shows the United Nations partition plan of the 1947 and how it devastated the Arabs. “The Jewish state included 51 percent of Palestine, the Arab state 44 percent, and Jerusalem 5 percent. The Jews rejoiced over the creation of a state, while the Arabs expressed outrage at the division of their homeland.” Even when the Palestinian people clearly outnumbered the Jewish people by double the number, the plan was to divide the two into a two state country where it resulted in the Jews receiving more land than the Arabs. The land at the time, belonged to the Arabs and when they were letting in Jewish refugees, they didn’t really expect them to take over half of their land. Even though the Arabs wanted to go to war and lost, it’s still unnecessary for the Jewish people to own more than half of the country. It should be split into a ratio based on their population size, which is 30 percent Jewish state, 60 percent Arab state, and 10 percent administered international zone of Jerusalem closely monitored by the United Nations. This is the most logical and fair way for both states to receive the land they want, and they should be able to visit each other's land for religious

After more than 50 years of war, terrorism, peace negotiation and human suffering, Israel and Palestine remain as far from a peaceful settlement as ever. The entire Middle Eastern region remains a cauldron waiting to reach the boiling point, a potent mixture of religious extremism, (Jewish, Christian and Islamic), mixed with oil and munitions.

Since the early 20th Century, Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting over the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. With the assumption that Palestine is a state to facilitate discussion, this report sketches out the most significant elements of the conflict on the three levels defined by Kenneth Waltz, and applies the Realist theory of international relations (IR) to the “Two-State” solution.