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The Arab Israeli Conflict Between Islam And Judaism Essay

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The Arab-Israeli conflict resulted not from a century long feud between Islam and Judaism, but from “claims to the same territory by competing nationalist movements.” These two movements, Zionism and Arab Nationalism, showcase the emerging question of identity during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Arab states, long ruled by Western colonial powers, emerged from the Mandate system weak and powerless. Why British troops did not leave Palestine until May 1st, 1948. Prior to this, the British proclaimed their support for a Jewish state through the Balfour Declaration (1917). In 1947 the United Nations released resolution no. 181 which created two states, one Palestinian-Arab, and one Jewish, leaving Jerusalem and Bethlehem as an international zone. The state of Israel was officially established in 1948. The Arab states refused to recognize the legitimacy of Israel, prompting Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, to declare war (1947-1958). This decision proved embarrassing as Israel, winning the war, forced out 700,000 Palestinian refugees. In turn, Israel refused to recognize the Palestinian state. The Zionist movement gained the momentum it needed to strengthen the state of Israel.

Zionism was a minority movement until the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Early immigration to Palestine (1800s), called the First Aliyah, was characterized by “agricultural communities called kibbutzim, [where] they developed their skills as famers and soldiers”* (Zionism). Later on,

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