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The Conflict Of The Arab Israeli Conflict

Decent Essays

Many words have been devoted to the topic of Israel and the underlying causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict; all of which seek to discern the culprit and contrive a remedy. The story behind this age old conflict is, as quoted by Israeli historian Illan Pappe, “the simple but horrific story of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine” (qtd. In “The Catastrophe”). As such, thorough review of the causes behind this ethnocentric conflict is vital in understanding the tumultuous power struggle in Israel and the violent instability of the region as a whole. While many believe the conflict is of a religious dispute, in actuality it is not. The fundamental basis behind this conflict is territory and its allocation between the Arab Palestinian people and the Israeli Jews (Beinin, Hajjar 1). For centuries the two peoples lived in peace, though each viewed the presence of the other as an antagonistic and unfavorable one. The rise of Zionism in the 19th century coupled with unlawful western meddling in Palestinian affairs, and the resulting Palestinian Holocaust which followed Israeli Independence are the main underlying causes which fueled the conflict up to the present day atrocities currently taking place in Israel today.
Before proceeding, it is necessary to first briefly examine the competing claims to the land which will henceforth be identified as Palestine or Israel. Israel was originally known as Canaan and inhabited by a multitude of Canaanite tribes. In 586 B.C the Hebrew peoples

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