Forum: Issue:
Security Council The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Student Officers:
President: Mohamed El Habbak
Chairs: Adam Beblawy, Ibrahim Shoukry
Introduction:
Beginning in the mid-20th century, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the still continuing dispute between Israel and Palestine and part of the larger Arab-Israeli conflict, and is known as
the world’s “most intractable conflict.” Despite efforts to reach long-term peace, both parties have
failed to reach a final agreement. The crux of the problem lies in a few major points including security, borders, water rights, control of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian freedom of movement, and Palestinian right of return. Furthermore, a hallmark of the conflict is the level of
violence for practically the entirety of the conflict, which hasn’t been confined only to the military,
but has been prevalent in civilian populations. The main solution proposed to end the conflict is the two-state solution, which is supported by the majority of Palestinians and Israelis. However, no consensus has been reached and negotiations are still underway to this day. The gravity of this conflict is significant as lives are on the line every day, multiple human rights violations take place frequently, Israel has an alleged nuclear arsenal, and the rise of some terroristic groups and ideologies are directly linked to it.
Key Terms:
Gaza Strip: Region of Palestine under Egyptian control. Balfour Declaration: British promise to the Jewish people to create a sovereign state for them. Golan Heights: Syrian territory under Israeli control. West Bank: Palestinian sovereign territory under Jordanian protection.
Focused Overview:
To understand this struggle, one must examine the origins of each group’s claim to the
land. The land in question has been a hotbed for settlement for thousands of years, primarily due to it being the crossroads of the three continents of the old world: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Thus, it has been settled by different cultures and peoples. It all started when the Canaanites built city states in the region around 2000 BCE. Over time, sematic belief grew in the region, giving rise to the Jewish religion and culture. However, the land started seeing conquests from different kingdoms. This started with the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans who proceeded to destroy Jerusalem and raze the Jewish temple to the ground, then exiled the Jewish people from the land. This is significant as Christianity started and prospered during the Roman rule in the region, causing Jerusalem to become a major center for Christians as it started there. Furthermore, Jerusalem has a very important position in Islamic belief
as well. As can be seen, the area, especially Jerusalem, was the epicenter for three of the world’s
most significant religions. The Arabs then proceeded to conquer the region from the Romans, which saw several different dynasties rule the region. Then, the region started switching rulers for a few centuries. This started with the Seljuk Turks, followed by Christian European crusaders, then the Arab took it back, then the Mongols, then the Arabs took it back yet again, then the Ottoman Turks took it back once again, before the Arabs took it back for the fourth time, until the British came and gave it back to the Turks. As can be seen, the region was a mess of rulers, kingdoms, cultures, and religions for the majority of its existence. Thus, a lot of people have a lot of claims for why this land should be theirs.
Fast forward to the 19th century, things get more complicated. The new global Zionist movement brought many Jewish migrants to the region, who are looking to escape from the increasing persecution of Jews in Europe. Thus, the demographics of the land begin to become more complex after centuries of rule under the Ottomans. This leads to the British finding themselves against the Ottomans in the First World War, and they issue the Balfour Declaration of 1917. This declaration pledged British support for the creation of a national homeland for the Jewish people in this land. Shortly thereafter, the British win the war and cease a bunch of land from the Turks, including the region of modern-day Palestine and Israel.
Under British rule, the land sees an even greater influx of Jewish people to it from Europe.
This massive migration of Jews from Europe to this land across the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, along with British colonial rule, lead to widespread violence between the Jews, who wanted a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust, and the Arabs, who had been there for over a thousand years by that time and felt like they were being displaced from their ancestral home by European colonialism, which raised an era of Palestinian national identity. Seeing this, the British announced their withdrawal from the land in the 1947 after starting the problem so that they don’t get mixed up even further. The newly formed UN recommended the partition of this land into two new independent states: one Arab state, and one Jewish state, topped with an international government that would hold control over Jerusalem itself.
The problem at the time was that the Jews and the Arabs were already fighting a war against each other while the British were still ruling it. This led to the UN Partition Plan not lasting for long. The Palestinian Arabs refused the whole thing as they saw it as the partitioning of their ancestral land by foreign colonial powers. On the other hand, the Jews, who wanted a country of their own, accepted it and declared the independence of the State of Israel in 1948, the same day the British officially withdrew. Immediately after that, the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq all intervened on the behalf of the Palestinian Arabs, and attacked the State of Israel after the British left everyone to figure out this problem for themselves. Roughly a year later though, Israel emerges as the surprise victor in the conflict, and ends up taking way more territory than was envisioned by the UN Partition Plan. Nearly 80% of the Palestinian Arab populations get driven out of the territory that Israel took over in this conflict and were never allowed to return, in the event that became known as the Catastrophe to the Arabs.
Over the following decades, nearly a million more Jews would migrate into the State of
Israel, either by choice or by force. This war created a situation where peace was agreed upon, but none of the Arab stated would recognize the existence of the State of Israel as a country. As a
result, Israel’s borders were entirely legally undefined, and all the ceasefire lines with the
surrounding countries became the de facto borders instead. Only two parts of this land remained under Arab control after the Israelis emerged victorious in 1949: The West Bank, so called because it is west of the Jordan River, which was annexed by the Arab Jordanians, and the Gaza strip, which was occupied by the Arab Egyptians.
This situation continued until 1967, when the State of Israel once again entered into war with the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Both sides accused the other of starting this conflict. But either way, Israel once again decisively won this war and took over even more territory, absorbing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip along with the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. Despite international objections, Israel started to colonize all of these occupied territories with Israeli settlers, which began to affect the local demographics pretty substantially.
In 1973, Egypt and Syria once again joined forces to fight Israel in another war, and this time it was more of a draw. After this conflict, Israel agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula back to Egypt and evacuate all their settlers from there in exchange for recognition and the normalization
of relations with Egypt. Israel’s southern border with Egypt was now legally defined, but it still
left Israel in occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, with the rest of their frontiers still delineated by the 1949 Armistice Lines.
In the early 1980s, Israel officially annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights into the
State of Israel, which is widely unrecognized by anybody in the international community other than for the United States. In 1988, the Arab State of Palestine was declared with claimed territory consisting of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, still under Israeli occupation. In 1994, Jordan also
recognized the State of Israel, causing Israel’s Eastern boundary to become legally defined as well.
This takes us into the situation that strip of land finds itself in today. In 1994, the Palestinian
National Authority, or PA, was created as an interim body to run parts of Gaza and the West Bank until a final solution to the problem can be agreed upon. However, the Pas authority over the West Bank was severely limited to just 165 scattered so-called islands of sovereignty that only spanned
30% of the West Bank’s entire territory. The remaining 70% of the West Bank continue to this
day to be governed and administrated by Israel. Over 400,000 Israeli settlers have since moved into these zones over the decades since, along with 200,000 more into East Jerusalem. This, in
total, has brought the West Bank’s population up to nearly 18% Israeli at this point. The PA
maintained authority over Gaza until 2007, when the Islamist faction Hamas took power over
there. Hamas rejects the PA’s authority over the West Bank as being too soft and too focused on
compromise and instead, insists that all of the land that the British controlled prior to them leaving should be a part of the State of Palestine. The State of Palestine, which is the name used by the PA in the West Bank, became a non-member observer state to the UN in 2012, and is today internationally recognized as a state by 138 sitting UN members. The major countries that do not recognize it are the USA and its allies. The State of Palestine claims the entirety of the West Bank,
the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem as their capital. But despite this, the State of Palestine’s
effective control is only over the 165 scattered islands of sovereignty inside of the West Bank, surrounded by Israel. Meanwhile, the State of Israel is recognized by 164 UN member states, and is not recognized by 28 others including most of the Arab world, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The vast majority of the countries that do recognize Israel, however, only
recognize Israel’s borders at the time of 1949 and do not recognize any Israeli sovereignty over
the occupied territory since then. The only country in the world who does is the United States which recognizes Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, but not the West Bank or Gaza. As of December 2015, there are 6.335 million Jews who live in the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, contrasted by 6.561 million non-Jews. So, in the combined areas of Israel, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, Jews no longer represent the majority of people.
There have been dozens of peace proposals made over the decades to end the world’s
longest standing unresolved conflict. So far, none have been successful. The most recent attempt by the Trump administration and the United States seems like it is destined for failure too.
Major Parties Involved:
Palestine
Palestine was considered as the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River up until 1948. Most of that region is now considered as Israel. Palestine is being associated as the geographical area that is currently occupied by the State of Israel, which are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The control over this region is a complex situation as there are no international agreements that concern the borders. Many parts that have been claimed by Palestinians, have been occupied by Israel for years. During 1947, Palestine was under British rule and the United Nations released a resolution to partition Palestine into two sections. Less than a year after the Partition Plan for Palestine was introduced, in May 1948, Britain withdrew from its rule in the region and
Israel declared itself as an independent state. Almost immediately after Israel’s declaration,
neighboring Arab countries began to move armies into the region with the goal of preventing the Israeli establishment. This situation ensued the Arab-Israeli conflict which later on began the 1967 Six-Day war as a by-product of the tension in that region.
Israel
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is regarded with the ongoing occupation of Israelis in the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, reaching 54 years. Public claims, of Jewish homeland in Palestine, at the 1917 Balfour Declaration created early tension in the region. At the time, the Jewish population in the region grew significantly due to immigration as an outcome of World War II. Later on, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom started to recognize establishments in Palestine as a national home for Jewish people. Due to such decisions, tension started to rise in the region and continued to build up for many years later. However, it is said that the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories during the 1967 Six-Day war was what started the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United States
The United States plays a great role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its involvement began shortly after World War II by recommending that one hundred thousand holocaust survivors should relocate to Palestine. In 1948, the United States became the first country that recognized Israel as a sovereign nation. Israel struggled early on, during the 1973 war, to defend itself against invading Syrian and Egyptian forces. This situation impelled the United States to take control in future diplomacy. Since 1970, the United States has been using its veto power to block resolutions that condemned Israel due to the United Nations apparent bias against Israel; as viewed by the United States.
Timeline of Events:
November 29, 1947: UN sets a partition of Palestine setting creating two different states in the region and with a third regime governing the international zone of Jerusalem. The Jews accepted this yet the Arabs rejected the proposal.
May 14, 1948: Creation of the official state of Israel with the borders of the UN had proposed a year before.
May 14, 1948: Arab-Israeli war of 1948 ended in defeat for the Arabs and Palestine. January 6, 1949: Peace between both sides with Israel occupying the entirety of the region with the exception of the Jordanian occupied West Bank and the Egyptian occupied Gaza Strip.
October 29, 1956: The Suez Crisis was an attack of Egypt by combined forces of the Israelis, British, and French after Egypt had declared its independence. It resulted in the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and the eventual withdraw of British and French forces following increasing international tensions.
March, 1957: End of the Suez Crisis with Israel occupying the Sinai Peninsula. June 5, 1967: The Six-day war, Israel moves on a surprise attack on Egypt with Syria and neighboring Jordan and Lebanon join to assist the Arabs. It ended with a major Israeli victory with them fully occupying the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, West Bank and Jerusalem.
October 6, 1973: Yom Kippur War also known as October war begins with a surprise attack by both Syria and Egypt supported by there Arab allies. Initial gains were made by the Arabs reclaiming the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, Israel counter offensives led to the encirclement of the Egyptian army in Sinai and the retaking of the Golan heights. A cease fire was negotiated and Egypt had regained the Sinai Peninsula and the West Bank was restored.
Relevant UN Treaties and Events:
Oslo Accords
Israeli and Palestinian officials aspired to find peaceful solutions to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine during the 1993 Oslo peace process. The peace process was mainly built upon a crucial milestone where Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization at that
time, wrote a letter of recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Some of the agreements that were made
during the peace process was for Israel to ease on Palestinian territorial control in exchange for peace. However, the peace process quickly unraveled when Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli official that represented Israel at the Oslo Accords, was assassinated.
Taba Summit
The Taba Summit was held in Taba, Egypt in January 2001 where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was in discussion. The summit proposed the removal of the Israeli controlled regions and the Palestinians agreed this as a basis for further negotiation. As Israeli elections started, the talks
ended but both sides attested to the progress that had been made: “The sides declare that they have
never been closer to reaching an agreement and it is thus our shared belief that the remaining gaps
could be bridged with the resumption of negotiation following Israeli elections.” However, when
a new leader was elected in Israel, Ariel Sharon, the new government chose to not return to the high-level talks.
Failed Solution Attempts:
Camp David Summit 2000
The Camp David Summit, started in 2000, was convened by the US President, Bill Clinton, between Yasser Arafat and the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak. The summit proceeded with a solution of splitting a non-militarized Palestinian state into 3 to 4 parts, containing 87-92% of the West Bank and the entire Gaza Strip. Yasser Arafat rejected the offer as it was seen that it did not remove many parts if Israeli control with respect to land and settlements.
Road Map for Peace
During September 2002, a proposal presented by Russia, the United States, the United Nations, and the Quartet of the European Union was a Road Map for Peace. This proposal did not include and clear resolution to the conflict but rather a basis for future agreements. The Road Map for Peace called for a halt in Israeli settlement construction and Israeli-Palestinian violence during its first phase. However, the Road Map for Peace never made it past its first phase and neither goal was achieved.
Possible Solutions:
One State Solution
It involves the creation of one state in which the regions of Palestine and Israel are united
under one flag. Advocates for the idea have proposed two possibility’s where this solution becomes
a reality. First, is one that includes the entirety of the current Israeli and Palestinian state in addition
to the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip. Second, is one that doesn’t include the Gaza Strip as it is
virtually self-sufficient. Internationally the plan succeeds with most nations favoring the option, yet voters in both states stand against the idea of the one state solution.
The one state solution has gained most of its popularity during the 21st century mostly due to the fact that the two-state solution has failed to achieve any form of peace for the better part of the 20th century. The proposition of all current Israeli and Palestinian territory to be combined under a non-segregating state. The Israeli-Palestinian nation would allow for free migration, provide equal rights, and acknowledge all of it inhabitants the same without judgement of race, religion, or any other prejudice that may impact the judgment of the nation. The second proposition of this idea disclosed the Gaza Strip and may even allow for the Golan Heights to return as Syrian Sovereign territory. It is important to not the returning of the Golan Heights is unlikely due to Syria’s current political instability. It disclosed the Gaza Strip due to its current self-sufficiency; the Gaza Strip would continue to function as it does with Egypt having major influence over the region.
That being said, both Israeli and Palatines voters appear to be strongly against the one state solutions. However, it is possible that voter responses have been altered within both nations and on both sides of the argument. For the one state solution to become a reality it would likely not come from within Palestine or Israel but rather from international influence and pressure.
The Two States
The Two States have crossed the line with one another through there volatile history. The
Two States would be divided at the borders of 1967, and the borders should be left there. The idea is accepted by most of the international community and aims two divide the two nations into one consisting of an Arab majority and one consisting of Jewish majority.
The Solution aims to divide the two peoples of the land into nations in which their rights may be secured with absolute determination of there very own respective states. Majority nations and major world power agree that the right of self-determination should be granted to the Palestinians and the Israelis alike. The major concerns of the Two State Solution would be the current Israeli settlers on what would be Palestinian Sovereign territory if the 67 line would be applied. As such they would be forced to migrate back to Israel most likely at the end of a barrel rather than by their own free will. The second issue is the City of Jerusalem which is considered holy by both Muslims and Jews alike. As such it would likely remain as a UN supervised international zone rather than belong to one or the other with the holy sites being accessible to all.
Useful Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_Control https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/01/israeli-palestinian-conflict-2020-what-are-possible-paths- ahead
https://www.heyalma.com/israel-guide/what-are-the-proposed-solutions-to-the-israeli-palestinian- conflict/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-state_solution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_conflict https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/2/anti-india-clashes-erupt-after-troops-kill-three-kashmir- rebels
