THE MIDDLE EAST

The Middle East



The Middle East

Introduction

Palestine exists between the Mediterranean sea and the Jordan river and since before 1948, was just a geographical location. However, after that it has constantly been the focus of war and bloodshed and has been through a painful history. Palestine has been controlled in the past by various nations, such as the Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman, and after the first World War took place, a mandate was administered from the League of Nations originating from the United Kingdom. Palestine came into its own being after this mandate was terminated and thus the real history of Palestine would start to be written down. After this mandate though, serious political conflicts between Israel and Palestine arose, which such in intensity and hatred were stemming from both sides that they have not been resolved even today. In this paper, I will be looking at the history of Palestine along with a brief analysis of the social concerns as well as Palestinian culture.

Discussion

After the Partition Plan was put into motion by the United Nations in 1947, a Jewish and an Arab state came into being, with the UN itself providing protection to the Jerusalem-Bethlehem boundary. This came into being after the British governments planned execution of the mandate, with the UN garnering concerns over security in Palestine. The resolution through which the partition took place gave a highly descriptive examination of what the partition might dictate for both states. It proposed and recommended boundaries as well as plans concerning economic union and religious and minority protection. There was a need to propose these terms because there has always been a religious tension among the two states, ranging back to the origins of Islam and even further still. The resolution that passed also called for the swift removal of British armed forces, so by August 198 Palestine had established itself among one more independent state.

However, this was only the beginning for the hard future of Palestine, as Arab leaders were firmly against the partition of the country which they believed to be rightfully theirs. The Jewish leadership had accepted the terms of the Partition Plan but with the Arab population residing in Palestine, religion was the main conflicting factor and they could not accept the terms provided to them. They threatened military procedures as well in order to avoid the partition and to ensure the Arab population could hold onto their exclusive rights pertaining to religious practices. These were sure to be threatened if the partition were to take place, thus it can be said that the Arabs were in the right and justified in their fear of the partition taking place. However, the same day that the British Mandate expired, the Israeli state claimed independence within their own borders. This caused an uproar among the Arab state and they declared a war on the Israeli's as of October 1948 . Thus, the Arab-Israeli war began, reaching the heights of carnage and bloodshed that have cost ...