In 1947, Israel was created to settle Jews in the lands separated from Palestine. However, the conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Jews has not been resolved, and it can be observed even today. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the rights of Arabs and Jews in these territories, analyze the nature of the conflict, explain the practice of Jews’ settling in Palestine and focus on the U.S. position.
Referring to U.N. Resolution 181, it is possible to state that Arabs in Israel and Jews in Palestine have the rights of minorities. They receive equal protection of the law in terms of religious rights, and their minority rights should be respected. Furthermore, minorities have the right to primary and secondary education and attending Arab schools in Israel and Jewish schools in Palestine (U.N. General Assembly, n.d.). Minorities also have the right to use their language according to their needs. Still, Arabs, when being non-citizens, cannot vote in Israel, and Jews, who are non-citizens, cannot vote in Palestine.
As a consequence of the Resolution, a complex conflict between Arabs and Jews has developed. It has the elements of a religious, economic, and territorial conflict. Thus, the first key aspect is Palestinians’ opposition to the division of their territory into two states. The second aspect is the difference in religious backgrounds of Arabs and Jews that makes their coexistence in the same territories problematic (Gordon, 2019). Furthermore, the conflict is economical because Palestinians do not agree with sharing resources that became available to Jews after the creation of Israel.
There are also Israeli settlements in Palestine that are illegal according to international law, and they do not address the Resolution regarding minority rights. Dr. Ashrawi stated that such settlements indicate the focus of Israel on the expansion (“September 28, 2017,” 2017). While analyzing the legal character of Israeli settlements from the perspective of international law, it is possible to state that Dr. Ashrawi’s position is reasonable, and settlements are illegal. The problem is that Jews’ settlements can be discussed as the illegitimate occupation of Palestinian territories.
The position of the United States regarding the practice of settling has changed during recent years. Thus, since 2017, President Trump has focused on decreasing assistance to Palestinians, and his views regarding the settlements have become less strict (Gordon, 2019). These changes can have significant effects on international relations because of Trump’s accentuated interest in achieving peace between Israel and Palestine and the international community’s discussion of the conflict as an active violation of Palestinians’ rights.
It is important to conclude that Israeli settlements in Palestine are discussed by the majority of the global community as illegal and violating human rights. Therefore, Israel’s possible expansion into Palestine indicates the impossibility of resolving the conflict as soon as possible. Still, recent events indicate that the United States has changed its perspective and focused on building peace in the region, following Trump’s plan.
References
Gordon, P. H. (2019). Rethinking U.S. policy toward the Palestinians: Why punishment and coercion will backfire.
Dr. Ashrawi: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more committed to settlement expansion than to peace.” (2017).
U.N. General Assembly. (n.d.). Resolution 181. Web.