Introduction
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of modern history’s most protracted skirmishes with a significant impact on the Middle East’s political stability. The conflict’s background is defined by the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which marked the beginning of the disagreements between the parties regarding the partitioning of Palestine and the claim of ownership of the land currently occupied by Israel (Erdoğan & Habash, 2020, p. 125). The Jewish nation is adamant that the Bible instructs them to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and ensure that it lasts for generations (De Lange, 2010, p. 197). The Palestinians claim legitimacy because they are the rightful owners of the land, Biblical history notwithstanding. The result is a prolonged battle that has resulted in the loss of lives and the decimation of livelihoods.
The Context of Colonialism
The occupation of Palestinian territories is at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Numerous Arab scholars support the idea that Israel is a Western colonialist entity focused on subduing the Eastern Arab region (Ohana, 2006, par. 5). The Palestinian cause is at the center of the Arab struggle against Zionism and the overarching Western imperialism (Erdoğan & Habash, 2020, p. 126). The conflict has claimed many lives and caused significant destabilization.
The Oslo Accords did little to quell the conflict because the ongoing occupation, which in many ways is seen as colonialism, denied Palestinians essential rights such as self-rule, property rights, and free access to Jerusalem. The Palestinians were angered by the violation of their fundamental rights and the absence of economic progress as outlined in the Oslo Accords. The result was the declaration of the Second Intifada, which was met by an increase in military deployments by Israel and the expansion of settlements into the West Bank (Erdoğan & Habash, 2020, p. 127). The uprising was further bolstered by the view that Christians or Jews could not rule over Muslims (Tignor & Moreh, 2006, p. 189). The Palestinians are fighting for freedom against a colonial entity that has denied occupants fundamental and inalienable rights. The peace process took decades to establish and is on the brink of collapse.
Diaspora
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has impacted the lives of the region’s residents in the diaspora. The intensity of views is seen in political and economic support among allies of the various factions. On the one hand, the Arab world is firmly behind the Palestinian position, with numerous scholars in the region arguing that events such as the Nabka legitimize Palestinian ownership of the land (Abu-Laban & Bakan, 2022, p. 511). On the other hand, Jews and Israel’s allies contend that the land in which the nation of Israel is situated is rightfully theirs and the result of direct action by the United Nations at a time when the Jewish population was facing an unprecedented wave of antisemitic sentiment (Danfulani et al., 2021, p. 26). Each of the factions is determined to ensure that its views prevail and shape the course of diaspora relations between nations and citizens worldwide.
Antisemitism
The conflict between Palestine and Israel is driven by a variety of factors, key among which is religion. The religious dimension of the skirmishes is backed by Jewish claims that are premised on the biblical promise of the chosen people’s occupation of the holy land (Erdoğan & Habash, 2020, p. 126). The Jews were instructed to return to Jerusalem and make it their home (De Lange, 2010, p. 197).
The Palestinians are, however, adamant that their claim is based on their historical heritage. They argue that the idea that ancient Jews occupied Palestine does not stop Palestinians from exercising their rights in the land they currently occupy (Erdoğan & Habash, 2020, p.127). It is worth noting that several Arab states have been embroiled in the conflict as a demonstration of ideological, ethnic, and religious unity. Such views have inadvertently prompted the rise of antisemitic views about the occupation of Palestine, which has significantly escalated political tensions in the region.
Antisemitism has played a critical role in the origins and continuity of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The latter part of the 19th century was characterized by the organization of numerous Jewish factions deemed unassimilable, given their aggression towards indigenous minority groups (Cohn-Sherbok, 1994, p. 157). Nations such as Germany and France witnessed a rise in antisemitism as a result of the rise of the Christian Social Party, which prioritized the implementation of anti-Jewish policies (Cohn-Sherbok, 1994, p. 157).
The invasion of Poland in 1939 marked the beginning of the German assault on Jews (Cohn-Sherbok, 1994, p. 157). The displacement of Jews characterized the end of the Second World War. The peaceful coexistence between Jews, Palestinians, and Turks was eroded as the population of Jews grew exponentially, resulting in the displacement of Palestinian populations as competition for scarce resources increased (Danfulani et al., 2021, p. 26). The Jewish population feared returning to their old residences due to a spike in antisemitism, which prompted the United Nations to find an ideal location for repatriation (Danfulani et al., 2021, p. 26). The land chosen for the exercise has been the source of conflict between parties claiming rightful ownership and legitimacy.
Islamophobia
The Islamophobia that characterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its origins in the denial of collective experiences and memory. The League of Nations entrusted the British administration to ensure that Palestine’s needs were addressed between 1922 and the eventual exit of the British occupation in 1948 (Abu-Laban & Bakan, 2022, p. 511). The Nakba, which is an Arabic term for catastrophe, resulted in the forceful displacement of more than 80% of the Palestinian population (Abu-Laban & Bakan, 2022, p. 511).
According to Abu-Laban and Bakan (2022), Israel and all its allies deny the occurrence of the event by stating that the land was empty and that Palestinian resistance is both racist and fascist (p. 511). The rhetoric on the matter goes on to assume that the Arabs, who in 1948 owned approximately 90 percent of the land and constituted an estimated 67% of the population, decided to leave because they had been instructed to do so by their leader (Abu-Laban & Bakan, 2022, p. 511). The events marked the gaining of what has become the systematic spread of Islamophobia within occupied Palestine and around the world.
Various schools of thought argue that Western and Israeli curricula have distorted Palestinian history in a bid to spread Islamophobia. This is further aggravated by the fact that Palestinians within the occupied regions are deemed stateless and denied fundamental human rights (Abu-Laban & Bakan, 2022, p. 513). As a result, all efforts to resist the occupation are considered illegitimate and used as fodder to propagate Islamophobia around the world.
Conclusion
The conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to shape the lives of citizens both within and outside the defined borders. The quest for peace is arduous as antisemitism, Islamophobia, and colonization define the arguments presented by each of the involved parties. Suspicion and hatred fester in the region as the violation of human rights defines a disagreement that is undoubtedly one of modern history’s most protracted conflicts. The complexity of the factors that characterize the skirmishes necessitates an elaborate and honest attempt to address the issues while implementing meaningful interventions to avoid the needless loss of life.
References
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Cohn-Sherbok, D. (1994). Atlas of Jewish history. Routledge.
Danfulani, W. A., Leawat, J. J., & Dinshak, D. L. (2021). Israeli/Palestinian conflict: A review of the past and the present. Journal of Business and Social Science Review, 2(9), 25–35. Web.
De Lange, N. (2010). An introduction to Judaism. Cambridge University Press.
Erdoğan, A., & Habash, L. (2020). U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the Trump administration: Continuity or change? Insight Turkey, 22(1), 125–146. Web.
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Tignor, R. L. & Moreh, S. (2006). Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti’s chronicle of the French occupation, 1798- Expanded edition in honor of Al-jabarti’s 250th birthday. Markus Wiener Publishers.