Israel-Palestinian Conflict: Extra Credit by Lynsey Episcopo

Historical Context

296005_1 — 2023-12-19 01:38:42 UTC

The Israel-Palestinian conflict dates back to 1947 with the creation of Resolution 181. With this plan, the state of Israel was created sparking a war that lasted till 1949. The end of this war left the territories of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip which still exist today. Many Palestinians were misplaced because of this and they have continued to lack a home country ever since. While the Gaza Strip and the West Bank may be seen as their home, Israel had occupying forces in the territories to govern the Palestinians without their approval. In 2000, however, Israel became more strict with the Palestinians by placing a wall around the West Bank because of an intifada by the Palestinians. Since 2006, Hamas, a terrorist group, has had control over the Gaza Strip and has been fighting with Israel for full control over the land. There have been numerous fights ever since that tip the scale of power back and forth between Israel and Palestinians, but true full-scale fighting broke out late this year (Council on Foreign Relations, 2023).

America's Role

296005_1 — 2023-12-19 01:39:01 UTC

Across presidents, the United States has provided multiple plans for peace between the two nations with the main goal to keep two separate nations. The United States was the first country to recognize Israel as a nation in the world and has had close ties with them since. The United States' support for Israel almost even brought them to a nuclear conflict with Russia, or the Soviet Union at the time. Regardless of the persistent support to Israel from the United States, the United States has tried to stay neutral when it comes to negotiating a peace deal between the two nations. This stance had changed with the Trump position, and now the relationship between the US and Israel is strained because of the newly elected political party. The United States is motivated to become involved in this conflict because of the resources they get from countries in the Middle East which is being impacted by this war (Robinson, 2023).

Significance

296005_1 — 2023-12-19 01:39:20 UTC

Americans need to know what is going on with Israel and Palestine because this conflict could end up spreading into America. The United States has expressed support for Israel countless times, so if the war develops further into full-fleshed battles the United States could be even more involved. The United States could end up sending troops to Israel, using American resources to support them, or declare war alongside Israel. This conflict could change from a Middle East conflict to a world conflict very quickly. Therefore, Americans need to be aware of what could possibly end up happening.

I predict that the United States will end up becoming more involved in this conflict such as by sending troops. With the brutality between the two nations, the United States will probably feel obligated to intervene at some point with resources, soldiers, etc. I don't think this conflict will expand to a war like the Vietnam War or Korean War, but it will definitely evolve to include more countries later on.

Current Conflict and Concerns

296005_1 — 2023-12-21 18:13:01 UTC

With this current war developing every day, the United States declared support for Israel and has been sending supplies to them throughout the past few months. The current concerns surrounding this war are the possible acts of brutality to come out of it which will impact mostly civilians. Another big concern is how far this war will expand. There are theories that Iran helped Hamas plan the attack on Israel in early October, and Israel has been attacking Syrian and Iranian targets. Because of all of this mixed conflict between countries, a larger war coming out of this one is very likely (Council on Foreign Relations, 2023). This conflict is primarily a religious conflict but also has to do with politics. Since Israel was originally created to give Jewish people space to have their own nation, this conflict often turns to an anti-semetic point of view. Israel wants to keep the land for their religion, while Palestine wants the land because they had it originally. The two possible solutions being considered are a two-state solution, and a one state solution. The two-state solution is the most likely because both communities are not likely to get along in a one-state nation (Beauchamp, 2023).

What Should America's Role Be?

296005_1 — 2023-12-21 19:41:21 UTC

America should take the role of a negotiator in this conflict. Some countries in the Middle East are known to have a heavy terrorist presence, and by supplying Israel with supplies and resources but not trying to solve the conflict, the United States is prolonging itself as a target for attacks. Getting involved in the conflict would make the United States a target, but by only giving resources and not encouraging a solution is only making the conflict longer. For instance, the United States presence in the Korean War helped the two sides come to an agreement. The Korean War ended with a North Korea and a South Korea, which may not have happened without the United States working as a negotiator towards the end of the war. These two nations still stand today and while there is still tension between them, both have their own respectful territory. The United States should initiate negotiations between Israel and Palestine to bring the war to a quicker and peaceful close.