This month the worst violence in years erupted between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Currently a cease-fire is in effect which has temporarily stopped the violence.
According to news reports, the violence – which included bombing – happened because Israeli police officers entered a Muslim mosque and cut the cables to the loudspeakers which were broadcasting prayers on the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim Holy Month. They reportedly did this because the president of Israel was going to give a speech nearby for Israeli Memorial Day and they were afraid the prayers would drown out the speech.
The violence was the result of “years of blockades and restrictions in Gaza, decades of Israeli occupation in the West Bank, and decades more of discrimination against Arabs within the state of Israel, said Avraham Burg, a former speaker of the Israeli Parliament and former chairman of the World Zionist Organization,” according to the New York Times.
In other words, the feelings between Israelis and Palestinians were explosive and what happened in the mosque was like a match that lit the explosives.
But what happened wasn’t just because of the Israeli police disconnecting the loudspeakers.
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is a battle that is still going on between the State of Israel and the Palestinians. The conflict started in 1948.
It forms part of the wider Arab–Israeli conflict. It is a dispute between two groups of people with claims over the same area of land. Many attempts have been made to make a two-state solution, which would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Most Israelis and Palestinians agree a two-state solution is the best way to end the conflict.
Most Palestinians view the West Bank and Gaza Strip as constituting the area of their future state, which is a view also accepted by most Israelis.
A handful of academics advocate a one-state solution, whereby all of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and West Bank would become a bi-national state with equal rights for all.
However, there are important areas of disagreement over any final agreement and also regarding the level of truth each side sees in the other to do what they say they will do.
Israel and the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights
Palestine is a region in the Middle East. It lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Many different peoples have lived in Palestine over thousands of years. In 1948 most of Palestine became part of the country of Israel. Since then, the region has experienced bitter fighting between Palestinian Arabs, who are mostly Muslims, and Israelis, who are mostly Jews.
Palestine is sometimes called the Holy Land. It is a sacred place for three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Palestine is important to Jews because the ancient kingdom of Israel was located there. Jews believe that God promised the land to them. Palestine is important to Christians because Jesus lived and worked there. Palestine also has several sites that are holy to Muslims.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
