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Overview:
This site will examine the troubles and history of the Israeli and Palestinian people, the
conflict's over the holy land, and how these conflicts impact the Middle East. The Israeli and

Comment [GK1]: No apostrophe

Palestinians have been in conflict for many years over the significance of this holy land because

Comment [GK2]: You should define early on where the

holy land is for those who do not know

each side believes this land is rightfully theirs.

The immense migration of Jewish settlers into this holy land started after WWII and a
larger wave of settlers came once the state of Israel was created in 1948. The issues between the

Comment [GK3]: Maybe replace with this area/region so

you dont use the phrase holy land quite so much

two groups of people are based on non-mutual recognitions of the land, security, water rights,
control of Jerusalem, dispute over Israeli settlements, Palestinian freedom of movement and the
Palestinian right of return. Each side has religious passion, historical struggles and national pride
that motivates them to defend the land that they believe is rightfully theirs. Both communities
have inflicted and endured pain and peace is only possible when both sides have moved beyond
the past and made real attempts to compromise with and understand one another.
Good intro

Comment [GK4]: Comma after this

Palestinian Viewpoint
May 14th 1948, is the day that the State of Israel was established. For Arab countries, it is
called the day of Nakbah, otherwise known as the day of Tragedy or Travesty.
To Palestinian people, the origin of the feud about control of the Israeli land is based on the
fact that their entire population were forced out of their home country and became refugees.

Comment [GK5]: Was since youre referencing a singular

population

The Israeli's ancestors lived in this land 3,000 years ago. The issue is not one of religion, but on
land and justice that they deserve.
Another issue that makes the Palestinian people angry, are the historical facts about the land

Comment [GK6]: Is, singular issue

the are not taken into consideration. Palestinians believe that there was a larger historical

Comment [GK7]: That

ownership of the land then just that of the Israeli's. They believe that before the prophet

Comment [GK8]: This sentence is worded oddly even if

you change the couple grammatical errors. I would find a
new way to convey the same message, but simpler

Abraham, the land of Palestine was ruled by the Babylonians, the Phoneicians, Canaanites,

Comment [GK9]: Than

Philistines, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who all left their mark on the land.

Comment [GK10]: Explain in more detail the significance

of this and how that adds to their argument. Right now its
left at just a fact that readers arent sure how it ties in
unless they already know about the topic

They are also angered at the fact that the Liberal and Conservative sectors of the Government
do not take in perspective the history of the land, and the major role that the Palestinians played
on the land, prior to the migration of the Jews.

Comment [GK11]: This is extremely similar to the point

right before it. It seems to say basically the same thing over
again, so either take it out or rephrase it to make it its own
point

Israeli Viewpoint
To Israel, the conflict of the ownership of the land is seen as a matter of security and
defense and not a religious disagreement. Israel's history began 3,700 thousand years ago

Comment [GK12]: What?

when Moses led his people out of Egypt into the promised land. The Jewish community wad

Comment [GK13]: was

led under the ruling of King David who had total rule over the land. The separation of Israel into

Comment [GK14]: Maybe total control so you arent

saying the same word twice

Jerusalem and Palestine was caused by the switch of rule to the Roman Empire .
The constant conflict between the Jewish community and it's Arab neighbors made
Britain leave the control of Israel and Palestine to the United Nations. The United Nations saw it
most fit that Israel and Palestine have two separate states. Israel accepted this proposal while the
Arabs denied it. However the Jewish Community took over the land that they were promised and
in 1948 declared their independence as the State of Israel. Right after the establishment of the

Comment [GK15]: Go into more detail of how this came

about, why it happened. As someone who knows nothing
about this,
I have no idea why that would cause it to split into 2
different places
Comment [GK16]: No apostrophe
Comment [GK17]: When did Britain come into this? More
background
Comment [GK18]: But why did they deny it?

state, Israel's Arab neighbors attacked and the 1948 ArabIsraeli War of independence
followed. After the War of Independence many treaties were signed. However, Israel's Arab
neighbors continued to inflict terror. In 1967 Israel's neighboring countries sent their armies to

Comment [GK19]: Repetitive

the Israeli border and in defense Israel struck and the six day war erupted.

Comment [GK20]: Too many ands in here that make this

sentence long

Israel stated that it had tried time and time again to establish peace with its neighbors and
the only effective plan was when Lebanon retreated and Egypt signed the peace agreement in
1979. Many of the peace agreements following this peace negotiation failed. Israeli's believed

Comment [GK21]: Take out the second peace

that the failure was due to the incapability of Palestinians to negotiate and manage their own
people.
The way to get to peace failed because of continuous acts of terrorism and violence,
including two intifadas that were caused by Palestinians. According to the Israeli timeline from

Comment [GK22]: Explain what these are

Stand with Us, the Israeli people believe this land belongs to them because Jerusalem began as a
Jewish state.

Comment [GK23]: This seems very randomly thrown in

here; try to integrate it more

Facts about Palestine

Approximately 2.6 million Palestinians in the West Bank
Approximately 250,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem
Approximately 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza
Israel has been militarily occupying the Palestinian West Bank.
Palestinians are ruled by the Israeli Military.
In the Gaza strip, Hamas has internal control over the tiny coastal strip. However, Israel is still

Comment [GK24]: What/who is Hamas?

an occupying power even though it withdrew 8,000 settlers in 2005 due to the military
which still controls what goes on in the Gaza strip.
Israel still has more than 130 settlements in the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem.
These settlements violate a rule that was passed during the Geneva convention.
85% of the wall built on the West Bank runs along the Palestinian occupied West Bank

Comment [GK25]: These seem more like facts about Israel

Facts about Israel

Israel's territory is 8,019 square miles
There is only one Jewish country in the world, Israel
In 1948, over 850,000 Jews fled or were expelled from Arab and Muslim lands. Israel began
taking in not only survivors of the Holocaust but also Jews who were fleeing
from Arab countries.
Israel's Security threats involve Iranian leaders who want Israel to be "wiped off the map".
They are also developing nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Hamas and Hezbollah
are building larger military arsenals and threaten Israel's southern and northern borders.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been unable or unwilling to eradicate
terrorist groups or stop terrorist plots on arms smuggling.
According to Israeli's there has never been a Palestinian Arab state or ruling over the West
Bank, Gaza or Israel
After Israel took over the West Bank from Jordan and captured Gaza from Egypt in 1967,
Arab states refused Israel's offer to exchange the captured land for peace.
1.6 million Arabs are Israeli Citizens
In 1948, the 160,000 Palestinian Arabs who remained within Israel's borders became citizens
of Israel
Jews have maintained a continuous presence in Israel for over 3,000 years based
upon archeological, historical, and biblical evidence

Comment [GK26]: You should compare the 2 instead of

only having this info for Israel

Timeline

Economic Effect
The book Between Terror and Tolerance: Religious Leaders, Conflict, and Peacemaking,
describes a lot of details about previous, ongoing and current issues between many different
racial and cultural groups throughout the world. The chapter Globalization, religion,
nationalism in Israel and Palestine touched upon the terrorist group Hamas which grew out of
the Muslim Brotherhood. The Hamas is an extreme religious and political organization. The First
Intifada, which was a Palestinian uprising against Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza strip
is a reason behind the tension.
This scholarly resource touches on the fact that a big issue behind the tension is the void
between the Israeli and Palestinian people. The main issues deal with the economy and
the unresolved security concerns, the weak governments, and fragmented civil societies of the
two groups. The shift from an Israeli state controlled economy to the privatization of the Israeli
economy in mid 1980s increased the tensions within Israel and even within the Palestinian
territories. There was tension because the Palestinian people felt as if they were losing control of
their normal life.

Comment [GK27]: Underline book titles

Comment [GK28]: Reword with more elevated
language/structure

Resolutions: Ideas to solve the conflict

The Oslo Accords were established based on the fact that the two-state solution would
resolve the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. However, there is still a feud between the two groups. A
breakthrough in the vicious cycle of hate and violence between the two groups needs to be
broken by an outside of the box approach. Some possible approaches are:
Having the surrounding countries like Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council partner
in agreement.
Having a Two State solution, but unfortunately this is unrealistic in the near future
Set up small agreements that will eventually set the ground for a final agreement
Stability in the Gaza strip: The Gaza strip has been a main issue behind the conflicts.
Palestinian national authority should take control of the Gaza strip and the rockets that
are used to attack Israel should be disposed of. The tunnels that are being created from
Gaza to Israel should stop. After stability is reached in the Gaza Strip then the
negotiations regarding the Israeli-Arab agreement can start. The issues that will be
worked upon are issues of Borders, refugees, Jerusalem, settlements, land and the
natural resources.

Security: Israeli civilians have constant threats by Hamas and other Islamist Palestinian
groups. This is a main reason that Israel is unwilling to make further compromises. Israel
needs to see that the surrounding states are not a threat. The Palestinian side needs to
work not the challenge of communication between one another, especially between
Hamas and Fatah.

Comment [GK29]: Reword

Bibliography
Sisk, Timothy D. Between Terror and Tolerance: Religious Leaders, Conflict, and Peacemaking.
Washington, D.C.: Georgetown UP, 2011. Print.

Knew, If Americans. "A Synopsis of TheIsrael/Palestine Conflict." A Synopsis of the
Israel/Palestine Conflict. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

Black, Phil, Ben Wedemen, and Jethro Mullen. "Israeli Palestinian Conflict: 2 Views; 1 Tragic
Outcome." CNN. Cable News Network, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

"StandWithUs About Us." StandWithUs About Us. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

@NBCNewsWorld. "Israel's Booming Economy Puts Billions in US Aid under
Spotlight." World News. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

"Jewish Optimism In the Face of Hamas War." The Tower. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

"Israel Arrests Palestinian Teenager over Facebook Posts." - Al Jazeera English. N.p., n.d. Web.
09 Nov. 2016.

Avishai, Bernard. "The E.U. vs. B.D.S.: The Politics of Israel Sanctions." The New Yorker. N.p.,
22 Jan. 2016. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Comment [GK30]: Works cited for MLA, hanging indent for

all citations, alphabetical order