Over 100 independent nations have been formed in the first 50 years since Israel’s creation. Despite this, “Israel’s [creation] is the only one that can be fairly called a miracle,†said historian Paul Johnson.
This supposed miracle has brought and will continue to bring disputes among countries. And it may take many miracles to keep this nation alive.
In recent months, new aspects of these problems have again become complicated as the Palestine Authority was voted by the United Nations (UN) to earn the status of a state. While the United States was firm in keeping the Israeli viewpoint in mind, the rest of the world had a different perspective. The vote of approval for the Palestine Authority to become a state was 138 votes in favor, nine against and 41 abstained.
In light of this seemingly landslide victory, we have written this article to better understand the different perspectives surrounding this controversy.
Israeli Perspective
Rabbi Gershie Meisel is a Jewish rabbi that works for the Jewish Student Union. He helps provide teenagers with a Jewish connection.
“Israel has been [previously] looked at as an underdog … over the last 40-50 years that has drastically changed.â€
The loss of the title “underdog†has changed the amount of sympathy and support Israel received. This was seen when Great Britain and France abstained from the UN vote, even though
Israel’s formation and policies should not be questioned or withheld. It was never the Palestinian’s land, but instead the Ottoman Empire’s land. When the Ottomans were defeated in WWI, the British Empire created a British protectorate. The British went to the United Nations and proposed the 1948 partition plan. At that time the Israeli government voted for a peaceful two state solution. Yet Palestine, never signed this agreement, therefore, also never creating an official country.
Moreover, many Jews feel that they have a historical connection with this land that has lasted over two thousand years.
“To presume that Israel has a responsibility to return the land to a people who did not own it is
intrinsically flawed†said Meisel.
“Arabs have more rights in Israel than they have in their own countries,†Meisel said.
shouldn’t it be that way, this does not mean Israel is being overly generous
According to a non-government sponsored organization called Human Rights Watch, Meisel is accurate in this description. The Palestinians who live in the Arab country (also) experienced “appalling social and economic conditions.†what quote is this from
Palestinians living in Arab countries are neither allowed to own land nor hold many jobs. Many Palestinians in 1991 were forcibly exiled from Kuwait. Palestinians in refugee camps who live in Syria also suffered as their camps were shelled by the Syrian government. On the contrary, Israel is known for accepting pregnant Palestinian mothers who drive to the border as they know that their baby will be delivered. need citation for last sentence–where is your source?
Israel’s generosity is also seen in how they accept Sudanese refugees. These refugees that face assault, rape and even death come to Israel, as they know their best standard of living exists within its borders.
Arguably, it is because they wanted cheap labor, as Americans want Latinos
Need to introduce Iken. Why is he a credible voice on this topic.
“Israel is a stable country, and a democracy in the middle east which unfortunately there aren’t many of,†CHS senior David Iken said. very true
Israel is not an agitator, but instead the exact antithesis of that. It serves as a beacon of light in peaceful international politics.
Palestinian Perspective
The Palestinian’s major initial complaint is their original formation. – And explain this more
With more intense media coverage, Israel’s injustices (what injustices, be specific such as roadblocks, lack of ability to get Western medicine) have become increasingly clear to the outside world. Attacks that have claimed civilian lives, and the now publicized limitations on Palestinian citizens, have made people wonder where the line between defense and offense of a country lies.
Introduce Sandra and why she is a credible source before we hear a quote from her.
“When Israel was founded in 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were forced out … including members of my family. That is the injustice that I speak of,†said Sandra Tamari, whose parents are from Palestine, said. She is also a member of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee.
(When??) Can you explain a little more about what happened at the UN)
A Palestinian state was never officially created. Yet, the local Palestinians had been the most recent inhabitants of this land. A common Palestinian perspective is that foreign countries like the United States and Great Britain do not have a right to establish a Jewish state.
Israel is also known to restricting the movement of Palestinians.
“From a Palestinian perspective [this] puts them in a second class role,†CHS history teacher Paul Hoelscher said.
This second class role is felt even in international travel. According to the New York Times, international travel is similarly heavily regulated. An Israeli and Palestinian couple who met in America have to travel separately, and they still have intense difficulty traveling throughout the middle east. — This is interesting. Why do they have to travel separately?? When they go to the Middle East???
travel seperately in the Middle East, or where?
Need more of a transition line that takes you into this quote.
“There are tens of laws … that privilege jewish citizens of Israel, and discriminate against the Palestinians citizens of Israel,†Tamari said.
don’t you need to capitalize “jewish�
According to The New York Times,“although Palestinians make up about 20 percent of Israel’s population, the 2012 budget allocates less than 7 percent for Palestinian citizens.†This is just one example of the many that displays Israel’s financial discrimination. type in the beginning
Israel’s failure to see its fiduciary responsibility towards helping a minority is a clear signal of discrimination.
Conclusion:
“We are subject to what the media covers†Hoelscher said.
Conclusion:
Our responsibility, as citizens of a democracy, is to seek out the opinions of both parties. Through our understanding we will be better able to contribute to the world as we will know where these opinions originate. Our knowledge will mean there is one less person falling victim to simply going with the most popular opinion, but instead having an educated one. These small changes we can make can cause for peace to maybe finally fall on that sphere of the world.
“Most Palestinians I think saw it very cynically that this was a powerplay within Palestine politicsâ€
“There has been change in the general public’s knowledge about this issue and their perceptions.â€
“Numerous America changing its views:“I think we are seeing the status quo that there is unwavering support for Israel regardless on what the policies are. Whenever the United States Government tries to be critical… they back down.†Good quote here
“There has been change in the general public’s knowledge about this issue and their perceptions.â€
Worldview changing: talk about UN vote and how it was a landslide
QUOTES HOELSCHER
“I think that the American government right or wrong has remained pretty steady…[through] this symbolic [process]â€
“we are subject to what the media coversâ€
“is this change happening on more of a global scale, maybe it isâ€
“the underlying deal…how much can Abbas control Hammas.â€
“I do not buy into the notion that there is no way that this cannot be solvedâ€
“I think [the Israelis] feel they have to…I also see this from a Palestinian perspective which puts them in a second class roleâ€
David Iken Interview:
My mom’s Israeli, so my family lives there, my cousins live there, and all my aunts and uncles live there. (In Israel) What you here on the news is that Israel’s a war zone, and is really dangerous, but the country itself is pretty safe. It just depends where you go, just like in Saint Louis. Every Israeli goes into the army right when they graduate high school. So they’re active for 3 years for guys, and 2 years for girls, but girls can choose civil service instead. Everyone in Israel knows what it’s like to be in a war, and understands the issues with war. Everyone has been affected by the war in the sense that almost every Israeli will know a family friend or relative who has either been injured or killed by war or a terrorist attack. One of my cousins was recently in Gaza when Gaza was shooting out rockets to the citizens of Israel. He was just a citizen walking around, and he was hit by one of the rockets and killed.
So right now it’s pretty calm. So recently before the war, the rocket attacks were increasing in number. Israel found one of the leaders of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, as defined by the United States and Israel and other countries. So they found the head, who was also involved in the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. (which they killed) So that started more escalation of shooting rockets into Israel. It got to the point where Israel said this enough, we can’t let our citizens be in this line of fire, where kids have to sleep in bomb shelters. Israel started attacking the weapon stockpiles, and with pin point precision they would surgically strike those spots. I use surgically because that’s how precise they are. There are videos on youtube with this truck carrying explosives, when there was an upcoming civilian car coming. They actually called off that missile and shot it into the desert instead of risking someone’s life. They’ve attacked the cell phone system to tell civilians in Gaza exactly where they are going to bomb. If you’re familiar with warfare, that completely takes out the element of surprise. They drop hundreds of thousands pamphlets in the air that they are attacking in advance. So yeah, they have tons of methods so that civilians have the chance to get away.
There had been some pictures that Gaza released about what Israel has done. So they took these to different analysis, and one of the pictures they had took was from Syria months ago, that has been taken off a website. They used it and retitled the headline “Gaza Hospitalâ€. Not only do they create war crimes by attacking people in Israel, but they use civilians as a human shield. They put their weapon stockpiles near playgrounds, next to hospitals, under school buses so it makes it very hard to reach. It makes it very hard for Israel because they have to avoid creating civilian casualties. Unfortunately most armies do not put as much precision into saving human lives when in battle.
America and Israel are some of the closest allies. Israel is such an asset to the world, and America realizes that. They collaborate with all different kinds of technology, besides your cellphone which was partially developed in Israel, and the processor in your computer that you’ll type this article on. They have this incredible bandage called the Israel Bandage which is a bandage that has an applicator you put 30 lbs of pressure on the wound. The blood loss is normally what kills people, if they’re shot or something. That actually was used to save Gabriella, the congresswoman in Arizona. Now every US army kit has one, and it’s found all over the world. Israel is a stable country, and a democracy in the middle east which unfortunately there aren’t many of.
Egypt was a very close ally to Israel, and in the blink of an eye they flipped sides. We were unsure about what decisions they’ll make.
To be honest, Palestine’s becoming a state does not make a big difference. It is not an advantage to Israel. People have said that Israel doesn’t really try to make peace, but if you look at the deals, Israel has had numerous times reached out their arms giving peace agreements that are almost bad for Israel such as losing tremendous land. Every time they decline the peace agreements.
Resources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11104284
In light of
History
History
Peace Begins with Understanding
Taken out content after Zach review
In the recent UN agreement, Israeli representative to the United Nations, Ron Prosor said, “[this ruling] takes peace backwards.â€
The unanswered question is, what does this do to Israel’s place in the world?
Countries like France, Great Britain and Australia that stereotypically would stand with Israel have now turned impartial or abstain from controversial topics that encompass Palestine and Israel. There are many reasons for this, one being the growing Arab population in other areas of the world.
“Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French,†famous leader Mohandas Gandhi said. This sentiment has been seen in the recent developments of this conflict.
This can be seen solely as a political move for different Palestinian parties to emerge on the world stage. This United Nations does reflect the idea that “There has been change in the general public’s knowledge about this issue and their perceptions†Sandra Tamari, whose parents are from Palestine, said. She is also a member of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee.
This was seen by the landslide vote, which was 138 votes in favor, 9 against and 41 abstained.
Extensive news coverage of the Israeli attacks on areas of Palestine and her civilians have triggered intense passion. Examples of recording of Israel’s cruelty can be seen in the film “Five Broken Camerasâ€. This film is a perfect example of intense coverage of this topic having uncovered some of Israel’s brutal methods.
