Over 100 independent nations have been formed in the first 50 years after Israel’s creation. Despite this, “Israel’s [creation] is the only one that can be fairly called a miracle,” said historian Paul Johnson.

The creation of Israel has ignited much discord and conflict.  And it may take many more 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 statehood.  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 new Palestinian recognition, we have written this article to clarify the different perspectives surrounding this controversy.

Israeli Perspective

For thousands of years the Jewish people have been continually persecuted.  Historical examples of these tragic events include Russian, French, German, Roman and Spanish pogroms where the Jews were systematically killed or exiled.  The Holocaust is only one example of the horrors that the Jewish people have had to endure.  Despite these well documented atrocities, there are many who claim that these events never occurred. Therefore, the Jewsish people believe that they deserve a place where they can live, and contribute to the world around them.

As the Jewish people have achieved their goal of creating a Jewish state, they have been recognized as more of a world player.  Rabbi Gershie Meisel comments on this change of global opinion towards Israel. He advises the CHS Jewish Student Union.

“Israel has been [previously] looked at as an underdog … over the last 40-50 years that has drastically changed,” Meisel said.
This loss of the title “underdog” has changed the amount of sympathy and support Israel receives.  This was seen when Great Britain and France abstained from the recent UN vote on the Palestine Authority’s statehood. This is surprising as the Israeli government is clearly against the Palestinian Authority being a state and Great Britain and France are traditionally allies with Israel.

Israel’s formation and policies should not be questioned.  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, consequently never creating an official country.

“To presume that Israel has a responsibility to return the land to a people who did not own it is intrinsically flawed,” Meisel said.
Israel also feels that their generosity towards others proves their desire for peace.

“Arabs have more rights in Israel than they have in their own countries,” Meisel said.
According to the non-government sponsored organization Human Rights Watch, Meisel is accurate in this description. Also, Human Rights Watch reported that Palestinians who live in Arab countries experience “appalling social and economic conditions.”

When Israel was formed, thousands of Jewish people were similarly forced out of Arab countries. Israel accepted the Jewish refugees that wanted to join Israel.
The difference still today is that Palestinians who have become refugees are rarely accepted by their “brotherhood” of Arab nations.  Therefore, racism against Palestinians is actually created by Arab nations and not Israel.

And this ongoing racism against Palestinians is prevalent in Arab nations.

Palestinians often living in Arab countries are neither allowed to own land nor hold many jobs.  Many Palestinians in 1991 were forcibly exiled from Kuwait and Palestinians in refugee camps who lived in Syria suffered as their camps were shelled by the Syrian government.

Israel’s generosity is seen in international affairs. For example, Israel often accepts 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.

Additionally, Israel’s modern technology, infrastructure and transportation networks prove their durability, and desire to contribute to the world around them.
“Israel is a stable country, and a democracy in the Middle East which unfortunately there aren’t many of,” CHS senior David Iken said.

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

For Palestinians this topic encompasses their dear homeland that they inhabited for a time before Israel was created. People who are Christian, Druze and various sects of Islam claim the title of Palestinian.  This diversity has made it difficult for them to have a unified political voice.

Efforts for statehood were held hostage for nearly 50 years by Yasser Arafat who refused to compromise and allow for the co-existence of the Israeli state.  Current political parties of Hamas and Fatah continue to battle for power and have conflicting political agendas in the direction of Palestinian self determination.  Regional Arab states have also benefited from this disunity.

With more intense media coverage, Israel’s injustices have become increasingly clear to the outside world.  Israeli military attacks have claimed lives, and the now-publicized limitations on Palestinian citizens have made people wonder where the line between defense and offense of a country lies.

The Israeli West Bank Barrier limits rocket and terrorist attacks in Israel but also has a profound disruptive effect of lives of ordinary Palestinians.
Palestinian refugees, from the creation of the Israeli state, are one of the many Israeli injustices Sandra Tamari, a member of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee, described.  Tamari’s parents are also from Palestine.

“When Israel was founded in 1948, 750,000 Palestinians were forced out … including members of my family,” Tamari said. “That is the injustice that I speak of.”
In the 1948 partition plan, the UN hoped to create a place for both Jewish citizens and Palestinians.  Although the Jewish Zionists accepted this partition plan, Palestinians did not.  So, an Arab country for Palestinians has never been officially created.  Yet, local Palestinians had been the most recent inhabitants of this land.

These foreign countries created a colonial country.  What right do foreign countries like Great Britain and the U.S. have in meddling in another people’s affairs?

Since Israel’s formation, Israel has also been known to restrict the movement of Palestinians due to security concerns.

“From a Palestinian perspective [this] puts them in a second class role,” CHS history teacher Paul Hoelscher said.

Throughout Israel there are roadblocks where Israeli soldiers slow down any internal movement.  Tamari’s family used to be able to travel from their hometown to Bethlehem in 15 minutes.  Yet, due to these roadblocks this trip now takes up to 6 to 7 hours.

This second class role is felt even in international travel.  According to the U.S. Consulate, “Those whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin … may face additional, often time-consuming, and probing questioning by immigration and border authorities, or may even be denied entry into Israel or the West Bank.”
This regulation is often based solely on the person’s ancestry or religion, and not on their true intentions.
The restrictions of movement are not the only restrictions that are placed on Palenstinians.

“There are tens of laws … that privilege Jewish citizens of Israel, and discriminate against the Palestinian citizens of Israel,” Tamari said.

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.”

Israel’s failure to see its fiduciary responsibility toward helping other people in their country is a clear signal of fiscal discrimination.

A Palestinian country should be established so that this group can have true freedom.

Conclusion

“We are subject to what the media covers” Hoelscher said.

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. Through these small changes we have the ability to make  lasting changes that can maybe someday lead to peace.