MUN: The Arab-Israeli Conflict and its Solution

The Arab-Israeli Conflict and its Solution

Long before the conflict at hand, the area currently acknowledged as Israel was under the control of the Ottoman Turks. Having been defeated in World War II, the land comprising the once mighty Ottoman Empire was portioned into several different nations. Britain was given a League of Nations mandate to rule Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq. After receiving this mandate, Britain published the Balfour Declaration. The creation of this document allowed Jews to create a homeland in Palestine with the understanding that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine….” Thousands of Jews began to immigrate into Palestine, and just as any change will bring, the result was intense opposition in the form of riots and fighting. This political action officially marked the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, known more commonly today as the Arab-Israeli conflict.

For many years this path of obvious fear complimenting anger ensued. In an attempt to appease the Arabs, Britain issued a “White Paper”—a document that, in this case, severely limited Jewish immigration into Palestine. This action posed another problem to British security forces in the region: Haganah, the Jewish self-defense force, attempted to expel Britain from Palestine. In addition, two secret paramilitary groups used terrorist tactics of assassinations and bombings against both British soldiers and Arab civilians, and the Jewish underground finally went to the extent of blowing up part of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, a regional headquarters for the British government and military command.

By this time, Britain had aggravated both sides in the conflict, leading only to increased tension and the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians. Subsequently, Britain, seemingly unable to control the lunacy occurring in Palestine, handed their problem over to the United Nations. UN Resolution 181 partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Palestinian states. Because the plan gave the Jews 55% of the land, most Arabs objected. Britain’s mandate over Palestine thus ended in 1948 with the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. Britain supported the creation of Israel, and the Arabs wanted retribution for the actions of the British. Thus, the best way for the Arabs to get their payback, was to attack Israel. The terrorism that plagues this region of the Middle East continues still today in this atrocious struggle between two religions for land they both believe to be theirs.

The 1948 UN Resolution to partition Palestine into two separate entities left the Jewish with Israel, and gave to the Arab Palestinians two tracts of land which have come to be known as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Within the past ten years, Israel has constructed what they call a “separation wall” with the West Bank. The International Court of Justice has declared this wall illegal, and the UN has publicly denounced Israel’s political actions as a nation. Just recently Israeli forces have exited the Gaza Strip, per the order of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Following this retreat, however, both Israel and Egypt refused to allow Gazans to enter through their borders, thus trapping these poor people inside their own country. Within the last two days however, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has managed to persuade Egypt to open its borders to these desperate Gazans.

The United Nations physical involvement in the region is limited strictly to refugee camps in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and West Bank. Until Israel’s complete withdrawal of military personnel from these territories last summer, these refugee camps were continuously under attack by Israeli forces. The Israel Defense Force for several years raided and plundered these camps, killing thousands of innocent civilians. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan continuously denounced these attacks and has made known his fury and frustration towards the Israeli troops committing these appalling acts.

As a representative of the United States, I am obligated to inform you on the current political stance of our nation. Because of the many political and military benefits that Israel provides the United States, we, the US, have and continue to support Israel, as can be seen in the $3+ Billion that we give each year to them. What the United States proposes as a solution to the bloodshed and tyranny so prevalent in these countries today, is complete withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, the removal of Israel’s “separation wall,” and the reorganization and reassessment of both nations’ military resources so as to better combat terrorism in the region. What is claiming so many lives these days is not fighting between these two countries, but the far too common terrorist activities that take place. Terrorist groups such as Hamas, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and Al Qaeda, wreak havoc and claim lives: lives that could be potentially saved if military forces were better allocated in both countries. While resources are being diverted to conflict between countries, the protection these countries maintain internally is very minimal, and it is this weakness that terrorists are taking advantage of. Although the United States has previously supported Israeli actions on all fronts, the recent withdrawal of troops by Prime Minister Sharon has led us to believe that a complete departure would be in the best interest of the national security of our ally, Israel. The United States believes that preventing terrorism is an important role that the government should play in protecting its citizens. In summary, I leave you with this: the key to stopping countless more unnecessary deaths in the Middle East lies in the hands of those nations willing enough to take the proactive measures absolutely mandatory in preventing terrorism from claiming those lives.