Introduction
The conflict between Palestinian Arabs and
Jews is a modern phenomenon, which began around the turn
of the 20th century. Although these two groups have different
religions (Palestinians include Muslims, Christians and Druze),
religious differences are not the cause of the conflict.
It is essentially a struggle over land. Until 1948, the area
that both groups claimed was known internationally as Palestine.
But following the war of 1948-49, this land was divided into
three parts: the state of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan
River) and the Gaza Strip.
This is a small area: approximately 10,000
square miles, or about the size of the state of Maryland.
The competing claims are not reconcilable if one group exercises
exclusive political control over the total territory.
Jewish claims to this land are based on the
biblical promise to Abraham and his descendants, on the fact
that this was the historical site of the Jewish kingdom of
Israel (which was destroyed by the Roman Empire), and on
Jews' need for a haven from European anti-Semitism. Palestinian
Arabs' claims to the land are based on continuous residence
in the country for hundreds of years and the fact that they
represented the demographic majority. They reject the notion
that a biblical-era kingdom constitutes the basis for a valid
modern claim. If Arabs engage the biblical argument at all,
they maintain that since Abraham's son Ishmael is the forefather
of the Arabs, then God's promise of the land to the children
of Abraham includes Arabs as well. They do not believe that
they should forfeit their land to compensate Jews for Europe's
crimes against them. |
