Israeli history
Alex Rotman, ArtSci ’13
In 1947, UN Resolution 181 was adopted, approving partition of the British Mandate into Jewish and Arab states. The Jews accepted it; the Arabs of the British Mandate rejected it; civil war followed.
On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel, in accordance with UN Resolution 181, was declared. While Israel rejoiced, its neighbors prepared for war. 24 hours after its birth, Israel was fighting for its existence against seven of its neighbors who wanted to conquer the country and divide up its land.
To the dismay of Arab leadership, they failed. Israel annexed the land it won in its defence, and Egypt and Jordan absorbed the land that was to become another Arab state.
The gravest error made by Arab leadership was viewing Israel as a temporary issue that would crumble under the weight of the Arab Empire.
Egypt refused to integrate Palestinian refugees, and instead kept them in camps in Gaza. Jordan did the same thing in the West Bank.
The idea was that Israel would not last long, and these Arabs would return to their homes in Palestine.
In 1967, another major conflict between Israel and its neighbors occurred. The Soviet Union provided Syria with false information about Israel mobilizing its troops for an attack.
Syria reached out to Egypt and invoked their defence pact. Israel warned Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser that closing the Straits of Tiran would be an act of war. On May 22, Egypt closed the straits, and on May 30, Egypt and Jordan signed a defence pact.
On June 5, Israel attacked Egypt, crippling its air force. In response, Jordan struck at Israel’s eastern flank. The result: Israel gained Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan.
Israel is criticized for the settlements being constructed in the West Bank. However, Israel’s government maintains that it won this land in a defensive war, and they serve security purposes.
Also, some settlements are merely the rebuilding of Jewish neighbourhoods that had existed in the British Mandate but were destroyed or evacuated in the 1948 war. Despite the question of legality, the settlements are not a barrier to peace as there is no reason that a Palestinian state could not annex these settlements and maintain a small Israeli minority.
UN Resolution 446 is often cited as a reason why the settlements are illegal, but Israel has proven that it will abide by UN Resolution 242—which calls for the return of disputed land—dismantle its settlements and give back land in exchange for peace.
It did this in Sinai for peace with Egypt, yet was met with a terror state when it withdrew from Gaza, and the genocide-bent Hamas regime.
No country with comparable troubles has acted with such regard for human life. Before Operation Cast Lead—the 2008 campaign to end Hamas rocket fire into Israel—Israel made calls, sent emails and dropped pamphlets warning the people of Gaza to get out of harm’s way.
Though not perfect, Israel is always correcting itself, and freedom of speech is respected. Israel should be celebrated for these accomplishments, not condemned. With the decline of terrorism, the checkpoints and roadblocks are slowly being removed; and the West Bank is beginning to flourish. When peace is made, settlements will be dismantled, except a few crucial to security.
This peace won’t arrive until the Palestinian people have one banner, and the civil war between Hamas and Fatah is resolved.
If the Palestinians crave peace like their Israeli neighbours, then I encourage them to join Israel at the table with a unified voice.
You have the power to unshackle your chains and drag yourself out of the hopeless swamps to which your leadership has left you for dead.
Alexander Rotman is a member of Queen’s Israel on Campus (IOC)
Palestinian history
Kamal Reilly, ArtSci ’10
In 1948, Israel was quite literally created on the ruins of Palestine. From 1947-1948, militias that would later form the Israeli military destroyed hundreds of Palestinian villages, and at least 750,000 Palestinians were expelled.
This ethnic cleansing facilitated a demographic majority of Jews within Israel’s borders, allowing for the creation of a self-proclaimed “Jewish State” called Israel. Since then, Israel has expanded the reach of its rule, and the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland has continued without cessation.
Palestinians are by far the largest refugee population in the world, and at 63 years now, this is also easily the most protracted refugee situation in modern history.
The United Nations High Council for Refugees makes both of these claims, and these are facts that are not open to interpretation by any party, especially those seeking to legitimize Israeli ethnic cleansing. Since Dec. 11, 1948, the UN has affirmed the right of these refugees to return to their homes, and to compensate those who choose not to.
Up to the present, Israel has refused to grant this right to even a single Palestinian refugee, nor has any compensation been delivered.
The fact that a majority of Palestinians have lived in exile since 1948 is absolutely central to any discussion of the legitimacy of Israel as a “Jewish State.”
A minority of Palestinians have remained in their homeland, living under Israeli rule. Israel took control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967, extending Israeli control over all of historic Palestine.
Israel placed these newly acquired territories under military rule, and 44 years later, these territories are still under illegal military occupation, as declared by the UN and the international community. This represents the longest military occupation in modern history.
In the mid-1970s, Israel began constructing settlements on these illegally occupied territories, and civilian settlers moved in. To settle civilians in a territory under military occupation is illegal, and thus the International Court of Justice, the UN, and the vast majority of the international community have declared these settlements illegal.
Construction of these settlements has accelerated over time, and there are currently over half a million settlers illegally living on occupied Palestinian territory.
In addition, a heavily militarized barrier has been erected by Israel around the majority of these settlements, annexing territory and carving up the West Bank into separate, disconnected entities.
The International Court of Justice has also declared this to be illegal.
Using this as a basis for discussion, it’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that Israel violates both international law and the human rights of Palestinians with impunity.
Palestinian civil society has called upon the international community to enact a boycott of the State of Israel until this behavior ceases, which is an effective, non-violent way for Canadians to take an ethical stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Kamal Reilly is a member of Queen’s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)
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