UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP DALTA SYSTEM
LAS PIÑAS CAMPUS
SATELLITE SCHOOL
OUR LORD’S OF MERCY SCHOOL
#3 Isagani Ocampo St. Banker’s Village II Caloocan City
CP# 09422921905/09165082467
Course Title: MASS411 Political Science
Term: 2st Semester 2019-2020
Professor: Dr. Peter G. Young
PARTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUBJECT
Output #1 (Individual)
ISRAEL - PALESTINE CONFLICT
DISCUSSION:
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s longest-running and most
controversial conflicts. At its heart, it is a conflict between two self-determination
movements — the Jewish Zionist project and the Palestinian nationalist project — that
lay claim to the same territory. But it is so, so much more complicated than that, with
seemingly every fact and historical detail small and large litigated by the two sides and
their defenders.
Israel is the world’s only Jewish state, located just east of the Mediterranean Sea.
Palestinians, the Arab population that hails from the land Israel now controls, refer to the
territory as Palestine and want to establish a state by that name on all or part of the same
land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it is controlled.
Israel in red, Palestinian-majority territories in pink.
Gaza is a densely populated strip of land that is mostly surrounded by Israel and
peopled almost exclusively by Palestinians. Israel used to have a military presence but
withdrew unilaterally in 2005. It’s currently under the Israeli blockade.
Though both Jews and Arab Muslims date their claims to the land back a couple
of thousand years, the current political conflict began in the early 20th century. Jews
fleeing persecution in Europe wanted to establish a national homeland in what was then
an Arab- and Muslim-majority territory in the Ottoman and later British Empire. The Arabs
resisted, seeing the land as rightfully theirs. An early United Nations plan to give each
group part of the land failed, and Israel and the surrounding Arab nations fought several
wars over the territory. Today’s lines largely reflect the outcomes of two of these wars,
one waged in 1948 and another in 1967.
The 1967 war is particularly important for today’s conflict, as it left Israel in control
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, two territories home to large Palestinian populations:
Note that since 1967, Israel has returned Sinai to Egypt.
Today, the West Bank is nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority and is
under Israeli occupation. This event comes in the form of Israeli troops, who enforce
Israeli security restrictions on Palestinian movement and activities, and Israeli “settlers,”
Jews who build ever-expanding communities in the West Bank that effectively deny the
land to Palestinians. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamist fundamentalist party, and
is under Israeli blockade but not ground troop occupation.
The primary approach to solving the conflict today is a so-called “two-state
solution” that would establish Palestine as an independent state in Gaza and most of the
West Bank, leaving the rest of the land to Israel. Though the two-state plan is clear in
theory, the two sides are still deeply divided over how to make it work in practice.
The alternative to a two-state solution is a “one-state solution,” wherein all of the
lands become either one big Israel or one big Palestine. Most observers think this would
cause more problems than it would solve, but this outcome is becoming more likely over
time for political and demographic reasons.
Reference: https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18079996/israel-palestine-conflict-guide-explainer
ANALYSIS:
The Israel-Palestine conflict continues today, and the tension escalates more.
Based on history, the geographic movement of Jews from Europe to the Middle East
made a world-turning view on politics and peace process today. Violence continues even
the war ended in 1967.
United Nations calls for immediate action to have political progress on this issue.
It seemed like Israel, though has the diplomatic concern from most of the countries in the
world, is looking forward to political interest rather than maintaining peace and security.
With their military forces, it yields tension to both Israelis and, but more to Palestinians.
What concerns more of the United Nations is the killings of several civilians whenever
there will be attacks on these places.
Moreover, Israel gained support from other countries because it became a buffer
against Soviet influence before and had the common interest to fight jihadism. In line with
this, terrorism also continues. And this won’t end until there are people who have high
interests in power and wealth.
Political actors thought of two ways to end the conflict. Thinking these ways as
simple ways, still, conflict continues because no one from the two sides adheres to these
solutions. Basically, the “two-state solution” is the ideal solution, for it will satisfy both
Israel and Palestine. Both will enjoy independence. However, leaders of these places
don’t want this idea because it may affect the coming and going of resources. There will
be a lot of negotiations since they might be crossing borders. Thus, possibly turning the
decision to “one-state solution” in which all parts of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Strip will
be one big country controlled by either Israel or Palestine. However, this will result at the
beginning of more human rights violations because it may end Israel as a Jewish state
for Palestinians outnumber the Jews or Palestinians will be forced out or will be denied of
their rights.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
From the two solutions recommended, Palestinians are expecting independence
from or just a minority of Israel, giving or not giving them the right to vote. On the other
hand, Israel may also have their independence and maintain its democracy, may turn to
be non-democratic-dominating Palestinians without giving their rights to vote, or may
become democratic-dominating Palestinians visioning the end of the Jewish state. Thus,
the conflict has no foreseen period to put this to an end.
United Nations talks will continue and need more voices from the international
community to analyze and look for more ways on how this long-running conflict will be
resolved. But for now, they are aiming for the two-state solution while they are currently
working at the peace process of Israel and Palestine amidst military and terrorist attacks.
Israel even also started to leverage electricity and other resources as a political
strategy. Unemployment rates to Palestinians also increase. With the political and land
expansion interest of Israel and the demographic problem of Palestine, violence rises
many affecting civilians. Country bullying must end. Lengthening this conflict will just be
put in height, thus adding more struggles for peace and complications to humanity.
Questions:
1. In what sense does the history will contribute to solving the conflict?
2. How could the United Nations help to achieve peace between Israel and
Palestine?
Submitted by:
PRECIOUS O. GREGORIO
