Team Israel's response to Team Palestine's Defense

There is a strong historical connection between the Israelis (Jewish) and West Bank and Gaza Strip areas. Jews in West Bank and Gaza Strip were killed and aggressively evicted from the area. Palestinians should not be rewarded with control of this land, as the territory was originally Israel’s to begin with. The area known as Palestine was the birthplace of the Jewish people almost 4000 years ago. The ancient Jewish kingdoms of Judea and Israel (est. 1000 BC) were located in this region.



Map courtesy of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+Maps/Separation+of+Transjordan-+1922.htm

In the White Paper of 1922 (also known as The Churchill White Paper) the British mandate known as Palestine was split: the western section was set aside for the Jewish National Homeland and the eastern section (later known as Transjordan) was closed to settlement by the Jews and set aside for the Arab population, giving the Arab-Palestinians territorial integrity.

If Palestine agrees they should be an independent and sovereign state of their own, then why didn’t they do something about it when given the opportunity? In 1947, the United Nations planned for the separation and independence of the Palestine area. This decision called for the creation of two independent states with boundaries, one Jewish and the other Arab. They were charged with establishing their own government and armed forces. The Jewish side took full advantage of the offer and formed its own government and armed forces and is now known as Israel (The Avalon Project, 1996). On the other hand, the Arab side chose not to follow through with the establishment of their own government at that time.

Since that time, the Arabs have been at war with Israel. The destruction of Israel has been the main goal of several terrorist organizations. This has resulted in many casualties in Israel. The region has been attacked on many occasions and since 2000 it has only worsened. There have been more than a thousand Israelis killed by Palestinians since 2000. This violence against the Israelis has resulted in military presence and militant control of the lands.

Palestinian leadership has also denied a peace proposal offered by United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. Israel, wanting to make peace, accepted this proposal. Had the Palestinians also accepted this proposal they would have been living as an independent state in peace with Israel. Their rejection was no surprise to Israel or the others, as the Palestinians have rejected every attempt at peace offered by Israel. It’s hard for Israel to build peace when they are constantly rejected by Palestinians.

Mr. Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of the State of Israel also offered peace during a UN General Assembly meeting. Sharon says “As someone whose path of life led him to be a fighter and commander in all of Israel's wars, I reach out today to our Palestinian neighbours in a call for reconciliation and compromise to end the bloody conflict and embark on the path which leads to peace and understanding between our peoples. I view this as my calling and my primary mission for the coming years.” (Sharon, 2005 -General Assembly, Sixtieth session, 5th plenary meeting)

The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, (1996). United nations general assembly resolution 181. Retrieved January 22, 2007, from The Avalon Project Web site, http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/un/res181.htm

ifAmericansknew (2006). The Origin of Palestine-Israel Conflict. Retrieved January 22,2007 from www.ifamericansknew.com

MidEastWeb for Coexistence RA, (2006). Israel and palestine: A brief history. Retrieved January 22, 2007, from MidEastWeb Web site, http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm#Geography%20and%20Early%20History


http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8262.htm

General Assembly, Sixtieth session, 5th plenary meeting http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/4f35dda0969b398885256c940075d006/06466c4853fadc238525709d00666a67!OpenDocument

MidEast Web (2006). The Israeli-palestinian conflict in a nutshell. Retrieved January 30, 2007 from http://www.mideastweb.org/nutshell.htm

Israel-Palestine Conflict (Franklin PF305)

Team Israel

Prepared by Paula Kilpatrick, Pam Katronic and Mykal Mercer

· Historical Authority of Israel Control: Much of the Israel-Palestine conflict revolves around the question of whether the Jewish people have the right to establish a national homeland (Israel) in the area known as Palestine. From a historical viewpoint, the Jewish people have as much right as any of the area’s other indigenous groups to establish a homeland in Palestine. The area known as Palestine was the birthplace of the Jewish people almost 4000 years ago, sometime between 1800 and 1500 BC. The ancient Jewish kingdoms of Judea and Israel (est. 1000 BC) were located in this region. When the Jewish people controlled the area during the ensuing period, Jerusalem served as the center of control and worship until the time they were expelled from the city by the Romans in 135 AD. Regardless of the ensuing exile of the Jewish people from the area by the Romans, there has been a population of Jewish people present in Palestine continuously from that time to present day. (MidEastWeb for Coexistence RA, 2006)

· Legal Authority of Israel Control: From a legal standpoint, the Jewish people have been granted authority to form a national homeland (Israel) from two of the parties that have exercised control over the Palestine area during the 20th century. After World War I the League of Nations granted control of the region known as Palestine to Great Britain in the Palestine Mandate of 1922. In this mandate, the League of Nations specifically made Great Britain responsible for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” (The Avalon Project, 1996), putting into effect an earlier declaration made by the British government in support of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. In 1948, the Jewish people once again received authorization to form a national homeland, this time from the United Nations who had taken control over Palestine in the wake of Britain withdrawal from the region. In 1947, the United Nations set forth a plan for the partition and independence of the area known as Palestine in General Assembly Resolution 181. This resolution called for the formation of two independent states, one Jewish and the other Arab, and set the boundaries for these states. The resolution also charged each of these states with the establishment of their own government and militia. The Jewish state that was formed as a result of this resolution was Israel. (The Avalon Project, 1996)

· Current Israel/Palestinian Conflict: The current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict stems from the Six-Day War in 1967, in which Israel fought Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Israel was victorious and ended up taking control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, which include the areas for the proposed State of Palestine. The Orthodox Jews believed Israel’s defeat was a sign of God's love and support. Therefore, the Jews respected and considered the West bank lands holy. Israel’s defeat was believed to be an ally and attempt to end the conflict. (ifAmericansknew.com)

· Peace Proposals Rejected by Palestinians: A Road Map for Peace Proposal was offered by the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. The goal of this proposal was an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. Israel has done its part by accepting the proposal with a few reservations, but the Palestinian government completely denied the proposal. Despite Palestine’s rejection, Israel has removed its military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip. Israel has also conceded to the Palestinian government the right to create a Palestinian homeland with nearly zero Israeli interference. Yet, despite these generous concessions, Palestinians feel that any concession is only a bribe to avoid future concessions. Also, the Palestinians have refused every single attempt at peace that Israel offered to them. In the eyes of Israeli’s, progress is difficult to achieve when their attempts at peace are refused and made out to be insincere.

Sources cited:
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, (1996). United nations general assembly resolution 181. Retrieved January 22, 2007, from The Avalon Project Web site, http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/un/res181.htm

ifAmericansknew (2006). The Origin of Palestine-Israel Conflict. Retrieved January 22,2007 from www.ifamericansknew.com

MidEastWeb for Coexistence RA, (2006). Israel and palestine: A brief history. Retrieved January 22, 2007, from MidEastWeb Web site, http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm#Geography%20and%20Early%20History