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
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