Israeli-Arab Antagonism Essay, Research Paper

Western historians are re-examining the troubled 20th century history of Israel

and Palestine. Previously published revelations of Israel’s military strength

and aggressive operations during the 1948 Israeli-Arab war remained confined to

a select group of historians: (Simha Flapan, The Birth of Israel: Myths and

Realities and Ilian Pappe, The Making of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1947-1951).

Now, the established media is beginning to publish similar information.

Washington Post editor, S. Rosenfeld, has published information that Israel’s

former Defense Minister, Moishe Dayan, admitted to reporter Rami Tal that Israel

provoked 80% of the border clashes between Israel and Syria and Syrian gunners

on the Golan had only fired on Israel farmers who were illegally farming

demilitarized lands( Israel and Syria: Correcting the Record, S. Rosenfeld,

Wash. Post., Dec. 24, 1999). As the Mid-East "peace process"

approaches its final outcome, the American media and government are becoming

aware that the deliberations may reveal a historical perspective that differs

from a previously accepted perspective, and that an appreciation of this revised

perspective may be essential in forming an acceptable solution to the Mid-East

conflict. The Jewish people, Islam, the American people, and all Mid-East

countries have been continually affected by the daily events in Israel and the

West Bank. An optimistic atmosphere for peace presently prevails. Unless the

optimism translates into reality, the world may accept a longer term pessimistic

scenario which predicts that, (1) Israel will eventually not be able to

successfully repulse the far greater numbers of its antagonists. (2) Israel will

be forced to use its full military capability to maintain its territory and

could bring several countries into an atomic war. (3) Israel’s safeguards and

defense will propel it into extreme human rights violations of the Palestinians

and result in their possible dissolution. (4) The Jewish people, due to their

consistent support of what the world could perceive as Israel’s tyrannical

actions, will suffer greatly from antagonisms, almost to the point of extinction

of Judaism as a strong religious force. (5) The United States people will suffer

from terrorism, war and economic upheavals. (6) Islam will be forced to fight

for its survival, especially for its holy sites in Jerusalem. Famous Jewish

luminaries have echoed these fears. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin, in a speech to

the Israeli Knesset stated: Israel’s political intransigence and unwillingness

to make concessions to the Palestinians will further suppress the old values of

Judaism. The philosopher Martin Buber wrote in the publication Thud’s Ner, 1961:

The world is captured by the mid-east turmoil and yet is complacent about the

eventual results. And those concerned have not been able to evolve a workable

strategy to prevent the great shock. One cause for the failure to evolve a

workable strategy has been due to basing decisions on selective facts. The final

stages of a welcomed peace process demands that the historical facts are

correctly portrayed so that knowledge and reasoning can dictate an equitable

solution. Since Israel has been the protagonist in the mighty drama, the country

that has occupied stage center, investigators will focus on significant Israeli

actions during the past 50 years. Major aspects of the investigations will be:

The establishment of the state of Israel, leading to The refugee problem,

leading to The Mid-East Wars, leading to Israel’s population expansion, leading

to The ignored UN Resolutions, leading to Democratic Compromises, leading to

Some thoughts on the historical perspective. The establishment of the State of

Israel The United Nations, which voted on November 29, 1947, to partition

Palestine, might have wished they had more completely studied the situation and

had appropriately prepared to respond to subsequent developments. The UN had a

choice between recommending a bi-national state or partitioning the country into

Jewish and Palestinian states. Considering that 85% of the Jewish population

remained confined to three urban centers and their surrounding areas, Tel-Aviv/Jaffa,

Haifa and Jerusalem, and that the Jews constituted only 1/3 the total population

in all Palestine, the partition plan had no acceptable means to award the

Zionists a viable state in which they would be a comfortable majority in a large

sized territory. By voting a partition resolution, the UN unknowingly invited

"population transfers" of the Palestinians from the territory awarded

to the Zionists so that the Jews in that state could be a majority. The

resolution, which required a 2/3 vote by the General Assembly, and only received

the 2/3 by one vote, never had the power for compliance or enforcement. By not

providing enforcement and safeguards to all parties, the UN action permitted the

future to be determined by predictable crises. It was predictable that a

resolution that created states that were not viable, would stimulate Israel to

take action to assure its viability. It was predictable that the Palestinian

community would become submerged by Israel’s actions and that adjacent Arab

countries would react to any perception of aggressive Israeli behavior and

territorial extension. UN resolution 181 caused a more serious crisis than it

attempted to contain. President Truman expressed anguish at the lack of an

enforcement body and noted its possible consequences. (Statement on the United

Nation’s recognition of Israel by President Truman, March 25, 1948, Truman

archives): The United Kingdom has announced its firm intention to abandon its

mandate in Palestine on May 15. Unless emergency action is taken, there will be

no public authority in Palestine on that date capable of preserving law and

order. Violence and bloodshed will descend upon the Holy Land. Large scale

fighting among the people of that country will be the inevitable result. Such

fighting would infect the entire Middle East and could lead to consequences of

the gravest sort involving the peace of this nation and of the world. The

American president proposed a plan that has not been well publicized: The United

States has proposed to the Security Council a temporary United Nations

trusteeship for Palestine to provide a government to keep the

peace?Trusteeship is not proposed as a substitute for the partition plan but

as an effort to fill the vacuum soon to be created.. After Israel declared a

provisional government on the day before Britain’s withdrawal from its mandate,

Truman recognized the new state. Interestingly, the U.S. president changed

several words in the original document. The document states; This government has

been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and

recognition has been requested by the (Truman inserted the word

"provisional") government as the de facto authority of the new (Truman

crossed out the words "Jewish state" and replaced them with the words

"State of Israel.) After the Zionists proclaimed a provisional government

on May 14 and British troops withdrew on May 15 1948, events happened as Truman

had pessimisticly predicted. The UN sent Count Folke Bernadette, a Swedish

diplomat who had earned respect from his work during the war as vice chairman of

the Swedish Red Cross, to obtain truces between the combatants and ameliorate

the situation. On September 17,1948, after Bernadotte had composed his report,

and before he had the opportunity to submit the report to the UN, members of the

Stern gang, an extremist Zionist organization, assassinated him and French air

force officer, Andre P. Serot in Jerusalem. Count Bernadotte’s Specific

Conclusions (in his words): The following conclusions, broadly outlined, would,

in my view, considering all the circumstances, provide a reasonable, equitable

and workable basis for settlement: 1) Since the Security Council, under pain of

Chapter VIII sanctions, has forbidden further employment of military action in

Palestine as a means of settling the dispute, hostilities should be pronounced

formally ended either by mutual agreement of the parties or, failing that, by

the United Nations. The existing indefinite truce should be superseded by a

formal peace, or at the minimum, an armistice which would involve either

complete withdrawal and demobilization of armed forces or their wide separation

by creation of broad demilitarized zones under United Nations supervision. 2)

The frontiers between the Arab and Jewish territories, in the absence of

agreement between Arabs and Jews, should be established by the United Nations

and delimited by a technical boundaries commission appointed by and responsible

to the United Nations, with the following revisions in the boundaries broadly

defined in the resolution of the General Assembly of 29 November in order to

make them more equitable, workable and consistent with existing realities in

Palestine. A. The area known as the Negeb, south of a line running from the sea

near Majdal east southeast to Faluja (both of which places would be in Arab

territory), should be defined as Arab territory; B. The frontier should run from

Faluja northeast to Ramla and Lydda (both of which places would be in Arab

territory), the frontier at Lydda then following the line established in the

General Assembly resolution of 29 November. C. Galilee should be defined as

Jewish territory. 3) The disposition of the territory of Palestine not included

within the boundaries of the Jewish State should be left to the Governments of

the Arab States in full consultation with the Arab inhabitants of Palestine,

with the recommendation, however, that in view of the historical connection and

common interests of Transjordan and Palestine, there would be compelling reasons

for the merging of the Arab territories of Palestine with the territory of

Transjordan, subject to such frontier realignment regarding other Arab States as

may be found practicable and desirable. 4) The United Nations, by declaration or

other appropriate means, should undertake to provide special assurance that the

boundaries between the Arab and Jewish territories shall be respected and

maintained subject only to such modifications as may be mutually agreed upon by

the parties concerned. 5) The port of Haifa, including the oil refineries and

terminals, and without prejudice to their inclusion in the sovereign territory

of the Jewish State or the administration of the city of Haifa, should be

declared a free port, with assurances of free access for interested Arab

countries and an undertaking on their part to place no obstacle in the way of

oil deliveries by pipeline to the Haifa refineries, whose distribution would

continue on the basis of the historical pattern. 6) The airport of Lydda should

be declared a free airport with assurance of access to it and employment of its

facilities for Jerusalem and interested Arab countries. 7) The City of

Jerusalem, which should be understood as covering the area defined in the

resolution of the General Assembly of 29 November, should be treated separately

and should be placed under effective United Nations control with maximum

feasible local autonomy for its Arab and Jewish communities. In addition, there

must be unconditional agreement on the protection of the Holy Places and sites,

their free access and right to religious worship, irregardless of denomination

8) The right of unimpeded access to Jerusalem, by road, rail or air, should be

fully respected by all parties. 9) The right of the Arab refugees to return to

their homes in Jewish controlled territory at the earliest possible date should

be affirmed by the United Nations, and their repatriation, resettlement and

economic and social rehabilitation, and payment of adequate compensation for the

property of those choosing not to return. This should be supervised and assisted

by the United Nations conciliation commission described in paragraph (k) below.

10) The political, economic, social and religious rights of all Arabs in the

Jewish territory of Palestine and of all Jews in the Arab territory of Palestine

should be fully guaranteed and respected by the authorities. Bernadotte’s

conclusions may have provided a basis for solution to the conflict. They were

not seriously discussed. Israel eventually won the war and expanded its

territory. The expansion, which is detailed in the following two maps indicates

that Israel did not entirely fight a defensive war. It can?t be coincidence

that Israel closed the gaps in the territory awarded to it by the UN

proclamation, and linked Jerusalem and its territory. The Zionists emptied

several hundred Arab villages of their unarmed inhabitants. They took the

offensive and seized territory that increased Israel’s size by 50%, giving

themselves more than 75% of the original Palestinian lands. The Refugee problem

and its significance The war created 700,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom

had lived in the areas that Israel absorbed. Almost all of them wanted to return

to their towns, homes, factories, land and businesses. The refugees insisted

that fear, violence, and destruction forced them to temporarily vacate their

homes. Israel stated that the refugees had left their homes due to a message

from the other Arab nations. The message affirmed that they should leave, and

after the Arabs punished the Zionists, the refugees would be able to return.

This statement seems absurd, especially when considering that 1948

communications were still relatively primitive. The fact that Israel did not

permit the refugees to return and also destroyed entire villages, erasing them

from their maps, confirms that the scenario is not believable. This refugee

problem created a disturbing history that exposed distinctive and troubling

features: 1. People from other lands have contributed finances, propaganda and

assistance that have fueled a conflict which many perceive as oppression.

Financial and other aid given to Israel have gained it a military advantage,

allowed it to develop sophisticated weapons, and enabled it to create a force

that serves to enforce the perceived oppression. Although settlements have been

declared illegal in several UN resolutions, economic assistance has been

provided to Israel for creating settlements and infrastructure in the West Bank.

2. People have been transported over great distances from foreign lands to the

Holy Land with the eventual result of replacing Palestinians and forcing them

from their homes. Several nations have tacitly supported and refused to counter

this catastrophic policy. 3. People who had not been previously displaced, who

already had homes, had established lives, and weren’t refugees, have, with

support of other nations, displaced Palestinian people, made them homeless,

ruined their lives and turned them into refugees. Bernard Avishai, in The

Tragedy of Zionism, quotes Baruch Nadel, a journalist, in his definition of the

Zionist approach: A movement of Western Jews to save Eastern Jews that built

homes for Oriental Jews. 4. Unlike previous human tragedies, that occurred

hidden and at a time of much less effective mass communication, this tragedy is

occurring in full view of the entire world and at a time when anybody can obtain

the facts. A UNRWA report states: In 1967, another 300,000 Palestinians fled

from the West Bank and Gaza, to Jordan (200,000), Syria, Egypt and elsewhere. Of

these, approximately 180,000 were first-time refugees ("displaced

persons"), while the remainder were 1948 refugees uprooted for the second

time. Estimates put the Palestinian population at approximately 6.6 million in

1995. In 1995, UNRWA data showed some 3,172,641 registered refugees in its

"area of operation" (West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon), plus an

estimated 335,000 non-registered "displaced persons". An official

UNRWA table describes the Palestinian exodus from the years 1948 to the present.

TABLE 1:UNRWA Registered Refugees (June 1995) COUNTRY IN CAMPS NOT IN CAMPS

TOTAL Jordan 238,188 1,050,009 1,288,197 Gaza 362,626 320,934 683,560 West Bank

131,705 385,707 517,412 Lebanon 175,747 170,417 346,164 Syria 83,311 253,997

337,308 TOTAL 991,577 2,181,064 3,172,641 Did the Palestinians forfeit an

opportunity in 1948 to recognize the UN partition plan and establish a state of

their own? 1. The Palestinian community owned the land for centuries and refused

to recognize that an organization had a right to take it from them and give it

to others. They had a valid reason not to do anything that might legitimatize

the partition plan. 2. The Palestinians organized themselves in communities and

didn’t have a strong central administration to coordinate their activities and

agree to any plan. 3. The King of Jordan controlled the West Bank and the

Palestinians had no opportunity to organize a central government for themselves.

4. The UN Resolution awarded Israel the most valuable territory, fertile lands

along the coast and the major seaport of Haifa. Although the Zionists owned only

about 8% of the land and constituted 1/3 of the population, they received 50% of

Palestinian land. The shifts in the refugee population and social stresses on

adjacent Arab countries, caused dislocations throughout the Mid-East, and havoc

in Lebanon and Jordan. To the Arab countries, a part of the Mid-East that had

been totally Arab for centuries, had been converted by Israel from an Arab land

with some minor Western influence to a Western land with little Arab influence.

The refugee problem became the principal impediment to a solution of the

Mid-East conflict.