Palestine?

Question:Can someone explain to me what and why there is conflict in israel/palestine? what happened, Simple terms please.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Can someone explain to me what and why there is conflict in israel/palestine? what happened, Simple terms please.

In the late 19th century a group of European Jews known as Zionists decided to establish a Jewish State in Palestine, whose population at the time was about 97% Muslim and Christian. They discussed various means of de-Arabizing the land, attempting to buy up land and establish businesses that would only employ Jews in attempts to both attract more Jews and make it economically unfeasible for the native Arabs. They lobbied the British government to support the idea (particularly powerful Zionists such as British industrialist Chaim Weismann), and Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, making it Britains official policy to support a Jewish "national home" in Palestine.

The native Palestinian Arabs were all against the idea of having their land taken over by outsiders from Europe. A few times, they objected violently. In 1936-1939, they revolted against the British (generally avoiding attacking civilians). The Zionists assisted the British in suppressing the revolt with great brutality against the civilian population, some 5000 Palestinian Arabs were killed (maybe 500 Zionists)

By the 1930s, Zionists had determined that buying up land wasn't working, and not employing native Arabs only achieved a class of unemployed.

To make a long story short, by 1948 Zionists had managed to buy between 6% and 7% of the territory and were about 33% of the population thanks in large part to the German Nazis. However, they successfully lobbied the newly formed United Nations to recommend a partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, giving the Jewish state about 56% of the territory.

Thanks to British support and destructive policy toward the Arabs, the Zionists had an army and nascent national institutions by then. In major urban centers, Arabs rioted but these died down after a few days, while in the countryside Arabs prepared to go on living as usual. Both sides took to sniping at each other, the Zionists committed a few massacres and terrorist attacks. An Arab Liberation Army (ALA) consisting of volunteers entered Palestine in January, 1948, the Zionists had already committed at least one fairly significant massacre. The Arabs committed some terrorist attacks too. However, the Zionists were busy forming plans to get rid of the Arabs by military force, and as they had a well organized army, they layed seige to major urban centers, driving out the people, and attacked villages selecting some people for execution and ordering the rest out. The first really major massacre was on April 9, 1948 by Zionist forces at the village of Deir Yassein which, by the way, was outside the area allotted to the Jewish state under the UN partition plan, and furthermore had scrupulously stayed out of the fighting.

When the British fully withdrew in May 14 1848, Israel declared itself a state. The war to drive out the native Palestinians was fully under way. Perhaps influenced by the massacre at Deir Yassein or by lobbying from Palestinians in exile, neighboring Arab states declared war on Israel. However, the only state with a decent army, Jordan, was essentially a client state of Britain and had a private agreement with the Zionists not to attack it, and never entered that part of Palestine allotted to the Jewish state. The Zionists attacked Jordanian forces in their attempt to take Jerusalem.

An armistice between Israel and the neighboring Arab states was eventially agreed on, that became known as the "green line" and is widely recognized as the border of Israel. It encompasses about 78% of historic Palestine. About 750,000 Palestinians fled, forced from their homes mostly under threat of massacre or at gunpoint. Israel confiscated for Jewish-only use the land, property, homes, business and a lot of the funds the refugees left behind. They demolished some 400 or so villages to prevent Palestinians from returning.

In 1967, Israel attacked Egypt. Syria and Jordan had mutual defense pact with Egypt and also entered the conflict. However, Israel occupied the remainder of historic Palestine as well as the Golan Heights (Syria), the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt) and the Gaza Strip (administered by Egypt). Israel gave back the Sinai to Egypt in a peace deal but the rest remains occupied.

Palestinians in the occupied territories live under a brutal military regime, and as Israel claims large parts of those territories it has been making policies aimed at getting rid of Palestinians. It permits torture to force confessions, it permits killing of Palestinian civilians often with impunity, it permits settlers to run pogroms against Palestinians, threaten and kill and poison Palestinian-owned livestock, it has confiscated large swathes of Palestinian land in order to build Jewish-only roads and settlements on land outside its borders , it has instituted hundreds of checkpoints and a wall requiring Palestinians to get permission from the Israeli military regime to travel to jobs, schools, farmland, places of worship, hospitals, relatives or the next village or town. It requires permits for Palestinians to live in certain parts of the occupied territories, and will revoke those permits if they travel outside the land for too long, never to allow them to live there again. It has destroyed thousands of Palestinian homes including whole villages, and regularly denies Palestinians permits to build on their own land in areas Israel claims. Mind you, the Israeli claim to territory outside its borders is illegal under international law, by the same token so are the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

The Palestinians in the occupied territories staged two major rebellions, the first one from 1987-1993 was largely peaceful, the second beginning in September 2000 was more violent. But even in the second one, a hundred Palestinians, mostly innocent civilians, had been killed by Israeli fire before the Palestinians took up violence on a large scale. Still, the Israelis claim the major obstacle to solving the conflict is that it needs security.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel and the Palestinians. It also forms part of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict. Essentially it is a dispute between two national identities with claims over the same area of land. Many attempts have been made to broker a "two state solution," which would entail the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. At present, the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians, according to many major polls, agree that a two state solution is the best way to end the conflict.[1][2] Most Palestinians view the West Bank and Gaza Strip as constituting the area of their future state, a view also accepted by most Israelis.[3] A handful of academics advocate a one-state solution, whereby all of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and West Bank would become a bi-national state with equal rights for all.[4][5] However, there are significant areas of disagreement over the shape of any final agreement, and also regarding the level of credibility each side sees in the other in upholding basic commitments.

There are several domestic and international actors involved in the conflict. The direct negotiating parties are the Israeli government led by Ehud Olmert and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by Mahmoud Abbas. The official negotiations are mediated by an international contingent known as the Quartet on the Middle East (the Quartet), consisting of the United States, Russia, the European Union, the United Nations, and represented by a special envoy, currently Tony Blair. The Arab League is another important actor, which has proposed an alternative peace plan. Egypt, a founding member of the Arab League, has historically been a key participant.

Since 2006, the Palestinian side has been fractured by conflict between the two major factions: Fatah, the largest party, and Hamas, an Islamist militant group. As a result, the territory controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (the Palestinian interim government) is split between Fatah in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza strip. This has proved problematic as Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and many other countries[6] which means that despite the fact it won the Palestinian elections of 2006, it has not been allowed to participate in official negotiations.

The most recent round of peace negotiations began at Annapolis, USA in November, 2007. These talks aim to have a final resolution by the end of 2008.[7] The parties agree there are six core, or 'final status,' issues which need to be resolved[8]: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security, borders and water. These issues are discussed at length below.

Within Israeli and Palestinian society, the conflict generates a wide variety of views and opinions (see also Israeli and Palestinian views of the peace process). This serves to highlight the deep divisions which exist not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but also amongst themselves.

A hallmark of the conflict has been the level of violence witnessed for virtually its entire duration. Fighting has been conducted by regular armies, paramilitary groups, and terror cells. Casualties have not been restricted to the military, with a large loss of civilian life on both sides

The Jews in Europe and America wished to set up a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Western Powers were keen to establish a military bulwark against Russian expansion towards the Suez Canal. Neither group gave a stuff for the Palestinians who were already living there and hoped they would settle down quietly in the neighbouring countries. The Palestinians did not see it that way. War is the rich man's terror, terrorism is the poor man's war.

The jews are not nazis that sort of attitude to other people are wat starts this sort of problem

Ok simple terms:
World war one and two, jws thrown out of lands persecuted.
Britain owns the linds of jerusalem and isreal etc. They promise it to both Arabs and Jews, the land is given to the jews and they argue with the Arabs, they have control over palensstine or did to some extent i believe and they argue over who rightfully owns the land although both their religions date back there.
Both believe the land is rightfully theirs resulting in terrorist attacks from the palenstinians and harsh responses form the jewish government. This only feuds the conflict. It is very much involving religion but over land.
From this stems a rivalry and hatred between the 2 people with them both acting liek the other is below and on their rightful land, althoug harguably this might seem to stem more form Jewish government in Isreal but i am NOT an expert so i don't know for sure so sorry if i offend. Thus we have discrimination and conflict and in the end pain.
If only they could share the land, and put aside their differences, after all they believe to be decended form the same peole (Ismael and Isaac?)? - i might be a little out here - with similar if debatable which is correct scriptures.
So thats the sad truth.

Ok this might be somewhat inaccurate so feel free to correct me and im sorry if i've offended other people.
Basically i think religion merely outlines the differences but like the war on terror there are deeper issues. The insisdent with the olympics outlines where terrorism happens and where the government repsonds in a harsh cold way, hitting a peole rather than the perpertrators.

This helps stem a wider conflict. And jerusalem is a capital city for both i believe, with sections for each abrahamiac religion and armenians (?)

The perpetual conflict is no different from any land historical. dispute. eg The european massacres and deceitful treaties with the Native Americans, who had a homeland culture for thousands of years before a Columbus and Mayflower ventured upon their shores. If you research european history, Roman history, Asian history.Every area of the World had it's mauraders and carpetbaggers.! The Israeli Palestinian confllict is just the modern day latest in a long line of historical wars over territory. From the Khans to Napoleon, the Samurais,The British French, Spanish, Potugese, Nazis.
All the latter fought for ceturies over land domination and control. The French acquired huge portions of North Africa from Morroco to Algiers,etc. The Dutch seized land from the East Indies to the West indies which is still under theri control to this day and there is no part of South America untouched by the Spanish and the Portugese.And let's not forget that the British, last but not least, they fought the Irish for three hundred years,then gave Northern Island to the Scotch Orangemen. they yortured William Wallace and beheaded Mary Queen of Scots then stole Scotland and finally my Country Wales, not to mention that King Richard made that futile trip to confront Saladin in Jerusalem and oh yes then they stuck therir pompous noses in Burma, India, Pakistan,Malaysia,Singapore, and just about every corner of the globe where they could grab any and everything from everyone else.! (The sun never sets on the British Empire) They also fought the boers in South Africa, the Aborigines in Australia and wiped out the Maoris in the South Island of New Zealand.The Chinese and Tibet are another perfect example of one Country's aggression over another. Finally Palestine according to historical fact was settled by the Israelites thousands of years ago, after the Romans expelled them, some nomadic camel traders wandered in and out, then the Turks stole it and the British as usual took it from them, they in turned agreed to let the jews inhabit it towards the end of WW2. This was bartered between the Balfours, Rothchilds, ( who financed every British war for hundreds of years) and the British King. The British dragged their heels reneging their part of the agreement , so the Irgun and the Haguna, Israel's elite commandos at the time, many of them holocaust survivors, took it by force. Unfortunately their was immediate friction between the palestinians and the jews and for some reasons the Paestinians chose to abandon the Country,Now Israel is bending over backwards to accomodate the Palestinians, but the deep seated hatred and vengefulness retains itself in the memories and mindsets of the Palestinians. Until they come to their senses and reach a rational compromise and sit down like civilized, intelligent people and negotiate with the Israelis, this problem will not subside.! Neither peoples are going to disappear from the scene. The sooner the Palestinians realize this and join the World community with their own State, the better it will be for them, Israel and the rest of us.

Arabs hate Jews. Jews live in Israel. Arabs want that land for themselves. Bicker, bicker, bicker. No one wins.

The christians and muslims who were living in Palestine peacefully for centuries were the victims of jewish terrorists in the 1940s who drove them off the land and massacred anyone who wouldn't go.
These jews came from Europe before and after WW2 and their land grab was supported by both Stalin and Truman for different reasons.
The refugees are still living in camps and would like their land back