Rationale for Optimism as to the Future of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the clashes in the Middle East that has continued to exist despite several attempts to resolve it. The conflict owes its origin to the relocation of the Jews to Palestine after the Holocaust. Initially, the Palestinian population mainly comprised Muslim Arabs. However, in 1947, the United Nations allocated 55 percent of Palestinian land to the Jews (BBC, 2014).
Most Arabs who had occupied Palestine as well as those who lived in neighboring countries considered this decision unfair. Therefore, the Arabs refused to acknowledge Israel as a state. This marked the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has re-occurred over the years. The conflict has greatly made life unbearable to most Palestinians living in Gaza. For instance, inadequate food supplies, lack of employment opportunities and power disruption have been a norm in Gaza (BBC, 2014).
Unfortunately, the possibility of attaining long-lasting peace between Israel and Palestine seems to be a mirage; hence, there is no reason to be hopeful. The conflict is likely to re-occur in the future because the two states do not recognize the sovereignty of each other. Additionally, both Palestine and Israel have conflicting interests over certain areas such as Jerusalem and the West Bank (ProCon Organization, 2012).
Thus, the conflict of interests over the West Bank region and Jerusalem may lead to future conflicts between the two states. Furthermore, Israel has continued to consider the Hamas government as a terrorist authority. Therefore, the Israeli government is determined to continue fighting any terrorist activities advanced by the Hamas.
According to Roskin and Berry, the attainment of peace in the Middle East in most instances has proved to be impossible. This implies that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may not be resolved in the near future because of several reasons. First, “Palestinian militants still prefer to use violence in order to reclaim their land” (Roskin & Berry, 2010, pp. 125-126).
On the other hand, the Israeli militants believe that they have a right to retaliate whenever the Palestinians attack them. Second, the moderates from both sides recognize the importance of resolving their differences peacefully. However, this has not been possible because of a number of factors.
For instance, “Israel will have to give up most of its settlements in the West Bank in order to create a territorially coherent Palestine state” (Roskin & Berry, 2010, p. 126). Additionally, the Palestinians have demanded a right to return to their original homes and farms. A good number of the Israelis are opposed to these demands because they will jeopardize their sovereignty.
References
BBC. (2014). Guide: Why are the Israelis and the Palestinians Fighting Over Gaza? Web.
ProCon Organization. (2012). Israeli-Palestinian Conflict-Solutions-Pros and Cons. Web.
Roskin, M. G., & Berry, N. O. (2010). IR: The New World of International Relations. Boston: Pearson Education. Web.