Introduction
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has existed for decades, and it has proved to have significant effects on the Middle East economy. Land issues, security issues, and scarce water resources are the major obstacles and challenges in creating peace between Jews and Arabs. This paper will address some of the major obstacles and challenges that negotiators ought to address to create peace between the Jews and Arabs.
Major obstacles and challenges
Land issues
The Israelites and the Palestinians have had conflicts because of the 2,200 square mile piece of land that lies on the West Bank and Gaza strip (Bunton and Cleveland 17). The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and other negotiators have sought to keep the peace between Israel and the Palestinians by declaring that settling on the land under dispute is illegal.
The Israelites complied with the negotiators; they evacuated the land and destroyed the residential areas they had built. However, they wanted to retain some of the lands, but the Palestinians demanded a complete handover of the land. The issue is still unresolved, and the negotiators ought to take their role in resolving it before matters become worse.
Issues about the status of Jerusalem
The status of Jerusalem has some significant religious importance to the Jews, Islam, and Christians. The Israelites believe that Jerusalem was Judea’s capital city, and it is the dwelling of the Jewish temple. On the other hand, the Palestinians believe that Jerusalem is the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque, as it is among the holiest Islamic sites.
While the Palestinians claim for the share of Jerusalem that Israelites did not own before 1967, the Israelites have a strong belief that it would be sinful to divide the holy land of Jerusalem (Quandt 63). The United States negotiators wanted the Palestinians to own the Arab part of Jerusalem, and the Israelites to remain with the Jewish part of Jerusalem, but their proposal failed. Therefore, the status of Jerusalem is still an issue to address before creating peace between the Jews and Arabs.
Security issues
Israelites’ security concern is still a major obstacle in the resolution of the conflict that they have with the Palestinians. It is noteworthy that the Palestinian political violence trickles down to affect the Israelites. The Israelites’ land, civilians, and military police become victims of the Palestinian’s political violence, and an entire scene is an act of terrorism.
Palestinians always resolve their issues by attacking the Israelites with the aim of eliminating them and overtaking their territories. It is common for the Palestinians to take advantage of their powerful militaries to threaten the Israelites by firing rockets, which raises the security concerns. Israelites feel oppressed, and they have a strong feeling that the negotiators should not allow the Palestinians to own the West Bank, as they can invade Israel at their pleasure.
Palestinian refugee issues
The Palestinian refugee problem is yet another obstacle in resolving the conflicts between the Israelites and the Palestinians. Shortly after the formulation of Israel, a great war arose, and more than 700,000 Palestinians fled and became homeless (Eran 28). The homeless Palestinians resided in refugee camps in West Bank, Jordan, Gaza, and Syria, among other places. Later on, the poor refugees demanded that they wanted to return to their homes and live peacefully.
Unfortunately, most of them lived in Israel, and the Israelites are not ready to give in to their demands, and neither are they ready to mingle with their enemies. Indeed, the negotiators have a very challenging role in bringing peace between the Palestinians and the Israelites given the great resentment in the hearts of the refugees, who have suffered for ages.
Water resources issues
Management of scarce water resources also proves to be a major obstacle in resolving the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelites. Since water is a scarce commodity in the region, each of the nations struggles to have its share in serving its people. Israel National Water Carrier has managed to supply its people with sufficient water. Israel pumps some of its water from the Sea of Galilee and the rest from underground aquifers.
In addition to the sufficient supplies, Israel has large water reserves to help during crises, but the Palestinians have access to little or insufficient water. The envious Palestinians also want to have land with adequate resources to live a quality life. Therefore, the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelites is far from ending, as there are major obstacles that the European Union, the United States, and other negotiators ought to address.
Conclusions
From the discussions, it is evident that land is the most valid issue that segregates the Palestinians and the Israelites. Most of the challenges about the issues over the West Bank and Gaza strip that is seemingly productive, and with the most suitable resources necessary for life.
Indeed, that is a very petite issue for the European Union and organizations that keep peace in the entire world. The negotiators should find a way to distribute the scarce resources between the Palestinians and the Israelites equally to create peace between the Jews and the Arabs.
Works Cited
Bunton, Martin and William Cleveland. A History of the Modern Middle East, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2009. Print.
Eran, Oded. Arab-Israel Peacemaking: The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East. London, New York: Continuum, 2002. Print.
Quandt, William. Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1967. Washington, DC: University of California Press, 2005. Print.