Introduction
Both Palestine and Israel hold the belief that they both have the rights to the same piece of land . In essence the Palestinians claim the claim that the Jews drove them out of their land. On the other hand, the Jews believe that the land belongs to them. This is based on historical and biblical times. In the current times, leaders from both countries have demonstrated the willingness to have peace. This has been characterized by how close the two sides have come to having a peace deal.
However, a lasting solution has not been developed. It is worth noting that Israel and Palestine have are quite different and unique from each other. This is because each country has got a unique culture and history. In addition, the official languages which are used in these two countries are different. In essence, Israel is largely made up of Jews while Palestine is made up of Muslims. Muslims are followers of the Islamic faith.
On the other hand, Israel is a very unique country because it is the only Jewish nation in the world. The Israeli – Palestinian conflict is a conflict which dates hundreds of years back. This conflict has not been resolved to this day. Until this day, the clash between these two nations still ranges on. From the biblical history, the region which is currently known as Palestine was once known as Israel. This was during the reign of King Solomon. The Jews and the Arabs who speak the Semitic language have always lived in this region.
Thesis
The conflict that has existed between the Palestinians and the Israelis has hindered development between the two countries. This is because the suspicion that has been in existence between these two countries has brought to the fore retrogressive aspects which have limited progress. It is also worth mentioning that the history of this conflict has hampered positive relations among the young people from both countries.
The Palestinian – Israeli struggle is an archetypical example of an intractable conflict. It is a protracted, violent, and drawn out struggle, wherein generation after generation is socially conditioned to continue fighting. The phenomenon operates as a destructive evolutionary mechanism subject to a general principle: almost every element that benefits the conflicts survives, while whatever operated against it becomes extinct.
Indeed, almost every attempt to solve the Palestinian – Israeli struggle has created new problems, which in turn has led to failures and regression. To stop the destructive evolutionary progression, a revolutionary process is required. This paper seeks to establish the fact that cognition has played a major role with regard to exacerbating the problems that are causing the conflict.
The effect of the conflict
Any unstable political situation within any region in any part of the world is associated with negative outcomes within that region. This is because conflict is associated with retarded growth as well as limiting progress within a given setting. In essence, both states have faced hardships following this conflict. The Palestinian economy has stagnated and has been declining following the bottlenecks which have been associated with this conflict.
In addition, the constant state of conflict has brought with it negative impacts on the Israeli society. This has been especially so among the Israeli youth who in many instances have found themselves facing post traumatic stress disorders. This has been brought about by the indiscriminate fear which has resulted from acts of terror. Even more disturbing, however, is that Israeli schoolchildren are among the most violent in the world, a phenomenon believed to be the result of force being an accepted societal means of dispute resolution.
The culture of violence prevalent which is prevalent in Israel has had a dramatic impact on most impressionable members of the community: children. They grow up learning that physical force is an acceptable and even successful means of response in a dispute. An asymmetrical Israeli response to a Palestinian attack surely encourages a youth to a school bully by such rash means as carrying a weapon.
The purpose statement
The purpose of this study is to establish the causes and the consequences of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. This will shed more light into the mental attitudes that the Palestinians and the Israelis have with regard to each other. In essence, one of the reasons which has brought about this problem is on the basis that there are cases where one does not hold the political views of another thereby bringing about conflict.
In essence, this conflict can be controlled the moment that one is able to understand the causes and the effects of the parties who are under study. In this case, it is worth to mention the fact that our cognitive bearing with regard to a matter such as a perceived historical injustice can have negative implications in the way that people execute challenges.
Research questions
In order to obtain the findings which a researcher is interested in, it is important to set up the framework of questions which a person is interested in establishing. The question which this study seeks to address include (1) what is the relationship between the conflict and the attitudes of the conflicting parties (2) are there any measures which have been made with regard to establishing the peace process (3) what are the measures which can be made in order to have an impact on the attitudes of the conflicting parties. Theoretical framework
There are several theories which are going to be used in this study. In essence, we are going to be using the geopolitical theories. These theories will serve as a guide which shall be used in the attempt to understand the issues which are underlying the conflict between Palestine and Israel. In essence, the Jews were dispersed across the world after they suffered for a long a time. However despite this, they did not lose their identity.
They were able to maintain their initial identity and culture. However, upon returning to their land, they forced the Palestine to be displaced. In this case, Friedrich Ratzel’s Organic State Theory is classic with regard to seeking to understand the expansion of Israel’s territory.
This expansion covered some of her neighbors and led to the conquering of majority of the Palestinian lands. This theory expounds on this subject by explaining the fact that states were seen as organisms. In this case, the Palestinian state was seen as an organism which occupies territorial space. Based on this fact, states seek an opportunity to extend their territories based on the fact that the vastness of these states depicts the power of these states.
Some of the concepts that this theory holds include nationalism and the right to self determination. This can be applied when it comes to understanding the strained relationship between Israel and Palestine. The conflict that exists between these two nations is based on the nationalistic ideology that is held by both nations.
That is, both countries believe that they have the right of owning the land which is in contention. In essence, nationalism contends the right of a people within that nation being served by nations which hold similar views or serve their interest. Nationalism has played out clearly on the basis of the fact that both nations have laid hold of the dream to regain their sacred homeland.
Internationally, there are rights which respect a nation or a state’s right to self determination in pursuit to its survival. This determination has been held by both Israel and Palestine thus fueling the conflict. This is as a consequence of the fact that both parties hold the claim that the establishment of the states is based on their ability to recover their land.
The second concept is the power urge. This concept is based on the opinion that conflict mostly arises from the states when nations seek to assert the urge to assert their power. This stance has been taken by both Palestine and Israel and has resulted in both parties not arriving at a consensus thus fueling the conflict much further.
Literature Review
The Jews and the Muslims consider some key cities and towns within the Palestinian territory to be holy cities. During the first century A.D, the Roman Empire took over the area that they came to call Palestine. Essentially, the Romans were pagans and they clashed with the Jews thus forcing them to flee from the area.
During the nineteenth century, Britain, France, and the Turkish Empire controlled most of the Arabian region. The Turks controlled Palestine, from 1517 to 1917. It was during this time that the Jews who had been forced out this region began to return. During this Ottoman Empire, the Jews and the Arabs lived together in peace.
The story of the Israeli Palestinian conflict is rooted in the last decades of the Ottoman Turkish rule over Palestine. The ottomans ruled over Palestinians for hundreds of years. During the last decades of their rule they attempted to bring change to their reign instead of prolonging their stay.
Although they had different ethnic backgrounds their common Islamic faith held them together thus their coexisted well with their counterparts. Consequently, this held the region together in stability. The common unity of the Muslim faith between the Turks and the Arabs was continually being challenged due to the foreign infiltration. Eventually, this led to rivalries and contests that existed between this empire and the European rivalries.
The Ottoman Empire began to fall in the early twentieth century. During the First World War, the British and the Arabs fought together and defeated the Turks in Palestine. From 1920 until 1948, the British took over the control of Palestine. They worked on a plan to rule Palestine until Palestinians could rule themselves.
Following this defeat, the British promised the Palestinians independence now that they had helped them to defeat the Turks. Despite this promise, the then foreign secretary Balfour Arthur had drafted a declaration for the Jews promising them to establish a homeland for them.
Application of the theory
Looking at the map, one cannot fail but realize or notice that the map of the Israel state has been changed a lot with time. From a geographical perspective, the nation of Israel is found right at the center of the Arab states. These states have been aggressive to the Israel states thus Israel feels insecure.
This is because the Arab states have depicted the notion of taking back what was once their land that belonged to their sister state, Palestine. Due to this, there have been many wars which have been fought against Israel. Unfortunately for the Arabs they have lost these battles. This has confirmed that they Israeli army is well equipped to defend her boarders from any state which might try to take her land.
According to Ratzel’s organic state theory, Israel ate up other states in order to set herself up as a sovereign state in the 1940s. However, the subject of land rages on. This is because as the populations of both states grow, there is a constant need for each state to put up measures to ensure that she is able to meet the needs of her population. Analysis
In the process of analyzing this information, the researcher shall use analytical techniques in order to draw deductions from the information gathered. This is because working on this kind of project requires the researcher to be equipped with the relevant skills in analyzing information and data based on the critical thinking ability.
This is because people process the information about what they go through based on the way that the information is understood as well as the way the information was obtained in the previous times. In this case, the information that seems to be true, or hold the views and ideas that we have is preferred by a person.
The cognitive aspect ensures that people are able to go through the motions of the world without asking too many questions about the circumstances that they might be facing at a given point in time. Thus in this study, the researcher will seek to establish some of the cognitive frameworks which are held by the citizens in these conflicting states.
In this approach, the assumptions which shall be arrived at will require the review of the current analytic line as they exist in the present, articulate the beliefs which are held by the opposing parties and then challenge the assumptions which are held by these parties. This will enable the analyst or researcher to be in a better position to stand by a fact which is prevailing. Thus the information gathered shall portray what is the cognitive framework of the parties involved in conflict.
Conclusion The Israel – Palestinian conflict is a conflict which is rooted between two peoples. In this case we have the Jews and the Palestinian Arabs. These two people claim the ownership of the land under dispute. They are both fighting for this land in order to be able to obtain some form of liberation from the challenges that each state is facing. In the past, the United Nations has failed to act as an arbiter in this conflict.
Consequently, this has led to the worsening of the ties and the escalation of the conflict between these two states. The vague detractions which have been established have also not borne any fruits from the conflict which is raging on. This strained relationship between these two states has caused this region to be in a state of recurrent conflict.
The effects have been felt in both states. In this case, Palestine has faced economic hardships that have prevented her from economic growth. On the other hand, Israel has faced persistent threats from her neighbors, thus they are always living in fear. It is worth to mention that these states of affairs have aggravated the perception that people have towards or with regard to this conflict. Most people have cognitively accepted this state of affairs as the natural way of life.
On the other hand, the probability of reaching an amicable position has been compromised due to the fact that these parties have held each other in utter suspicion. This has led to the belief that nothing good can be obtained from any peace talks which are being held. Thus it is important to first address the mentalities which are held by both parties so that one can be able to work towards establishing lasting peace in this region.
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