Arab-Israeli conflict

The Arab-Israeli conflict (, ) spans about a century of political tensions and open hostilities. It involves the establishment of the modern State of Israel as a Jewish nation state, as well as the relationship between the Arab nations and the state of Israel (see related Israeli-Palestinian conflict). Some uses of the term Middle East conflict refer to this matter; however, the region has been host to other conflicts not involving Israel (see List of conflicts in the Middle East).

Despite involving a relatively small land area and number of casualties, the conflict has been the focus of worldwide media and diplomatic attention for decades. Many countries, individuals and non-governmental organizations elsewhere in the world feel involved in this conflict for reasons such as cultural and religious ties with Islam, Arab culture, Christianity, Judaism, Jewish culture or for ideological, human rights, or strategic reasons. While some consider the Arab-Israeli conflict a part of (or a precursor to) a wider clash of civilizations between the Western World and the Arab or Muslim worldCauses of Anti-Americanism in the Arab World: A Socio-Political Perspective by Abdel Mahdi Abdallah (MERIA Journal. Volume 7, No. 4 - December 2003Arab-Israeli Conflict: Role of religion (Israel Science and Technology), others oppose this view.Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan: There is No Clash of Civilizations but a Clash between the Mentality of the Middle Ages and That of the 21st Century Animosity emanating from this conflict has caused numerous attacks on supporters (or perceived supporters) of one side by supporters of the other side in many countries around the world.

History

The Arab-Israeli conflict dates back to the end of the 19th century. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, the conflict became a major international issue. Over time, the League of Nations, Great Britain, the United Nations, the United States, and the USSR, have all played major roles in the conflict, as does the Quartet on the Middle East today. The conflict spans major wars including the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 1956 Suez War, 1967 Six Day War, 1970 War of Attrition, 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, and 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict as well as a number of lesser conflicts. In the course of the conflict, many Arabs were displaced from what is now Israel, and many Jews were displaced from what is now Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen (see Palestinian refugees and Jewish exodus from Arab lands). The conflict has also been the source of two major Palestinian intifadas (uprisings). Al-Qaeda, a largely Arab organization, has cited the conflict among its justifications for attacks on targets in the West.

Reasons for the conflict

There are far more than two opposing viewpoints (Israeli/Jewish and Palestinian/Arab) in regards to the reasons for the conflict between these two groups, as opinions within groups and throughout the world differ greatly. In the Americas, official stance tends to be pro-Israel, although Muslims and those of Middle Eastern descent, as well as those with ties to the region, are usually opposed. In Europe the official stance is generally the opposite. In the Middle East and Africa, there is little question as to which side they support; the rest of Asia has had mixed reactions.

References

External links

General sources

*Resources >Modern Period>20th Cent.>History of Israel>State of Israel The Jewish History Resource Center, Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
*Israel and the Palestinians
*Encarta Encyclopedia on the Arab-Israeli Conflict
* Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, includes links to historical sources, as well as sources representing the Arab and Israeli sides of the conflict.
* The Guardian (UK) A Brief History of Arab-Israeli Conflict (flash)
* Mideast: Land of Conflict from CNN
*Open Directory Project - Israel-Palestine Conflict
* University of Texas Center for Mideast Studies extensive collection of updated links
* Diplomacy Monitor - Middle East

Government and official sources

* Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* Arab League Online
* Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* US State Department Mideast Peace information
* United Nations on the Question of Palestine, and *Israel's UN mission's responses
*Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000

Regional media

Israeli

*Israel News - Yedioth Aharonoth Israel's largest newspaper, centrist (English) (Hebrew)
*IsraelInsider Israel's Daily Online News Magazine (English)
*Jerusalem Post, Israel's oldest English newspaper, conservative (English)
*Ha'aretz Israeli newspaper, liberal (English)
*Jerusalem Newswire Christian-run Jerusalem-based news website, conservative (English)

Arab

*Lebanon Daily Star, largest English-circulation newspaper in the Arab world (English)
*Al Jazeera, pan-Arab news station (English) (see also Al Jazeera)
*Al Ahram, Egypt's largest newspaper (English) (see also Al Ahram)
*Palestine Chronicle, weekly electronic paper (English)

Translations from Arabic into English and other languages

*explores the Middle East through the region's media, from Middle East Media Research Institute

Think tanks and strategic analysis

* Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, influential centrist Israeli think tank specializing in military and strategic analysis
* Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA), Palestinian research organization
* Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information Joint Israeli-Palestinian think tank
* Middle East Research and Information Project
* analyses on the Middle East, from the Brookings Institute
*analyses on the Middle East, from Washington Institute for Near East Policy
*Original analysis of current developments in the peace-process, from Middle East Media Research Institute

Peace proposals

See main article: List of Middle East peace proposals
* An historical summary of Middle East Peace Plans and Proposals
*The Novel Catalyst for the Jerusalem Solution A website explaining why one school for the children of the Israeli and Palestinian governments might be the missing piece needed to achieve a lasting solution
*"Geneva Accord" Alternative Version

Maps

*Resources > Maps The Jewish History Resource Center, Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
* MideastWeb Middle East Map Collection
* University of Texas Map Collection

Arab-Israeli conflict: Encyclopedia BETA

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