THE NATION OF ISRAEL
Case Study: The Nation of Israel
According to the United Nations (1947), Arabs in Israel have the freedom to exercise all forms of worship that will not disrupt the public morals and order. Additionally, the Arabs should not be subjected to any form of discrimination based on religion, sex, race, or language. The state of Israel shall provide education to the Arabs in the language they understand (United Nations, 1947). On the other hand, the Jews living in Palestine can opt for citizenship. Furthermore, they are entitled to full civil and political rights and therefore, can take part in general elections.
The resulting conflicts in Israel can be described to be religious and territorial as well. Israel is mainly composed of Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main focus was on enhancing the Jewish settler population without paying attention to other groups such as the Palestinians. Additionally, Benjamin Netanyahu also aimed at expanding Israeli territories. In his speech, he stated that the government was working towards imposing “Greater Israel” on all of historic Palestine (The Palestine Liberation Organization, 2017). This move entailed adding the Jerusalem territory by eliminating the history, narratives, and the residence of the Palestinians.
The decision of establishing Israeli settlements in Palestine can be considered to be illegal. The Fourth Geneva Convention states that a country shall not transfer or move some of its citizens into the territory that it already occupies. Dr. Ashrawi’s statement generally implies that the actions taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have the potential of resulting in a war between Palestine and Israel (United Nations, 1947). In their defense, Israel feels that their move towards expanding the settlement is not against the law since there had been no internationally established laws before. Palestine may feel that their rights are violated as more of their lands continue to be taken be Israel hence may respond in violence.
In the Israel-Palestine conflict, the U.S. played a vital role as a mediator. The primary goal of the U.S. was to bring peace between the two countries. However, the U.S. ended up favoring Israel in the peace-making process. The assumption made by the United States was that Israeli leaders would be willing to make peace with Palestine if only they felt they were more secure politically, and militarily (The Palestine Liberation Organization, 2017). This meant that it was easier for the U.S. officials to focus on enhancing Israeli security that it was to address the issue of Israeli settlements and violation of Palestinian rights. This approach, however, built a strong relationship between the United States and Israel.
In conclusion, Arabs living in Israel are entitled to the right to worship and education, while the Jews in Palestine have the freedom to opt for citizenship and are also entitled to civil and political rights. Moreover, based on the reasons given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the resulting conflict between Israel and Palestine can be considered to be both religious and territorial. Also, based on the Fourth Geneva Convention, it was illegal to create settlements in Palestine.
References
The Palestine Liberation Organization. (2017). Dr. Ashrawi: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more committed to settlement expansion than to peace.” Retrieved from http://www.dci.plo.ps/en/article/6672/September-28
United Nations. (1947). Resolution 181 (II): Future government of Palestine. Retrieved from https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/7F0AF2BD897689B785256C330061D253