The Palestine-Israel Equation : PART 1- FOUNDATION

Jerusalem is a place to which three religions lay claim: Jews, Christians and Muslims. Jews originally were a collection of tribes, in Palestine and Old Testament tells their story. Christian messiah Jesus was said to be the fulfillment of all ancient prophesies of the Old Testament. Jesus like Buddha had no intention of founding a new religion. Sadly the Jews did not think of Jesus of Najreth as their messiah and were instrumental in producing him before the roman governor Pilate to be crucified on cross. The story of Jesus coupled with the writing of his disciples (Mark, Matthew, Luke & John) forms the New Testament.
Jews were repeatedly conquered, enslaved and suppressed and they never had a nation of their own. They were dispersed around the world by the various conquering hordes. It is a fact that a few Jews even came to India. But their longing for a nation state was always there. A few lines from the psalms brings out the pain and longing beautifully –
By the waters of the Babylon we sat down and wept: when we remembered thee, O Sion.
As for our harps we hanged them up: upon the trees that are therein.
For they that led us away captive required of us then a song, and a melody, in our heaviness: sing us one of the songs of Sion.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song: in a strange land?


They call Jerusalem as Zion and it has always been the Promised Land for them, and Zionism is this call for the past that always pulled them to Palestine. Palestine always had been home to Arabs with few sprinklings of Jews and Christians in between. During world war Britain made a declaration in 1917, called the Balfour Declaration for establishment of “Jewish national home “in Palestine under Zionist pressure. It should be kept in mind that Jews though few in number, held commendable financial resources in their hands. The declaration was welcomed by the Jews. But there was a problem that was overlooked. Palestine was not uninhabited land. It was already someone else’s home. The Jews started pouring in from all corners of the world to Palestine. This saw a major conflict flaring in between Arabs and Jews.

1929 saw big Arab- Jew riots over “Wailing Wall “ dispute. this is a part of the wall which surrounded the Herod’s temple in old times (when Jews were great people). Subsequently a mosque was build there, and this wall was made a part of the structure. The Jews recite their lamentations in a loud voice there which is objected to by the Muslims as it is a part of Al Aqsa mosque, their third most important place of worship in the whole world.

The onset of third world war saw one of the worst atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazi Germany. The Holocaust was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War 2. In 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be military occupied by Germany during the war. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. 1.5 million Children were murdered. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of handicapped children.

The extent of horror committed against them left everyone shocked and aghast. The 1945 Anglo- American committee recommended the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. The 1947 committee appointed by UNO proposed bifurcation of the Palestinian state into 3 parts: an Arab state, a Jewish state and the city of Jerusalem under trusteeship council. Jewish agency welcomed the prospect of creation of a new state, but the Arabs were bitterly opposed to any plans of partition.A bitter strife flared up between the two factions and reached alarming proportion in 1948.
On may 15,1948, Britain terminated its mandate over Palestine. The Jews were able to to anticipate the decision in advance and proclaimed the establishment of a new independent state of Israel in the area they occupied with Tel Aviv as as its capital.USA &USSR recognized the new state at once.Dr. Chaim Weitzman was chosen as the first president.

The newly founded state of Israel had to fight for its survival as neighbouring states attacked it. But Israel held its position with tenacity till an armistice treaty was signed between Israel and her neighbours, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In 1949 Israel became a member of UN as an independent state.
I plan to write a three part essay on the topic on my understanding of the ongoing conflict. I havn’t made any specialized study nor do I want to write a scholarly essay. I merely want to point to few facts as an educated individual.