The center of the world with its essential oil production, controversial religious conflicts, and elaborate history, the Middle East is the often overlooked heart of world affairs. The ongoing disputes in Southwest Asia are a result of a combination of misinformation, indifference, and contrasts. Both Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews believe they have a claim to the holy land of Palestine. Partitioning after WWI leaves the land divided into political states containing opposing beliefs, ultimately creating conflict. The Middle East history is fraught with violence created by the European partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, combining many contradicting religious and ethnic groups.
By integrating many separate cultures and religions, the European …show more content…
On May 14, 1948, the United Nations established Israel, a state meant for Jews and Arabs. Jews at the time did not live in a separate state, but were instead scattered in a movement known as the Diaspora. Many people in the world held anti-Semitism beliefs and did not tolerate Jews, going as far as attempted extinction in the Holocaust. Thus, Zionism, the belief that Jews should live in a separate Jewish state, became popular. During WWI, the British Balfour Declaration publicly announced the British support of Zionism, but at the same time, the British also promised the Arabs the right to create an Arab state should they revolt against the Ottoman Empire (Rosenberg). After WWI, the Europeans partitioned the Ottoman Empire into countries containing people with differing beliefs. Then WWII erupts and when it ends, the atrocities of the Holocaust are revealed. Thus, the West believed that Jews needed a safe haven, a country of their own. The UN then divides Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state ("Creation of Israel"). Both the Jews and Arabs believe they have a right to the land of Palestine. However, the Arabs who had already lived there for centuries did not want to share the land with the Jews and attacked Israel many times. Each time they were fought off by the Jews while losing more and more land until they were almost completely driven out of their original land. The Arab state in Israel shrank and
By integrating many separate cultures and religions, the European …show more content…
On May 14, 1948, the United Nations established Israel, a state meant for Jews and Arabs. Jews at the time did not live in a separate state, but were instead scattered in a movement known as the Diaspora. Many people in the world held anti-Semitism beliefs and did not tolerate Jews, going as far as attempted extinction in the Holocaust. Thus, Zionism, the belief that Jews should live in a separate Jewish state, became popular. During WWI, the British Balfour Declaration publicly announced the British support of Zionism, but at the same time, the British also promised the Arabs the right to create an Arab state should they revolt against the Ottoman Empire (Rosenberg). After WWI, the Europeans partitioned the Ottoman Empire into countries containing people with differing beliefs. Then WWII erupts and when it ends, the atrocities of the Holocaust are revealed. Thus, the West believed that Jews needed a safe haven, a country of their own. The UN then divides Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state ("Creation of Israel"). Both the Jews and Arabs believe they have a right to the land of Palestine. However, the Arabs who had already lived there for centuries did not want to share the land with the Jews and attacked Israel many times. Each time they were fought off by the Jews while losing more and more land until they were almost completely driven out of their original land. The Arab state in Israel shrank and