7/31/2019 Synopsis of the Israeli-Palestine Conflict

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FOR CENTURIES there was no such con-flict. In the 19th century the land ofPalestine was inhabited by a multicultural

population approximately 86 percent Muslim,10 percent Christian, and 4 percent Jewish liv-ing in peace.

Zionism

IN THE LATE 1800s a group in Europe decidedto colonize this land. Known as Zionists, theyrepresented an extremist minority of the Jewishpopulation. Their goal was to create a Jewishhomeland, and they considered locations inAfrica and the Americas, before settling onPalestine.

At first, this immigration created no prob-lems. However, as more and more Zionistsimmigrated to Palestine many with the expresswish of taking over the land for a Jewish state the indigenous population became increasinglyalarmed. Eventually, fighting broke out, withescalating waves of violence. Hitler's rise topower, combined with Zionist activities to sabo-tage efforts to place Jewish refugees in westerncountries, led to increased Jewish immigrationto Palestine, and conflict grew.

UN Partition Plan

FINALLY, in 1947 the United Nations decidedto intervene. However, rather than adhering tothe principle of self-determination of peoples,in which the people themselves create their ownstate and system of government, the UN choseto revert to the medieval strategy whereby anoutside power divides up other peoples land.

Under considerable Zionist pressure, theUN recommended giving away 55% of Palestine

to a Jewish state despite the fact that this grouprepresented only about 30% of the total popula-tion, and owned under 7% of the land.

1947-1949 War

WHILE IT IS WIDELY reported that the result-ing war eventually included five Arab armies,less well known is the fact that throughout thiswar Zionist forces outnumbered all Arab andPalestinian combatants combined often by afactor of two to three. Moreover, Arab armiesdid not invade Israel virtually all battles werefought on land that was to have been thePalestinian state.

Finally, it is significant to note that Arab

armies entered the conflict only after Zionistforces had committed 16 massacres, includingthe grisly massacre of over 100 men, women,and children at Deir Yassin. Future Israeli PrimeMinister Menachem Begin, head of one of the

Jewish terrorist groups, described this as splen-did, and stated: As in Deir Yassin, so every-where, we will attack and smite the enemy. God,God, Thou has chosen us for conquest. Zionistforces committed 33 massacres altogether.

By the end of the war, Israel had conquered78 percent of Palestine; three-quarters of a mil-lion Palestinians had been made refugees; over

500 towns and villages had been obliterated;and a new map was drawn up, in which everycity, river and hillock received a new, Hebrewname, as all vestiges of the Palestinian culturewere to be erased. For decades Israel denied theexistence of this population, former IsraeliPrime Minister Golda Meir once saying: Thereis no such thing as a Palestinian.

1967 War & USS Liberty

IN 1967, Israel conquered still more land.Following the Six Day War, in which Israelif o rces launched a highly successful surpriseattack on Egypt, Israel occupied the final 22% ofPalestine that had eluded it in 1948 the WestBank and Gaza Strip. Since, according to inter-national law it is inadmissible to acquire territo-ry by war, these are occupied territories and donot belong to Israel. It also occupied parts ofEgypt (since returned) and Syria (which remainunder occupation).

Also during the Six Day Wa r, Israelattacked a US Navy ship, the USS Liberty, killingand injuring over 200 American servicemen.P resident Lyndon Johnson recalled re s c u eflights, saying that he did not want to "embar-

rass an ally." (In 2004 a high-level commissionc h a i red by Admiral Thomas Moore r, formerChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, found thisattack to be an act of war against the UnitedStates, a fact few news media have reported.)

Current Conflict

T H E R E A R E T W O primary issues at the core ofthis continuing conflict. First, there is theinevitably destabilizing effect of trying to main-tain an ethnically pre f e rential state, particularlywhen it is largely of foreign origin. The originalpopulation of what is now Israel was 96 perc e n t

Muslim and Christian, yet, these refugees p rohibited from returning to their homes inself-described Jewish state (and those wiIsrael are subjected to systematic discriminati

Second, Israel's continued military occution and confiscation of privately owned landthe West Bank, and control over Gaza, e x t remely oppressive, with Palestinians havminimal control over their lives. Over 10Palestinian men, women, and children are hin Israeli prisons. Few of them have had a leg

mate trial; Physical abuse and torture are quent. Palestinian borders (even internal ona re controlled by Israeli forces. Periodically mwomen, and children are strip searched; peoa re beaten; women in labor are prevented frreaching hospitals (at times resulting in deafood and medicine are blocked from enterGaza, producing an escalating humanitariansis. Israeli forces invade almost daily, injurkidnapping, and sometimes killing inhabitan

According to the Oslo peace accord1993, these territories were supposed to fin

become a Palestinian state. However, after yof Israel continuing to confiscate land and cditions steadily worsening, the Palestinian p

ulation rebelled. (The Barak offer, widely reped to be generous, was anything but.) Tuprising, called the "Intifada" (Arabic for "shing off") began at the end of September 2000

U.S. Involvement

L A R G E LY D U E to special-interest lobbying, Utaxpayers give Israel an average of $8 million d a y, and since its creation have given more Ufunds to Israel than to any other nation.Americans learn about how Israel is using ttax money, many from across the political spt rum are calling for an end to this expenditur

A Synopsis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

To learn more and to read a highly detailed account with references: The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict, visit

Palestinian loss of land, 1947-2005.

7/31/2019 Synopsis of the Israeli-Palestine Conflict

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Toll of the Conflict

Israelis & Palestinians Killed

Children Killed

Everyone Killed, by yearEveryone Killed

Killed on Own Land vs. Killed on Others Land Distorted News Coverage of Childrens Deaths

Children Killed, by yearChildren Killed

Note: The current uprising began 9/29/2000, so the data from2000 covers only 3 months.

Death Statistics Source: The Israeli Information Center for HumanRights in the Occupied Territories - BTselem (btselem.org).(RememberTheseChildren.org lists over 100 additional childrenwho died in circumstances related to the conflict.)

Media Statistics Source: If Americans Knew, Off the Charts(IfAmericansKnew.org)

6,562 Palestinians havebeen killed by Israelis.

1,096 Israelis have beenkilled by Palestinians.

1,340 (or 20%) of thePalestinians killed by Israelishave been children.

129 (or 12%) of the Israeliskilled by Palestinians havebeen children.

Over 80 Palestinian childrenwere killed before the firstIsraeli child was killed.

54% of the Israeliskilled have beeneither soldiers orwere killed in thePalestinian territoriesoccupied by Israel.

99% of Palestinianswere killed onPalestinian land.

Repeated coverageof Israeli childrensdeaths creates animpression of ahigher numberthan took place,while omissions ofmost Palestinianchildrens deathsdoes the opposite.

Reporting of Childrens Deaths: Repetitions Vs. Omissions9/29/2000 - 9/28/2001

Israelis & Palestinians Killed: September 29, 2000 (beginning of most recent uprising) through December 31, 2011.

IfAmericansKnew.org

Additional statistical studies of U.S. news organizationscan be viewed at IfAmericansknew.org/media