Fernando Alcoforado*
This article aims to demonstrate the urgent need for the celebration of peace between Israel and Palestine to prevent the escalation of civil war in Israel between Jews and Muslims, of a regional war between Israel and Iran and other Arab countries and even of a new world war involving the great powers. Current events in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip launch rockets over Israeli cities and Israel retaliates by dropping bombs and rockets over the Gaza Strip, that could evolve into their occupation by the Israeli Army and the massacre of the population in Gaza, need to be stopped. Unlike past conflicts, the current conflict is also contributing to the outbreak of a civil war in Israel involving Israeli Jews and Arabs. Peace must be celebrated between Palestinians and Israelis in order to end the violence between the two sister peoples and end the bloodbath that has occurred in the region since the end of the First World War in 1918.
In order to better understand the Israel-Palestine conflict, it is important to know its history from the second millennium on. C. At this time, Palestine was organized in city-states under Egyptian hegemony for much of the second millennium a. C. In the last centuries of this millennium successive waves of immigrants or invaders arrived from Palestine from the north and northwest, from the islands or from the other side of the Mediterranean that were known as Philistines who settled, mainly in the southwest (west coast of the Negev and Chefela ), where they founded several small kingdoms (Gaza, Asdod, Ascalão, Gat and Ekron). Parallel to the Philistine kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel was established in northern Palestine and then the kingdom of Judah in the area of low mountains in the south. Among the ancient peoples of Palestine, the Philistines were the ones who had the greatest influence until the last centuries of the pre-Christian era. It was not by chance that the region was given the name Palestine, that is, the country of the Philistines.
The various Palestinian, Philistine and Israeli kingdoms have coexisted for centuries. In some moments they fought each other, in other moments they allied themselves to fight against the yoke of some great power of the time. The first victim of this game was Israel, conquered and annexed by Assyria in 722 BC. From then until 1948, there was no political entity called Israel. Judaism has always maintained the hope that one day all the scattered Jewish people would return to what it called “the Land of Israel”. In its history, Jews have faced several Diasporas that concern various forced expulsions around the world and the consequent formation of Jewish communities outside what is now known as Israel. In general, the beginning of the first Jewish diaspora is attributed to the year 586 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar II, emperor of Babylon (located in ancient Mesopotamia, located about 85 km south of Baghdad in Iraq), invaded the Kingdom of Judah, destroying Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, as well as deporting Jews to Mesopotamia.
In the first century, the Romans invaded Palestine and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. In the following century, they destroyed the city of Jerusalem, provoking the second Jewish diaspora by making Jews go to other countries in Asia Minor, Africa and southern Europe. With the Roman Empire dominating Judea, most of the Jews who lived there emigrated to Babylon, which became the largest Jewish community center in the world until the 11th century. With the triumph of nationalist ideologies in Europe and the idea of creating the national state, a nationalist movement arose in the 19th century among the Jews of central and eastern Europe, the objective of which was the creation of a state of the Jews, which was considered as the only means to ensure the identity and survival of the Jewish nation, as well as to guarantee a place among the other nations. Jewish nationalism took the name of Zionism, a word that derives from Zion, one of the names of Jerusalem in the Bible. Initially of a religious character, Zionism preached the return of the Jews to the “Land of Israel”.
Contrary to the formation of Israel of religious utopia, the state designed by Jewish nationalists at this time did not necessarily have Palestine as a scenario. Jewish nationalists were quick to choose Palestine. This choice was natural and quite mobilizing, because of the connection of Judaism to Palestine and the attraction it exerts even on many Jews who are not religious or originally from this region. The First World War had tragic consequences for Palestine. The defeat of Turkey (Ottoman Empire), an ally of Germany defeated in the First World War (1914-1918), which exercised domination over Palestine, had decisive consequences for the future of this region. After the world conflict, Article 22 of the Pact of the League of Nations was created on June 28, 1919, the system of Mandates that was intended to determine the status of the colonies and territories that were under the domination of the vanquished nations. The British Mandate that included Palestine was approved by the League of Nations Council on July 24, 1922 (Figure 1).
Figure 1- British Mandate for Palestine and Transjordan
Fonte: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-54116567
The Mandate for Palestine ceased to consider as an objective to bring full independence to the population that then inhabited it, that is, the Palestinian population. Instead, it promoted the creation of a Jewish national home, that is, the creation of a Jewish state with people who, for the most part, were still spread out across the world and, therefore, should be brought in from outside. Britain, a hegemonic power at the time, promised the Zionist Federation that it would do everything possible to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine with the so-called Balfour Declaration. The territory that the Zionists intended to establish their state in it was vastly wider than Palestine. It encompassed the entire western part of Transjordan, the Golan Heights and the part of Lebanon south of Sidão. The obstacle that prevented the Palestinian independence process was, therefore, the privilege given to the Jews for the creation of the “national home for the Jewish people” in this region.
The Palestinians saw in the sponsorship, that they first gave Britain and then the League of Nations to the Zionist project to create a Jewish national home in Palestine, the denial of their right to independence. The Palestinians felt despoiled. Naturally, the Palestinians were opposed to the project to create a Jewish national home in Palestine from the first moment – as soon as they learned of the Balfour Declaration and tried, by all means, to prevent its realization, because they feared that it would result in its submission, not only political, but also economic for Jews, thus moving from Turkish to Jewish rule, with an interval of British domination. Palestinians protested the Balfour Declaration to the Paris Peace Conference and the British Government. The first popular demonstration against the Zionist project took place on 2 November 1918, the first anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. This demonstration was peaceful, but the Palestinian Resistance soon became violent, expressing itself in attacks against Jews that degenerated into bloody confrontations.
In general, the outbreaks of violence were increasingly severe as the Mandate extended and Jewish colonization in Palestine extended and strengthened. The events unfolded in a sequence that became habitual. Palestinian resistance also occurred in the 1936-1939 uprising. In April 1936, local disturbances between Arabs and Jews degenerated into a generalized revolt by the Palestinians. The revolt was no longer just opposed to Jewish colonization. It was directed, above all against the British authorities, at foreign power, from whom the Palestinians demanded the constitution of a national government. Having come to the conclusion that the Palestinians would not renounce independence, the British faced in 1937 the possibility of dividing Palestine into two states, one Arab and the other Jewish. This solution was rejected by both parties. The Jews, who saw in this plan a deviation from official policy, not only British but also international, did not accept the idea of creating the Jewish state only in a part of Palestine, which apparently would mean renouncing the claim of the entire region. The Palestinians, for their part, did not renounce their territory. This divergence continues to this day.
It is important to note that the conflict between Israel and Palestine began in the 19th century, when Zionist Jews expressed their desire to create a modern state in their ancestral land and began to create settlements in the region, at the time still controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim their share of the land based on history, religion and culture. The great winning powers of the First World War decided the fate of Palestine in favor of the Jews, making use of the League of Nations, thus configuring the arrogance that has always characterized international relations throughout history. The Palestinians saw in the sponsorship that they first gave Britain and then the League of Nations to the Zionist project to create a Jewish national home in Palestine the denial of their right to independence.
Since then, there has been a lot of violence and controversy around the issue, as well as several processes of peace negotiations during the 20th century. The State of Israel was founded in 1948, after the Sharing Plan prepared by the UN, which divided the region, then under British rule, into Arab and Jewish states (Figure 2). As a result of this sharing, the territories occupied by Israel at the end of World War II constituted about 78% of Palestine. They became, in fact, the territory of the State of Israel. With the formation of the State of Israel, in May 1948, there was the occupation of Palestine by the Jews when many displaced persons and Jewish refugees from World War II migrated to the new sovereign state. The low mountain range of central and southern Palestine, the so-called West Bank, as well as the Gaza Strip stayed outside Israel. Jerusalem was divided: the western part of the city outside the walls was on the side of Israel; the old city and the extramural neighborhood to the north were on the Palestinian side.
Figure 2- UN Sharing Plan
Palestinians claim to establish a sovereign and independent Palestinian state. Most Palestinians accept the West Bank and Gaza Strip regions as a territory for a future Palestinian state. Many Israelis also accept this solution. A discussion around this solution occurred during the Oslo Accords, signed in September 1993 between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which allowed the formation of the ANP (Palestinian National Authority). Despite the return of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian control, a final agreement has yet to be reached. For that, it would be necessary to resolve the main points of contention, which are the dispute over Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the end of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Despite several other peace agreements and plans, such as those of Camp David and the negotiations of the so-called Quartet for the Middle East (United States, European Union, Russia and UN), the situation is still at an impasse.
One fact is evident: Israel’s history has revolved around conflicts with Palestinians and neighboring Arab nations that have been shaken by wars and confrontations between Jews and Arabs who do not agree with the territorial division of the old Palestinian lands as established in the current moment. Since the creation of the State of Israel, the conflict that opposes it to the Palestinians has been the epicenter of a conflict between Israel and the group of Arab countries, with strong worldwide repercussions. There have been wars with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, but the tension in the region has not eased. During this period, Israel occupied the Sinai peninsula, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and southern Lebanon after the Six-Day War against Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 1967 (Figure 3).
Figure 3- Israeli conquests in the Six Day War (1967)
Fonte: https://beyondthecusp.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/the-arab-compromise-to-the-conflict/
Figure 4 below shows that the evolution of the conflict between Jews and Palestinians has led Israel to progressively conquer the territory of Palestine from 1947 to the present. This situation cannot continue because it generates a permanent conflict between Jews and Palestinians. The map of Palestine has changed over the years with the advance of Israel over Palestinian territory. Peace between Jews and Palestinians can hardly be celebrated if these conditions are maintained.
Figure 4- Israel’s advance over Palestinian territory
Fonte: https://www.guengl.eu/eu-denunciation-not-enough-to-stop-israeli-annexation-drive/
It can be said that there is only one solution to the conflict between Palestine and Israel: on the one hand, Israel needs to accept the constitution of the Palestinian state, seek a just and negotiated solution on Jerusalem and on the fate of Palestinian refugees and end the settlements Jews in the West Bank and, on the other hand, Palestinians need to recognize the State of Israel because neither Palestinians nor Israelis can impose their will on each other. Neither the Zionists nor the Palestinian extremist groups will be able to impose their will by force of arms in Palestine. Clausewitz’s thesis, a great military strategist, does not apply to the Israel-Palestine conflict because neither Israel can annihilate the Palestinians, nor vice versa. There is only one solution to the conflict in the region: Jews and Palestinians celebrate peace and reconciliation.
Peacebuilding can only happen if the Jewish people in Israel and around the world, as well as the Palestinians, politically repel extremists who exercise power in their territories and form governments that seek reconciliation between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. This would be the way to avoid the continuity of the Israel-Palestine conflict, which is already unfolding in a civil war in Israel and could evolve into a regional war involving all countries in the region. The transition from a regional war to a global conflict can also happen with the involvement of the great military powers with the United States alongside Israel and Russia and China alongside the Palestinians. We need to prevent the Israel-Palestine conflict from becoming the epicenter of a new World War. Only peace between Palestinians and Jews will prevent the worst for their people and for humanity.
REFERENCES
BARTON, John; Bowden, Julie, Wm. B. Eerdmans. The Original Story: God, Israel and the World. Publishing Company. 2004.
BREGMAN, Ahron. A History of Israel. Palgrave Macmillan. 2002.
COMISSÃO DE JUSTIÇA E PAZ. A Palestina. CNIR/ FNIRF, Portugal. 2002.
FRIEDLAND, Roger; HECHT, Richard. To Rule Jerusalem. University of California Press, 2000.
GELVIN, James L. The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
* Fernando Alcoforado, 81, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, engineer and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development by the University of Barcelona, university professor and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning and planning of energy systems, is author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018, em co-autoria) and Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019).
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