Is the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors to blame for all Middle Eastern problems?

Answer 1

Answer 1

No, but the refusal of the Palestinian authority to accept the partition and recognize Israel is to blame for a large portion of it.

Answer 2

No, not by a long shot. A lot of Arabs and their sympathizers like to claim that if Israel did not exist, the Middle East would be perfectly peaceful. This is complete nonsense. The majority of Middles East conflicts derive from the tribal mentality that is present in Arab States along with repression-based politics. The system as set up in numerous Arab countries, such as Libya and Iraq is that each person has sole loyalty to his tribal leader and not to a national government. As a result, these tribal leaders become their own de facto city states that go to war against each other. Sadr City in Baghdad was the most famous such micro-country. Each tribe promises its members better conditions at the expense of the conditions of a different tribe. As a result, the tribes come into direct conflict.

What has typically happened in Arab National Governments is that one tribe has ascended to power and forcibly represses the other tribes to make good on its promise. This particular case is most visible in Syria where the Alawite Muslims (who make up less than 20% of the country) have ruled with an iron fist since the 1960s and made life terrible for the majority Sunni Muslims (completely without Israeli or Palestinian intervention).

If more Arab countries become like Tunisia, federated states based on the sentiment of national unity, pride, and self-defense, where there is true freedom of religion and freedom of speech there may a great lessening of Middle East Conflicts. It is the deprivation of these identities and rights that results in much of the Middle East conflicts.