Why are the Occupied Palestinian Territories a source of conflict?

Answer 1

Pro-Palestinian Answer

Israel stole the land via safety zones or forced those out of work and bought the land for a pittance. Israel continues to occupy the stolen land and defies all peace talks.

Only recently Israel murdered an opposition leader while peace talks where being negotiated in Russia. Israel has no interest in peace or dividing the land equally.

Answer

The Occupied Palestinian Territories are a source of conflict because Israel has control of the territory, but is not well represented by the civilian population of the region. Palestinians have a claim to that piece of land and Israel has actively prevented the realization of that claim through the use of settlements. Palestinians have actively prevented the realization of their own claim by circumventing the peace process and, in the case of Hamas, actively seeking to torpedo peace talks and launching rockets at civilian areas with the intent to sow the seeds of conflict.

To see general causes of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, please see the Related Question below.

Answer 2

The question sort of answers itself, i.e. if one force occupies another and the occupied do not like being under the occupying force, it will precipitate conflict. In this case, though, to make it a little more explicit, the areas currently considered to be the Occupied or Disputed Territories (Gaza, the West Bank - including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights - including the East Bank of the Sea of Galilee) are primarily populated by Arabs. These territories came under Israeli control as a result of the Six-Day War. The Armistice that ended that War (UN Resolution 242) explicitly states that disputed territories will be returned to Arab control in return for peace. As these territories have not be devolved to Arab control and have, in fact, been populated by Israeli Settlers, many Arabs see this as a violation of the Resolution. Israel responds in a twofold manner, 1) That the exact border prior to the war is unacceptable for Israeli Security and 2) That the peace must come first and then the territory will be devolved. These views are endorsed by the British who wrote the Resolution. However, since the Resolution does not say whether peace must come first or devolution must come first, both are seen as acceptable readings by different people.

Answer 3

The question sort of answers itself, i.e. if one force occupies another and the occupied do not like being under the occupying force, it will precipitate conflict. In this case, though, to make it a little more explicit, the areas currently considered to be the Occupied or Disputed Territories (Gaza and the West Bank - including East Jerusalem) are primarily populated by Palestinians. These territories came under Israeli control as a result of the Six-Day War. The Armistice that ended that War (UN Resolution 242) explicitly states that disputed territories will be returned to Arab control in return for peace. As these territories have not be devolved to Palestinian control and have, in fact, been populated by Israeli Settlers, many Palestinians see this as a violation of the Resolution. Israel responds in a twofold manner, 1) That the exact border prior to the war is unacceptable for Israeli Security and 2) That the peace must come first and then the territory will be devolved. These views are endorsed by the British who wrote the Resolution. However, since the Resolution does not say whether peace must come first or devolution must come first, both are seen as acceptable readings by different people.