Israel

Poor losers.

For a more specific answer, it depends on what is being considered a "terrorist attack".

On the Egyptian front, there were numerous cross-border missile attacks on Israeli military and civil positions on the east bank of the Suez Canal. These were caused by Nasser's desire to continue to put pressure on Israel and force Israel to relinquish the Sinai Peninsula and the spate of attacks from 1967-1970 is often called the War of Attrition.

On the Jordanian front, Palestinian fedayeen continued the types of cross-border raids that they had previously performed when the West Bank was under Jordanian control. These attacks were performed with the intent of destabilizing Israel. Israel retaliated with an incursion into Palestinian controlled areas of Jordan in the Battle of Karameh in 1968, which led to Palestinians redirecting their violence against the Jordanian government and the attempt to create a Palestinian State in Jordan. (This was soundly destroyed by the Jordanians in 1970 in what is known as Black September, the bloodiest war in Palestinian history.)

It should be noted that nothing causesterrorist attacks; they are perpetrated through a conscious free-will decision by the terrorist.

There are things that provide motivation for terrorists, but that is by far not the same thing as a cause.

This answer excerpts most Western countries and distant Arab countries that are also involved in the Arab-Israeli Conflict since they are not directly involved, but are "interested third parties" for the sake of brevity.

Israeli Jewish Citizens: The citizenship for these individuals markedly improved since it was their country becoming independent. Israeli Jews set out to build the infrastructure of the State of Israel. Many Israeli Jews also feel that this is the first time in history that they have their own country where they do not have to fear being thrown out.

Jews from Arab Countries: In the Arab World, massive numbers of Jews fled the Arab Countries to Israel from 1950-1955 because of anti-Semitic persecution (at its most extreme, such as the Farhud and other massacres) to second-class citizenry (at its least extreme). Estimates put the number of fleeing Jews at around 850,000 individuals (of which 500,000 immigrated to Israel). Their lives have substantially improved since they are now co-equal citizens with other Jewish Israelis. However, this did require a new generation to be born in Israel since the education-level differential between most Jews from the Arab World and Europe was significant enough to effectively bar them from white collar professions.

Jews from Holocaust-Ridden Europe: After the Holocaust, many survivors tried to return to their hometowns only to find their homes squatted in and the population strongly Anti-Semitic. As a result, many of them came to Israel where their lives markedly improved since they were able to join civil society without fear of being ejected. Many Holocaust Survivors fought along side "Palestinian Jews" in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9.

Arabs within 1949-Israel: These are the Arabs most strongly impacted by the State of Israel. They received Israeli citizenship and began to have an active voice in Israeli politics. Initially, there was a strong divide between ethnic Palestinians (who make up most of the Israeli Arabs) and the other Arab minorities such as the Bedouin and the Druze. The Arab minorities almost immediately considered the Establishment of the State of Israel a golden event since Israel made efforts to protect them and their culture beyond what any Arab or Turkish State had in recent memory. (This is not to say that the situation was perfect or completely equal, but it was better than anywhere else, so they were willing to support it.) The ethnic Palestinians took the position of conscientious objectors and used the freedoms and civil rights granted in Israel to organize marches and rallies to discuss how they feel about the general Palestinian situation. In recent decades, more and more ethnic Palestinian Israelis have become more patriotic to Israel, resulting in some enlistment in the army and a general agreement that they would be willing to support the state if it came to that.

Arabs in the Palestinian Territories: The Arabs in the Palestinian Territories (all of whom consider themselves Palestinians) were denied their rights and freedoms under both Arab Occupation (Jordan and Egypt) and Israeli Occupation. The State of Israel directly affected their situation because its independence (and their choice not to respond with their own declaration of independence) resulted in the subjugation of these lands to the border wars between Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt. With the beginning of Israeli Period, and to this day, there is a military occupation of the territories, combined with increased settlement of the area by Israeli Citizens who enjoy extraterritoriality. Palestinians have revolted in what are called the Intifadas and pressed for increased diplomatic recognition. They have received some, but are unsatisfied with what they have received, because it's less than what they deserve and press for more of the West Bank areas. Israel currently blockades the Gaza Strip and maintains soldiers controlling the West Bank.

Palestinian Arabs who fled the Mandate of Palestine:After 1948, numerous Palestinians fled into the neighboring Arab States. This has resulted in a refugee crisis which the Arab States are only too willing to worsen. Most Palestinians, and even their children born on non-Palestinian ground, are not considered citizens of those countries and are not allowed to leave the refugee camp. This is done because many Arab governments would rather watch Palestinians suffer in refugee camps in order to use them as pawns against Israel than to let them integrate into Arab society at large. This issue is most prominent in Lebanon and Syria.

There have been several Arab-Palestinian Battles (most prominently the Jordanian Palestinian uprising of Black September and the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1991) and intermittent and long periods of Palestinian mistreatment at Arab hands. In fact, more Palestinians have died as a result of the Arab-Palestinian Conflict than the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to date.

Non-Palestinian Arabs in Countries Bordering Israel:Israel has been in numerous wars with the Arab States along its border and is therefore responsible for numerous Arab military deaths and defeats. Additionally, these countries have used the conflict with Israel as a scapegoat for why they have a right to repress their population and treat them mercilessly. Of course, it's obvious that the two are not linked for a few reasons, like how Israel has democracy even though its constantly engaged in the same war and the USA has democracy even though its perpetually at war, etc. However, most Arabs prefer to be incensed about Israel since it was the only thing allowed to them. With the Arab Spring, many Arabs have redirected their anger where it actually belongs, their own governments, but it took them so long to do it.

Answer 1

Several wars has been fought form the day of they independence (1948) to today (2010).

Answer 2

There are numerous Conflicts that Israel has been involved in.

Arab-Israeli War of 1947-1949

Neutral Name: Arab-Israeli War of 1948

Israeli Name: Israeli War of Independence

Arab Name: Nakba (Great Catastrophe)

Result: The Jewish Militias defeated the Arab Militias and the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and auxiliary forces from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ceasefire established a State larger than the one provided by the provisions of UN Resolution 181.

Arab-Israeli War of 1956

Neutral Name: Suez Crisis

Israeli Name: Sinai War

Arab Name: The War of Tripartite Aggression

Result: In five days the Israeli army captured Gaza, Rafaḥ, and Al-ʿArīsh-taking thousands of prisoners-and occupied most of the peninsula east of the Suez Canal. The ceasefire ceded this land back to Egypt in return for navigation rights on the canal and through the Straits of Tiran.

Arab-Israeli War of 1967

Neutral Name, Israeli Name, and Arab Name: Six-Day War

Result: Within the brief span of six days, the IDF overran the whole Sinai peninsula, up to the Suez Canal; took the entire West Bank of the River Jordan; and in the last days, without the benefit of surprise, captured a great part of the Golan Heights, including the dominant Mount Hermon - from then on "the eyes and ears of Israel". The culminating event was the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and the re-encounter with the place most revered by Jews, the Western (Wailing) Wall. The blowing of the shofar at the Western Wall reverberated throughout the world.

Arab-Israeli War of 1967-1970

Neutral Name, Israeli Name, and Arab Name: War of Attrition

Result: No change in status before the war began. Both sides (Egypt and Israel) claimed victory.

Arab-Israeli War of 1973

Neutral Name: Arab-Israeli War of 1973

Israeli Name: Yom Kippur War

Arab Name: Ramadan War, October War

Result: The War resulted in early gains for the Egyptian and Syrian forces, but those were turned back by the Israelis by the end of the war. Both sides claimed victory, but it is notable that the ceasefire occurred as Israeli troops were advancing further into both Egypt and Syria.

Lebanese Civil War 1975-1982 (Israeli involvement from 1981-1982)

Neutral Name: Lebanese Civil War

Israeli Name: First Lebanon War

Arab Name: Lebanese Civil War

Result: The War was primarily not an Israeli conflict, but an internal Lebanese struggle. However, militants from Lebanon attacked Israel in 1981 and 1982, prompting an Israeli military response. By the end of the conflict, Syria had intervened as well. The PLO was successfully evicted from Lebanon, and Israel completely withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.

Palestinian Intifadas (Uprisings) of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005

Neutral Name, Israeli Name, and Arab Name: First & Second Intifadas

Result: The First Intifada had the effect of producing the Oslo Accords and the first International Recognition of Palestinian Aspirations. The Second Intifada had the effect of primarily destroying the Palestinian economy and lands in the Israeli reaction to the suicide bombers/bombings.

Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991

While Israel did not actively fight in the war, Iraq launched skud missiles at the country in order to provoke a response. The United States requested that Israel not fight in order to keep the Arab coalition of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar still involved in the fighting.

2006 Lebanon War

Neutral Name: 2006 Lebanon War, Israel-Hezbollah War

Israeli Name: Second Lebanon War, War with Hezbollah

Arab Name: July War, Israeli-Invasion of Lebanon

Result: Both sides claim victory as Hezbollah was not effectively prevented from organizing in Lebanon from the War and Israel claims victory because it was on the offensive throughout the conflict. Lebanon (specifically South Lebanon) was the major loser in the conflict, suffering bombings and other problems. Israeli infrastructure had to be repaired following the use of the Katyusha Rockets.

Gazan War of 2008-2009

Neutral Name: Gazan War of 2008-2009

Israeli Name: Operation Cast Lead

Arab Name: Gaza Massacre

Result: Israel won a decisive military victory against Hamas, destroying much of the infrastructure and capabilities of that organization.

Gazan War of 2012

Neutral Name: Gazan War of 2012

Israeli Name: Operation Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Defense

Arab Name: Operation Stones of Shale

Result: Both sides claim victory. Israel claims that the Iron Dome system effectively prevented Hamas' ability to hurt Israel, but that Hamas suffered several blows. Hamas claims that they were victorious since Israel was forced to concede 3 additional miles of fishing permissions.

In short, both deserve to control countries in the Southwestern Levant and they need to create a viable two state solution.

A more lengthy answer:

According to historical, religious, legal, and political grounds, the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine (the land being debated between Israel and Palestine) at least partially, if not entirely, belongs to the Jewish people and their State of Israel.

1) Historically: The Jews have an undeniable presence in the land from at least 700 BCE until 70 CE and this is proven not only by the Biblical account, but from Assyrian Ruins, Babylonian documents, Hellenistic inscriptions, and Roman volumes. Jews had a continuous presence in the land from 70 CE until the present day (even though they were nowhere near the majority) even though they were forcibly deported from the territory. The fact that they survived, as opposed to the Arameans or Hittites who were similarly exiled does not illegitimate their claims.

In addition to the population-part of the historical claim, Jews have physical ruins and cities that are very sacred to them in the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine. The city of Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Bible. The city of Nablus used to be the Northern Metropolis of Shechem. Hebron was the first capital of Ancient Israel whence Saul ruled and David ruled until he conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites. Even more recent sites like Masada document the Jewish presence and struggle to persevere.

2) Religiously: The Jewish claim to have a connection to the land of the British Mandate of Palestine is firmly grounded in their religion. Jews as early as the Babylonian exiles wrote about returning to the land because God had promised it to them. According to the Pentateuch, God promised Abraham that piece of land. (This promise is even acknowledged in the Qur'an 5:20-21 and 17:104.) Many Jewish Holy Sites are in Israel such as the Kotel Hama'aravi (Western Wall).

3) Legally: By international law, the Ottoman Empire took the territory from the Seljuks and Abbassids by internationally recognized conquest. The territory was ceded to the British as a Mandate by the Ottomans as a term of surrender in World War I. (Even though the British had promised the territory to both the Arabs and Jews during the War, neither promise is legally binding.) According to the terms of the Mandate, even though the British were in control, the League of Nations had official jurisdiction. In 1947, the British gave direct authority to the League of Nations' successor, the United Nations, in accordance with the terms of their Mandate. The UN passed the 1947 Partition Plan that gave both a Jewish State and an Arab State the Right to Declare Statehood. The fact that the Arabs decided not to immediately declare such a state does not make the Israeli declaration any less valid. (It is important to note that Palestine did declare statehood on these grounds in 1988, which further cements the legality of this view.)

4) Politically: Jews invested a lot in building the political and physical infrastructure of the land even before they had control. Jews built farms, trained military brigades, created political parties, studied government, and defended themselves. This created a system that was able to repel the Arab Attacks in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9, secure expanded borders in the Six Day War of 1967, and hold those borders in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. Israelis were actually able to exert control over this territory.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but should capture the sentiment of the question.

However, this does not mean that Palestinians do not have a right to a State as well and there are a number of reasons why Palestinians should have part of the territory as well. These reasons include the following:

1) Original Inhabitants: This is the strongest case for the Palestinians and goes back to how the Palestinians lived in the British Mandate of Palestine for at least 800 years as the consistent majority of people in the territory. They have love and reverence for the land and consider it to be an intrinsic part of their identity.

2) Muslim and Christian Holy Sites: The Palestinians have numerous holy sites that pertain to their religions as well in the British Mandate of Palestine. Jerusalem holds Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the third most holy sites in all of Islam. There are also the Christian Monuments such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the cities of Nazareth and Bethlehem. Many Palestinian Muslims and Christians want to live in these places as they used to.

3) Arab Reception: Palestinians have been confined to refugee camps and occasionally attacked in violent pogroms by their Arab neighbors (like the attack on Sabra and Shatila in 1982 and Nahr El-Bared in 2007). Palestinians assert like the Jews that nobody is really looking out for their best interests other than other Palestinians and this is why they could never truly settle in another Arab State.

4) Never Allowed to Declare a State: Whether the Palestinians accepted UN Resolution 181 or not, they were never given an opportunity to Declare the Arab State which that Resolution gave them the right to do. After the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9, Jordan and Egypt occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, effectively preventing the nascent Palestinian organizations from becoming a nation, even though they may have wanted to do so. In the present day, the United States has actively tried to prevent Palestinian access to the forums that would allow it to declare its Right to be a State because of its protection of Israel.

There are several differing perspectives on the issue.

Answer 1

I will try to answer this in a fair and balanced way. If you do not agree, please add your answers after mine, but please do not delete my answer.

First, not all Muslims believe that all of Israel belongs to them, just as not all Jews believe that all of it belongs to them. There are people on both sides that are willing to agree to a two-state solution.

The land of Israel was originally a Hebrew/Israelite country (later called Jews). From about the year 2000 BCE to the year 70 CE. The Jews were kicked out of Israel in the year 70, by the Romans, who renamed the land "Palestine" after an enemy of the Jews, called "Phillistines". In the centuries following the expulsion of the Jews, Arabs moved into the area.

Jews started to return to the area in large waves starting in the 1880s. The Arabs had no objection, mainly because the Jews were not settling in the same areas as the Arabs.

The Arabs and the Jews got along very well. The Arabs only started to object when talks of Israel becoming an independent state first began, around 1947. The original plan was to partition the land based on where everyone was living at the time, with Jerusalem remaining an internationally controlled city. The Jews agreed to this plan, but the Arabs didn't. Four major wars ensued.

Today, Arabs believe Israel belongs to them, and Jews believe it belongs to them. Both have a history with the land, and both have valid claims. And on the day that both sides recognize that, there will be peace.

Answer 2

It just happens that the people that feel Israel belongs to them happen to be Muslims. The area where Israel is was once the property of people that had inhabited the area that is now called Israel for over a thousand years end well beyond that. The English colonial system had put England in a position of power over the area and after WW2 with the assistance of the united states literally gave the homes of the original inhabitants away to Jewish refugees. The people that originally inhabited this area were simply displaced and put into camps. They believe it belongs to them because it does. There is no reason why refugees from all over Europe should have had a right to move into the territory of the original owners of this land regardless of what happened 2000 years ago. after all the Americans are not about to give America back to the Indians are they. So it is not so much that the Muslims feel Israel belongs to them it is just that Israel was stolen from people that were mainly Muslim.

[Discussion on historical nuances about this answer moved to the Discussion Section.]

Answer 3

There are two main reasons why Muslims object to the validity of the State of Israel. The first one is described in the two above answers and is the Palestinian historical claim to the land. No more need be said on that issue. The second is the Muslim response to the historic colonization of the Islamic World.

As the 1800s began, European leadership began to colonize most of the Islamic World. As a result, the segregated Dhimmi System (where religious minorities like Jews and Christians were second-class citizens to Muslims) gave way to a new, modern bureaucratic system where Europeans were the dominant class and natives, regardless of their religion were second-class, unless they became part of the bureaucracy. To do this, a person would require an education in order to become literate and be able to successfully perform functions in the Arab World. It was a gamechanger for minorities because they were at the same bottom as everyone else and they could rise to the top, just like everyone else.

Many Jewish groups (like Alliance Israélite Universelle) along with similar Christian groups came to the Arab World with European educations and European perspectives. They met up with their co-religionists and began to educate them so that they could become part of the new colonial bureaucracy. This created a fundamental imbalance from the way Arab society had been traditionally structured. Now it was the Muslims who were underrepresented in government, who were less educated, who were less free to practice their faith, and who were humiliated with laws passed against their interests. This would lead to many Arab Muslims painting the Jews and Christians who were native to their countries as foreign imperialists and usurpers. The hatred of Christians would eventually wane and remain marginal as Christians fled the Middle East in massive numbers in the 1920s and 1930s never to return. As the Jews had no intent of leaving, the hatred felt for them would only grow. They then made the unforgivable mistake of demanding to return their homeland and desiring to create an independent state.

So not only were Muslims previously living in Palestine prior to the colonial period and would now refuse to validate Israel on those grounds, but the Rise of Israel is also the culmination of the societal reversal started by the colonists, leaving the bitter test of colonialization in the mouths of most Muslims where Israel is concerned.

Answer

This assumes that the Palestinians were kind. This was not the case at all and will be elaborated on below. Since the Palestinians were not kind to the Jews, there is no way that the Jews could have taken advantage of this non-existent kindness. If the Jews did take advantage of anything, it was Palestinian and Arab intransigence to any compromise with the Yishuv (Jewish Settlement in Palestine) that would lead to an independent Jewish State. This will also be discussed below.

Palestinians Being Less Than Kind

The Palestinian Arabs were actually quite adamant about not giving the Jews any land or space as soon as it became clear in the late 1920s that the Jews intended and would soon realize their own state apparatus. They attacked the Jewish settlement in Hebron in 1929, scalping and beating many Jewish inhabitants. They organized militias to attack other Jewish settlements, they petitioned the British government to prevent Jewish immigration (resulting in the White Papers of 1939 which banned Jewish immigration during the entire Holocaust when a place of refuge was most necessary), and consistently fought against Jewish Militias who were targeting the British colonizers instead of uniting to overthrow the British before trying to decide a resolution. The Palestinian Arabs did not support a two-state solution prior to 1967 and did not accede to the idea of a two-state solution until the Oslo Accords of 1993. Still to this day, the idea of a two-state solution (as a final solution) is relatively unpopular in Palestinian circles. The reason that Israel exists as a country is because of UN Resolution 181 and the Zionist Jews who used that resolution as the basis upon which to declare a country and defend it from military onslaught.

Other Arabs Supporting the Yishuv

Unlike the Palestinians, there were several non-Jewish populations in Mandatory Palestine that made moves after World War II to indicate their support of the Yishuv and the formation of a Jewish State. The Bedouins (especially in the Galilee Region) had strong ties with the early settlements and quickly developed a rapport. Some Bedouins even learned Yiddish to familiarize themselves with these returning Jews and numerous Bedouins and Jews would farm together. This friendship turned into a natural alliance in the late 1940s, with Bedouins organizing under the Star of David against the Sedentary Palestinians who had historically maligned them. The Druze also supported the Yishuv because of the way that Jews defended Druze access to Nabi Shu'ayb (the Tomb of Jethro). The Druze fought alongside the Yishuv during the Jewish-Arab Engagement (1947-1949). There were also some Palestinians, like the citizens of Abu Ghosh who passively assisted the Yishuv during the Jewish-Arab Engagement. All three of these groups were incorporated into the State of Israel without prejudice. So, while the Yishuv certainly used these groups to their advantage, it was well-rewarded with full-scale Israeli citizenship. With the partial exception of Jordan, no Arab country has treated the Palestinians in this way at all.

Israelis Took Advantage of Arab Intransigence

Abba Eban, one of the leading Zionist envoys and future Israeli Representative to the United Nations, noted in his biography that Arab intransigence helped to make the Zionist case to the United Nations in three critical ways.

(1) They showed that it would be impossible to negotiate with the Arabs. If the Arabs were not willing to reach a moderated solution on this issue, then it was not likely that they would be willing to negotiate with the Yishuv in a singular state. This would eventually lead to the Yishuv being discriminated against more openly by a dominant Arab State. The Israelis pointed this out to show a need for a Jewish State. Many UN States agreed with this analysis.

(2) It made the Zionists look better because they were willing to compromise, whereas the Arabs were not.

(3) The Arabs rejected any possibility of a divided Palestine and therefore did not send representatives to UN meetings on Partition and even the international group set to go to Mandatory Palestine (UNSCOP) to determine conditions on the ground. This allowed Eban, the Zionist representative, to show the representatives what he wanted to show them and help color their opinions.