Israel

Answer 1

Zionism is not a religion, but rather a movement that uses religion to assert claims on the land now known as Israel, and possibly also land in the Palestinian Territories. As Jews, they worship the Jewish God, although it is quite possible that some Zionists are secular Jews, who have no real religious beliefs.

Answer 2

Zionism is a nationalist movement as opposed to a religion or religious movement. It derives from the ethnic nature of the term "Jew" as opposed to the religious nature of the term "Jew". There are many Jewish supporters of Zionism, some of whom pray in synagogues and others who are entirely secular. There are also Christian Zionists who usually worship in churches. There are also Muslim Zionists who usually worship in mosques, but Islamic Zionism is usually taboo in most Muslim countries. Druze Zionists pray with other Druze, etc.
Zionism is not a religion.

Zionist are people who support Israel.

Most Zionists are Christians and Jews.

They believed that the land was exclusively theirs for three reasons:

1) It's Been Ours for Generations: Arabs were outraged and greatly saddened by the creation of the State of Israel because they believed that the land that had physically belonged to their parents and grandparents should have been theirs for inheritance. In their minds, it did not make sense that a group of German, Polish, French, English, and Russian speaking people should claim land that their ancestors had not even visited for centuries.

2) Jews Will Kick Us Out: Many Arabs were afraid that they might lose their rights and territories under the authority of the Jewish State. In the Middle East, ethnic cleansing was a relatively common phenomenon by victors in wars. (Turks and Greeks expelled each other from territories. Lebanese Christians and Muslims had also done this throughout history.) As a result, Arabs were afraid of losing all of their rights in a Jewish State. Those who stayed realized that this would not be the case, but that was the minority.

3) Pan-Arabism: Many Arabs claimed that a Jewish State would prevent Pan-Arabism from occurring even though the most successful Pan-Arab Nationalist project was the Egyptian-Syrian United Arab Republic which was physically split by Israel. Simply put, a Jewish State in Israel's location drives a geographical wedge between Egypt and North Africa in the west and the Levant, Iraq, and Arabia in the east.

For Jews to live in our ancestral homeland in peace.

To reclaim Jerusalem as their own.

Being a Zionist only means one thing: Believing that the Jews have a right to an independent State and that this State should be in the Land of Israel. Many people incorrectly believe that Zionism refers to the Anti-Semitic depictions of a worldwide Jewish Cabal or some other conspiracy theory. However, that is not what Zionism is.

The League of Nations gave Britain a mandate to govern the lands west of the Jordan River after the end of the First World War. The League of Nations disintegrated as a result of the Second World War and was eventually replaced by the United Nations. When the Jews realised that Britain was moving towards granting independence to the Palestinian Mandate on a democratic single-state basis, the Jews began a program of terrorism designed to drive Britain out of Palestine. Britain handed the "problem" over to the United Nations, which initially favoured a division that provided approximately equal shares of the land to each side. After initiating a civil war in which many of the Palestinians fled the future state of Israel or were actually driven out, Israel unilaterally declared independence. For one day, 11th May 1949, Israel consented to negotiate United Nations proposals, during which time Israel was accepted as a member of the United Nations, then Israel reneged on any further discussions. The Palestinians did not accept this situation, but Israeli military power has forced a change of position on the part of the Palestinian leaders.

There are no doubt some Palestinians who would like to see Israel destroyed, just as there are Jews who would like to see the Palestinian Territories destroyed, but most Palestinians who continue to fight would settle for a secure territory behind secure borders. Time is on the Israeli side, as Israelis can continue to build Jewish settlements on Palestinian land as long as Israel remains the colonial power in the Territories.

The British Balfour Declaration of 1917 had regarded Palestine as a homeland for the Jews, subject to the rights of the Arabs, and the Jews had been hopeful of a separate state in at least part of the Palestinian mandate. In order to force Britain's hand, the Jews commenced a program of terrorism, with the Stern Gang as the main participant. In 1946, the British headquarters in the King David Hotel were blown up. By February 1947, the number of British casualties in Palestine has risen sharply and Britain called on the UN to solve the Palestinian problem. The Jews were well organised and well armed, and fighting quickly escalated into war. Between May 1948 and January 1949, 370 Palestinian villages were wiped out just in the coastal strip between Tel-Aviv and Haifa. In many cases, if the villagers refused to leave, they were put onto trucks and driven away to the West Bank.

So, Arabs (both Muslim and Christian) and Jews have been fighting since the 1940s. Some publications that may provide more information include:

· A history of modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples(2004) by Professor Ilan Pappe (University of Haifa, Israel);

· The History of Israel (1998) by Professor Arnold Blumberg;

· Bitter Harvest: A Modern History of Palestine (1989), by Sami Hadawi (official land valuer during the British Mandate)

Answer 2

Jews and Arabs have been fighting for a very long time. More than any could think of. They have, in fact been fighting since Abraham went against Gods plan and had a child with his servant girl. He was supposed to have a child with his wife, Sarah. When the servant girl got pregnant with a son Abraham and Sarah "fired" her. Then when Sarah had her rightful son, Isaac, Isaac was the son who would form the Jews and the Servant girl's son would form the Arabs. To learn more please look up Genesis chapter 16 in the Holy Bible.

On May 14, 1948, the last British troops pulled out of Palestine as prominent members of the future Israeli government, such as David Ben-Gurion, met at the Balfour Declaration** to declare Israel a brand new state. Shortly afterwards, armies from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and other Arab royalist nations set out from their homelands to quash the new state. However, members of the Israeli Army were better trained than their opponents. In addition, the Arab nations' supply lines were overextended wheras Israel's were more organized and had a central command. The conflict culminated in Israel occupying the entire former mandate, aside from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 1949, the conflict came to an official end but the humiliated Arab nations swore to avenge their losses. The anger of the Arab nations would result in three additional wars along with much Arab-supported Palestinian unrest of which would split Lebanon into a bitter civil war in the late 1970s.

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**Another contributor offered one minor correction:

The "Balfour Declaration" was not a meeting, and didn't happen in 1948.

It was a letter from the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to the

Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, dated November 2, 1917.

The letter reflected the position of the British Cabinet, as agreed upon in

a meeting on October 31, 1917. In the letter, the Secretary wrote: "His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestineof a national home for the Jewish People, and will use their best endeavours

to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that

nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of

existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political

status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."

The letter further stated that the Declaration is a sign of "sympathy with Jewish

Zionist aspirations."

The "Balfour Declaration" was later incorporated into the Sèvres peace treaty

with Turkey and the Mandate for Palestine. The original document is kept at the

British Library.

The anniversary of the declaration, 2 November, is widely commemorated in Israel

and among Jews in the Diaspora as Balfour Day. The day is also still observed as a

day of mourning in some Arab countries.

Answer 1

There are dozens of conflicts going on in the Middle East; 'peace in the Middle East' is a vague term. The Arab-Israeli conflict is definitely a major factor, but not the only one, hindering peace in the Middle East.

That said, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the more general Arab-Israeli conflict are protracted conflicts: conflicts that are drawn out and extremely complex. If agreements and compromise are to be reached, it would take drastic measures. At the present time, neither side is willing to give what the other side absolutely wants.

Answer 2

Though it seems unresolvable, once the Palestinians get the justice and fair treatment they deserve and extreme factions on both sides have been quelled there can be peace between a free and independent Palestine and Israel.

Answer 3

As mentioned in Answer 1, there are numerous other conflicts in the Middle East, such as the Iran-Iraq and Persian Gulf Wars, the Arab Spring Wars, the Lebanese Civil Conflict and War, the Turko-Cypriot Conflict, the Egypt-Libya Sand Wars, the Darfur Genocide, the Yemeni Civil War, and the Iranian-Israeli Proxy Wars. There are also Cold Wars between Saudi Arabia and an alliance of Sunni leaders, like the King of Jordan, the King of Bahrain, and the Emirs of the UAE in opposition to Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Resolving the Arab-Israeli Conflict would not fix any of those problems, some of which are far more entrenched than the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

In terms of achieving peace in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, a number of things would have to take place before a long-standing peace (as opposed to a mere cessation of hostilities) could take place. There are other requisites, but there are the most important.

1) Mutual Recognition: Israel would need to recognize a completely independent and sovereign Palestinian Government that would fully control a certain amount of the former British Mandate of Palestine (most likely Gaza and the West Bank). Israel would also have to confer on this state the unambiguous nature of being correct and necessary for Israel. Conversely, Palestine would have to recognize the Right for Israel to Exist as a Jewish State occupying the remaining amount of the British Mandate of Palestine (most likely 1949-Israel). Both sides would have to recognize the historical and emotional value that the land also has to the other.

2) Regional/International Recognition: States that have adopted attitudes strongly favoring one side at the expense of the other, such as the Arab States would need to recognize the legitimacy of both Israel and Palestine.

3) Israeli Reparation Payments: Israel dispossessed many Palestinians of their property, either by malicious activities that took place during the Arab-Israeli Wars or by Ben-Gurion refusing to let Palestinians who left return after the 1948-9 War. Israel needs to pay the Palestinian government reparations for the land that was taken in this way.

4) Israeli Withdrawal from the Settlements:Israel must withdraw from the Settlements to provide Palestine with a viable infrastructure and complete sovereignty. The Settlers must return to Israeli territory. The buildings, however, should be left as partial payment of the above-mentioned reparations.

5) Palestinians Must Concede Right of Return:Recognizing the State of Israel as a Jewish State is meaningless if Palestinians en masse are allowed to Return to Israel. Therefore, Palestinians (and their backers) must abandon the notion that they can ever return to Israeli territory. Palestinians should leave the refugee camps and become proper citizens in this new country of Palestine.

6) Jerusalem Must Be Shared or Internationalized: Palestine and Israel both want Jerusalem and the only way to solve this is either divide the city East/West respectively and divide the Old City or Internationalize the City or some combination of Internationalization and division. Neither side will rest until it can assure its followers that its holy sites will be protected.

7) Liberal Thought: Just in general, people have to be willing to compromise and live with that compromise.

There are a vast number of effects of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. The list below is not exhaustive.

Israel

• The existence of the State of Israel is a direct result of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
• The Israeli War Budget and Compulsory Military Service
• The Expansion of Israel from the 1947 UN Resolution Boundaries to the 1949 Armistice boundaries to the the 1967 Six-Day War boundaries to the 1973 Yom Kippur War boundaries.
• The Contraction of Israel in 1982 (giving up Sinai)
• The Israeli Occupation of Southern Lebanon (1981-2000) and the two Israeli engagements in Lebanon.
• The Israeli Alliance with Iran (1948-1979), Turkey (1949-2010?), Egypt (1979-Present), Jordan (1994-Present), and the United States and Western Countries.
• The Lack of major Israeli-Arab trade even though they are neighbors.
• The Annexation of East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the city of Ghajar.
• The Military Occupation of the West Bank and Blockade of Gaza
• The Relinquishing of Gaza and portions of the the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority

Palestine

• The lack of existence of the State of Palestine as a fully sovereign and internationally recognized state is a direct result of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (both by Israel and by Jordan and Egypt)
• The Palestinian Exodus from the former British Mandate of Palestine
• The Palestinian Refugee Displacement and Diaspora
• The Arab-Palestinian Conflict (typically refugee camp disputes that became massacres)
• Jordanian and Egyptian Annexation of Palestinian territories (1949-1967) and denial of Palestinian self-rule up to the Israeli conquest of those regions.
• The formation of the PLO and the numerous police actions brought against it by Arab States
• Around 18% of Israelis being ethnically Palestinian.
• The first Intifada and the Israeli Recriminations
• The Relinquishing of Gaza and portions of the the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority
• The second Intifada and the Israeli Recriminations
• The Palestinian Civil War of 2007 that separated Gaza (under the control of democratically-elected Hamas) from the provisional West Bank territories (under the control of Western-supported Fatah)
• Constant belligerence between Gaza and Israel since the Palestinian Civil War and Operation Cast Lead
• The pervasive loss of land due to Israeli Settlements in the West Bank and formerly (they were removed by Israel in 2005) in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt

• The Rise of Arab Socialism and Nasserism were indirectly a result of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Nasser provided a new way to deal with Middle East policy for Egypt)
• The loss and recovery of Sinai from Israel twice (1956-1957, 1967-1982)
• Normalization of ties with Israel (1979) after bitter defeats or stalemates in previous wars
• Military Alliance with Israel in the aftermath of the Peace Treaty and especially after the Palestinian Civil War
• Palestinian Refugee Camps in Egypt
• Assassination of President Anwar Sadat and one of several reasons for popular dissatisfaction with President Hosni Mubarak (the economy was a bigger issue)

Jordan

• Massive influx of Palestinians in the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9
• Gave citizenship to many Palestinian refugees, making 60% of Jordanian citizens ethnic Palestinians
• Lost the West Bank to Israel in 1967
• Suppressed the Black September Palestinian Uprising in 1970
• Made peace with Israel in light of the Oslo Accords of 1993 conditioned on further negotiations with the Palestinians and dropped its claim to the West Bank
• Fruitful trade and peace with Israel (1994-Present)
• Assisted negotiations between Israel and Fatah

Syria

• Massive influx of Palestinians in the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9
• Loss of the Golan Heights in 1967 and the Syrian internal displacement (Syrians fleeing the Golan to the remainder of Syria)
• The establishment of the UNDOF demilitarized zone in 1973
• The tragedy of the Syrian Druze (some are in Israeli-occupied territory and some are in Syria, but they cannot travel)
• Headquarters of Hamas and Hezbollah in Damascus
• No diplomatic relations between Syria and Israel

Lebanon

• Massive influx of Palestinians in the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9
• Numerous conflicts and massacres between Lebanese and Palestinians in Lebanon
• Israeli, PLO, and Syrian participation in the Lebanese Civil War
• Israeli Jewish and Lebanese Christian Alliances and the assassination of Gemayel
• Israeli and Syrian occupation of Lebanon from 1982 until 2000 and 2007 respectively
• 2006 War between Israel and Hezbollah destroyed South Lebanon
• No diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Israel and no person with an Israeli passport stamp is allowed in Lebanon

Turkey

• Allied with Israel as early as 1949 against the Arab States
• Placed Turkey in an interesting position as one of the few Muslim-majority countries allied with Israel
• The Arab-Israeli Conflict causes much turmoil and controversy in Turkey
• The Mavi Marmara Incident which cooled Israeli-Turkish relations

Iran

• Strategic anti-Arab Israeli-Iranian Alliance (1948-1979) which resulted in large petroleum commerce between Iran and Israel
• The resentment of the Iranian population towards Israel on account of the war and the above-mentioned alliance being connected to the Shah
• Since 1979, an attempt by Iran to use the Arab-Israeli Conflict to create alliances with other Arab states and spawn several militant organizations.
• Iranian-Syrian Shi'a Alliance (1979-Present)
• Iranian support and backing of Hezbollah (1980s to Present)
• Iranian desire for nuclear weapons to counter Israel's arsenal and all of the sanctions and international ostracism that comes from that desire

United States

• Alliance with Israel (1949-1967), Top-Level Alliance with Israel (1967-Present)
• The United States was able to use the Arab-Israeli Conflict to reposition itself as the strongest power in the Middle East after 1956 (removing the United Kingdom from that position)
• Military, diplomatic, technological, economic, and other trade increasing between Israel and the United States
• United States Aid to Egypt in the wake of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Peace treaty
• Aid to a number of Arab countries due to their poverty.

Soviet Union/Russia

• Initial Alliance with Israel (1948-1953) which was rescinded when it became clear that Israel would not be a Communist country
• Arms supplier to the Arab States and the dumping ground of many ex-Russian military devices such as machineguns, missiles, tanks, and fighter planes.
• Soviet/Russian attempts to prevent Western intervention in the Middle East

There are two operative parts to the State of Israel, firstly the creation of a Jewish State and secondly its location and borders.

1) Why a Jewish State: Herzl explained quite well that the European concept of a nation-state was dependent on the idea that all of the people in any particular nation were of the same ethnic stock and heritage. Jews were branded by this system to be "the Other" and were regarded at best as possible equals and at worse as traitors, spies, thieves, and fifth columns. When the Dreyfus Affair turned out marches in Paris that said "Death to the Jews" on account of a kangaroo court against a particular guiltless Jew, it became clear that the Jew could not be integrated into Europe. After the Holocaust, the strongest proof that the Jew and the European Nation-State were irreconcilable, this view persists. In Europe, it is now directed at the Muslims since the Jews are not large enough of a threat to the European System. Unlike Muslims, though, which can return to their countries of origin if the discrimination becomes intolerable, the Jews did not have such a place. This is why the Jewish State is necessary. Since it came into existence it has accepted Jewish political refugees from over 50 nations and flown missions at its own expense to rescue Jews from at least 10 nations.

2) Why Palestine: Ahad Ha'am explains that the Jewish Soul is intrinsically connected to his history and in the same way that a German-American can never be as properly German as a German in Germany, the People of Israel can never be as properly Jewish if they are not in the Land of Israel. The relics in that land speak to a Jewish sensibility and character. There are also religious reasons as expounded by Rav Avraham Kook which posit that the development of a Jewish State in Israel hastens the arrival of the Messiah. There are additional political reasons why Palestine and not Europe. As explained above, the European Culture is strongly anti-Other and making a Jewish State there would have fostered much more contempt and alienation (ironically).

The Jews had 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.

There are two operative parts to that question. There is the implicit question as to whether a Jewish State is something that should exist. There is the explicit question as to whether the geographical location chosen for this Jewish State is proper for its mission.

1) Why a Jewish State: Herzl explained quite well that the European concept of a nation-state was dependent on the idea that all of the people in any particular nation were of the same ethnic stock and heritage. Jews were branded by this system to be "the Other" and were regarded at best as possible equals and at worse as traitors, spies, thieves, and fifth columns. When the Dreyfus Affair turned out marches in Paris that said "Death to the Jews" on account of a kangaroo court against a particular guiltless Jew, it became clear that the Jew could not be integrated into Europe. After the Holocaust, the strongest proof that the Jew and the European Nation-State were irreconcilable, this view persists. In Europe, it is now directed at the Muslims since the Jews are not large enough of a threat to the European System. Unlike Muslims, though, which can return to their countries of origin if the discrimination becomes intolerable, the Jews did not have such a place. This is why the Jewish State is necessary. Since it came into existence it has accepted Jewish political refugees from over 50 nations and flown missions at its own expense to rescue Jews from at least 10 nations.

2) Why Palestine: Ahad Ha'am explains that the Jewish Soul is intrinsically connected to his history and in the same way that a German-American can never be as properly German as a German in Germany, the People of Israel can never be as properly Jewish if they are not in the Land of Israel. The relics in that land speak to a Jewish sensibility and character. There are also religious reasons as expounded by Rav Avraham Kook which posit that the development of a Jewish State in Israel hastens the arrival of the Messiah. There are additional political reasons why Palestine and not Europe. As explained above, the European Culture is strongly anti-Other and making a Jewish State there would have fostered much more contempt and alienation (ironically).

Answer 1

Zionism is the Jewish desire to live in our ancestral homeland. Although there is a secular/political variant of zionism, religious zionism is a part of Judaism so there is no difference.

Answer 2

Zionism is the belief that the Jews should have political self-sovereignty and is the patriotic sentiment behind the Establishment of the State of Israel. It is entirely political in nature and largest number of Zionists are Christians.

Judaism is a religion that recognizes the Torah as its holy book and follows traditions of Divine Origin that are established and interpreted by Rabbis. Judaism has both a religious and ethnic component.