Israel

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.

There are two viable answers:

Jordan: In 1970/1971 The P.L.O actually tried to overthrow King Hussein of Jordan. This bought about a war in Jordan (called Black September) that ended with the P.L.O being expelled from that country and 15,000 Palestinian deaths.

Lebanon: The Lebanese Civil War began in 1975 as the PLO had turned Southern Lebanon into its own micro-country and repressed the endemic Shiite Lebanese population. This Palestinian violence towards the Lebanese Shiites was one of many reasons why the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1991) broke out.

The Arab-Israeli War of 1956 (Commonly called the Suez Crisis) began when British and French forces, which were jointly controlling the Suez Canal were forced out by Gamal Abdel Nasser during his attempt to nationalize the Canal. The British and French were not interested in losing the canal to the Egyptians and neither were the Israelis. The British and French motivation was to avoid having to pay tolls and worry about crossing easily. The Israeli motivation was to be allowed to continue crossing between the Mediterranean and Red Seas as Egypt did not recognize Israel at the time.

Britain and France incentivized Israel (and joined with Israel) to attack Egypt and take the Suez Canal back. Israel successfully conquered all of the Sinai Peninsula and even landed a foothold on the west bank of the Suez Canal (which meant that they effectively controlled it). The United States, however, intervened and requested that Israel withdraw to the 1949 boundaries under the condition that Egypt return the Canal to British and French joint control.
Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, which angered the British and the French.

Top 10 Air forces During World War 2:

3-Germany

4-England

5-Japan

6-France

7-Subcontinent

8-Italy

9-China

10-Ottoman Empire.

Tel Aviv - A great city that lives 24/7. Lots of dance-bars, pubs, nightlife, great restaurants.

Jerusalem - A Must Have! Visit the old city of Jerusalem, the lovely Mahane Yehuda Market, and of course the Wall.

If you're looking for a holiday to sit back and relax, try the city Eilat, with its great hotels, beach and sun!

The problem with questions like this is that they are seldom what they appear to be. On the surface, it looks as if the question is asking something like this: '1. How big is 'the economy' (American, European, global, by the way?) and 2. what percentage of it is controlled or owned by Jews?' This assumes a simple small-town setup, and one where everyone is either Jewish or non-Jewish.

Things are not like that, however. Major corporations are owned by shareholders, and the majority of shares are owned by institutions, such as pension funds and so on.

There is another serious problem with the question. Although such questions may be asked naively, there is a nearly always a sub-text, along the lines of: 'Do Jews (however defined) control the economy conspiratorially?' In other words, 'Do they put their heads together in order to run the economy in such a way as to further 'Jewish interests', 'Israeli interests'? etc. The question is not what it appears to be.

It is really a question about a conspiracy theory, and where broad conspiracy theories of this kind are concerned people usually believe what they want to.

Many asking such questions tend to want cast-iron disproof, but of course one cannot prove a negative. Worse still, the moment one lays one ghost, so to speak, another appears: people tend to widen the scope by claiming that more and more people are Jewish or of Jewish origin: and there is no way that anybody can prove online that so-and-so doesn't have a Jewish grandparent or great grandparent. The moment they come across someone in a corporation who has what looks to them like a Jewish name they start leaping up and down with excitement.

Perhaps the biggest 'giveway' that this kind of question isn't really what it appears to be is the fact that you almost never read or hear questions like 'Do the Italians (or Hungarians, Poles, etc) control the economy?' It's almost invariably about the Jews.

Note on "Winning"

It's important to note beforehand that Israel did not "win" the territories on two counts. Firstly, Israel fought and shed blood to gain those territories, they were not just awarded or gifted to Israel. Secondly, no one can "win" territories without a formal peace treaty awarding territories to one country or another. The Arab-Israeli Conflict has only had partial treaties and none of them have awarded territory conquered during the Six Day War to Israel. (1979 Peace with Egypt returned the Sinai to Egypt and confirmed follow-up discussions on the Gaza Strip and 1994 Peace with Jordan required Israel to cede the West Bank to a future Palestinian State.)

In addition to the new territories, Israel also gained a fundamental shift in Middle Eastern policy. It would now be negotiating with Arab countries from a position of strength, being able to return tracts of Arab land to the Arab States for peace as opposed to merely just asking for peace. This is the main reason that Egypt and Jordan eventually were willing to sue for peace even though no other Arab country has done so.

Territories

To see the list of territories for which Israeli occupation was legitimated subject to a future peace treaty according to UNSC Resolution 242, see the list below:

East Jerusalem: Considered by many Israelis to be the greatest success of winning the Six-Day War, Israel was able to unite the city of West New Jerusalem with the Old City and East New Jerusalem to create a united municipality and capital (although unrecognized internationally as such). Of the territories here considered it is the smallest and most controversial as Palestinians want East Jerusalem and the Old City to be part of their eventual capital city.

West Bank: From 1949-1967, this area was a province of Jordan and included all areas within the Mandate of British Palestine along the Jordan River which Israel did not control prior to 1967. It represents roughly 18% of the total area of the British Mandate of Palestine, making it the largest Palestinian territorial acquisition in the War. It is home to many Ancient Jewish and Christian sites/cities like Nablus (Shchem), Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho.

Gaza Strip: This is a very small strip of territory that Egypt held from 1949-1967. It remained under Israeli military control until 1993 when it was given to the Palestinian Authority as part of the Oslo Accords.

Sinai Peninsula: Easily the largest piece of territory (60,000 km square) that Israel acquired during the Six-Day War, the Sinai Peninsula is larger than the entire British Mandate of Palestine. It was used by Israelis as a resort area and for its oil reserves until the territory was returned to Egypt over the course of three years (1979-1982) for peace and a continuous stream of oil.

Eastern Bank of the Sea of Galilee: This is the smallest peace of land (5 km square) that Israel recaptured and is the only territory from the British Mandate of Palestine that the Palestinians have never explicitly claimed. From 1949-1967, Syria held this piece of land, giving Syria direct access to a small portion of the Sea of Galilee and thus Israel/Palestine's main water source.

Golan Heights: This is a Syrian Mountain Range just north of western Jordan. This territory is small, but strategic, giving Israel a position where Syria cannot take military advantage of it. Currently, UNDOF monitors the border between the Golan Heights and Syria.