In his final weeks in office, President Clinton has worked diligently in hopes of achieving a Mideast peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians. For decades, people have worked for peace in the Middle East. Sometimes, it has seemed within reach; at other times, the crusade has seemed like a lost cause. It’s kind of complicated, but here’s a look at what’s behind the fighting.
AN OLD QUARREL:
In 1947, the United Nations voted to split the British-controlled land of Palestine into two countries, one Arab and one Jewish. The Arabs rejected the idea. The Jews then declared their independence and the establishment of the state of Israel (1948), and five Arab nations attacked Israel but were repelled.
In 1967, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon again gathered their troops on the borders of Israel. Egypt ordered United Nations peacekeeping troops to leave – and they did. Egypt also blockaded the Straits of Tiran, threatening Israel’s shipping industry. Fearing an Arab attack, Israel attacked first, leading to a wider war with the Arabs. In just six days, Israel crushed all four opponents and captured land from its enemies. Two of those places are called the West Bank (it’s on the east side of Israel but on the west bank of the Jordan River) and the Gaza Strip (on the west coast of Israel). Since the 1993 Oslo peace accords, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Authority police have controlled the cities in those areas. They hope to establish a new Palestinian state there. But the Israeli army controls most of the land.
PEACE PROCESS:
The basis of peace negotiations is a proposed exchange of “land for peace.” The Israelis would give back most of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip in exchange for guarantees against Palestinian and Arab violence and terrorist attacks. This principle was adopted in the Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1978.
INTIFADA:
The word means “uprising” in Arabic. In the original intifada between 1987 and 1993, Palestinians revolted against Israel’s occupation of their land. In the current intifada, the Palestinians say they are fighting for independence and control over the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. In both uprisings, many Palestinian youths have been killed while throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
THE JEWISH SETTLEMENTS:
Israel has encouraged Jews to settle in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as heavily fortified islands amid the Palestinian population. The settlements have been growing even though Israel told the Palestinians they’d cool it. In a recent Washington Post column, former President Jimmy Carter said the settlements violate a UN resolution and must end or else the violence probably won’t end: “There are many questions as we continue to seek an end to violence in the Middle East,” he wrote, “but there is no way to escape the vital one: land or peace?” The Palestinians want the land for their nation, and they want the settlers gone; Israel says it holds on to the land to ensure its security.
THE RIGHT OF RETURN:
In the year after Israel became a nation in 1948, about 700,000 Palestinians left the country. Some left willingly at the urging of Arab leaders. Some fled after fighting and alleged massacres by Israeli troops. Arafat wants the descendants of those refugees (which the UN numbers at close to 4 million) to be allowed to return to Israel itself – not just the West Bank or Gaza Strip. Israel rejects this idea, saying it would make Jews the minority and destroy the Jewish character of the state.
THE HOLY SITES:
In Jerusalem, the Jews and Arabs each revere one sacred complex, known to the Jews as Temple Mount and to the Muslims as Haram ash-Sharif. It used to be the site of the Jews’ two biblical temples and is now the site of the Western Wall, the last remnant of the last Jewish temple. The Muslims believe it also is the place where their prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, and today two mosques sit on the site. One is called Al Aqsa and the other is Dome of the Rock. The two sides dispute each other’s claims about the holiness of the site, and each wants control over it. At times, each side has accused the other of denying freedom of worship at the holy sites. Before 1967, when Israel took control of Jerusalem, the Western Wall had been off-limits to Jews and synagogues were desecrated. Today, Palestinians complain when the Israelis restrict access to Al Aqsa. Recently, when Israeli troops left Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, the Jewish shrine was destroyed by Palestinians. Unless both sides have freedom to worship, peace may prove elusive.
LONG-TERM TRUST:
Israelis aren’t sure if they believe that Arafat will be content with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They wonder if his long-range objective is still to destroy Israel. In speeches, media reports and textbooks, some Palestinians have encouraged the murder of Jews and applauded martyrs who committed suicide trying to kill the Jews. At the same time, the Palestinians doubt Israel’s intentions to return their land. They say Israel treats them like second-class citizens when it comes to everyday matters (like receiving building permits or getting roads fixed) and that it protects Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They say Israel has gone back on its word not to let the settlements grow and is slowing the peace process so there won’t be any land left for Palestinians to establish a nation.
ISRAEL’S LEADERSHIP:
In peace talks, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has offered the Palestinians more concessions than any of his predecessors, including more land, East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and possibly Palestinian or international control over the holy sites. The Palestinians insist it is still not enough to meet their needs and satisfy international law. For the Israeli public, Barak may have offered too much. He was forced to call early elections on Feb. 6, and his challenger is opposition leader Ariel Sharon, who in the past was far less willing to accommodate the Palestinians.
