In Response to Jerusalem's History...

Let me start by saying that I have noticed that a majority of the readings tend to carry with them a Palestinian slant. With that said, I personally do believe that it was unfair for the Zionists to so spontaneously invade the Arab nation of Palestine in 1948, but I would still like to better understand the Israeli reasoning behind taking over half of Palestine as their own separate nation. Secondly, I must say that I have learned very important details about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict and that of Jerusalem in general.

Please do not laugh at my ignorance here, but I originally thought that Israel, specifically Jerusalem, was occupied by a majority of Jews over the past 2000 years. Throughout the readings I have learned that is most definitely not the case. It seems that I have fallen into a cultural trap from living in the United States. As Rashid Khalid explains, most of Jerusalem's history is actually not verifiable. Even though I and most likely many others like me who grew up within a Christian/ Catholic/ Jewish upbringing, as often occurs in western culture, also grew up hearing about the Jewish prominence within the Holy City, that happened 2000+ years ago. This western undertaking for the Israelites has been a significant part of their success and in the destruction of the Palestinian state. The Israelites have been able to buy superior weaponry from the United States whereas the Palestinians have had to settle for less sophisticated defenses from the Soviet Union as Jeremy Pressman explains. Going further back into his article, it can be seen that this western pro-Israeli slant is rooted in the diplomatic relations that were started by the Zionists during the Ottoman Empire's collapse. This slant is causing the western nations to view this conflict in biased eyes which should be reason enough for us to reconsider why Israel is gaining so much sovereignty.

One of my favorite quotes from all four of the readings comes from the Zionist slogan presented by Pressman that states, "a land without a people for a people without a land." This is completely incorrect in that the land was populated with a large and prosperous Arab culture at the time. With the Zionist movement following World War 2, thousands of Jewish nationalists flooded into Palestine which severely devastated their historical way of life (Mick Damper). In their way of forcing the Arabs out of their homeland, the Jewish people only continued the process of persecution that had been brought upon them over the past few decades. I do not agree that "Jerusalem is an integral part of the state of Israel" as narrated in the article by Reba V. Rubin. Think about the millions of people living in surrounding Arab nations who have lived such devout Islamic lifestyles without needing to be within 50 miles of their amazing holy city of al-Quds. I find it greedy and irrational for the Israelites to be demanding a state in control of one of the most sacred cities in the world while they are still so vulnerable.

Finally, I will close with the complexity of the issue. Jerusalem has obviously been under Jewish control at some points in time, yet for the past 2000 years it has been occupied under a majority Islamic people. Yet, in both cases, the people have always been a majority of Arab in culture until recently over the past few decades when the Zionist movement began spinning into action. Since then, these differing cultures have forced themselves upon this nation expecting acceptance. This reveals the cultural implications but even more pertinent over the past decades are the religious implications. Jerusalem is a holy site for three major religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Israel's need for Jerusalem spawns from the Jewish need for religious security. The problem is that they are combining religion with nation-state making everyone else viewing the conflict worried about offending a side. The idea of religious equality has carried over into politics now making a partition of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine seem correct. Add this to the geographical mess of the area that is lacking resources while squeezed between desert and cliffs and this makes for a massive disaster. The population is reaching a high density (Damper) which adds to the tensions.

Amongst all of the injustice, the only way that this conflict will be resolved is if both sides stop arguing over the past and start considering the present. Although unfair, Palestine should concede to an agreement that allows for two separate sovereignties. They need to gain their own political status before anything else can be done. If not, I fear that the Palestinian culture may be eliminated from the map.