the first official posting

Hi UNA-EB members, community, readers, and more!

This blog is a place of discussion, thoughtful discourse, and intelligent debate.  In that spirit, I want to post a paper produced by a very bright former UNA-EB volunteer, Shilpa Muralidaran, who spent the summer of 2010 delving into the Israel-Palestine Debate.  

    Conflict between Israel and Palestine has been a constant source of unrest for the majority of the later half of the century; even in the United States, the mention of Israel or Palestine leads to accusations of anti-Semitism and terrorism.  Israel and the Palestinian territories have fought over borders, security, and control of Jerusalem.  In the last few decades, the United Nations has and is working to prevent infighting and implement plans to make headway for peace.  For instance, the United Nations attempted to implement the Partition Plan in 1947.  The British government was initially in charge of implementing the plan, but decided they did not want to handle the Jewish communities who were retaliating against the British over Jewish immigration restrictions.  After the British government referred the formation of borders to the United Nations, they attempted to negotiate the details of the Plan between the two parties.  The first rejection was voiced by the Palestinians, which in turn halted the whole negotiation^[i].  Currently, the United Nations is still grappling with the same issues raised in 1947 in its effort to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together for renewed peace talks.  With the UN’s effort, Israel and the Palestinian territories are redefining the negotiations to focus on old, but mutual problems.  This effort has led to compromises^[ii].  In the years between 1947 and the present, the grounds of negotiation and issues between Israel and Palestine have changed drastically dependent on UN and foreign mediation.

    The United Nations introduced the Partition Plan in 1947 to balance the needs of the Israelis and the Palestinian claims.  Informed by the 1937 Peel Commission Report, a histori-graphical study by a British commission, the UN proceeded to take the responsibility of the Partition Plan from the British government^[iii].  The British then announced that they would no longer help with implementing the Plan, and it was now all up to the United Nations to bring peace^[iv].  The United Nations initially proposed the Partition Plan because it would be “a solution to the political implications of non-representative government in Palestine”^[v] rather than any perceived inter-ethnic conflict.  The Plan itself stated that two separate states would be created from Palestine, an Arab state and a Jewish state.  The land given to the Jewish state would be slightly larger than what was given to the Arab state because it was assumed that more Jews would immigrate, because of the rise of Zionism and the desire to create a Jewish nation.  The plan also stated that provisional governing councils for both states would be set up and the area of Jerusalem and Bethlehem was to become an international zone, policed by the UN.  Even with 56% proposed for the Jewish state and 43% to the Arab state, neither group was happy with the partition^[vi].

    The Arabs immediately rejected the Plan for a couple of reasons; primarily, they did not want to acknowledge nor accept a Jewish state.  The higher living standards in Jewish communities had drawn many Arabs, which meant that the Jewish state would have a significant Arab population.  The Arabs were upset by this because they would have to live under Jewish political representation.  They also saw this to contradict their beliefs, that there would be a Jewish state that would coexist with their Arab one.  Israelis and the Palestinians never reached an agreement about the Partition Plan, but the United Nations voted to pass it.  However, before they were able to fully implement the Plan, the Arab-Israeli war broke out^[vii].

    Regardless of the numerous conflicts between Israel and Palestinian territories as well as surrounding Arab nations, the United Nations continued to try and help bring peace to Israel and Palestine.  After the 1967 war when Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria and the West Bank from Jordan, the United Nations called for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the recently occupied territories, which the United Nations believed was necessary for sovereignty of every state in the area.  Right after the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the United Nations repeated its demand for withdrawal and called for immediate implementation in order to reestablish peaceful relations^[viii]. 

    While borders are still a contentious issue, the UN instead has been focusing on redefining possible terms of peace through discussions on mutual problems such as water, which promotes an inclusive rather than exclusive debate.  While water is undoubtably tied to land control, the resolution of a water resource distribution benefits both Israelis and Palestinians.  There are two large aquifers underground where water for Israel and Palestine is taken from, and it is often disputed who has the rights to the land, and consequently the water.  The UN believes the Israelis and Palestinians can find a win-win solution, which will hopefully pave the way for future agreements and peace.  As an example of progress, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, brokered the deal where Palestinians agreed to exchange 1.9% of the West Bank for an equal amount of Israeli territory^[ix]. 

    Regarding the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, peace talks are starting again with the UN’s facilitation.  Mahmoud Abbas, has said he will keep opposing factions from interfering with the talks through attacks or incitement.  One of the challenges for the UN has been mediating between the two groups, who refuse direct talks because the Israelis continue construction in contested settlements.  As a compromise to facilitate Palestinian demand for direct talks, the Prime Minister of Israel promised to cease construction in the Ramat Shlomo settlement in E. Jerusalem for two years.  It is disputed whether the Ramat Shlomo community is within the Israeli designated borders of Jerusalem^[x].  The American special envoy, led by George J. Mitchell, is encouraging talks between the two sides to forge “a joint vision of the outlines of a solution based on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel”^[xi].  In addition, the US Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, spoke in a message to a United Nations meeting in Portugal and stated that “it is vital for the parties to refrain from provocations and seize this opportunity,” in regard to Israel and the Palestinian territories participating in the peace talks^[xii].

    Both Israel and Palestine will benefit from the UN and US led efforts to find common ground, such as water.  Compromises surrounding the controversy over water rights and other issues will pave the way for future agreements, including access to the holy land of Jerusalem and border disputes.  If Israel attempts to further harm the Palestinians beyond recovery, they will find it hard to gain economic and political support from countries around the world because they would be seen as the aggressor.  Recently, the United Nations is working with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak have agreed on definitive steps on the establishment of the Roadmap, which is a program that will “improve the daily lives of the Palestinians and help make Israel secure”^[xiii].  Both sides have agreed to improve security coordination and have approved steps to promote economic development in the West Bank.  Continuation of the work of the United Nations in this area could help Israel and Palestine reach compromises designed to bring peace^[xiv].

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^[i] "War, Peace, & Politics." UN Partition Plan. Stand For Israel, 2010. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/sfi_about_war_partition>.

^[ii] Charles Levinson.  "Palestinians Offer Wider Concessions on Land. " Wall Street Journal (Online)  21  May 2010,ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[iii] SINANOGLOU, P.. "BRITISH PLANS FOR THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE, 1929-1938. " The Historical Journal  52.1 (2009): 131-152. Humanities Module, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[iv] SINANOGLOU, P.. "BRITISH PLANS FOR THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE, 1929-1938. " The Historical Journal  52.1 (2009): 131-152. Humanities Module, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[v] SINANOGLOU, P.. "BRITISH PLANS FOR THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE, 1929-1938. " The Historical Journal  52.1 (2009): 131-152. Humanities Module, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[vi] SINANOGLOU, P.. "BRITISH PLANS FOR THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE, 1929-1938. " The Historical Journal  52.1 (2009): 131-152. Humanities Module, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[vii] "War, Peace, & Politics." UN Partition Plan. Stand For Israel, 2010. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/sfi_about_war_partition>.

^[viii] " Key UN resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." guardian.co.uk, 22 Oct 2003. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/22/israel2>.

^[ix] Charles Levinson.  "Palestinians Offer Wider Concessions on Land. " Wall Street Journal (Online)  21  May 2010,ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web.  15 Jul. 2010.

^[x] Kershner, Isabel. " U.S.-Brokered Mideast Shuttle Talks Begin Again." New York Times 9 May 2010: n. pag. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/world/middleeast/10mideast.html>.

^[xi] Kershner, Isabel. " U.S.-Brokered Mideast Shuttle Talks Begin Again." New York Times 9 May 2010: n. pag. Web. 15 Jul 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/world/middleeast/10mideast.html>.

^[xii] "Ban urges Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take ‘bold steps’ towards peace." UN News Centre. UN News Service, 22 July 2010. Web. 22 Jul 2010. <http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35401&Cr=&Cr1=>.

^[xiii] McCormack, Sean . "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Trilateral Meeting With Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Defense Minister Ehud Barak." United Nations. N.p., 30 March 2008. Web. 22 Jul 2010. <http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/f3059c4183c2cc2b85256d33006f5b4b/6030d0d2eca3706e8525741d0064d7a0?OpenDocument>.

^[xiv] McCormack, Sean . "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Trilateral Meeting With Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Defense Minister Ehud Barak." United Nations. N.p., 30 March 2008. Web. 22 Jul 2010. <http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/f3059c4183c2cc2b85256d33006f5b4b/6030d0d2eca3706e8525741d0064d7a0?OpenDocument>.