Arfaduzzaman Kashem

Professor Wernick

ENGL 11000-5BC2

23rd September 2021

The Ongoing Struggle Between Palestine and Israel

In Palestine, millions of innocent people are being killed by Israeli forces and the country of Palestine is failing to reach an agreement with Israel on who gets what land. The conflict over land between Israel and Palestine is still going on to this day. Millions of people have died, lost their families, homes, and jobs. The Israelis are still trying to fully establish their homeland, while Palestinian Muslims are suffering from Israelis confiscating their land. This conflict started in WWI, when mass numbers of European Jews moved to Palestine seeking refuge from an anti-semitic Europe. The Israelis feel that Israel is the only place where they can safely live (Green). Palestinians feel Israel is rightfully theirs because they have been living there for thousands of years. It is important to understand this conflict because millions of people are losing their lives and homes to ongoing conflict over land. Even though both sides of the war are being affected, Muslims are being attacked by Israeli forces. Muslims are being denied fair treatment and pro-Israelis continue to employ Islamophobia in their fight against Palestinian Muslims. Masjid al-Aqsa, Islam’s third most holiest mosque, has been attacked several times. It seems as though Israel’s fight for land now has a new motive. Although the motives behind the Israeli-Palestine conflict are still for land and freedom, the Israeli-Palestine conflict has also shifted more to Islamophobia. 

In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire ruled what is now known as Palestine (Green). In 1878, the population of Palestine was 87% Muslim, 10% Christian, and 3% Jewish (Green). In the 20th century, Jews fleeing persecution in Europe wanted to establish a new homeland in Israel. “From 1920 to 1939, the Jewish population in Palestine increased by more than 320,000. By 1938, Jews were just under 30% of the population in Palestine!” (Green). Zionism is Jewish nationalism, or the belief that the Jews deserve to have a homeland established in Israel that should be protected. The Israeli Jews see Israel as their Holy Land. “Around the world, Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Jewish rabbinical teachings hold that when the Messiah comes, the temple will be rebuilt… The Western Wall is a principal worship site for Jews” (Schulson). Even though Israeli Jews see Israel as their Holy Land, the Muslims also see Israel as their Holy Land. The Muslims see the Temple Mount as their Holy Land because they believe that Masjid al-Aqsa is the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven in his journey known as Israa’ and Ma’raj. To Muslims, Masjid al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam, behind the Kaaba in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. Although the Israelis and Muslims have been fighting for thousands of years, the current conflict over land between the Palestinian Muslims and the Israeli Jews started when the British government passed the Balfour Declaration in 1917. It declared “the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” (Green). Palestinian nationalism emerged in 1936, when Palestianians revolted against the British (Green). In the aftermath, the British limited Jewish immigration to Palestine and called for the establishment of a joint Arab and Jewish state in Palestine within ten years” (Green). After World War II, the British handed the issue of Palestine over to the United Nations (Green). In 1947, the United Nations passed the Partition Plan. This is when the Israelis and Palestinians were divided into two separate Palestianian and Jewish states (Green). Both sides came to a disagreement over who controls which land and how it’s controlled. The Palestinians felt their land was being taken away, while the Israelis wanted more land. The Six-Day War in 1967 happened 20 years later, when Israel won against Arab forces and took control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights (Green). Israel established illegal settlements in Palestine and by the 1980s, Palestinians responded with protests called intifada (Green). “In September of 2000, Prime Minister candidate Ariel Sharon led a group of 1,000 armed guards to the Temple Mount… These events sparked a massive protest, which led to the much more violent Second Intifada, in which more than three thousand Palestianians and one thousand Jews were killed” (Green). In 2002, Israelis built a wall around the West Bank which instead of following borders set after the 1967 War, claimed many Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory (Green). Palestinians say they have been denied a state since prior to the formation of Israel and they live under military occupation (Green). Although there’s currently a lot of tension between the two sides over land, Israeli Jews took it a step further and started discriminating and abusing Muslims in what is known as Islamophobia. Islamophobia is hate and prejudice against Muslims. Even Masjid al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest mosque, has been attacked several times by Israeli forces.   

Islamophobia is used as a justification for acts of violence. Israel claims that Muslims are violent and they deserve to have Jewish freedom. “It is not coincidental that far-right ideologues and extremist groups are celebrating its racism and violence against the perceived common enemy: the Muslims. They see its ‘war on terror’ and victimisation of Muslims as a model” (Baroud, Rubeo). In other words, Israel sees its racism against Muslims as a way to gain Israeli independence and freedom. Israel’s goal has shifted to hate against Muslims because they want to defend Jewish freedom and protect their land. The victimization of Muslims is also viewed by Israel as a way to gain Israeli independence. Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders is well known for his Islamophobia (Baroud, Rubeo). He claimed in a speech, “Israel is an island in a sea of Islamic barbarism. Israel is a beacon of freedom and prosperity in a region of Islamic darkness. Israel refuses to be overrun by jihadists. So should we” (Baroud, Rubeo). Geert Wilder justifies Israeli violence against Muslims by claiming Israel struggles against “Islamic barbarism”. He uses the term “Islamic darkness” to make it seem as though acts of violence against Muslims are saving the state of Israel and bringing them “freedom and prosperity.” This would therefore justify pro-Israelis’ claims that racism against Muslims is a way to overcome Jewish oppression. Israel uses Islamophobia as a way to make the Muslims the enemy and justify their effort in gaining freedom over the Muslims with racism. 

Israel wants to shift the war from land to religion because they want to protect their land and justify their actions of violence. “Israel wants to drag Palestinians and Arabs into a religious war between Muslims and Jews, altering the nature of the conflict from a conflict over the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to a religious war” (“Analysis: Why Israel Wants A Religious War Over Al-Aqsa”). Israel wants to make this a religious war to shift the focus of the war to protect the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. “Zionists actively promote the idea that Jews, represented by Israel, and Christians, represented by “the West”, are engaged in a global struggle against “radical Islam”” (“Analysis: Why Israel Wants A Religious War Over Al-Aqsa”). By saying that Israel is fighting against “radical Islam”, they strengthen their opinion that Muslims are trying to take their land through terrorism. They use this to justify their acts of violence against Palestine. Israel uses Islamophobia to protect their land and justify their actions.

 I gazed my eyes at a photo of the al-Aqsa mosque being raided by Israeli forces. This photo was taken on September 21, 2015. There is no specified photographer for this photo. The photo originally came from Israel, inside the Temple Mount compound. Its purpose is to inform anyone who sees this picture that Israeli forces raided a holy site in Islam. This photo has a lot of value because it gives people a detailed perspective on the current conflict with Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims. By seeing this photo, any person could understand that in addition to land, the war has also come down to religion. 

One of the more recent incidents concerning the Israeli attacks on the Palestians occurred in one of the holiest months to muslims, Ramadan. In an article published by the NYtimes, “Palestinian witnesses said the fighting began after the police entered the mosque compound and began firing. By the afternoon, more than 330 Palestinians had been injured, with at least 250 hospitalized, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. One person was hit in the head by a bullet and was in critical condition, the medical aid group said, with at least two more in serious or critical condition.” The Palestinians were trying to peacefully pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque when Israeli troops came in and started firing. While it is true that the Palestinians also attack the Israelis, it is never to the extent where the Israelis take it. Compared to the Israeli attacks or acts of retribution they take it to another level which is not necessary at all. The best way to describe the war between Palestine and Israel is with that old saying, “it’s like taking a knife to a gunfight”. 

Over this past summer a lot of attention has been brought up towards a particular neighborhood in Palestine that goes by the name of Sheik Jarrah. The Israeli government is trying to ethnically cleanse this neighborhood and the rest of Palestine. Ethnic cleansing is defined as the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society. This is exactly what Israel is doing with Palestine. They evicted families out of the neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah to make way for new Israeli Jewish settlers. In an article published by Aljazeera a middle eastern news source they write, “Dozens of Palestinians are facing imminent dispossession from their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in what they say is a move to force them out and replace it entirely with a Jewish settlement. The Jerusalem District Court ruled at least six families must vacate their homes in Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday, despite living there for generations.” These families have been living in these homes and on these lands for generations but because of new Israeli Jewish settlers the Israeli government feel they have the right to evict and displace these Palestinian families.

The events of Sheik Jarrah have caused many to speak out. There have been protests all over the United States. Angered people have shut down highways, streets, and have screamed from the top of their lungs “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free”. All give this horrific tragedy taking place some of the much needed attention it deserves. Even some prominent celebrity figures have spoken out against the actions of Israel. Bella Hadid, a Famous runway model even led a protest in New York City. Still little has yet been done by major world governments to condemn the Israeli government for their actions. 

It is important to understand that it’s not only Palestianians being killed and attacked, but the Israeli  Jews are also facing oppression. If only one side is facing conflict from the other, then it cannot be considered a war. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict used to only be just for land. But as the war has progressed over the last century, it has turned into not only a war for land, but also a religious war. This war is important for our society to pay attention to because we need to understand that the unfair treatment of anyone is unjust and should never be present. That the world can’t just turn its cheek and face away from the sufferings of many when we live nicely in our own homes. We have the power to stay where we please. Sadly the same fact can not be said when it comes to our fellow men and women in Palestine. We as a society must come together and make sure that unjust doings by anyone are put to a stop, and this can especially be said when it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Works Cited

“Analysis: Why Israel Wants a Religious War over Al-Aqsa.” News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 21 Sept. 2015, www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/israel-religious-war-al-aqsa-150921080528790.html.

Alsaafin, L. (2021, May 1). What is happening in occupied East jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah? Occupied East Jerusalem News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/1/what-is-happening-in-occupied-east-jerusalems-sheikh-jarrah. 

Baroud, Ramzy, and Rubeo, Romana. “Hating Muslims, Loving Zionists: Israel as a Far-Right Model.” Far Right | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 29 Mar. 2019, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/hating-muslims-loving-zionists-israel-model-190322145619468.html.

Beauchamp, Zack. “What Are Israel and Palestine? Why Are They Fighting?” Vox, Vox, 14 May 2018, www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18080002/israel-palestine-conflict-basics.

Green, John. Conflict in Israel and Palestine: Crash Course World History 223. YouTube, YouTube, 28 Jan. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wo2TLlMhiw.

Kingsley, P., & Kershner, I. (2021, May 10). After raid on Aqsa MOSQUE, rockets from Gaza and ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES. The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/world/middleeast/jerusalem-protests-aqsa-palestinians.html. 

Schulson, Michael. “Why Jerusalem Is so Important to Muslims, Christians and Jews.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 May 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/12/06/questions-about-jerusalem-you-were-afraid-to-ask/?utm_term=.72a5440bb2b8.