8/4/2019 Synopsis of Israeli Palestinian Conflict

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FOR CENTURIES there was no such con-flict. In the 19th century the land of Palestine was inhabited by a multicultural

population – approximately 86 percent Muslim,10 percent Christian, and 4 percent Jewish – liv-ing in peace.

Zionism

IN THE LATE 1800s a group in Europe decidedto colonize this land. Known as Zionists, theyrepresented an extremist minority of the Jewishpopulation. Their goal was to create a Jewishhomeland, and they considered locations inAfrica and the Americas, before settling onPalestine.

At first, this immigration created no prob-lems. However, as more and more Zionistsimmigrated to Palestine – many with the expresswish of taking over the land for a Jewish state –the indigenous population became increasinglyalarmed. Eventually, fighting broke out, withescalating waves of violence. Hitler's rise topower, combined with Zionist activities to sabo-tage efforts to place Jewish refugees in westerncountries, led to increased Jewish immigrationto Palestine, and conflict grew.

UN Partition Plan

FINALLY  , in 1947 the United Nations decidedto intervene. However, rather than adhering tothe principle of “self-determination of peoples,”in which the people themselves create their ownstate and system of government, the UN choseto revert to the medieval strategy whereby anoutside power divides up other people’s land.

Under considerable Zionist pressure, theUN recommended giving away 55% of Palestine

to a Jewish state – despite the fact that this grouprepresented only about 30% of the total popula-tion, and owned under 7% of the land.

1947-1949 War

WHILE IT IS WIDELY reported that the result-ing war eventually included five Arab armies,less well known is the fact that throughout thiswar Zionist forces outnumbered all Arab andPalestinian combatants combined – often by afactor of two to three. Moreover, Arab armiesdid not invade Israel – virtually all battles werefought on land that was to have been thePalestinian state.

Finally, it is significant to note that Arab

armies entered the conflict only after Zionistforces had committed 16 massacres, includingthe grisly massacre of over 100 men, women,and children at Deir Yassin. Future Israeli PrimeMinister Menachem Begin, head of one of the

 Jewish terrorist groups, described this as “splen-did,” and stated: “As in Deir Yassin, so every-where, we will attack and smite the enemy. God,God, Thou has chosen us for conquest.” Zionistforces committed 33 massacres altogether.

By the end of the war, Israel had conquered78 percent of Palestine; three-quarters of a mil-lion Palestinians had been made refugees; over

500 towns and villages had been obliterated;and a new map was drawn up, in which everycity, river and hillock received a new, Hebrewname, as all vestiges of the Palestinian culturewere to be erased. For decades Israel denied theexistence of this population, former IsraeliPrime Minister Golda Meir once saying: “Thereis no such thing as a Palestinian.”

1967 War & USS Liberty 

IN 1967  , Israel conquered still more land.Following the Six Day War, in which Israelif o rces launched a highly successful surpriseattack on Egypt, Israel occupied the final 22% of Palestine that had eluded it in 1948 – the WestBank and Gaza Strip. Since, according to inter-national law it is inadmissible to acquire territo-ry by war, these are occupied territories and donot belong to Israel. It also occupied parts of Egypt (since returned) and Syria (which remainunder occupation).

Also during the Six Day Wa r, Israelattacked a US Navy ship, the USS Liberty , killingand injuring over 200 American servicemen.P resident Lyndon Johnson recalled re s c u eflights, saying that he did not want to "embar-

rass an ally." (In 2004 a high-level commissionc h a i red by Admiral Thomas Moore r, formerChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, found thisattack to be “an act of war against the UnitedStates,” a fact few news media have reported.)

Current Conflict

T H E R E A R E T W O primary issues at the core of this continuing conflict. First, there is theinevitably destabilizing effect of trying to main-tain an ethnically pre f e rential state, particularlywhen it is largely of foreign origin. The originalpopulation of what is now Israel was 96 perc e n t

Muslim and Christian, yet, these refugees ap rohibited from returning to their homes in tself-described Jewish state (and those withIsrael are subjected to systematic discrimination

Second, Israel's continued military occuption and confiscation of privately owned landthe West Bank, and control over Gaza, ae x t remely oppressive, with Palestinians haviminimal control over their lives. Over 10,0Palestinian men, women, and children are hein Israeli prisons. Few of them have had a legi

mate trial; Physical abuse and torture are frquent. Palestinian borders (even internal onea re controlled by Israeli forces. Periodically mewomen, and children are strip searched; peopa re beaten; women in labor are prevented fro reaching hospitals (at times resulting in deathfood and medicine are blocked from enteriGaza, producing an escalating humanitarian csis. Israeli forces invade almost daily, injurinkidnapping, and sometimes killing inhabitant

According to the Oslo peace accords 1993, these territories were supposed to final

 become a Palestinian state. However, after yeaof Israel continuing to confiscate land and coditions steadily worsening, the Palestinian po

ulation rebelled. (The Barak offer, widely repued to be generous, was anything but.) Thuprising, called the "Intifada" (Arabic for "shaing off") began at the end of September 2000.

U.S. Involvement

L A R G E LY D U E to special-interest lobbyinU.S. taxpayers give Israel an average of $7 mlion per day, and since its creation have givmore U.S. funds to Israel than to any othnation. As Americans learn about how Israelusing our tax dollars, many are calling for end to this expenditure.

A Synopsis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

To learn more and to read a highly detailed account with references: “The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict,” visit IFAMERICANSKNEW.ORG

Palestinian loss of land, 1947-2005.

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Toll of the Conflict

Israelis & Palestinians Killed 

Children Killed 

Everyone Killed, by year Everyone Killed

Killed on Own Land vs. Killed on Other’s Land  Distorted News Coverage of Children’s Deaths

Children Killed, by year Children Killed

Note: The current uprising began 9/29/2000, so the data from2000 covers only 3 months.

Death Statistics Source: The Israeli Information Center for HumanRights in the Occupied Territories - B’Tselem (btselem.org)

Media Statistics Source: If Americans Knew, “Off the Charts”(IfAmericansKnew.org)

° 4,907 Palestinians havebeen killed by Israelis.

° 1,063 Israelis have beenkilled by Palestinians.

(These charts do not inlcude the1,387 Palestinians – 320 of whom were children – and 9 Israelis killed between Dec. 27,2008 and Jan. 18, 2009.)

° 961 (or 20%) of thePalestinians killed by Israelishave been children.

° 123 (or 12%) of the Israeliskilled by Palestinians havebeen children.

° Over 80 Palestinian childrenwere killed before the first 

Israeli child was killed.

° 55% of the Israeliskilled have beeneither soldiers or were killed in thePalestinian territoriesoccupied by Israel.

° 99% of Palestinianswere killed onPalestinian land.

Repeated coverageof Israeli children’sdeaths creates animpression of ahigher number than took place,while omissions of most Palestinianchildren’s deathsdoes the opposite.

Reporting of Children’s Deaths: Repetitions Vs. Omissions9/29/2000 - 9/28/2001

Israelis & Palestinians Killed: September 29, 2000 (beginning of most recent uprising) through December 26, 2008

IfAmericansKnew.

org

Additional statistical studies of U.S. news organizationscan be viewed at IfAmericansknew.org/media