Arab Israeli Conflict and the Threat of Terrorism Research Paper

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Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Middle East

The land where Israel is currently established has been characterized by fierce fighting and change in control over this region for centuries. These battles have been in existence since the period before World War II as Palestinians and Israelis continue to fight for control of this region. The historical war between Israel and Palestine and the situation in the Middle East has escalated to become a major security issue across international borders, particularly to the United States. Actually, Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East have relatively been regarded as the source of terrorism in the United States and other parts of the world. This implies that the most significant source of terrorism facing the United States is the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. This conflict has been characterized by fights between Israel and Palestine in attempts to gain control over this region. Therefore, maintaining safety from terrorism in the United States not only requires strategies to address domestic terrorism but also requires dealing with the most significant source of terrorism.

Historical Background of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

As previously mentioned, the land where Israel is currently established and control over the Middle East region has been the main sources of conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Before World War II, several crusades were carried out to obtain control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land by Christian soldiers on several incidents and occasions. Following the Second World War, the United Nations divided the land that is currently known as Palestine and created regions for Jewish immigrants to occupy in light of Nazi persecution. However, Jewish settlers were already living in most of these areas and quickly consolidated control while declaring their independence from the British Mandate of Palestine in 1948. Consequently, Arab neighbors quickly invaded the Jewish areas in support of the Muslim Palestinians. This created a conflict which was ultimately won by the Jewish forces that proceeded to establish the country of Israel while Palestinians remained in control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

After the Jewish forces won and established the country of Israel in this conflict, Palestinians formed the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964 in efforts to regain control over Palestine. Since its establishment, the organization has developed to an extent that is currently part of the Fatah political party in Palestinian territory. Moreover, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was most prominently led by Yasser Arafat from 1969 to 2004 and is currently under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas. The formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has been a major factor in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. As previously mentioned, these countries have been engaged in fierce fighting regarding their territorial borders and control over the Middle East region.

Link between Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Terrorism

The single most significant source of terrorism facing the United States is the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East because of the strong link between this conflict and terrorism. As the historical has continued, it has become a breeding ground for terrorist and terror organizations with precise strategic goals and objectives. The first link between the Arab-Israeli conflict and terrorism is the establishment of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was listed as a terrorist organization until 1991. In the initial years of its existence, the organization under the leadership of Yasser Arafat advocated guerilla warfare and many Palestinian Arabs became radicalized and performed terrorist attacks. Therefore, the Palestinian Liberation Organization acted as the main source of radicalization of Palestinian Arabs and the basis for conducting terrorist attacks. The military wing of this organization has been identified as the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and still listed or designated as a terrorist organization.

Secondly, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict provided the basis for formation of Hamas in 1987, which currently controls the Gaza Strip and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. Hamas carries out regular attacks on Israeli using homemade rockets and Katayusha and also smuggles illegal goods through tunnels from Egypt. Third, Yasser Arafat and Fatah used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to authorize terrorist attacks against Israel such as the killing of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic weight lifting team by Black September, a terrorist organization, in 1972 Summer Olympics. The terrorist organization was named after two Palestinian villages whose inhabitants were either expelled or killed by the Jews in 1948. This conflict has escalated to include terrorist attacks in other regions, especially the United States such as the 9/11 terror attacks.

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As demonstrated in this brief historical background, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is strongly linked to terrorism. Actually, terrorism can be regarded as the core component of this conflict to an extent that every debate about it is centered on charges and counter-charges of terrorism (Primoratz, 2005). Israelis and Palestinians continue to commit terrorist acts against each other and against allied forces or countries in attempts to achieve their specific strategic goals and objectives. However, these countries provide different explanations of their activities and argue that they are fighting for freedom. Palestinians who are regarded as the villain have been using terrorism mercilessly and nearly throughout the conflict. In contrast, Israeli's or Jewish's role in the conflict has been characterized by involvement in terrorism as evident in strategies employed by the Zionist movement and the State of Israel. Israel has utilized terrorism in a large scale to accomplish its objective of maintaining control of the territorial boundaries and over the Middle East region. These terrorism strategies have expanded beyond the boundaries of these regions and included other countries like the United States depending on their role and side in the war or conflict. Therefore, Israel and Palestine have resorted to terrorism during different times in the course of this historical and protracted conflict (Slater, 2014, p.79).

Link between Terrorism in the U.S. and Events in the Middle East

The previous discussion demonstrates that current terrorism problems and the threat of terrorism in the United States have international origins. Generally, the threat of terrorism in America is inevitably associated with events in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Terrorism in the United States is not simply a domestic problem but has international origins since it is more than a by-product of oppressive fundamental Islamists with the goal of creating a potent Muslim Caliphate or instituting Sharia law. Terrorists have very specific strategic goals and objectives, which is a major driving cause of their activities and is regarded as more important than their own lives.

The Middle East is turbulent and extremely complex since it is characterized by events that enhance the threat of terrorism to the United States and across the globe. Many countries in this region such as Israel and Palestine are faced with cross-border issues that contribute to delicate situations and war. The threat of terrorism in the United States is inexorably linked to events in the Middle East, especially Israeli-Palestinian conflict since they contribute to the rise of Islamic terrorism, which threatens the safety and security of American citizens. These events contribute to the rise of Islamic terrorism since they generate ungoverned areas in the region that act as bases for terrorist to plan, equip, train, and launch attacks ("Middle East," 2015).

Generally, events in the Middle East provide the non-state actors with areas and tactics to plan, equip, train, and launch their activities. For instance, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has contributed to the rise of several terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Black September on the premise of Islamic terrorism. These non-state actors find the Middle East as a safe haven for planning and launching their attacks to perceived Israeli allies like the United States. There are numerous examples of Islamic terrorist acts that have been carried out against the U.S. because of Islamic terrorism emerging from such events like the Arab-Israeli conflict. Some examples of terrorist attacks that were targeted against U.S. interests at home or abroad and linked to the country interests or involvement in the Middle East include the suicide truck bombing of a multinational force in 1983 in Lebanon and the Therefore, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict generates unholy anger and rage that is used by non-state actors and terrorist groups in the Middle East to justify war against the United States resulting in terrorism threat.

United States' Position in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Since the Second World War came to an end, the United States has played a vital role in promoting, facilitating, and negotiating cease-fire agreements between Israel and Palestine ("U.S. Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," 2006). As a result of its role, other countries that participate in the peace efforts between these two countries usually work in collaboration with the United States and United Nations. While these efforts have been helpful in promoting peace in the Middle East region, they have seemingly been ineffective in completely ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite playing a major role in peace negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United States has seemingly taken sides,.....

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