Post World War II, thousands of people became displaced and were in need of a place to live. Many Jewish Holocaust survivors found themselves without a home and/or family, and they were thus enticed by the Zionist movement to create a Jewish state. The idea was that it would solve their homelessness, while giving them a chance to group together with people of similar pasts and goals. These Jews moved to Palestine and created Israel. Zionists choose Israel as their location of choice because according to Jewish history, God told Abraham to leave his homeland and journey to Canaan, which would be named Israel, after Abraham’s grandson, who the Jewish people trace their ancestry to. In this way, God promised Israel to the Jews, which is why it is known as their “Promised Land.” Because of all the problems it solved, one may be led to believe that Jews returning to their promised land is solid solution. However, their promised land was already being inhabited.
With the migration of the Jews to Israel, came the pushing out of Arabs in their homes of Palestine. 85% of lands belonging to Islamic (and non denominational) Arabs that were pushed out of Palestine, formed together to create what is now Israel (image). In his novella, “Returning to Haifa,” Ghassan Kanafani paints a picture of an Arab, Said, who returned to the hometown he and his wife were forcibly removed from. The two left their baby behind as they were literally pushed out of their town of Haifa by incoming Jews as well as stampeding Arabs. Upon returning, Said was disappointed to find out his house and son remained intact physically, yet ideologically, Said found himself to be completely detached from his first born son and the house he once lived in. This led Said to become revengeful and immediately condone a war to take back Palestine. I believe Ghassan Kanafani’s intention of writing this novella was to say that the Zionism may have led Jews to Palestine, but nationality, or a belief that the Palestine is fundamentally Islamic or Arab, would bring the Arabs back.
These Arabs feel it is their right to live in Palestine/Israel because it never stopped being their land. They trace their ancestry to the Ottoman Empire, which resided in Palestine long before WWII. Robbed of their homes and communities, the Arabs await return. The Jews living there now do not want to allow Arabs to return home out of fear that their Islamic presence will conflict with their Jewish religion. Some consider this a form of Ethnic Cleansing. This situation has created the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, or the issue of who gets to live in Palestine. Can a conflict such as this ever truly be resolved? Many think the solution is to create two separate states within Palestine. This would give some Arabs a place to live, while not allowing other Arabs to return to their towns that may occupy the new, second state. Jews would be allowed to remain in Israel, yet those who lived in the newly formed state would have to, once again, pack up and start new lives elsewhere. The image below shows just how passionate this conflict has became as one can see the protesting that still continues to this day.
Arabs and Jews protest over who deserves to live in Palestine
I enjoyed your thoughts on the issue discussed! I always find it interesting to look at current events and see the implications the past has in fruition; this picture and conflict is a perfect example of just that. As supported by the readings and your post, it is clear that this is not a ‘new’ conflict but rather a long-going, deeply historical, cultural, and political conflict.
I like how you bring up the concept of ethnic cleansing. As we discussed in class on Tuesday, ethnic cleansing is not only an organized killing of large groups of people, but also the intent on destroying a culture. Israelis forced Palestinians out of their homes and communities, and left them to find another place to live. Land and community is so important to culture. Your environment defines what you eat, what clothes you wear, and even the inspiration of artwork. Rewriting street signs and not allowing Palestinians to return are examples of attempting to erase a culture. Even though the Palestinians have undergone such tremendous odds, they have been able to hold onto their culture and continue to fight for the land they have lost through literature and politics.
I liked how you asked if a conflict like this can ever truly be resolved. That is exactly what I have been wondering as we read and discuss this topic in class. It seems like there is no solution that both sides of the situation would find fair to themselves and their heritages.
I think it is great that you question whether the conflict can ever truly be resolved. That is a question we, and future generations, will have to struggle with down the road. The solution may not be the creation of two separate nations, but it seems like that may be the only possible one we have.
As I understand it, Zionism was something of a nationalist movement. Though Zionism was largely based on religion, it also contained the traditional tenants of nationalism; such as ethnicity and aggressive, even militant, expansion. But a most interesting point is that all such nationalist movements have a central mythology to base their united culture around, something of a national epic. Such as England had the epic of Beowulf, and Germany had the epic of Siegfried, so it appeared that the Jewish people could unite around the epics of King David, King Solomon, and the long-lost kingdom of Israel.