EuropaWorld 2/2/2001The Middle East Peace Process

The Arab-Israeli conflict has been one of the most enduring. It began when the state of Israel was created in 1948 in the middle of a land called Palestine which had been under Turkish occupation until the British drove Turkey out during the First World War. Then it became a British Protectorate.

The creation of the Israeli state was, not surprisingly, opposed by the Palestinians and also by the wider Arab population. They were, in effect, being driven off their own lands or forced to live under an alien jurisdiction as several hundred thousand Jewish refugees came to Israel from Europe.
Israel tried to bargain for peace. Short of moving out of the territory it had been assigned it offered concessions that today would be impossible. These were rejected. 650,000 Israelis, practically surrounded, then fought the first of the three major Arab-Israeli wars.

In between times peace treaties have been signed with some Arab neigbours, principally Egypt and Jordan, Israel exchanging conquered land for peace.

Israel's objective has always been to live in security within its borders. But the displacment of so many Arab families from their lands, taken together with the wars and intermediate fighting, the overwhelming military superiority of Israel and Israel's policy of punitive response to attack has created a terrible legacy of bitterness. In this pool of hate penniless young men grow up sworn to revenge - they become freedom fighters or terrorists depending on your perspective - and they are the enemies of peace.

But the peace dividend, for both sides, would be enormous. For a poor land like Palestine, peace would bring major trade and business opportunities, a chance to throw off the shackles of poverty. Besides, Palestine acknowledged the existence of the state of Israel in 1988. The problem for the Palestinians is that although they have been dealt an injustice, there is no practical way it can be rectified.

Unlike Israel, the Palestinian Arabs do not have a democracy. If they did peace might be easier. Political pressure might lead tocompromise. As it is the peace process remains poised on a knife edge. The outstanding problems concern the right of all four million Palestinians to return, even the families of those who have lived abroad for fifty years. This could increase Israel's population by two-thirds. Israel deems this impractical. Some compromise is being sought.

Then there is the question of Jerusalem, the Holy city. How to reach a secure accommodation in a city sacred to both sides and which both regard as a capital.

Last of the major questions is the border of any new Palestinian state. Israel has offered an exchange of territory in order to accommodate certain Israeli settlements on the West Bank, but the detailled 'map' of any new Palestinian state is going to be a nightmare for negotiators.
Whatever happens, peace is probably inevitable in some shape or form, regardless who wins the Israeli Prime Ministerial election on February 6th. The benefits of peace are so great and the costs of conflict so heavy. The small physical size of what Europeans call 'The Holy Land' means that Arabs and Israelis will be forced to go on sharing it. If both sides can learn to live together the prospects for the Palestinians will be transformed.