Subjects:
Israel has been fighting for its survival since it became a country in 1948. It
is surrounded by hostile nations that want to destroy or at least diminish it.
There is tremendous tension between the Palestine Liberation Members and Israeli
officials and citizens. There have been peaceful rallies and bloody bus
bombings. People in Israel today are unsure about preceding with peace
negotiations or standing firm in stopping present day terrorist activities.
Protests, shouting matches, and violent disputes between Israelis are common
occurrences. No one person, the college professor, the taxi driver, or the
merchant is sure that their solution to these life and death problems are the
On Friday, May 14, 1948, after much deliberation the modern state of
Israel was voted into existence by the United Nations. Finally the Jews around
the world had a country to call their own. Unfortunately, the road ahead of
them was not an easy or peaceful one.
There are many organizations that have dedicated their existence to
destroying the people and country of Israel. The leader in this battle against
Israel is Hamas, the Islamic Resistan
. . .
before leaving Palestine.
Even though the peace process was continuing, not all Israeli citizens
believed in giving up land that had been won during wars for peace. The PLO agreed to recognize Israel's right to exist and Israel gave the
Palestinians self rule in the West Bank town of Jericho and the Gaza Strip. The Arab
leaders decided to gain control of the Middle East through violence and the
British did little to stop the Arabs. In
1994 Jordan and Israel formally ended their hostilities and began trade and
economic exchanges. The philosophy of Jihad, or holy war, is the
basis for Moslem actions to obliterate all Jews from this area. Israeli police and soldiers often fought back. Over the years, Hamas
has been responsible for more than 150 deaths and hundreds of injuries to
Israeli citizens. Fortunately for Israel,
the efforts of the Arab armies were defeated. As the
peace process led by Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister, and Yassir
Arafat moved at a slow but steady pace, an Israeli extremist murdered Yitzhak
Rabin at a peace rally on November 4, 1995.
On the surface, the reason for the conflict over this small piece of
land in the middle east seems simple: two groups of people, Jews and Palestinian
Arabs, have been competing for the same piece of historical land. Suicide
bombings, riots, rock throwing, car bombings, stonings, and many other
destructive terrorist activities are also used periodically to gain news
attention to their radical fundamentalist beliefs. Herzl then organized the First Zionist Congress, the
first gathering of world Jewish leaders, in 1897.
Essay's Topics
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