Committee: Political
Issue: The Creation of a Palestinian State
Student Officer: Sara Santambrogio
I - Introduction:
The Holy Land is a term which refers to the geographical region of the Middle East, of no
definite borders, which has significant religious importance for the three great monotheistic
religions, which is to say Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Nowadays, it comprises roughly the
territory of Israel, Palestine and some parts of the surrounding territories such as Lebanon and
Jordan.
Since biblical times, this territory has been a land of pivotal importance for many reasons, and
many different people have fought throughout the centuries for the possession of such land. Part
of its significance stands in the religious importance of its very centre, Jerusalem. As a matter of
fact, this is the holiest city to Judaism, the birthplace of Christianity and the third holiest to Islam.
This has led to many wars and conflicts being fought in this patch of land. For instance, the
religious importance of the Holy Land was the ideological driving force that led to the Crusades
of the 11-12th centuries A.D.
Before World War I, these territories were under the control of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400
years. The roots of the conflicts can be traced to the late 19th century, with the rise of the
nationalistic movements of Zionism and Arab nationalism. Both these nationalistic currents of
thought claimed the right of their members to support their self-determination in a sovereign
independent national homeland.
As the two World Wars took place, the situation gradually became more and more complicated,
the particulars interests of two peoples, the Israeli and the Palestinian, that came to be contending
the same patch of land started to become irreconcilable. Add to this the disruptive interventions of
foreign national powers that had colonialist presumptions on the territory, and you have the
perfect recipe to one on the longest-lasting conflicts of the modern history. Not to mention the
fact that it has also led to the death, mutilation or in any case to serious disease of countless
soldiers but especially civilians, throughout the several decades that have elapsed since the
sparking off of the contrast.
The Israeli - Palestinian conflict is arguably one of the most discussed, and yet most controversial
issues of the current global situation. Different opinion have been expressed on the topic,
remarkably on the legitimacy on behalf of both the contending parties to form their own
autonomous sovereign state. And it is important to underline the fact that, at present, only Israel
has obtained international recognition as an official state, whilst, for the time being, no
Palestinian state exists except on symbolic level.
II – Involved Countries and Organisations
Israel
After decades of Zionist activists' movements, actions and processes undertaken on a global level,
conflicts and agreements, nowadays the existence of an Israeli State is a concrete reality. In
constant struggle to maintain its independence and sovereignty, Israel is one of the two countries
that represent the focal centre of the conflict.
The current official position held by the Israeli Government as far as the Palestinian question is
concerned is the support of a two-state solution. President Netanyahu clearly stated as follows:
党The substance of peace is a solution of two states for two peoples, in which a de-militarized
Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish State of Israel. This vision is anchored in two core
principles ・security and legitimacy・ I think the solution of legitimacy means that we
recognize the Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people, and they recognize
Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.・ However the policy of Israeli Government has
often been accused of being hypocritical and dishonest, for, despite having officially committed
in the solution of the conflict, it has kept on undertaking unclear and questionable actions.
Palestine
The other direct involved country in the issue is of course Palestine. Despite the fact that its
statehood it's still being discussed upon and has not yet achieved a proper formal recognition, the
existence of a compact and autonomous Palestinian identity cannot be denied. However,
historical circumstances had led this entity to undergo many decades of transformations and
problems, most of them due to the intrusion of Israeli people in what used to be its land.
Conspicuous steps towards a proper definition of the formal condition of Palestine have been
taken on November 29, 2012, when the U.N. General Assembly voted in favour of Palestinian
request to recognize to it a non-member observer status.
Real independence, however, remains an elusive dream until the Palestinians negotiate a peace
deal with the Israeli.
United States Of America
With the largest Jewish population outside of Israel and a growing Arab-American population, the
United States has unique social, cultural and diplomatic ties to Israel and the Palestinian
territories.
Historically, Washington has viewed Israel as a crucial political and economic ally in the oil-rich
Middle East, and has provided Israel with the highest amount of financial and military assistance
of any other foreign country. These days, however, the United States have been claiming to be a
strong supporter of the hypothesised two-state solution, and have been using its influence to
persuade the two contending parts. However, it is often said that the U.S. Infact maintain a policy
aimed at favouring Israel and supporting its actions and declarations. It is not a case, in fact, the
U.N. U.S.A. Ambassador greeted the recognition of Palestine as a U.N. Non-member observer
state on 11.29.2013 with the following words: “Today's unfortunate and counterproductive
resolution places further obstacles in the path of peace," U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said.”
United Kingdom
The imposition and the consequent withdrawal of the British Mandate over the Holy Land have
been part of the main causes leading to the sparking off of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In the
current days the UK has been fully supporting the efforts for negotiation, by taking a mediating
role and a generally impartial and equidistant position, particularly endorsing the Quartet
Roadmap. Quoting the words of the British Foreign Commonwealth Office, “"The Middle East
Peace Process remains a foreign policy priority for this Government. Violence in Israel and the
Occupied Territories has caused an immense loss of life, humanitarian suffering and economic
hardship. A solution to this conflict is crucial both for Israelis and Palestinians, and for broader
prospects of long-term peace in the region. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are
committed, along with international partners, to achieving the vision of a two-state solution: a
democratic, viable and peaceful Palestinian state, alongside a secure Israel” (…) “"We are
committed to reviving final status negotiations as soon as realistically possible. The path towards
this is through the Quartet (US, UN, EU, Russia) Roadmap. The Roadmap sets out the steps the
Palestinian Authority and Israel need to take, under the auspices of the Quartet, to achieve a
negotiated settlement. Both sides have accepted the Roadmap and have given public
commitments to implement it. The Government firmly believes that the Roadmap is the best route
to achieve peace in the Middle East. “
The Arab League
The Arab League is an organization that consists of independent Arab States on the territory of
northern and north-eastern part of Africa and south west Asia.
Representatives of the first six member states – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi
Arabia – that initiated the league’s formation signed the agreement in Cairo, on March 22, 1945.
This organisation has been coordinating Arab nations in many of the wars and battles having
been fought so far; moreover, the League openly states its adversity to the creation of a Jewish
state in the Middle East.
Hamas
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organisation, that has been gaining a lot of popularity in the recent
years, and, as a consequence, has become progressively more and more involved in the issue. In
the January 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections Hamas won a decisive majority in the
Palestinian Parliament,defeating the PLO-affiliated Fatah party. Due to the fact that Hamas is
considered as a terror organisation by many states and international entities, this has once again
slowed the peace process.
III - Focused Overview of the Issue
Before World War I the Middle East region was under the control of the Ottoman Empire for
nearly 400 year. At the time, most of the Jews all around the globe lived outside this territory,
predominantly in eastern and central Europe, and in the Americas.
At the beginning of the XX Century, mainly as a solution to the increasingly common persecution
of Jews due to Russian and European anti-Semitism, more and miore Jews started to enter the
area. The Ottoman Authorities were concerned about this immigrating wave, fearing that the
loyalty of immigrant was to their native country, which is to say Russia, with whom the Ottoman
Empire had a long history of conflicts, and, as much, may undermine Ottoman control and
established power. By 1914 the Jewish Population in the land controlled by the Ottoman Empire
had risen to over 60000 individuals.
In 1917, at the end of WWI, the British Empire took over the region of Palestine from the
Ottoman Empire, and was granted its control by the Versailles Peace Conference. In April 1920,
Britain was officially given Mandate over Palestine.
During the War, United Kingdom had supported the creation of a Jewish autonomous State, and
had promised to foster its creation with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. This was met with no
Arab opposition but the Syrian one. However, during the period of the rise of Nazi Anti-Semitism
in Europe, large waves of Jewish Immigrants entered the region of Palestine, which, in turn, was
one of the cause for the establishment of the first forms of Arab Nationalistic movements.
In 1947, following the rise of violent manifestations in the area, the British Government decided
to withdraw from the region. The UN Partition Plan of 1947 proposed to divide the area into two
seperate states, one Arabic and one Jewish. The UN General Assembly approved it, but the Arab
League didn't. Moreover, on May 14, 19, Israel made a declaration of independence and the state
of Israel was officially established. This led to the first great war between Israel and Palestine
being fought. The war resulted in an Israeli victory, with Israel annexing territory beyond the
borders the Partition Plan had suggested to Israel.
During the war, some 750000 Palestinians Arabs fled or were expelled from the area that became
Israel, and became what is known today as the Palestinian refugees. They weren't allowed to
return to Israel, and most of the neighbouring states denied them citizenship. Nowadays, most of
them still live in refugee camps and their situation remains one of the most pressing issues of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some of these people tried unsuccessfully to return by infiltration into
Israel, but most of them were caught and deported.
Since those decades in the middle of the XX Century, many conflicts and wars have erupted
between the two contendent states, often with the intervention of involved neighbouring
countries. Among the most significant of them, we can remember the 1967 Six-Days War, the
1973 Yom Kippur War, the First and Second Intifada, not to mention the countless terror attaks on
behalf of both the parts. The problem seems to be that both of them feel the right to establish and
independent, autonomous and sovereign state in the area, but neither of them want to admit the
existence of the other in the nearing area.
Fortunately, from the 80's on some peace negotiations have been attempted. For instance, in 1991
the U.S. launched a diplomatic initiative in cooperation with Russia, which resulted in the 1991
Madrid peace conference, which, unfortunately, didn't result in any improvement.
In January 1993, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation began secret negotiations in
Oslo, Norway. In September of that year, the authorities of the two states signed a Declaration of
Principles and gave birth to a long process of negotiation known as the Oslo Peace Process. These
years are marked by a general attention and committment to the achievement of the peace and of
a stable situation.
However, the latest 90's witnessed a renovated surge of misunderstandings, lack of trust and
terror attacks, which led to another dramatic period of conflicts and perpetual attacks. In July,
2000 the Camp David Summit was held, with the aim of reaching a final agreement; despite some
solutions having been discussed, the summit collapsed as a result of Palestine's refusal to accept a
proposal drafted by America and Israel only.
Another complicating issue is the rise of popularity, among Palestinian people, of the suspected
terror party of Hamas, which obtained a majority in the 2005 parlamentary elections. Israel didn't
feel protected anymore, and it refused to treat negotiations with a suspected terror group. This is
the reason why conflict has risen again in the area and seems not to have reached its conclusion
yet.
During September 2011, Palestine led a diplomatic campaign aimed at getting UN statehood
recognition. On September 23, President Abbas submitted a request to recognize the State of
Palestine as the 194th UN member. On November 29, 2012 the UN General Assembly approves a
motion granting Palestine non-member observer state status.
Despite all the important events that we have listed, and all the actions that have been taken so
far, the issue has yet to find its settlement and conclusion. This is why countries involved, but also
the UN, has to remaines seized on the matter.
IV – Key Vocabulary
Arab Nationalism: general term for the modern movement for political unification among the
Arab nations of the Middle East
Gaza: A strip of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt about twice the
size of Washington, D.C. A majority of its 1.4 million residents are Palestinian refugees
Golan Heights: An area of land occupied by Israel, which runs along the border of Syria and
Israel and includes a strategically important rocky plateau. The area provides about 15% of
Israel's water supply and a large amount of Israel's agricultural production
.
Intifada: Means to literally "shake off" in Arabic. The first intifada was a revolt that began in
December 1987 by Palestinian Arabs to protest Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. A second Intifada began in September 2000.
Mandate: 1.
an official or authoritative instruction or command
2.
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy)
Politics
the support or commission
given to a government and its policies or an elected representative and his policies
through an electoral victory
3.
(Historical Terms) Also called
mandated territory
(formerly) any of the
territories under the trusteeship of the League of Nations administered by one of its
member states
Non-state Observer Member of the UN: Observers have the right to speak at United Nations
General Assembly meetings, participate in procedural votes, and to sponsor and sign
resolutions,but not to vote on resolutions and other substantive matters. Various other rights (e.g.,
to speak in debates, to submit proposals and amendments, the right of reply, to raise points of
order and to circulate documents, etc.) are given selectively to some observers only
The Quartet: A group of nations and international entities formed to mediate the peace process in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Established in 2002, the group consists of the European Union, the
United Nations, the United States, and Russia
Zionism: Political movement that has supported the self-determination of the Jewish People in a
sovereign Jewish State.
V - Important Events and Chronology
1250 BC: Israelites began to conquer and settle the land of Canaan on the eastern Mediterranean
coast.
70 AD: A revolt against Roman rule was put down by the Emperor Titus and the Second Temple
in Jerusalem was destroyed. This marks the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora
638 AD: Conquest by Arab Muslims ended Byzantine rule. The second caliph of Islam, built a
mosque at the site of what is now the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in the early years of the 8th
Century.
1099-1187 AD: Age of the crusades
1897: Foundation of the Zionist movement
1917: Balfour Declaration and beginning of the British Mandate
1919-1926: 90000 Jew immigrants arrived in Palestine, mainly due to the rising of anti-Semitism
in Europe
November 29, 1947: UN adopts the Plan of Partition
May 14, 1948: formal establishment of the state of Israel
1967: Six-Days War
1973: Yom Kippur War
1982: Lebanon War
1987: First Palestinian Intifada
1993: Oslo Peace Process
1995: Oslo II Agreement
2000: Second Palestinian Intifada
2004: Gaza Bus Bombing
2008: After years of tensions and open fire, Israel and Hamas come to a a temporary Egyptianbrokered cease-fire
November 29, 2012: UN G.A. Upgrades Palestine to non-member observer status
VI – Passed Resolutions and Treaties
1. Balfour Declaration
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/E210CA73E38D9E1D052565FA00705C61
2. United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/un/res181.htm
3. Israeli Declaration of Independence
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Declar
ation%20of%20Establishment%20of%20State%20of%20Israel
4. Camp David Accords
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/Camp+David+Accord
s.htm
5.
5. Road map for peace
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2989783.stm
VII - Failed Solution Attempt
A solution that has been constantly proposed during the various phases of the conflict is the two
states coinhabitance solution. This preconises the establishment of two coexistent neighbouring
countries, Israel and Palestine, each of them autonomous and sovereign in its own boundaries.
However, this ideas has met with both agreement and disagreements, and for this reason hasn't
been approved so far.
Many other solutions have been proposed throughout the decades, but they have been discarded
as being biased and partial to one of the contending parties.
As explained beforehand, there have been many meetings, summits and conferences aimed at
putting into place diplomatic negotiations to find a stable solution to the issue. Among them, the
most significant are the following: 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, 1993 Oslo Peace Progress,
2000 Camp David Summit, 2001 Taba Summit, 2007 Annapolis Conference. Unfortunately, no
one among these attempts has proved successful so far.
VIII - Possible solutions
At this point, each delegate will most likely have formed his/her idea regarding the issue we are
focusing our attention on. However, when writing a resolution on this topic, it is perhaps even
more essential than the usual to try to be as objective and impartial as possible. Many of the past
attempts have been discarded for being accused to be favouring one of the two contending parties.
It is also crucial to be very detailed and precise when writing clauses, so as not to leave open any
possibility for countries to purposely "misunderstand" or elude the resolution.
One could simply abide to the two states solution, preconising a stable situation where the two
independent and formally recognised states can coexist peacefully together. When considering
such proposals, it is important to bear in mind what has been already done so far by formal
institution, in order not to propose something that has already be stricken by international
assemblies and organisations.
In addition to that, it may be useful to be aware of already existent projects and proposals, such as
the Roadmap for Peace Project, or the influence of the Quartet in the topic.
IX - Useful Links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/v3_ip_timeline/html/4
http://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/israel-palestine-conflict/
http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_current_roadmap.php
http://www.arableagueonline.org/
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA
X - Works Cited
Two detalied timelines of the events related to the issue:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/v3_ip_timeline/html/4
http://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/israel-palestine-conflict/timeline.html4
A general overview of the topic:
http://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/israel-palestine-conflict/
An useful impartial dicitonary to find unbiased definiotions and explanations:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
An ONG that deals with the matter:
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/crisis-centre/crisis/israeli-palestinian-conflict
Official words of the Israeli spokepeople, from the website of the Israeli Ministery of Foreign
Affairs:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Palestinian+State/Israeli+Recognition+of+a+Palestinian+State-29-Ju
n-2011.htm
Reports of Palestine achieving non-member observer status:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/29/israeli-official-downplays-palestinian-statehood-bidahead-un-vote/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/palestinian-statehood-vote-certain-to-win_n_2210431
.html
Another general overview of the issue:
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
U.N. official opinion on the matter:
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/home.htm