Forum: Security Council
Issue: ​Resolving the continuing issue of Israel-Palestine conflict trying to maintain an
ethnically preferential state
Student Officers: Max Whitaker, Irmak Erdem
Position: Deputy Chair’s
Introduction
In today’s very culturally diverse world, international issues such as the Israeli
Palestinian conflict cause issues that can be felt across the globe. From Palestinian refugees
escaping their perils of Palestine for Europe, to sudden acts of aggression/terrorism upon each
other that lead to mass civilian casualties. This war has been going on for years, and is showing
no signs of stopping.
Over the past fifty years, Israel has continued to grow its borders illegally into the West
Bank. Just in January 2017, the Israeli government allowed for the moving forward for the
construction of 6,000​ (goo.gl/Orgxiq)​ homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, violating
Palestinian territory. This action came with criticism from the United States and fellow countries,
who condemned the construction and agreed it would not help in establishing peace to an
already troubled region.
Definition of Key Terms
​
​
​
●
​ efugees - Someone who has fled their own country for another country due to political
R
issues, natural disaster, or prosecution
●
West Bank - A landlocked Middle-Eastern territory that consumes the bulk of Palestine’s
current territory
●
Human Rights Violations - The basic rights and freedoms that every human should be
entitled to that have been violated
​
●
Zionism- “​a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development
and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. It was established as a political
organization in 1897 under Theodor Herzl, and was later led by Chaim Weizmann.”
●
1949 Armistice Line (Green Line)- The 1949 Armistice Line or Green Line is a
demarcation line which resulted from the 1949 Armistice agreements between
Israel and its counterparts in neighboring countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and
Syria). The Armistice Line is also referred to as the “pre-1967 border” in UN
General Assembly resolutions.
(​http://thehague.thimun.org/images/THEHAGUE/THIMUN_HG_2017/Research_reports_2017/2017-APQNE-Research-Re
port.pdf​)
● Six Day War- a war fought in June, 1967, between Israel and the
neighboringstates of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, in which Israel captured
largetracts of Arab territory.​ (​http://www.dictionary.com/browse/six-day-war​)
Background Information
The İsraeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the late 1800’s when the Zionists of
Europe immigrated into and colonized Palestinian land. At the beginning the local population in
Palestine were unaware by this movement, but later on they were aroused at the amount of
Zionist immigration into Palestine. This movement along with the Jewish immigration from areas
of anti-Semitism ( ​Anti-semitism is hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews.)
during World War 2 caused an increase in the area. The Zionists proceeded to boost
the immigrations to Palestine for the Jews that were departing imprisonment and
carnage during this time.
Adopted by the United Nations on 29th of November 1947 called The Partition
Plan for Palestine proposed that most of Palestinian land were to be given to a new
State called Israel for the Jewish immigrants. This plan included the seperation of
Palestine into 3 distinct sections: the Jewish State, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian
State. This plan caused a civil conflict between the domestic Palestinians and the
Jewish immigrants that were in the area. The Arab States of Egypt, Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen invaded the State of Israel because they rejected
the partition plan. Physical fighting started with the 1949 Armistice lines, which gave the
State of Israel 78% of historic Palestine. The 750,000 domestic Palestinians who left or
were forced out during this conflict blocked forever by the State of Israel after a pursuit
to return to their homes which were located within the 1949 Armistice lines designating
Israel. The Palestinians who did not leave were starting to be treated as second-class
citizens living among the Jewish citizens of Israel.
Even today most Palestinian citizens of Israel are not given certain rights that are
given to the Jews. Moreover, the borders of Israel are still not yet distinctly identified by
the Israeli government for decades now. Israel has established Jewish settlements
throughout the occupied West Bank. We can also say that the military occupations of
the Six Day War can still be seen and furthermore Israel has crushed and taken away
Palestinian homes, lands and has launched a couple of bombs which landed in Gaza
with hopes of keeping their occupation.
Timeline of Major Events
● 1933-1936 - Mass Jewish Immigration to Palestine after Nazis Gain Power in
Germa
● 1936-1939 - Arab Revolt in Palestine against British Mandate
●
29 November, 1947 - UN Partition Plan is adopted
● May 14, 1948 - Israel Declares Its Independence
● May 15, 1948 - First Arab-Israeli War Begins
● 1948-1949 - 700,000 Palestinians Become Refugees
● 1949 - Israel Signs Armistice Agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and
Syria
● July 1956 - Suez Crisis / Second Arab-Israeli War Erupts
● June 2, 1964 - Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Formed
● June 5, 1967 - "Six-Day War" Takes Place
● 1967 - 250,000 Palestinians Become "Displaced" after Six-Day War
● Sep. 1, 1967 - Arab Summit Conference Held in Khartoum (Sudan) Declares
That Israel Will Not Be Recognized
● Nov. 22, 1967 - UN Security Council Passes Resolution 242
● 1970-1971 - Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Is Expelled from Jordan
and Moves to Lebanon
● Nov. 10, 1975 - UN General Assembly Passes Resolution Calling Zionism a
Form of Racism
● 1982 - Reagan Plan Rejects Creation of an Independent Palestinian State
● Dec. 9, 1987 - First Palestinian Intifada Begins
● Dec. 1987 - Founding of Hamas
● Nov. 15, 1988 - Palestine National Council (PNC) Proclaims the Establishment of
a Palestinian State
● 1991 - Madrid Conference: Israel Enters First Direct Negotiations with Syria,
Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinians
● Dec. 16, 1991 - UN General Assembly Revokes 1975 Resolution Calling Zionism
a Form of Racism
● Apr. 16, 1993 - Hamas Carries out First Suicide Bombing Attack within Israel
● Sep. 13, 1993 - Oslo Peace Accord Is Signed by Israel and the PLO
● Apr. 1994 - Paris Protocol Is Signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority
● May 4, 1994 - Cairo Agreement Is Signed between Israel and the PLO
● Sep. 28, 1995 - Oslo II Accords Signed between Israel and the PLO, Giving
Palestinians Control over Parts of the West Bank and Gaza
● Jan. 15, 1997 - West Bank City of Hebron Is Divided into Areas of Israeli and
Palestinian Control
● Oct. 4, 1999 - Sharm al-Sheikh Agreement Sets a Timetable for Permanent
Peace Settlement Between Israel and Palestine
● Sep. 29, 2000 - Beginning of the Second Intifada
● Jan. 21-27, 2001 - Taba Negotiations: Israelis and Palestinians Discuss
Palestinian Refugees, Borders, Security, and the Future of Jerusalem
● Mar. 13, 2002 - United States Sponsors UN Security Council Resolution Calling
for a Palestinian State alongside the State of Israel
● Mar. 29 - Apr. 21, 2002 - Israel Launches Operation Defensive Shield and
Invades and Occupies Much of the West Bank
● June 19, 2003 - Israel Begins Construction of West Bank Security Wall/Fence
● Oct. 14, 2003 - 2003 Geneva Accords: Palestinian and Israeli Politicians Release
Symbolic Peace Agreement
● Feb. 2, 2004 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Announces Gaza Withdrawal
● Jan. 24, 2005 - Hamas and Islamic Jihad Agree to Suspend Attacks on Israel
● Aug. 22, 2005 - Israel Removes the Last Jewish Settlements in Gaza
● Aug. 26, 2009 - Palestinian Authority Issues Plan to Create Palestinian State
within Two Years
● Oct. 31, 2011 - Palestine Becomes 195th Full Member of UNESCO, United
States Pulls Annual $70 Million Contribution
● Nov. 11, 2011 - Palestinian Statehood Bid Stalls after UN Security Council Fails
to Vote
● Nov. 12, 2012 - Palestinian Authority to Seek Non-Member State Status at
United Nations
● Nov. 29, 2012 - United Nations Votes to Accept Palestine as a Non-Member
Observer State
● July 29, 2013 - Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks Resume in Washington, DC
● Apr. 23, 2014 - Hamas and Fatah Announce Agreement to Form a Unity
Government
● Mar. 16, 2015 - Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Says No to Two-State Solution
on Eve of Election
● May 13, 2015 - The Vatican Recognizes State of Palestine in New Treaty
● Sep. – Oct. 2015 - Escalating Violence between Palestinians and Israelis
● Dec. 23, 2016 - US Abstains on United Nations Resolution Condemning Israeli
Settlements Allowing Motion to Pass
● Feb. 6, 2017 - Israel Passes Law Retroactively Legalizing Almost 4,000 Settler
Homes Built on Palestinian Land
(​http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000031​)
Major Countries and Organizations Involved
Israel
Without the need to say Israel is a major party involved in the case. The original
population of now called the State of Israel is 96% Muslim and Christian but these
refugees are not allowed to return to their homes in the Jewish State. There are a lot of
Palestinians inside Israel and too many Israeli’s fleeing the country.
Israel’s ​continued military occupation and confiscation of privately owned land in the
West Bank, and control over Gaza, are extremely oppressive, with Palestinians having minimal
control over their lives. ​(​http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/​) ​ Israel ​is a firm believer of the West
Bank barrier as a security fence that would be necessary for the defense of terrorist
attacks against it.
Palestine StatePalestine is also a state that is obviously a major party that is involved with the
topic. ​During the 1948 and 1967 wars hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left, or
were forced out of, their homes and moved to neighbouring countries to become
refugees.
More than 4.6 million Palestinians are refugees and their descendants, many living in
camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. They get help from
the United Nations​. (​http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20436092​)
The historical figures show a substantial Arab population in Palestine till 1914
until Jews started pouring from across Europe as a result of the Zionist movement. As
Palestinian refer to people who were the descendents of races living here, they have
been the original inhabitants from centuries and even at present, 49% of the population
consists of Palestinian Arabs, concentrated largely in West Bank and Gaza and the rest
in Israel.
Christians consider Palestine a Holy place as it is the birthplace of Christianity;
however, there is very little Christian population in Palestine, comprising only 5% in
West Bank and Gaza collectively and 10% of the Israeli population in Palestine. Due to
the emigration that led from the ​Six-Day War in 1967​ and 1948 War, many of the
Palestinian Christians now live outside of the Mandate Palestine but a lot of them still
live in the Palestinian territories nonetheless. ​(​http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_early.php​)
United States of America
Due to the special interest lobbying, U.S taxpayers give Israel an avarage of $8
million per day, and since its creation have given more U.S. funds to Israel than to any
other nation. As Americans learn about how Israel is using our tax dollars, many are
calling for an end to this expenditure. ​(​http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/​)
Previous Attempts to solve the Issue
Most of the previous attempts such as the U.N. Security Council resolution were
to prevent the air strikes and generally to end the conflict between Israel and Palestine
by suggesting the One-State and Two-State solutions.
One-State solution is to create a single state in Israel, the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip, with citizenship and equal rights in the combined entity for all inhabitants of
all three territories without regard to ethnicity or religion.
(​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-state_solution​)
The two-state solution is a solution ​which calls for "two states for two groups of
people." The two-state solution envisages an independent ​State of Palestine​ alongside
th​e ​State of Israel​, west of the ​Jordan River​. ​The boundary between the two states is
still subject to dispute and negotiation, with Palestinian and Arab leadership insisting on
the "1967 borders", which is not accepted by Israel. ​(​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-state_solution​)
The Oslo Accords ​are a set of agreements between the government of Israel and
the ​Palestine Liberation Organization​ (PLO): the ​Oslo I Accord​, signed in Washington,
D.C., in 1993 and the ​Oslo II Accord​, signed in ​Taba​ in 1995. The Oslo Accords marked
the start of the Oslo process, a peace process that is aimed at achieving a peace-treaty
based on the ​United Nations Security Council Resolution 242​ and ​338​, and to fulfill the
"right of the Palestinian people to self-determination." The Oslo process started after
secret negotiations in ​Oslo​, resulting in the recognition by the PLO of the State of Israel
and the recognition by Israel of the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people
and as a partner in negotiations.
The Oslo Accords created the ​Palestinian Authority​, whose functions are the
limited self-governance over parts of the ​West Bank​ and ​Gaza Strip​; and, it
acknowledged that the PLO is now Israel's partner in permanent status negotiations
about the remaining issues. The most important issues are the ​borders of Israel and
Palestine​, the ​Israeli settlements​, the ​status of Jerusalem​, the question of Israel's
military presence in and control over the remaining territories after the recognition of the
Palestinian autonomy by Israel, and the ​Palestinian right of return​. The Oslo Accords,
however, did not create a Palestinian state. ​(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords)
Possible Solutions
The one-state solution is a step forward in creating an ethnically preferential state
in the conflict area of Israel and Palestine. As stated above the one-state solution would
create one state which gives equal rights to everyone no matter their ethnicity and
religion. This one-state solution is seen as an idyllic solution.
The two-state solution is also a possible solution which have been guided
by the Oslo Accords but this too is hard to achieve.
While debating this issue it is extremely important to keep in mind the West Bank
barrier which separates Israel and Palestine. Israelis believe that this barrier would
prevent terrorist attacks while Palestinians see this barrier as a ​racial segregation​.
Addressing the West Bank Wall is an important step while trying to maintain an
ethnically preferential state.
Generally addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict from all directions is a step in
the right direction. In order to solve this issue the delegates should look at all aspects of
the conflict and not just specifically the issue while doing their research and writing a
resolution.
Some other possible solutions to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict would be:
Reducing violence in Israel
Avoiding the construction of the barrier
Encouraging further debates on the issue
Providing incentives to encourage Palestine to fight terrorism
Creating interim arrangements to set the ground for a final agreement.
Creating stability in the Gaza Strip
Putting aside the concept of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement
Bibliography
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54925#.WKC6G2SLTs0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/israel-passes-law-legalizing-thousands-of-settlement-homes-in
-west-bank/article33917870/
http://thehague.thimun.org/images/THEHAGUE/THIMUN_HG_2017/Research_reports_2017/2017-APQNEResearch-Report.pdf
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/10/cleansing-palestinians-themselves/#sthash.qlyAWNQN.dpuf
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/histor
http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000031
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20436092
http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_early.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-state_solution
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_West_Bank_barrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-state_solution