Advisory Panel on the Question
of the Near-East (APQNE)
Research Report Booklet
THIMUN The Hague 2017
President: Samuel Ng
Vice President: Katherine Ross
Vice President: Maela Ruiz Le Moing
http://apjjf.org/2011/9/8/Herbert-P.-Bix/3488/article.html
The Hague International Model United Nations 2017 | 30th January 2017 – 3rd February 2017
Forum:
Advisory Panel on the Question of the Near-East
Issue:
The Question of the Israeli West Bank Wall
Student Officer: Samuel Ng
Position:
President
Introduction
The Israeli West Bank wall, often referred to as the Israeli West Bank Barrier, is a physical
separation barrier in the West Bank area. Construction of the barrier began in the midst of the
Second Intifada beginning in the year 2000. The building of the barrier was defended by the Israeli
government who made the claim that it was necessary to defend Israel against the wave of
violence that the uprising brought.
Yet, the debate regarding the political, legal, and moral justification of the West Bank
barrier continues to this day. While Israel continues to maintain that the barrier is justifiable in its
aim of defending the country from terrorist attacks, the organizations, individuals, groups, and
governments (most notably, the Palestinian government) who oppose the barrier assert that it is
being used to annex Palestinian lands and undermines former peace negotiations, citing the
unilateral declaration of borders as the rationale for this claim. The aim of the Advisory Panel on
the Question of the Near-East (APQNE) will be to provide its opinion on the legal status of the
barrier, also taking into consideration the political and social ramifications of the existence and
continued construction of the barrier on the states of the Near-East. On 9 July 2004, the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion which considered the barrier to be
illegal.
A popular solution that has been proposed to relieve tensions between Israel and Palestine
is the two-State solution. This is relevant to both this issue and the issue of the report following
this one. It is relevant to the West Bank barrier because the two-State solution can be a better
alternative to improving the Israeli-Palestinian relation and security of both nations in place of the
barrier. In November of 2016 during a monthly United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing
in New York, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and
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UN envoy, stated: “The continuing status quo in the occupied Palestinian territory reduces the
prospect for sustainable and just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.” He pushed the twoState solution to the UNSC during the same briefing, telling the council of the need for the
international community to reaffirm its support for the solution, including the need to propose a
meaningful plan that will lead to trust and negotiation between the two involved parties. More
information on the two-State solution can be found under the “Possible Solutions” section of this
report.
At a length of 708 kilometers (440 miles) (including constructed, under construction, and
planned components), the barrier is over twice the length of the 1949 Armistice Line drawn
between the West Bank and Israel. 15% of the barrier is part of Israel, the remaining 85% cutting
up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) deep into the West Bank, isolating nearly 10% of West Bank territory
and 25,000 Palestinians.
In this research report, both the affirmative and negative points of view for the existence
and continued construction of the Israeli West Bank wall will be examined, including the threats
that West Bank inhabitants face and will face with the completion of the planned wall. The history
behind the construction of the wall and factors which led to it will also be examined. The panel
will also consider solutions to curb the negative implications of the barrier on Palestinians, such
as the loss of land and reduced freedoms. Please note that the words “wall” and “barrier” are used
interchangeably throughout this report.
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Definition of Key Terms
Barrier
The United Nations (UN) uses the term “barrier” when referring to the West Bank wall. This
term is used to avoid the political connotations with the terms “security fence” (used by the Israeli
government) or “apartheid wall” (used by the Palestinian government). (BBC News, 2006)
West Bank
The West Bank is recognized as an Israeli-occupied territory which lies directly to the West
of Jordan and East of Egypt. Although the UN and the rest of the international community
recognizes the West Bank as an Israeli-occupied territory, Israel maintains that it should be
considered disputed territory, seeing as it was not under the distinct sovereignty of any State prior
to the Six-Day War (1967). The International Court of Justice (ICJ) found in a July 2004 ruling
that the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) is held by military occupation under Israel.
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 line served as a temporary border pre Six-Day War (1967).
Post-Six Day War saw Israel capture surrounding territories (including the West Bank) which
extended beyond the Green Line (now referred to as Israeli-occupied territories). The Armistice
Line is also referred to as the “pre-1967 border” in UN General Assembly resolutions.
Background Information
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be dated back to the late 1800s when the Zionists of
Europe immigrated into and colonized Palestinian land. The local population was initially
unaverred by this, but eventually was alarmed at the rate of Zionist immigration into Palestine.
This, alongside Jewish immigration from areas of anti-Semitism during the Holocaust period
caused a growth of conflict in the area. Zionists continued to encourage immigration to Palestine
for Jews fleeing persecution and genocide during this time period.
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The Partition Plan for Palestine adopted by the UN on 29 November 1947 proposed the
majority of Palestinian land to be designated to a new State named Israel for Jewish immigrants.
The Partition Plan included the division of Palestine into 3 distinct sections: the Jewish State, the
Palestinian State, and Jerusalem. The plan sparked a civil conflict between indigenous
Palestinians and Jewish immigrants in the area. The Arab States rejected the partition plan, and
the Arab States of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen invaded the newly
created State of Israel. Physical fighting ceased with the 1949 Armistice lines, giving the State of
Israel 78% of historic Palestine. The 750,000 indigenous Palestinians who fled or were expelled
during the conflict were permanently barred by the State of Israel after an attempt to return to
their homes which were situated within the 1949 Armistice lines designating Israel. The tens of
thousands of Palestinians who did not leave began to be treated as second-class citizens living
among Jewish citizens of Israel.
Today, Palestinian citizens of Israel are denied certain rights or privileges that are afforded
to Jews, such as the right to land and housing. Furthermore, Israel’s borders have not been
distinctly identified by the Israeli government for decades and are still not clearly defined. Israel
holds land such as the West Bank which they conquered during the Six Day War in 1967. Israel
has set up Jewish settlements throughout the occupied West Bank, supplying them with
infrastructure such as roads and army camps. In other words, the military occupations of the Six
Day War seems to be permanent. In defense of and to upkeep the occupation, Israel has
demolished and confiscated Palestinian homes, structures, and land, and has launched multiple
bombs and landing in Gaza. A recent example of this is the Israeli army’s firing of missiles aimed
at the Northern Gaza Strip on the night of August 21, 2016. The attack was a response to a rocket
attack which hit the Israeli city of Sderot. Just a month and a half before this on July 2, Israel
launched air strikes attacking several sites in Gaza in response to the rocket attack.
The Palestinian response to the State of Israel post-1967 has consisted of numerous
attempts to achieve liberation through armed struggles, all of which have ultimately failed. Recent
efforts have mostly consisted of "popular protest" instead of violent resistance.
Israeli-Palestinian Borders In Context
Because of the unique nature of Israel's formation as a sovereign State, and the conflict
that was sparked by the 1947 Partition Plan, Israel's borders are highly disputed, with different
major countries and organizations having different opinions and declaring different statuses of
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territories and land in the Near-East region. The specifics of which parties claim which lands are
of what status will be discussed in the section below.
Effects on Palestinians
The impact of the barrier on Palestinians is generally considered to be negative, apart from
reduced Israeli checkpoints in the Near-East region. A 2005 UN report reads: "The route inside
the West Bank severs communities, people's access to services, livelihoods and religious and
cultural amenities. In addition, plans for the Barrier's exact route and crossing points through it
are often not fully revealed until days before construction commences. This has led to
considerable anxiety amongst Palestinians about how their future lives will be impacted". A
commonly cited example to demonstrate the barrier's negative impact is the Palestinian town of
Qalqilya, surrounded on almost all sides by the barrier. An 8-meter high barrier goes along the
Green Line and divides the city and the Trans Israel Highway. The city is accessible through a
military checkpoint and an underground tunnel built in 2004 connects the city to the neighboring
village of Habla. The Israeli Supreme Court ordered the barrier to be rerouted in this area to ease
movement between Qalqilya and its 5 surrounding villages.
Major Countries, Organizations, and Territories
Israel
It is clear that Israel firmly believes that the West Bank barrier is a security
fence necessary for the defense of terrorism attacks against it, and has maintained that position
since the original construction of the wall. The Supreme Court of Israel ruled in 2004-2005 that
the barrier is legal in principle except for a 30km (18 mile) stretch of the barrier West of Jerusalem,
the court ruling that the stretch "violated the rights of Palestinians", ordering the section to be
rerouted.
Among the main Jewish population, there is overwhelming support for the
Israeli West Bank wall. In a survey conducted by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research
of Tel Aviv University, 78% of the Jewish population of Israel support the barrier as of June 2004.
Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s ambassador to the United States (2002-2006) vocalized his support for
the wall, suggesting it would “save the political process” as the barrier would reduce the ability of
foreign threats to launch attacks against Israel.
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Although Israel’s government and citizens tend to be pro-barrier, many leftwing parties and activists associated with Israel have criticized the barrier. Activists of Anarchists
Against the Wall and Gush Shalom, predominantly in the West Bank towns of Bil’in and Jayyous
actively protest the barrier.
Below are two maps. The first map pertains to the exact location of the West Bank
wall, including sections of the barrier which have are under construction and are planned. The
second map pertains to the mapping of the Metropolitan Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a crucial region in regards to the West Bank wall. The primary purpose of the section
of the wall overlapping Jerusalem is Israel’s refusal to share the holy city: a place of worship and
pilgrimage for the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).
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Palestine State
Palestinian citizens and leaders are virtually unanimously against the West
Bank barrier. A significantly high number of Palestinians have been moved off farmlands and
hometowns due to the wall and they will continue to be separated as the barrier is completed.
Many perceive the future construction of the barrier to be a plan to confine certain Palestinian
populations due to the nature of the planned route. (Kalman, 2004) For example, Palestinian
institutions in the town of Abu Dis are unable to provide services to residents of the suburbs of
East Jerusalem as a result of the barrier. In other areas, a simple 10-minute journey to an area
or village a few kilometers away can take several hours, as individuals must either travel around
enclaves or travel to and wait at an opening in the wall. (Amnesty International, 2004) The overall
opinion of Palestine is that the barrier will bring large amounts of discontent to the Near-East
region, contributing to the security issue rather than resolving it.
In 2004, The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) criticized the United States
for encouraging the construction of the barrier. The PNA stated, through its then president Yasser
Arafat: “US assurances are being made at the expense of the Palestinian people and the Arab
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world without the knowledge of the legitimate Palestinian leadership. They are rewarding illegal
occupation, settlement and the apartheid wall”.
Palestinian and left-wing Israeli activists have protested against the wall in the town of
Bil’in over the last several years. Reports of activists being killed by the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) have been pertinent. (Carbajosa, 2011) There have also been reports of Israeli government
“actors” who “acted” as protesters who threw stones at the IDF, giving grounds for the Israeli State
to prosecute protesters.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The ICJ stated in a July 9, 2004 advisory opinion: “Israel cannot rely on a
right of self-defense or on a state of necessity in order to preclude the wrongfulness of the
construction of the wall". The Court asserted that "the construction of the wall, and its associated
régime, are contrary to international law." The same advisory opinion mentions that Israel cannot
make the claim that the lawful citizens of its occupied territories are a foreign “threat”. Illegal
interference by the Israeli government against the Palestinian's right to self-determination, land
confiscation, house demolition, restriction of movement and access to water, food, education, and
healthcare, and the creation of enclaves was also cited by the court to be in violation of
international law.
Human Rights Organizations
Prominent international human rights organizations such as Amnesty
International (AI) and Human Rights Watch have vocalized their protest against the barrier,
including the routing of the barrier and the means by which the land required to build the barrier
was obtained. A 2004 Amnesty International report read: “The fence/wall, in its present
configuration, violates Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law.” It continues:
“Since the summer of 2002 the Israeli army has been destroying large areas of Palestinian
agricultural land, as well as other properties, to make way for a fence/wall which it is building in
the West Bank… The fence/wall is not being built between Israel and the Occupied Territories but
mostly (close to 90%) inside the West Bank, turning Palestinian towns and villages into isolated
enclaves, cutting off communities and families from each other.” A more recent 2015-2016 AI
report read: “In the West Bank, Israel severely restricted the movement of Palestinians, who were
excluded from large areas that had either been designated as military firing zones, or were near
the fence/wall constructed by Israel or within illegal settlements, and maintained an array of
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military checkpoints and bypass roads that restricted Palestinian travel while allowing free
movement for Israeli settlers. Israeli forces established new checkpoints and barriers, particularly
in East Jerusalem and the Hebron governorate, amid the upsurge in violence from October,
subjecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to restrictions amounting to collective
punishment.”
Timeline of Events
● 29 November, 1947 - UN Partition Plan adopted
● 1949 - Armistice Line (Green line) drawn
● June 5, 1967 - Six Day War begins
● 1967 - Israel captures the occupied territories of West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem
● 1992 - First proposal of a wall between Israel and Palestine by Yitzhak Rabin, then Prime
Minister of Israel
● 1994 - First barrier constructed between Bat Hefer and Tulkarm
● 1995 - Shahal commission established to discuss the “how” of constructing the barrier
● 2000 - Prime Minister Ehud Barak approved the financing of a fence between Latrun and
the Wadi Ara region
● September 2000 - Second Intifada begins, triggering the main construction of the wall
● 23 June 2002 - Ariel Sharon government approves the barrier in principle
● 2003 - 180 km (112 mi) of barrier completed
● 2012 - 440 km (273 mi) or 62% of barrier completed, 57 km (35 mi) of barrier under
construction, 212 km (132 mi) or 30% of barrier not yet started
● April 2015 – Israel Defense Force (IDF) begins construction of 7 mile stretch of earth
barrier along the Northern border
● October 2015 – “Days of Rage” begins. Palestinians participated in this wave of violence
by taking advantage of “gaps” in the West Bank wall, entering Israel illegally
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● February 2016 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a proposal to surround
Israel with a security fence. This announcement was made while he was visiting a
recently constructed barrier between Israel and Jordan. During the visit, he mentioned
that the government was looking into “fixing gaps” permanently in the current West Bank
barrier.
Relevant Documents, Treaties, and Resolutions
● 1949 Armistice Agreements
● Fourth Geneva Convention
● The Hague Regulations 1907
● United Nations Resolution S/RES/1544
● United Nations Resolution A/RES/ES-10/14
● United Nations Resolution A/RES/ES-10/15
Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue
There have not been many significant attempts to solve the “issue” regarding
the West Bank barrier. Debate on the issue has been fairly deadlocked, with Israel maintaining
that the wall is necessary for fending off security threats and that this is its only purpose, while
Palestine argues that the barrier is an apartheid wall designed for racial segregation.
The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled against specific sections of the barrier
multiple times in an effort to lessen its threat to Palestinians. This includes a 2004 ruling which
ordered the government to reroute a 30 kilometer stretch of the barrier which, in the court’s
opinion, was in violation of the rights of Palestinians. Another similar ruling includes a 2005 ruling
ordering the government to reroute the barrier in order to minimize its negative impacts on
Palestinians.
Possible Solutions
Numerous polls studying opinions of both Palestinians and Israelis show that both sides
favor a two-State solution in regards to territorial disputes, including the withdrawal of Israel from
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the West Bank. However, neither side knows or trusts the other to enable this. Seen from this
perspective, a possible solution is ensuring a well-designed West Bank security fence to dissipate
the conflict and violence between Israel and Palestine, while a two- State solution is developed.
A poorly designed barrier however, would add to the problem. Overall, the key to this is ensuring
the security of Israel through the barrier whilst minimizing the hardships on Palestinians as much
as possible. In order to achieve this, the following objectives must be worked towards and
ensured (derived from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy):
● Reduce violence in Israel by preventing terrorist infiltrations
● Avoid construction of the barrier that would create a contiguous Palestinian State
● Encourage debate on the future of settlements in the Near-East region
● Provide incentives to encourage Palestine to fight terrorism
● The barrier must conform to the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant international
law
Bibliography (Work on formatting below)
"A Defensible Fence:." A Defensible Fence: - Fighting Terror and Enabling a Two-State Solution
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The Washington Institute for Near East
Policy, Apr. 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"A Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict." If Americans Knew. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Bard, Mitchell. "West Bank Security Fence: Background & Overview." Background & Overview
of Israel's Security Fence | Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative
Enterprise, Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
"BBC Publishes List of "key Terms" Used in Israel-Palestinian Conflict." The Electronic Intifada.
N.p., 01 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Bush and Sharon: Much Ado about More than Nothing - a Commented Celebrity Scrapbook."
Bush and Sharon: Much Ado about More than Nothing - a Commented Celebrity
Scrapbook. N.p., 15 Apr. 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Carbajosa, Ana. "Palestinian Mother Tells of a Family Tragedy during Protest against
Separation Barrier." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Jan. 2011. Web. 15
Nov. 2016.
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Conséquences Juridiques De L'édification D'un Mur Dans Le Territoire Palestinien Occupé:
Avis Consultatif Du 9 Juillet 2004 = Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Advisory Opinion of 9July 2004. The Hague:
International Court of Justice, 2004. Web.
Digital image. Citizens Republic. WordPress, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"DISPUTED TERRITORIES- Forgotten Facts About the West Bank and Gaza Strip." Israel
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. State of Israel, 01 Feb. 2003. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Document." Document. Amnesty International, 19 Feb. 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"International Court of Justice." International Court of Justice. N.p., 09 July 2004. Web. 15 Nov.
2016.
"Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories 2015/2016." Israel and Occupied Palestinian
Territories 2015/2016. Amnesty International, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
"Israel and the Palestinian Territories Today." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Israel High Court Ruling Docket H.C.J. 7957/04 International Legality of the Security Fence and
Sections near Alfei Menashe September 15, 2005." Israel High Court Decision regarding
the Security Fence -Sept 15, 2005 - Complete Text Source Document - Zionism and
Israel Information Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Israeli Palestinian Conflict Explained: An Animated Introduction to Israel and Palestine. N.p., 28
Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Israeli West Bank Barrier." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
Jazeera, Al. "Israeli Air Strikes Pound Gaza after Rocket Attack." News from Al Jazeera. Al
Jazeera Media Network, 21 Aug. 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
Lazaroff, Tovah. "UN Envoy: Security Council Should Act to save Two-state Solution." The
Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. JPost Inc., 26 Nov. 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
Levinson, Chaim. "'Undercover Israeli Combatants Threw Stones at IDF Soldiers in West Bank'
- Diplomacy and Defense." Haaretz.com. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd., 06 May 2012.
Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Nunez, Sandy. "Warring Communities Separated By Wall." ABC News. ABC News Network,
n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Preliminary Analysis of the Humanitarian Implications of the April 2006 Barrier Projections."
(n.d.): n. pag. Office for the Coordination Of Humanitarian Affairs. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Q&A: What Is the West Bank Barrier?" BBC News. BBC, 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 15 Nov.
2016.
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Prepare for War and Ye Shall Have Peace. Prepare for Peace and Ye Shall Have War . . . . . . .”
Prepare for War and Ye Shall Have Peace. Prepare for Peace and Ye Shall Have War . .
. . . . . Arutz Sheva, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
Service, Matthew Kalman Chronicle Foreign. "Israeli Fence Puts 'cage' on Villagers / More
Palestinians Scrambling to Keep Barrier from Going up." SFGate. Hearst
Communications. Inc., 09 Mar. 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"The Seperation Barrier - Statistics." The Seperation Barrier - Statistics | B'Tselem. Guaka, 01
Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Appendix
1. Introduction
2. Definition of Key Terms
a. Barrier
b. West Bank
c. 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line)
3. Background Information
a. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
b. Israeli-Palestinian Borders in Context
c. Effects on Palestinians
4. Major Countries and Organizations Involved
a. Israel
b. Palestinian State
c. International Court of Justice (ICJ)
d. Human rights organizations
5. Timeline of Events
6. Relevant Documents, Treaties, and Resolutions
7. Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
8. Possible Solutions
9. Bibliography
10. Appendix
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Forum:
Advisory Panel on the Question of the Near East
Issue:
The question of the Occupied Territories (West Bank, The Golan
Heights, East-Jerusalem)
Student Officer: Katherine Ross
Position:
Vice President
Introduction
The issue of Palestine is the only issue to have been on the UN’s agenda for its entire
existence (Barghouti) and the question of land has always been at the heart of the PalestinianIsraeli conflict. The original partition of land was voted on in November 1947 and the UN’s first
peacekeeping operation was to monitor the ceasefire lines after the 1948 war in the region. Until
the 1970s, Arab States like Egypt and Palestine generally refused to recognize Israel’s legitimacy
as a State and Israel refused to recognize Palestine as a State. However, in the 1970s, after the
1967 Six-Day War (in which Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza strip, the West Bank,
East-Jerusalem and the Golan Heights), both sides recognized a need for compromise (Paul,
“Land and Settlement Issues”). Egypt recognized Israel in the peace treaty of 1979 and Jordan in
a peace treaty in 1994 (Glass). Since then, there has been growing international approval for the
two-State solution with Palestinian sovereign control over the Gaza strip, the West Bank and EastJerusalem. The UN has called on Israel to cease their occupation of theses territories. These,
along with the Golan Heights are the Occupied Territories. However, Israel has refused to
withdraw (except from the Gaza Strip, though it continues to control that area’s borders). The
peace process has largely stalled since UN resolutions 242 and 338 as US influence keeps the
Security Council from acting and the UN from anything besides symbolic measures (Paul, “Land
and Settlement Issues”).
Definition of Key Terms
Occupation
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A “territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the
hostile army. The occupation extends only to the territory where such authority has been
established and can be exercised” according to article 42 of the 1907 Hague Regulations. All 4
Geneva Conventions of 1949 apply to occupied territories. Laws of occupation apply regardless
of whether the occupation is lawful (i.e. approved by the security council under the UN charter
and jus ad bellum.) Occupation can end wither when the occupier withdraws or when a local
government gains sovereignty (if they allow the foreign military forces to remain on the ground)
(ICRC Legal Team).
Occupied Territories
The Occupied Territories consist of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and
the Golan Heights.
Zionism
Zionism is, in its most simplistic form, support for a Jewish homeland and State. This
quickly became support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and later support for the State of
Israel (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Zionism”).
Palestine
The term Palestine is fraught with political implications but in general, it is a reference to
the area that was once the Mandate Palestine of Great Britain. It includes area referred to as the
Holy Land by all three major monotheistic religions. The people of the West Bank and Gaza see
themselves as Palestinian and seek to establish an independent Arab State known as Palestine.
Currently Palestine has a non-member observer status as part of the UN and refers to the
Palestinian Authority (Jones et al).
Mandate
A mandate in this context refers to the right of a nation, given by the League of Nations
after World War 1, to govern a former German or Ottoman colony. These colonies were seen as
unable to govern themselves and so were distributed among the victors of World War 1 – their
job was to prepare these nations to govern themselves in the future (The Editors of Encyclopedia
Britannica, “Mandate”).
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Self-determination
Self-determination is a key concept of international law; it is protected in the United Nations
Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is “the legal right of people
to decide their own destiny in the international order.” In the latter half of the 20th century the idea
of self-determination has been split into two categories – internal and external. Internal selfdetermination refers to political and social rights of an individual and external self-determination
refers to the right of a people to independence from a larger state (Legal Information Institute).
Sovereignty
To be a sovereign nation is to be an autonomous State. Sovereignty can mean supreme
power over a political body, freedom from external control or having controlling influence
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Sovereignty”).
Two-State Solution
The Two-State Solution is the conventional approach to solving the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict and settling the issue of the occupied territories. It suggests the creation of two States
both following the principles of self-determination, one Jewish and one Arab – Palestine and
Israel. In this plan, both states would be independent and autonomous. Generally, the Two-State
solution embraces the idea of a divided Jerusalem and the West Bank and Gaza as making up
the Palestinian states according to pre-1967 borders. However, the details are very dependent
on the plan put forward (as such borders and agreements differ in the UN Partition Plan, Arab
League Plan and Oslo Accords). France has been trying to initiate a conference in December
with the help of the Obama administration on achieving concrete steps towards a Two-State
solution before the Trump administration comes to power. There has been waning international
hope that a Two-State solution will indeed be achieved and less and less constructive support
from the Palestinian Authority and Israeli governments (Lazaroff).
Background Information
In order to fully understand the issue of the occupied territories it is imperative that one first
understands the source of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the competing territorial claims on
the region. Conflicting land and territory claims are at the root of the Palestinian conflict and these
are made worse by both Israeli and Palestinian nationalisms, which have been respectively
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galvanized by such atrocities as the Holocaust and dispossession of Palestinians (Paul, “Land
and Settlement Issues”). The Israeli claim on the land of Palestine is based on the need to escape
anti-Semitism and the fact that the area was once known as the kingdoms of Israel, Judea and
Samaria (Jewish kingdoms) and on biblical promises to Abraham and his descendants.
Palestinian claims to the land are based on their continuing residence in the area for thousands
of years and on the fact that they were the demographic majority until 1948. Furthermore, they
disagree that a biblical promise or kingdom is a valid claim to territory and assert that Abrahams’
son Ishmael is the forefather of Arabs so the land is promised to them as well, according to the
Bible. There is resentment that they are expected to give up land to make up for Europe’s crimes
against the Jewish people (Beinin and Hajjar).
Occupied Territories
The original Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories was to retain a very light-handed
occupation. The Israeli military was small and stretched thin anyway. They tried to interfere as
little as possible with Palestinian life. By 1977, only about 5000 Israelis lived in “strategic
settlements” in the West Bank, Gaza, Golan and Sinai Peninsula. However, extremist religious
Israelis inspired by Rabbi Zvi Yihuda Kook believed they must settle the biblical land everywhere
to usher in a messianic era (Elath et al). UN Resolution 242, passed in, gave Israel the opportunity
for expansion due to a translation discrepancy. French and English, both official languages of the
UN, translate the document differently. The French version requests Israeli withdrawals from ‘all
territories’ acquired in the Six-Day War and the English from ‘some of the territories’. As such,
Israel uses the English version to claim that Israel has fulfilled the criteria of the resolution
because they withdrew from some of the territories seized during the war (Paul, “Land and
Settlement Issues”).
After the war of 1967 Palestinian came to accept the original partitions drawn up by the
UN in 1947 (which was initially rejected) and the focus shifted to the Occupied Territories of
Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005 but still
builds settlements in the West Bank (that are largely considered illegal by the international
community) (Paul, “Land and Settlement Issues”). Both settlers and companies that make use of
occupied territory receive benefits from the Israeli government such as preferential access to land
and water, low rents whereas Palestinians are often cut off from their land, denied permits to start
their own businesses. In fact, the restrictions on Palestine cost its economy an estimated $3.4
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billion a year according to the World Bank. There are about 1000 factories in the industrial zone
(which is under Israeli administration) of the occupied West Bank. Many Palestinians work at
these factories for much lower wages than Israeli minimum wage because they are rarely
inspected. Additionally, if any workers complain the company can always make up a security
incident and remove their work permit leaving them jobless. According to Human Rights Watch,
all companies that do business in or with the settlements are in some way contributing to human
rights violations. No country recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied territories which
means all products made in them should not be labelled Made in Israel. While the right in Israel
sees the settlements as a victory and regards the labelling of products made their as Made in the
settlements as a defeat they are mistaken. Israel herself is not an illegal State but as the line
between Israel and the occupied territories is blurred the illegitimacy of the settlements become
inexplicably intertwined with the legitimacy of Israel (Press). With Netanyahu’s election to Prime
Minister in 1996 started more than a decade of radicalization of Israel and Israeli politics.
Netanyahu’s government is very pro-settler and Israeli politics is now dominated by right-wing
extremists (Ashrawi). Occupation is an untenable long term strategy – the people being occupied
will necessarily resist. This does not in any way excuse violence or terrorism on the part of
Palestine. In order to achieve a viable and tenable solution both sides will have to make significant
and uncomfortable compromises. Palestinians must find a way to unite under a single government
for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and they must continue to categorically condemn acts
of terrorism and violence (as such, the Gaza tunnel product should likely be stopped). Israel will
need to stop expanding its settlements and practicing a regime of discrimination. In January of
2016, the Israeli government had already approved another 150 homes in illegal settlements in
the West Bank and declared 370 acres of land ‘State Land’ (the usual precursor to being settled
by Israelis). They also continue to create legal justification of demolition of Palestinian homes in
the West Bank. Israel will need to provide support for the PA and will have to shift its policies
regarding the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A good starting point would be improving housing,
energy, communications, agriculture, and water access. They should also begin to approve
Palestinian plans for Area C of the West Bank to help promote investment and development. The
current situation is not only untenable but also harmful to the moral foundation of both nations.
The longer this occupation and violence goes on the more isolated and condemned Israel will
become, the more angry and violent Palestine will become. The longer this continues the more
hate, violence, and terrorism there will be (Ban Ki-Moon).
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The Golan Heights
The Golan Heights was seized from Syria in the 6-Day War of 1967. Most Syrians fled the
area at this time. Syria tried to take it back in 1973 during the Ym Kippur War but failed. As part
of the ceasefire there has been a UN observer force on the border since 1974. Israel annexed
the area in 1981, although this is not internationally recognized. They offered citizenship to all
those living there but many Arabs refused out of loyalty to Syria (Paul, “Geneva Accord”). There
are roughly 30 settlements in the Heights with 20,000 settlers. The Syrian population is also
roughly 20,000, most of them Druze. While the Golan Heights is quite small, it is of significant
strategic importance. Before 1967, Syria regularly shelled Northern Israel from the Heights and
you can see Syria’s capital, Damascus from there.
The natural geography of the Heights makes it a
very good defense against any attacks from Syria
by effectively providing a Buffer Zone between Syria
and Israel. The area also provides a third of Israel’s
water supply. Any peace deal with Syria would
require the return of the Golan Heights. In the 1999
the USA brokered peace talks with Syria, Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak was willing to give back
the majority of the Heights, which would have
involved relocating most of the 20,000 settlers.
However, talks stalled when Israel made clear they
would not return the eastern bank of the Galilee Sea
–
the border would be a couple hundred meters east of
the
1948 ceasefire lines. Syria did not accept this and Israel refused to allow Syria control over the
Eastern side of their largest fresh water source. In 2003, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad
started to open up peace talks however, the Turkish led talks in 2008 stalled when Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert resigned over a corruption inquiry. There are is little popular support for returning
the Heights in Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has stalled all hope of talks over the
region. Since 2012 the Syrian Civil War has also made the return of Golan even more unlikely
(BBC Monitoring).
East Jerusalem
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In the UN’s partition plan Jerusalem was within Palestinian territory but designated as a
separate entity. It was designated as Corpus Separetum (i.e. under international rule) along with
Bethlehem. The rationale was that it was a holy city with holy sites in all 3 major religions. While
Israel accepted this, the Arab States did not (they also refused to accept Israel which is why they
invaded in 1948). The 1949 green line (ceasefire between Jordan and Israel) split Jerusalem into
two halves but left areas of no man’s land and special provisions for Mount Scopus as it contained
the Hebrew university of Jerusalem and an Israeli hospital but lay within Jordanian lines. Then in
1967 in the Six-Day War Israel occupied Jerusalem and redefined its boundaries to include West
bank towns and villages making Jerusalem the biggest city in the nation. It also granted
Palestinians in East Jerusalem permanent residency status (like non-Jewish foreigners who move
to Israel). No nations recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem or its 1980 law that declares
“Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.” All embassies are in Tel Aviv although
in 1995 the US congress passed a law requiring the embassy to move to Jerusalem. However, it
allowed the President to waive this law every two years
which he has always done. Jerusalem has time and time
again proven to be a huge obstacle to peace negotiations.
Disagreements over Jerusalem stalled the Camp David
peace talks in 2000 – Palestine wants Sovereignty of East
Jerusalem,
Israel
is
only
willing
to
grant
them
custodianship over Muslim and Christian holy sites and
wants Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem to remain part
of
Israel (Zahriyeh).
West Bank
The West Bank was intended in the UN partition
plan to form a large basis of the new Arab State it hoped
to
create. However, after the British left the Mandate of Palestine in 1948 and Israel declared itself
an independent nation, five Arab nations, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, declared war
on Israel and all but Lebanon invaded. In the fighting Israel expanded the territory originally
allotted to them. Nevertheless the West Bank remained roughly the size and shape of the UN
partition plan but it never formed the basis of the new Arab State that the UN had intended to
create as it was occupied, and then annexed, by Jordan. The lines demarcating the West Bank
are the April 1949 armistice lines between Jordan (then known as Transjordan) and Israel. In
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1950, Jordan annexed the West Bank and extended citizenship to its people – the annexation
was only recognized by Britain and Pakistan. There was tension between the West Bank and
Jordan as there was Palestinian suspicion of the Hashemite dynasty that ruled Jordan and
Palestinian aspirations for independence. Nevertheless, economic and cultural ties grew and by
1967 the West Bank was 47% of Jordan’s population and 30% of its GDP. In 1967 during the
Arab-Israeli war, Israel occupied the West Bank and established a military administration of it.
There was for the first decade of Israeli occupation limited resistance. However, by the late 1970s
and 1980s an aggressive Israeli policy of settlements in the West Bank, including the seizure of
property and land that it deemed neither cultivated nor privately owned, increased Palestinian
resistance. From 1979 to 1983 the number of settlements tripled and number of settlers increased
by more than 500%. This increased suspicion that Israel intended to annex all of the West Bank,
bit by bit. To make matters worse, the PLO refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist until
1988 and Israel refused to acknowledge Palestine’s right to exist until much later. Anti-Israeli
protests broke out in the West bank in 1987 and continued for several years after that despite the
fact that the Israeli army tried to suppress demonstrations. Secret negotiations in 1993 led to an
agreement that during a 5-year period the Israeli army would gradually withdraw from populous
Arab areas and Palestinian self-rule would be extended to the West Bank and Gaza strip, creating
a Palestinian State. In 2006 the Fatah government who were willing to negotiate with Israel lost
the election to Hamas due to criticism of corruption and incompetence. Abbas, Prime Minister and
leader of Fatah, dissolved the coalition government in 2007 due to escalating violence in the Gaza
Strip and its failures. He replaced it with an emergency cabinet that primarily consisted of Fatah
politicians. It was at this point that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip’s administration split, Gaza
governed by Hamas, the West Bank by the emergency PA government (and Israel). The
international view of Hamas as a terrorist organization meant that foreign nations cut aid to the
Gaza Strip and increased aid to the West Bank (including Israel) (The Editors of Encyclopedia
Britannica, “West Bank”).
Gaza Strip
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The Gaza Strip is an area of land along
the Mediterranean just northeast of the Sinai
Peninsula. It is unusual in that it is a densely
populate area of land that does not belong to
any country. Roughly half its people live in
refugee camps sustained through the UNWRA
(food,
clothing,
shelter
and
other
basic
resources are all provided by the UNWRA
which effectively runs the refugee camps).
These refugees are both internally displaced
Palestinians native to the Gaza Strip whose
homes have been bombed in hostilities
between Hamas and Israel or are long term
refugees who fled during the earlier Arab-Israeli
wars. When Egypt occupied it in 1948, it
refused to allow Palestinians into Egypt or to give them rights as Egyptian citizens. Israel did not
compensate any of the refugees for their loss of property or let them return home. These
conditions meant many young Palestinians turned to Arab guerrilla groups to get back at Israel.
It was precisely the threat of these guerrilla groups that led the Israeli military to occupy the Gaza
Strip in the Suez crisis of 1956. It succumbed to international pressure and returned the land to
Egypt by 1957. However, in the 6-Day War (1967) the Gaza Strip was once again occupied by
Israeli forces and this time the occupation lasted until 2005. As part of peace talks with the PLO
and in response to the increasing violence in the Gaza Strip Israel unilaterally withdrew from the
Gaza Strip in 2005, transferring authority to the PA, although Israel continued to patrol its borders
and airspace. However, in 2006 the win by Hamas in parliamentary elections and the subsequent
division of the West Bank and Gaza Strip meant things took a turn for the worse. The United
States, Israel and the European Union all had Hamas on their lists of official terrorist organizations
and so placed sanction on Gaza. In the fall of 2007 Israel declared the Gaza Strip under Hamas
was a hostile entity and started a series of sanctions including power cuts, restricted imports and
border closures. In 2008, in response to rocket fire on southern Israel from Hamas in the Gaza
Strip, Israel completely sealed the Gaza Strip off and started a fuel blockade. The border between
the Gaza Strip and Egypt, closed since Hamas’s takeover, was temporarily breached and allowed
hundreds of thousands of civilians through to access food, fuel and goods from Egypt. Mubarak,
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then president of Egypt temporarily permitted this for the citizens of Gaza before he once again
began to secure the border. In June of 2008, Hamas and Israel implemented a truce that included
multiple allegations of violations – it lasted 6 months and once over, neither side sought to renew
it. Sustained rocket fire from Hamas (starting once the 6 month ceasefire ended in December)
led Israel to respond with extensive air strikes on the Gaza Strip. More than a thousand
Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands had their homes destroyed. After 1 week of air
strikes Israel launched a ground campaign. After three weeks both sides declared a ceasefire. In
2011, Mubarak was force to resign due to popular protests and the new Egyptian government
opened the border with the Gaza Strip for people to cross (but not goods). But in 2013 the
government increased restrictions on the border. From February to November 2012, sustained
Hamas rocket fire on Israel led Israel to initiate further air strikes on the Gaza Strip. The two sides
continued to escalate fighting until 8 days later both sides reached a ceasefire agreement. The
Gaza Strip’s economy is heavily agricultural based but during times of political stability many are
allowed out to work in Israel (though they are not allowed to stay the night). However, during times
of political instability Israel closes the border and leaves thousands of Gazans jobless. Due to
frequent border closures and trade restrictions as well as the Israeli blockade, an extensive
network of tunnels under the Egyptian border has been built through which Gaza accesses food,
fuel, goods and weapons from Egypt (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Gaza Strip”).
However in 2013 the Egyptian government cracked down on these smuggling tunnels.
21% of Gazans are in deep poverty (compared to 7.8% on the West Bank). The
unemployment rate is 40.8% and the youth unemployment rate higher than 50%. Population
density in the Gaza Strip is already one of the highest in the world. On average 4,505 people live
on every square kilometer in the Strip and that is expected to increase to 5,935 by the end of
2020. The closing of the Egyptian border crossing has had severe negative impacts on health
care available in Gaza. Perhaps more concerning is food security. 57% of Gazans experienced
food security in 2013 and most need financial aid to afford food. The Israeli buffer zone, which is
1.5km wide on the Gaza side of the border coincides with Gaza’s most arable land and the fishing
limit remains at 6 nautical miles, reduced to three anytime rocket fire threatens Israel (BBC, “Life
in the Gaza”). Some have called Israel’s strategy against Gaza “mowing the grass” – they come
in every few years to hurt Hamas enough to prevent them from terrorizing Israel (Fisher). The
Gaza Strip is still considered Occupied Territory by the UN because Israeli soldiers have “effective
control,” while Israel does not consider The Gaza Strip to be Occupied Territory (Eglash).
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Major Countries, Organizations, and Territories
Israel
Israel understandably has major interests when it comes to the Occupied Territories. Under
their current government they are not willing to trade land for peace as Netanyahu has made little
attempt to participate in peace talks. They are continuing their program of settlement in the West
Bank and annexation of the Golan Heights as well as isolation of the Gaza Strip and declaration
that an undivided Jerusalem is their capital. Prime Minister Netanyahu does not, of course,
represent all Israelis but the result of unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the implosion
of Syria makes it seem unlikely Israel is willing to forfeit any of the Occupied Territories anytime
soon. Additionally as long as Hamas continues to practice terror Israel will continue to adopt
aggression rather than negotiation as its foreign policy strategy. Previous governments have been
far more amenable to compromise but the rise of the Right and the Orthodox in Israel has
decreased the government’s desire to compromise.
Some observers of Israel believe that Netanyahu has used the more liberal policies of
Democratic presidencies as a cover for his own belief in the Two-State solution; effectively
escaping all censure from the right for not abandoning the solution. However, numerous further
settlement projects have already been proposed since Trump won the Presidency as the Israeli
right believes he will not oppose further expansion in the West Bank. It remains to be seen how
Trump, Netanyahu and the Israeli high courts responds. The Israeli Supreme Court recently
rejected a government request to delay the demolition of an illegal Israeli settlements in the West
Bank and a great many Israelis believe that a Two-State solution is necessary for world peace
and the security of the state of Israel (Kershner).
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority has consistently been willing to compromise with Israel but has
recently been dealing with internal strife (the rift with the Gaza Strip). They want international
recognition and an autonomous State of their own as well as a solution to the Palestinian refugee
issue and a share in Jerusalem (either through internationalization of division). Currently the
Palestinian Authority controlled my Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah party run the West Bank.
Fatah and Hamas did agree to peace terms in 2014 but agree on little to no concrete details of
foreign policy (BBC News, “Profile: Hamas”).
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Hamas
While Hamas originally stood in, and won in, the 2006 Palestinian Authority elections.
However after violent clashes in June of 2007 between Fatah and Hamas they left to
independently run the Gaza Strip and let the Palestinian Authority under Fatah run the West Bank.
Hamas’s goal is the destruction of Israel so it would consider all of the land Israel now holds as
occupied territory. It is not willing to compromise, although it has said that it would accept a 10year truce if Israel withdrew to the pre-1967 lines. It has consistently failed to condemn violence
as a tactic leading to its classification as a terrorist organization by nations such as the USA,
Canada and Japan. Since its democratic election it has used force to maintain control of the Gaza
strip and has struggled since its Muslim Brotherhood ally in Egypt was ousted (BBC News,
“Profile: Hamas”).
Egypt
Egypt has often been the most willing of the Arab nations to compromise with Israel, seeking a
partner against Iran, but the unpopularity of Israel’s occupation make it difficult for Egypt to work
with Israel. They strongly support peace and a final resolution to the question of the Occupied
Territories but want the restoration of Israel’s borders to its pre-1967 state. Israel and Egypt have
been working together to strike against ISIS fighters in the Sinai Peninsula. This year was also
the first year in 9 years that an Egyptian Foreign Minister visited Israel. Their shared concerns
over instability in the region and in particular over Hamas in Gaza have led to warmer relations
(The Editorial Board).
Syria
Syria once used to be a decisive player in the region but as it has descended into civil war
and as such the international community will likely not use now as an opportunity to suggest Israel
hand over the Golan Heights to Syria. Syria’s current priority is fighting both ISIS and the rebels,
not the Golan Heights.
Lebanon
The expelled PLO sought refuge in Southern Lebanon (Elath et al.). Israel invaded
Lebanon in 1978 and 1982 and for a long time maintained occupation of the southern portion of
the nation (Paul, “Land and Settlement Issues”). It withdrew chaotically in 2000. Israel still holds
the Shabaa Farms border zone, which is an area of contention as Lebanon claims it is Lebanese.
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Hezbollah’s location in Lebanon poses a threat to them not just because they are a terrorist
organization but because Israel in the past has not hesitated to infringe on Lebanese sovereignty
to hunt Hezbollah down as they did in July 2006 when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers
(Paul, “Lebanon and Syria”). Lebanon like Jordan is quite active on the issue of the Occupied
Territories and also supports the Arab Plan and full withdrawal to pre-1967 lines.
Jordan
Jordan is hostile towards Israeli occupation of the West Bank and supports a two-State
solution as detailed in the Arab plan. They want full withdrawal of Israel from territory occupied
since 1967. However, their priorities have recently shifted since they are now dealing with the
threat of IS and a huge refugee crisis (Rumley and Ragron).
USA
The USA is a supporter of Israel but retains reservations about the occupied territories. It
remains to be seen what its new administration’s stance will be, as Donald Trump Mr. Trump’s
position on the question of the occupied territories is not entirely clear. Mr. Trump’s policy papers
requested Israeli withdrawal to defensible borders which, according to Israel, is something very
different from the pre-1967 borders, and indeed the wording marks a sharp shift in US policy on
the matter. Mr. Trump has also told the Wall Street Journal that he would love to negotiate an end
to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, calling it the ‘ultimate deal.’ On the other hand the co-chairman
of Trump’s Israel Advisory Committee publically stated that Mr. Trump did not consider Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and obstacle to peace (Kershner).
Arab League
The Arab League has twice in the 21st century tried to promote a peace deal that
permanently settles the question of the occupied territories but has been rebuffed by Israel. It is
in fact interested in peace and in a final resolution to the problem as the threat of Islamist
Fundamentalist extremism looms at its door. It supports full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied
Territories.
Iran
Iran does not border Israel or Gaza nor is it ethnically Arab majority (it has a Persian
majority and practice a different type of Islam from the Palestinians). Nevertheless it has helped
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fund and arm Hamas (as well as other anti-Israeli groups) and provides them with long range
missiles that could theoretically hit major Israeli cities (since they are unguided and Israel has a
complicated missile defense system this is unlikely). There is disagreement as to why exactly Iran
helps fund Hamas; either they are committed to destroying Israel, see this as an easy way to
project power or fear and Israeli-American attack and see Hamas as part of their defense (Fisher).
European Union (EU)
The EU adopted a resolution in January of 2016 agreed to by al 28 foreign ministers that
strongly condemned Israeli settlements as detrimental to the peace process and the viability of a
Two-State solution. They stopped far short of calling for a boycott on Israeli goods but insisted
that products made in the settlements be labelled as such and not as Israeli. They again
reaffirmed the fact that under international law the settlements are illegal as are force relocations,
transfers of peoples, and restriction of movement and access (Beaumont and Rankin).
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has not officially recognized Israel, but nevertheless seeks allies against Iran
in the region and has for some time been conducting secret talks with the Israelis. Israeli and
Saudi officials have in fact been cooperating on security and intelligence matters and there have
been media adjustments in the kingdom to prepare for better relations with Israel. In August retired
major General Anwar Eshki took a Saudi delegation to Jerusalem where they engaged in open
talks with Israeli officials (The Editorial Board).
ISIS
ISIS is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – a merger of the Islamic States forces in Syria
and Iraq. It started as ISI, Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella organization of the AQI, al-Qaeda in
Iraq. They opened the al-Nusra front against the Syrian government and the creation of ISIS was
opposed by both al-Nusra and al-Qaeda leaders but fighters loyal to Baghdadi – the leader of
ISIS, allowed their foothold to continue in Syria. They are an extremist Sunni Muslim religious
group who intend to create an Islamic Caliphate and destroy obstacles to God’s rule on earth;
they see a fight against non-Muslims as the fulfillment of Islamic apocalyptic prophecies (BBC
News, “What is ‘Islamic State’?”).
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Timeline of Events
● 1882 - Zionist movement begins and first wave of European Jewish immigration to
Palestine
● 1917 - Balfour declaration announced the British government’s support for a Jewish
national homeland in Palestine
● 1920-21 - Clashes between Arab and Jewish communities lead to deaths on both sides
● 1921 - Britain divides its mandate into two, creating the Emirate of Transjordan (to the east
of the Jordan River) ruled by one of Husayn ‘ibn Ali’s sons – Abdullah, and the Mandate of
Palestine, a quasi-colony under British control. This is the first time Palestine becomes a
unified political entity
● 1928 - Clashes between Jews and Muslims over rights to the Western (Wailing) Wall
● 1929 - Betar Jewish youth movement (revisionist Zionists) raised a Zionist flag over the
Western Wall. Muslims fearing for the safety of the Noble Sanctuary attacked the Jewish
community in Hebron and massacred 128 (the remainder were saved by their Muslim
neighbors and fled the city of Hebron)
● 1933 - Hitler’s rise to power leads to a sharp rise in Jewish immigration to Palestine
● 1936-39 -Arab Revolt protesting Zionist settlements and British control. Suppressed with
the help of Zionist militias by the British. Exile of Palestinian political leaders
● 1939 - White Paper issued by the British Government limiting Jewish settlements and land
purchases and promising an independent majority Arab Palestinian State in 10 years. The
Jewish Community saw this as a betrayal of the Balfour declaration
● 1947 - The UN voted to partition Palestine into two States - one Jewish and one Arab. The
Jewish state had 56% of the land and the Arab 44%. Arab States and Palestinian Arabs
rejected this partition
● April 1948 - Fighting began between Jews and Arabs almost immediately after the UN
decision. Zionists by 1948 had control over most of the territory allotted to the Jewish
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people and had begun to occupy territory that was not allotted to the Jewish people, but
the Palestinians
● May 1948 - The British leave Palestine and the State of Israel is proclaimed. Egypt, Syria,
Jordan and Iraq declare war on Israel and invade to save Palestine from the Zionists.
Lebanon declares war but does not invade
● 1949 - The war ends with the signing of an armistice (at first the outcome was uncertain
but an arms shipment from Czechoslovakia turned the tide). The area is now divided into
three parts by the 1949 armistice line (the Green line). Israel (77% of what was Palestine),
Jordan occupied east Jerusalem and the hill country (West Bank) and Egypt took the area
surrounding the city of Gaza (Gaza Strip)
● 1950 - Jordan annexes the West Bank and East Jerusalem and gives citizenship to all
Palestinians living in the area
● 1956 - Israel joined Britain and France in attacking Egypt for nationalizing the British and
French controlled Suez Canal and to stop attacks by Palestinians from the Gaza strip.
Israeli forces captured Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula but pressure from the Soviet Union
and the USA forced them to retreat to 1949 armistice lines
● 1964 - The Arab League creates the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
● 1967 - Soviet Union incorrectly informed the Syrian government that Israeli forces were
amassing on the border to attack Syria. Syria requested assistance from Egypt who
invaded Sharm al-Sheikh and blockaded an Israeli port. Israel then pre-emptively invaded
Syria and Egypt and destroyed their air forces in a matter of hours. Jordan joined in and
was defeated by Israel. Israel as a result of this 6-day war captured The Golan Heights
from Syria, The West bank form Jordan and the Gaza strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.
A Palestinian National movement emerge in the form of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation
Organization)
● 1971 - President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt suggests he is willing to sign a peace agreement
with Israel in return for the Sinai Peninsula (taken in the war of 1967). Israel and the USA
ignore him
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● 1973 - Egypt and Syria attack Israeli forces in the Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula on
Yom Kippur. This ended up increasing military aid to Israel and meant American
intervention. Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, started limited bilateral negotiations
with the US as the power broker and negotiated the withdrawal (partially) of Israeli forces
from Sinai and The Golan Heights but ignored the issue of the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip
● 1977 - President of Egypt speaks to the Knesset as a symbol of recognition of the State of
Israel
● 1978 - Jimmy Carter initiates the Camp David presidential retreat where the Egyptian and
Israeli President work out a framework for Egyptian Israeli peace and how to solve the
Palestinian question
● 1979 - Egyptian Israeli Peace treaty signed
● 1987-91 - The First Intifada
● 1991 - Gulf War. The US hosts multilateral conference in Madrid, Spain to promote the
resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. More conferences in Washington DC. Little is
achieved
● 1992 - Yitzhak Rabin become prime minister of Israel
● 1993 - Oslo Declaration of Principles results from secret negotiations between the PLO
and Israeli government. Prior to this Israel refused to recognize Palestinian national rights
or Palestine and only negotiated with Arab States in the region and insisted that
Palestinians be incorporated into existing Arab States. First suicide bombing
● 1994 - Palestinian Authority established (PA) by PLO. Israeli peace treaty with Jordan
● 1995 - Yitzhak Rabin assassinated by a right-wing Israeli extremist who opposed Israeli
withdrawal from the occupied territories
● 1996 - Elections for Palestinian Legislative Council and PA President as well as elections
in Israel. Just prior to the Israeli election Shimon Peres ordered an attack on Lebanon that
led to the Qana massacre (Lebanese civilian sheltering in a UN compound were shelled
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by Israelis). Many in Israel lost faith in Peres’s commitment to peace after that and he lost
the election
● 1999 - Israel’s high court forbids the “routine use of torture of Palestinian prisoners”
● 2000 - Bill Clinton invites PA President and Israeli president to Camp David for final status
negotiations. It fails
● 2000 - Second Intifada starts. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP start suicide bombings
and armed operations
● 2001 - Brief initiation of Palestinian-Israeli talks (USA not present)
● 2002 - Suicide bombing in Netanya during Passover. Operation Defensive Shield launched
in retaliation (full tank invasion of the West Bank)
● 2002 - Arab Peace Plan endorsed by all Arab States expect Libya at the Beirut summit of
the Arab League
● 2002 - Construction of Separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank authorized
● 2002 - Official US announcement of support for the two-State solution and George Bush
announces his road map to peace which includes supervision by a Quartet (US, UK,
Russia and the UN)
● 2003 - Road Map plan announced and Israel responds with 13 reservations
● 2005 - 7,800 Jewish settlers evacuated from the Gaza strip. From then Israel has controlled
entrance and exit of goods and people, as well as air space and coastal waters of the Gaza
Strip but has not had any settlement in the Strip
● 2006 - Hamas wins a decisive majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council and
a slim majority of the popular vote. PA president is a member of second place Fatah party,
Abbas
● 2007 - Arab League renews its efforts in promotion of the Arab Peace Plan but are rebuffed
by Netanyahu
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● 2007 - United States backs a Fatah coup in the Gaza Strip. Hams wins and gains sole
control over the Gaza strip
● 2007 - Abbas dissolves the Palestinian Authority cabinet and resigns in favor of Fayyad
who pursues a neoliberal economic approach
● 2007 - Israel declares the Gaza Strip hostile territory and with Egyptian President Mubarak
tightens blockade on the Gaza strip
● 2008-09 - Israeli assaults on Gaza strip
● 2009 - Obama announces he will add Arab proposals into the US policy on the Middle East
● 2010 - Turkish government sends relief to besieged the Gaza strip and Israel attacks
vessel carrying relief, killing 10. Turkish and Israeli relations worsen
● 2011 - Al Jazeera publishes the Palestine Papers – the results of two yearlong secret talks
between Olmert and Abbas that came close to a solution
● 2011 - Abbas asks the UN for Palestinian Statehood to be recognized
● 2012 - Abbas asks the UN to join as a Non-member observer State, which is granted
● 2012 - More attacks by Israel on the Gaza strip
● 2012 - The Levy Committee rules that Israel is not an occupying force in the West Bank
because it has been under control of Israel for decades and it does not seem if Israel will
ever withdraw (Goldberg, “The West Bank”)
● 2013 - Fayyad resigns. Netanyahu wins election with a strong majority and replaces
religious Jewish groups with centrists and secularists in government. Talks with the
Palestinian Authority start up again with US encouragement. Jordan, Israel and the PA
come to an agreement to save the Dead Sea
● May 2013 - Syrian Civil War fighting reaches the Golan Heights and Israeli and Syrian
troops exchange fire
● 2014 - Three teenage Jewish Israelis are kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank. Israel
responds by arresting members of Hamas so Hamas fires more rockets at Israel. Then
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Israel begins an air and land assault on the Gaza Strip that ends in Egyptian brokered
peace (BBC News, “Israel Profile – Timeline”)
● 2015 - Netanyahu’s Likud party wins elections again. Series of stabbings of Israelis by
Palestinians escalates tensions. Israel ceases talks with the EU following their labelling of
Settlement products as made in the Settlements (BBC News, “Israel Profile – Timeline”)
● 2016 (May) - Ultranationalist appointed Israeli defense minister
● 2016 (June) -
Israel withholds Palestinian permits following attacks on Israelis. A
Palestinian teenager kills an Israeli teenager in a Settlement
● 2016 (September) - Israeli forces kill a Palestinian attacker and violence increases.
● 2016 (October) - The Old City retains its conservation status
● 2016 (November) - Donald Trump wins and Netanyahu warns a joyous right wing to be
cautious. Israel rejects peace talks with Palestine in Paris asserting it prefers direct talks
with Palestine. Israeli Supreme Court denies government request to delay demolition of an
illegal Israeli settlement.
Relevant UN Treaties and Events
General Assembly Resolution 181 (1947)
According to this resolution Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city under the
administration of the UN. However Arab States rejected this proposal and instead Jerusalem was
divided in half – West Jerusalem Israeli and the East Jerusalem Jordanian. In 1967 Israel invaded
East Jerusalem and formally annexed it in 1980 (Paul, “Land and Settlement Issues”).
UN Resolution 242 (1967)
Recognizes the “inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force” and request the
nation of Israel to withdraw from the territories seized during the 6-Day War. French and English,
both official languages of the UN, translate the document differently. The French version requests
withdrawals from ‘all territories’ and the English from ‘some of the territories’. As such, the Israelis
and American governments use the English version and claim that Israel has fulfilled the criteria
of the resolution by withdrawing from some of the territories seized during the war but not all.
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Palestinians reject this resolution because it calls for Palestinian recognition of Israel without
recognizing Palestinian right to self-determination or return to their homeland (Paul, “Land and
Settlement Issues”).
UN Resolution 338 (1973)
Demands that Israel withdraw completely from the occupied territories of the West Bank,
East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip (Paul, “Land and Settlement Issues”).
Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
White Paper (1939)
In 1939 the British released a statement of Government Policy called the White Paper
limiting future Jewish immigration and land purchases and promising independence for the
Palestinian mandate in 10 years which would have created a majority Arab State. The Jews
regarded this as a betrayal of the Balfour declaration and the British-Zionist alliance came to an
end (they were particularly angry because of the prosecution Europe’s Jews were facing at the
time). However the Arab Revolt of 1936-39 had resulted in the exile of Palestinian leadership
and this meant that Palestine was politically unorganized at this crucial time (Beinin and Hajjar).
UN Partition Plan (1947)
In November of 1947 the UN General Assembly passed a measure to partition Palestine
into two states – one Jewish, one Arab – each with a majority of their own ethnicity (although
some Jewish settlements would be in the Arab state and hundreds of thousands of Arabs would
end up in the Jewish one). The land was divided 56% to Israel and 43% to Palestine under the
assumption that many more Jews would immigrate. Jerusalem and Bethlehem were international
zones under this partition plan. Arab States rejected it outright while Israel outwardly accepted it
(though harbored intentions of somehow expanding their borders) (Beinin and Hajjar).
Madrid Peace Conference (1991)
This took place in Madrid, Spain in 1991 at the behest of George H. W. Bush the Israeli
Prime Minister Shamir was reluctantly pressed into multilateral peace talks. His conditions, which
the US accepted, were that the PLO not be invited and the question of Palestinian independent
Statehood not be addressed directly. Subsequent talks were held in Washington but little progress
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was made. Human rights conditions in the occupied territories deteriorated with Rabin’s election
to the office of Prime Minister and undermined the Washington peace talks (Beinin and Hajjar).
Oslo Accords (1993)
The Oslo accords gave the Palestinian Authority 60%
of the administrative rights over the Gaza strip but prevented
its inhabitants from entering settlements or Israeli roads, thus
cutting them off from Jerusalem. Israel’s occupied territories
were divided into three types of classification. In type A, the
Palestinian Authority has full control over civilian life but the
Israeli’s have control of the borders. In type B, the PA and
Israeli forces share security control but the PA is in charge of
civilian life. In type C Israeli forces have complete control over
both security and civilians (Paul, “Land and Settlement
Issues”). One of the primary failures of the Oslo Accords was
that it failed to discuss key issues such as borders and settlements, Palestinian refugees and the
status of Jerusalem. They were hoping for a gradual peace process and so decided to start slowly.
There were also no guarantees, no arbitration and no enforcement mechanism. This meant that
while peace negotiations were occurring the Israeli government was continuing to build
settlements, even increasing the pace of their growth. And despite Shimon Peres’s assurances
that Palestinian Institutions in Jerusalem would be left alone, in 2001 the Israeli government shut
down the PLO’s headquarters, the Orient House and other Palestinian Institutions in Jerusalem.
Israel also began to create new restrictions on Palestinians and their movement. Soon the peace
process was seen by Palestinians as a smoke screen that Israel used to annex more Palestinian
land (this disillusionment is connected to the second intifada). The fact that the mediators of the
Oslo accords were American also meant the balance of power during peace talks was not
perceived as fair by many international observers and Palestinians. Not only was Israel the
stronger, more powerful state with far more bargaining chips, the accords were being mediated
by a nation whose foreign policy was decidedly pro-Israel (Ashrawi).
Arab Peace Plan (Saudi Plan) (2002)
In March 2002 Saudi Arabia created a Peace Plan that was met with approval by the Arab
League and hope around, the world. The plan requested Israel withdraw to its pre-1967 borders
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and recognize an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel would
receive, in accordance with the ‘land for peace’ principle, normalization of relations with Saudi
Arabia and other States as well as their guarantee of both Palestinian and Israeli security. It
vaguely referred to Palestinian refugees, calling for “a just solution to the Palestinian refugee
problem” according to General Assembly Resolution 194, contrary to the Palestinian Authority’s
desire for right of return for refugees. Despite this the Palestinian authority approved of the plan
and even the Israeli government initially was interested but later rejected it (Paul, “Saudi Plan”).
Road Map (2002)
In 2002 The Quartet (USA, Russia, EU and UN) came together to draft a new peace plan
for the Palestine-Israeli conflict. In April of 2003 they unveiled their Performance-based Roadmap
to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Crisis. The Roadmap consisted of a
three-stage program with its end goal an independent Palestinian State and a permanent
resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by 2005. Unfortunately, it had no enforcement
mechanism and relied on good faith and voluntary action. Neither Israel nor Palestine have shown
themselves to be adept at this. The requirement that Palestinians immediately cease all violence
and Israel all settlement building was ignored by both sides (and on the Palestinian side
impossible to achieve anyhow as they could not control the actions of every Palestinian). Violence
continued and neither side showed any indication of compliance with the Roadmap (Paul, “The
Roadmap).
Geneva Accords (Draft Permanent Status Agreement) (2003)
The Geneva accords took a different track than previous agreements. Instead of a step by
step process with final status negotiations at the end, these non-official peace negotiations
worked first on a final solution for the most divisive issues like the status of Jerusalem, the
settlements and Palestinian refugees’ right to return. It was brokered by the Swiss government
and revealed in October 2003. However, the accord has very unequal concessions, requiring far
more from Palestine than Israel and not recognizing the right of return of refugees (Paul, “Geneva
Accord”).
Peace in the Golan Heights (1974, 2000, 2008)
There have been many attempts to bring peace to the Syrian Israeli border but all have
failed bar the 1974 armistice where the UNDOF has kept the border quiet. US brokered peace
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talks in 2000 failed over the issue of the Sea of Galilee and talks in 2008 mediated by Turkey
failed when Israel started to conduct strikes on Gaza. While previous Israeli governments have
indicated they are willing to fully withdraw from the Heights Netanyahu is opposed to the idea and
Syria maintains full withdrawal as a precondition for peace talks (Zirulnick).
Palestine Papers (Secret Olmert-Abbas negotiations) (2006-2008)
From December 2006 to September 2008, Olmert and Abbas engaged in secret
negotiations and came very close indeed to a final peace agreement. In 2011, sources leaked the
Palestinian papers on these secret talks to Al Jazeera who published them (thus the name
Palestine Papers). Since then Olmert and Abbas have confirmed the contents of the papers: they
agreed to demilitarization of the Palestinian State, an American-led international security force on
the border, the sharing of Jerusalem, whose holy sites would be overseen by an international
committee and the return of 10,000 Palestinian refugees to Israel with compensation and
resettlement for the rest. Olmert also agreed to build a 25-mile tunnel under Israel connecting the
West Bank to the Gaza Strip. The talks fell apart due to disagreements over settlements in the
West Bank. Olmert wanted to avoid evacuating populous areas so proposed a 6.3 (minimum 5.9)
percent annexation of Palestinian land in return for 5.9 percent of Israeli land. Abbas said he
would not yield more than 1.9 percent. The specific settlements which the disagreements
centered on were Ariel, Ma’ale Adumim and Efrat. Talks were abandoned when Israel invaded
Gaza in 2008, Olmert was indicted on corruption charges and Netanyahu’s government won the
Knesset elections. Netanyahu refused to continue the negotiations (Beinin and Hajjar).
Possible Solutions
The argument can be made that Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank is in Israel’s own
interests. The threat posed by Iran’s nuclear power program is problematic as is the increasing
alienation of Israel from possible allies in the region. Turkish and Egyptian relations have soured
and Palestinians grow less and less tolerant of the Palestinian Authority’s peaceful government,
which is plagued by corruption and receives very little visible benefit from cooperating with Israel.
Through negotiated peace, or if that fails, unilateral action, Israel could withdraw from the West
Bank – a move that would disturb Iran, increase the possibility of negotiations with surrounding
nations and decrease Palestinian anger. It would also be a huge economic boon to Israel, which
shells out 6.3 billion a year in direct payment for the occupation. Recalling the settlers would also
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create a victory over the extremist ultranationalist right wing parties of Israel. By ceasing the
occupation Israel would gain opportunities for trade and tourism that has been sanctioned for
moral reasons due to the occupation, and it would give its Arab neighbors a reason to, and
justification to, begin the peace process with Israel. Sunni leader are for more scared of Iran than
they are of Israel.
There is an Israeli argument that they have no partner for peace – and this is, to some
extent true, because Hamas’s goal is the destruction of Israel and the PA is weak and corrupt,
but the fact of the matter is that they do not need a partner to withdraw. As of 2012 there were
500,000 settlers living in the West bank. 375,000 of them lived in places very close to the Israeli
border and are effectively Israeli. The PA even agreed at one point to cede these blocs of land in
return for Israeli land elsewhere. If just 5% of Israeli land was swapped for 5% of Palestinian land
85% of these settlers could be include back in the state of Israel. 77% of West bank settlers are
non-ideological who settled in the West Bank for economic reasons including the government
benefits. 100,000 settlers agreed they would move back into pre-1967 Israeli borders if they were
given financial assistance. However, the Israelis would have to avoid fleeing chaotically as they
did in Lebanon in 2000 or the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, which was perceived as an
alternative to negotiations not a prelude. However for Israelis who worry about giving something
for nothing they could leave soldiers in strategic positions in Palestine. Additionally they could act
as though the two sides had agreed to a land swap by halting new settlement construction,
integrating existing settlements and preparing land for possession by Palestine. Ehud Barak, the
defense minister has indicated he is willing to talk about such plans, as has the Kamida (largest
party in the Knesset). Here the West (particularly American) aid could help as Americans can
start using the aid they give Israel for political leeway (Tepperman). Not only is this a solution for
Israel – it is a solution for Palestine as it finally gives it autonomy over the West Bank.
The issue of the Golan Heights has been complicated by the Syrian civil war, but being
sovereign Syrian territory it should be given back to Syria (perhaps once the civil war has been
resolved). No matter when it is given back it is clear that negotiations on the water rights to the
Sea of Galilee need to be conducted and perhaps a Near East conference on water sources and
agreements might be to the benefit of all nations and help resolve the issue critical to Golan.
While the Two-State solution has long been the accepted best possible answer to the
problem of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as support for it collapses under Netanyahu’s
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administration in Israel and under disagreement between Fatah and Hamas it is looking like a
less and less likely solution. Recently a confederational approach has been suggested. The main
principles are the delinking of statehood and residency (which would allow Palestinian refugees
to return to their homes without endangering the Jewish majority in Israel, and allow Jewish
settlers to stay in the West Bank without infringing upon Palestinian sovereignty), a cooperatively
governed Jerusalem, and cooperative governance on resource and security issues (Waxman and
Scheindlin).
However, for any negotiation or solution to take place, The Arab Peace Plan, The UN
partition, the Geneva Accord (the problem with the Occupied Territories is not a lack of peace
plans but rather the fact that nobody ever follows them) – anything, cooperation and compromise
is required on both sides. So, before the issue of the occupied territories can be solved the issue
of extremism and intolerance in Palestine and Israel must be dealt with. Luckily withdrawal from
occupied territories is a very effective weapon against Palestinian extremism (provided Israel
refrains from blockading), and not firing rockets a very effective weapon against Israeli extremism.
Through this prism we can see that resolving the issue of the occupied territories would help
resolve the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and extremism and prejudice on both sides. To
do this it is obvious that the next agreements must involve a fair and neutral mediator and equal
concessions and perhaps most importantly – an enforcement mechanism to ensure that lofty
ideals go into practice.
Bibliography
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Appendix
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1. Introduction
2. Definition of Key Terms
a. Occupation
b. Occupied Territories
c. Zionism
d. Palestine
e. Mandate
f. Self-Determination
g. Sovereignty
3. Background Information
a. General Overview
b. Occupied Territories
c. The Golan Heights
d. East Jerusalem
e. Sinai Peninsula
f. West Bank
g. Gaza Strip
4. Major Countries and Organizations Involved
a. Israel
b. Palestinian Authority
c. Hamas
d. Egypt
e. Syria
f. Lebanon
g. Jordan
h. USA
i. Arab League
j. Iran
k. EU
5. Timeline of Events
6. Relevant UN Treaties and Events
a. General Assembly Resolution 181
b. UN Resolution 242
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c. UN Resolution 338
7. Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
a. Oslo Accords
b. Geneva Accords
c. Road Map
d. White Paper
e. Arab Peace Plan
f. Palestine Papers
g. Madrid Peace Conference
h. UN Partition Plan
8. Possible Solutions
9. Bibliography
10. Appendix
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Forum:
Advisory Panel on the Question of the Near-East
Issue:
The Question of the Syrian Refugees in the Near East Region
Student Officer: Samuel Ng
Position:
President
Introduction
The Syrian Civil War, which began on March 15, 2011 has scarred and threatened the
livelihoods of millions of Syrians. Over 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives as a result of the five
and a half-year civil conflict. Currently, an estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes
since the conception of the war. The majority of Syrian refugees have fled to the neighboring
countries of Syria, overlapping many areas of the Near-East, including Lebanon, Jordan and
Egypt, and areas that have an impact on the region, surrounding the Near-East, such as Saudi
Arabia and Iraq.
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The civil conflict which has torn Syria apart over the last 5 years stemmed from antigovernment protests which turned into an all-out civil war. Millions of Syrians have been forced
out of their homes as forces associated with President Bashar al-Assad battle with those opposed
to the leader's rule, along with jihadist militants from the Islamic State. This war is not cut and dry,
nor black and white, not simply the "brave and righteous rebels against the totalitarian
government". Instead, it is a messy and confusing culmination of violent battles, which have
devastated the masses of Syrians, forcing them to flee their home country and seek refuge.
Definition of Key Terms
Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
Persons who have been forced to flee their country, but remain within their country's
borders. Many consider IDPs to be refugees, but this is incorrect, seeing as an IDP does not
conform with the current definition of a refugee.
Asylum seeker
Persons who have requested for sanctuary, but have not had their application processed.
Refugee
According to USA for UNHCR, a refugee is "someone who has been forced to flee his or
her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of
persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular
social group". The 1951 Refugee Convention, which is the main international document pertaining
to refugee law, defines a refugee as someone "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted
for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political
opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling
to avail himself of the protection of that country".
Repatriation
Repatriation refers to the returning of an individual to his/her place of origin or citizenship.
In the context of refugees, this includes both voluntary return and deportation.
Livelihood
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In the context of refugees, a livelihood refers to "a means of making a living". This includes
an individual's assets, capabilities, and resources required to attain the "needs" of life.
(International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)
Free Syrian Army (FSA)
A participant or faction in the Syrian Civil War. It was founded in 2011 by members of the
Syrian military who had the goal of bringing down Assad's government. The FSA has received a
significant amount of weapons and monetary support from the United States, United Kingdom,
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Gulf States.
Rojava
The autonomous region located in Northern Syria divided into three cantons (which are
self-governing): Afrin Canton, Jazira Canton, and Kobani Canton. It gained its de facto
autonomous status due to the expansion of secular polity in the midst of the Rojava conflict and
Syrian Civil War.
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
An extremist radical Sunni Muslim with the objective of implementing an Islamic State in
the region of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Occupied Territories, and Southeastern Turkey.
Democratic Union Party (PYD)
A Kurdish left-leaning political party which was established in the year 2003 in Syria by
Kurdish activists. Its current leaders are Salih Muslim and Asya Abdullah.
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Background Information
As the issue at hand is “The Question of the Syrian Refugees in the Near East Region”, it
is important that the “Near East Region” is clearly defined. In the context of lobbying and debate
regarding this issue, the following are the countries of the Near East region (in alphabetical order):
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. However, panelists should also keep in mind
that neighboring countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia do have an impact on the Near
East countries.
The Syrian Civil War has arguably created the largest refugee crisis the world has ever
seen. The crisis started with anti-government protests which emerged in March 2011 as a part of
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the Arab Spring. Peaceful protests quickly turned into violence with a government crackdown and
armed opposition forces fighting back. Eventually, army defectors organized the Free Syrian Army
and many civilians took up arms against the government.
For Syrians that have lived in Syria throughout the ongoing war, life has been both
challenging and burdensome with crowded cities being bombed, human rights constantly violated,
and sparsely located food and healthcare. The UN estimates that 6.1 million Syrians are Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs). Considering this and the millions of Syrians who have fled their homes
seeking asylum, it is not unreasonable to assume that the vast majority of the 22 million pre-war
population are in desperate need of humanitarian care. In fact, the UN has declared that 13.5
million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Life has also been just as dangerous for Syrians who have decided to escape in search of
a better, safer place to live. Families are forced to travel on foot throughout the night to avoid
sniper attacks. There is also the risk of a family’s male members being kidnapped along the
journey, carried out by forces looking for young men to fight for them.
In terms of Near East countries, the majority of Syrian refugees have been pouring into
Jordan and Lebanon ever since the beginning of the war. Being the two smallest countries in the
Near East region, the housing of Syrian refugees there has put a strain on their infrastructure and
resources.
Major Countries, Organizations, and Territories
Jordan
There were 628,000 registered Syrian refugees here as of mid-2015. A census in the same
year shows that there are 1.4 million Syrian refugees living in Jordan, meaning that over half of
the refugees are unregistered. According to the World Bank, the influx of Syrian refugees to
Jordan has cost its government over $2.5 billion per year, amounting to approximately 25% of its
annual revenue. The kingdom’s public debt has increased to 90% of its GDP in 2016, inhibiting
the growth of the country. Most refugees in Jordan are not in refugee camps. Instead, they live in
local communities which has strained the local infrastructure, particularly in Northern towns.
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Lebanon
Lebanon housed 1.05 million registered Syrian refugees as of early-mid 2016. 53% of this
figure represents children. Refugees here don’t live in camps, but instead mostly rent their own
accommodation around the country. However, as much as nearly a fifth of them live in informal
settlements. The Lebanese government has continuously made it more challenging for Syrian
refugees to renew their residency permits, to the point that less than 30% of households in
Lebanon have legal status (all members of the household are legal). As much as 70% of refugee
households live under the poverty line as of 2015, a jump of 21% since 2014. These statistics are
indicative of the fact that the large number of Syrian refugees being accommodated here has put
a strain on the country and it is obvious that the local government are struggling to house refugees
here.
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Egypt
Although Egypt (which is a Near-East country) does not directly neighbor Syria, it has been
a popular area for Syrians to flee to since 2012. Egypt housed 120,000 registered Syrian refugees
as of early-mid 2016. However, contrary to this, a study conducted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry
found that Egypt has hosted around 500,000 refugees since the start of the conflict. Hisham Badr,
Egypt’s assistant Foreign Affairs Minister claimed that the refugee influx costs Egypt $300 million
per year. He has also complained about a lack of foreign assistance from other countries, and
believes that the EU-Turkey deal is to blame for the refugee influx.
Israel
Israel’s tough stance on accepting Syrian refugees has been consistent since the
conception of the war. In a 2015 cabinet meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu, current Prime Minister of
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Israel said: “We will not allow Israel to be submerged by a wave of illegal migrants and terrorist
activists”.
Gulf States
Alongside Israel, it is worth noting that none of the Arab Gulf States (with the exception of
Iraq) have opened their borders to Syrian refugees.
Palestine
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has offered to house Syrian refugees and has called on the
international community to pressure Israel into doing the same. A September 6, 2015 press
release from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry read: "[The] country is ready, despite its limited and
modest means, to open the houses of all the Palestinian citizens to accommodate asylum seekers
instead of having them continue a journey toward the unknown, based on the instructions of
President Abbas.” Despite all of this, there seems to be a general consensus among the
international community that the gestures are little more than political strategy and public
relations. According to Ahmed Majdalani, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
committee member: "The situation of Palestinians in Syria is similar to the situation of Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon’s Nahr al-Bared camp when clashes broke out between the Lebanese army
and militants of Fatah al-Islam on May 20, 2007. The camp was destroyed and its residents were
displaced, but the PA was unable to receive them."
Iraq
As of 31 October 2016 figures, Iraq hosts 227,971 registered Syrian refugees. Iraqi
Kurdistan currently hosts refugees with ethnically Kurdish backgrounds.
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Turkey
Turkey hosts 2.74 million registered refugees as of Mid-May 2016. There are a total of 22
government-run refugee camps which house around 820,000 refugees total. Turkey houses the
most Syrian refugees compared to any other country and has provided upwards of 8 billion US$
in aid so far.
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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
The UNHCR mentions on its website: "[The] UNHCR works hard to help, leading a
coordinated effort across the region. Together with our partners, NGOs and host governments,
we offer a lifeline to those in need … We provide life-saving humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees,
helping the most vulnerable with cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating,
insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing". As part of an appeal to the international
community, the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) has been implemented. This plan,
along with other aspects of the appeal will be further discussed in the below section: "Previous
Attempts to Solve the Issue."
Timeline of Events
The following timeline is largely adapted from the following source:
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/3/13/timeline-syria-4-years-of-devastation
● March 1971 - Hafez al-Assad elected president
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● June 2000 - Bashar al-Assad succession
● March 15, 2011 - Conception of Syrian Civil War. Dubbed the "Day of Rage", hundreds
staged protests on this day. The protests called for democratic reform, more civil liberties,
and the freeing of political prisoners
● March 18, 2011 - Security forces kill four after opening fire on a Daraa protest. This marked
the first of the hundreds of thousands deaths that the uprising brought
● July 2012 - Four top officials, including the defense minister general and President Assad's
brother in law were killed in a bombing of the Syrian national security building in Damascus
● June-August 2012 - After conflict spreads to Aleppo, Syria's largest city, rebels take control
of half the city, leaving the city in ruins
● November 2012 - Syrian National Coalition created
● March 2013 - Considered to be the start of the "refugee crisis". The UN-registered Syrian
refugee figure tops 1 million
● January 2015 - The UN estimates that the war had cost the lives of 220,000 individuals,
and around 7.5 million have been displaced from their homes, about a third of the prewar
population
● February 2016 – US-Russian based ceasefire attempts fail
● March 2016 – Palmyra is taken back into control by the Syrian government with Russian
air assistance
● August 2016 – Turkish troops assist Syrian rebels push-back against IS forces and
Kurdish-led rebels
● September 2016 – UN suspends aid convoys in Syria following an attack near Aleppo
killing 20 civilians
● December 2016 – Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister objects to a Security Council
draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo.
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Relevant Documents, Treaties, and Resolutions
● United Nations Security Council Resolution, 22 February 2014, S/RES/2139 (2014)
● United Nations Security Council Resolution, 14 July 2014, S/RES/2165 (2014)
● Statement by the President of the Security Council, 24 April 2015, S/PRST/2015/10
● Vetoed United Nations Security Council Resolution, 22 May 2014, S/2014/348
● Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against the Government of Syria to Respond
to Use of Chemical Weapons, S.J. RES 21, 113th United States Congress
● Geneva I Communique, Action Group for Syria, Final Communique
Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue
So far, four of the six Near-East countries have clearly opened their borders to a significant
number of Syrians seeking asylum or house Syrian IDPs. The other two countries are Israel and
Palestine. As mentioned above in the "Israel" section of "Major Countries, Organizations, and
Territories", Israel has not been open to accepting Syrian refugees within their borders and there
is nothing that would suggest a change of this stance in the near future. Because of the State of
Palestine's borders and the presence of their own refugee problem, many deem it infeasible for it
to accept Syrian refugees despite the Palestinian Authority's (PA) offer to house them. However,
the PA has put Israel in a tough position by rallying the international community to pressure the
country in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage them to accept Syrian refugees.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been providing
humanitarian care and aid to Syrian refugees in the Near-East area. The Regional Refugee and
Resilience Plan (3RP) is part of UNHCR's appeal to the international community for financial aid
(USD 4.54 billion) to support the nearly 5 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries (many
of them including refugees in the Near-East region). As outlined on the website, the strategy:
"brings together the plans developed under the leadership of national authorities – namely, the
Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese
Republic, and the Republic of Turkey – to ensure protection, humanitarian assistance and
strengthen resilience". Another aspect of UNHCR's appeal is the 2016 Syria Humanitarian
Response Plan which seeks for US$ 3.2 billion. It has more intended beneficiaries (13.5 million
individuals in Syria).
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The UNHCR itself does work in Syria apart from seeking aid from the international
community. As outlined on its website, it provides shelter, protection, and Non-Food Items (NFIs)
to displaced Syrian persons. On shelter, the UNHCR has operated through the Emergency
Shelter Sector Response which reached nearly 130,000 displaced persons, providing them with
various solutions such as upgrading their collective shelters, distributing shelter kits, emergency
shelters in the form of tents near camps, spontaneous sites, transitional housing units, and
support of shelter maintenance and management. On protection, the UNHCR take a CommunityBased protection approach, designing programs aiming to protect and upgrade communities
through empowering them. Protection services they provide include: "capacity building of UNHCR
partners and outreach volunteers, targeted material assistance, socio-economic activities,
recreational activities, psychosocial support (PSS), legal aid, SGBV referral and response, child
protection activities, vocational training, community-based initiatives as well as awareness raising
sessions on various issues, ranging from residency procedures to prevention of SGBV." On NFIs,
the UNHCR provides assistance through a Core Relief Items (CRI) kit containing commonplace
essential household items such as blankets, plastic sheets, containers, cooking materials, and
hygiene kits. The UNHCR also responded to “winterization” in the late and early parts of the 20152016 years. 150,000 CRIs were dispatched to assist 40,000 beneficiaries across Syria in
conjunction with Implementing Partners. These CRIs were appropriate to the cold weather that
Syrians suffered with, including items like thermal blankets, winter clothes, and sleeping mats.
Apart from Near-East countries and the UNHCR, other organizations which have directly
served the demographic of Syrian Refugees in that region include the Mercy Corps, Oxfam,
UNICEF, Shelter Box, Save the Children, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, Hand in Hand for Syria,
and Medical Teams International.
Possible Solutions
The main issue is the safety and wellbeing of the Syrian refugees in the Near East region.
With well over 3 million Syrian refugees (registered and unregistered) in this small region alone,
the issue is obviously out of hand and must be dealt with urgently. Small countries housing large
numbers of refugees such as Egypt and Lebanon don’t have the necessary financial resources
and infrastructure to safely and appropriately accommodate for their citizens and the large
number of refugees they currently hold simultaneously. As a result of this, many refugees are
forced to suffer inhumane, unsafe conditions and burdensome days in those countries.
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One possible solution is to continue urging able countries to accept more Syrian refugees,
especially developed countries with stable infrastructure. Countries such as the United States,
Canada, and Australia have resettled approximately 16,218, 36,223, and 4,500 Syrian refugees
as of November 2016 (with the exception of the 2015 figure for Australia). With countries such as
Lebanon holding over one million Syrian refugees, one could make the argument that countries
with more developed infrastructure and economies should play a bigger part and accept larger
numbers of refugees. Of course, the national sovereignty of such nations must be observed, and
security concerns must be taken into account.
Another possible solution is creating jobs for Syrians living as refugees in Middle Eastern
countries who are burdened with the responsibility and resources required to house them. In
January 2016, Gerd Muller, Germany’s minister for Economic Cooperation proposed a “cash to
work” program which involves the creation of half a million (500,000) short-term jobs through 2
billion euros of international donations and funding. This was intended to be proposed at the
Supporting Syria 2016 conference in the month of February in London, but it is unclear if this idea
was proposed at the conference or not. Nevertheless, the idea of creating jobs instead of
sanctuary is a solution worth looking into.
Amnesty International has published a simplified 8 method plan to solving the worldwide
refugee crisis. The 8 methods include opening safe routes to sanctuary, protecting those who get
hurt in an attempt to cross borders, funding financially broke UN agencies, and asserting that
asylum is a human right. More details can be found by clicking the following link:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2015/10/eight-solutions-world-refugee-crisis/
Bibliography
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Ghazal, Mohammad. "Population Stands at around 9.5 Million, including 2.9 Million
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Distribution of Syrian Refugees in Turkey by Provinces. Digital image. WHO, 08 June 2016.
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Goyette, Jared. "How to Help Syrian Refugees? These Groups You May Not Know Are Doing
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Syrian Refugees Population Density. Digital image. N.p., 01 June 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
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2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.
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Tait, Robert. "Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Rejects Calls to Admit Syrian
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Tharoor, Ishaan. "Germany Has a New Plan for Syrian Refugees: Give Them Jobs, Not
Sanctuary." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
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Appendix
1. Introduction
2. Definition of Key Terms
a. Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
b. Asylum Seeker
c. Refugee
d. Repatriation
e. Livelihood
f. Free Syrian Army (FSA)
g. Rojava
3. Background Information
4. Major Countries and Organizations Involved
a. Jordan
b. Lebanon
c. Egypt
d. Israel
e. Gulf States
f. Palestine
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g. Iraq
h. Turkey
j. UNHCR
5. Timeline of Events
6. Relevant Documents, Treaties, and Resolutions
7. Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue
8. Possible Solutions
9. Bibliography
10. Appendix
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Forum:
Advisory Panel on the Question of the Near East
Issue:
The promotion of religious diversity and intercultural education in
the Near East Region
Student Officer: Maela Ruiz Le Moing
Position:
Assistant President
Introduction
Our world counts more than thousands different religions, and the region we are focusing
on, the Near East, is a particularly religiously diverse area. Not only is the Near-East an example
of religious diversity at a regional scale, it is also considered the birth place of the world’s biggest
religion, Christianism. Even if, the Near-East has been the birth place of both Judaism and
Christianism, the region has now a Muslim majority, which is divided in a three branches: Sunni
Islam, Shi’a Islam and Alawites. Altogether, the three Abrahamic faiths assemble more than 3
billion followers in the whole world. Furthermore, there are multiple movements within those faiths,
enhancing even more the religious diversity of the region.
Religion can be a significant trait of a community, and it is of the outmost importance that
all groups are able to live together in peace and prosperity. It is also very important to ensure that
the religious minorities’ rights are respected and preserved, and that they do not feel any pressure
form the majority groups. With four different faiths sharing a territory regardless of the countries
boundaries, and different movements of Islam cohabiting, it is essential to promote diversity, but
also to promote intercultural education. Intercultural education and religious diversity will help
strengthen the ties between the religious communities.
Furthermore, cooperation and understanding between religious communities will help
resolve conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has a religious conflict at its roots.
The rise of Jihadist groups in the Near East, and particularly in Syria is scourge, that can be
contained with the help of interfaith action.
Definition of Key Terms
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Near East
The Near East, not to be mistaken with the Middle East, is a region located on the eastern
shore of the Mediterranean, and that includes: Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the
Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), Lebanon, Jordan and Western Syria.
Religious diversity
The level of religious diversity is indicated by the number of different religions cohabiting
in a set geographical area.
Culture
Culture is “the beliefs, customs, arts of a particular society, group, place or time”. It also
concerns the “way of life […] thinking, behaving, or working” (Merriam-Webster). Culture is
frequently associated with religion, such as in the case of the Druze or Jewish culture.
Intercultural education
Intercultural education is a school curriculum that underlines the importance of tolerance,
respect of Human Rights and inclusion and equality between the different beliefs and ideologies.
The aim of intercultural education is to create an inclusive education program to preserve peace
and strong bonds between the religious communities.
Pluralism
Pluralism is described by the Merriam Webster dictionary as a “state of society in which
members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional
culture or special interest within the confines of common civilization.
Tolerance
Religious tolerance is necessary to maintain religious diversity, and it can be taught to
children through intercultural education. Tolerance relies on respect between the different
religious communities.
Coexistence
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The definition of coexistence is “to live in peace with each other, especially as a matter of
policy”. Coexistence is important in the Near East: the different religious communities should be
able to “live in peace with each other”.
Background Information
A religion is an ensemble of spiritual beliefs, rules and practices that are applied by a group
of followers of that religion, that may or may not believe in a deity or multiple deities. The four
main religions that can be found in the Near East are Judaism, Christianism, Islam and the Druze.
However, there are different movements in many of them, the most notable case in the region
being the one of Islam: there are Shia, Sunni and Alawite Muslims in the Near East. The three
Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianism and Islam. Those three faiths are based on the
belief that there is only one God, i.e. monotheism.
"Maps of the Distribution of Religions in the Middle East." Jewish Virtual Library. N.p., n.d. Web.
24 Nov. 2016.
Judaism
According to a 2015 estimate, 74.8% of the State of Israel’s population is from Jewish
ethnicity and follows the Jewish faith.
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History and birth of Judaism
Founded more than 3500 years ago in the Near East by Abraham, his son Isaac
and his grandson Jacob. The Jewish population is concentrated in Israel because the land
of Israel is believed to have been promised to Abrahams descendants by God. Abraham,
who allegedly lived in ancient Babylonia, worshipped and reached the worship of only one
deity, which he considered to be the ‘Creator’. According to Jewish beliefs, the ‘Creator’
spoke to him and offered him a ‘covenant, known as the b’rit. This covenant between God
and the Jewish people is an essential pillar of their faith. This agreement defines the duties
of the Jewish towards God, and God’s duties towards the Jewish Nation. Furthermore, to
prove his commitment, Abraham had to go through ten tests. According to Jewish beliefs,
Isaac and Jacob faced multiple challenges in their lives, with the help of God. The 12 sons
of Jacob were the heads of the tribes of Israel. The ancient Jewish tribes settled in Egypt,
where they were later used as slaves. The Exodus of the Jewish slaves living in Egypt, led
by Moises following the guidance of God, led the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel,
were God revealed the written and oral Torah.
The principles of the Jewish faith
The Jewish faith relies on ‘Rambams’s 13 principles’, that are followed by a majority
of the Jewish. According to those principles, there is only one God, the ‘Creator’, that
should be worshipped and he is eternal. In addition to that most Jews believe in the
Prophecy of the Messiah, which is the belief that a messiah will appear at the end of the
days. The afterlife is not the main focus of the Torah, so there are multiple versions and
theories on what happens after the death. In the most common theories, the believers are
judged by God according to their actions, and are punished if necessary. The Torah, who
according to Jewish beliefs was written by Moses following the guidance of God on the
Mount Sinai, is the most important sacred text in Judaism. Traditionally under the form of
scrolls are written in Hebrew and are composed of the five books of Moses, the ten and
613 commandments. The commandments set the guidelines of the Jewish faith but also
of the daily life of the believers. This sacred text is read three times per week in the
synagogue, according to the date a specific text is read, by the local rabbi. The Talmud,
another important text of Judaism, is composed of the oral principles that are at the root of
the Jewish Halakha, the Jewish ‘law’.
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Christianity
Christianity is like Islam and Judaism an Abrahamic faith. It was also born in the Near East,
and today it is the largest religion on earth. Most of the Christian population is concentrated in
Lebanon, were they play an important role in society. However, small Christian communities are
also found in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria and Egypt.
History and birth of the Christian faith
The year 0 on the Gregorian calendar marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the central
character of Christianity, who is seen as the Messiah announced in the Old Testament. In
his early adulthood, he started preaching and teaching his beliefs. He had 12 disciples,
who followed him. When Jesus stated that God spoke through him, the local religious
leaders were insulted and condemned him to crucifixion. His life and death are very much
part of the Christian history, as well as his resurrection, that proves to his believers to be
an action of God. Jesus’s life was studied and written about by Paul, after his conversion.
In the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is not only a Messiah, but also the son of God himself,
who can be divided in three elements (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
Principles of the Christian faith
Christianity is a monotheistic religion, who relies on the Bible, which is composed
of the old and new Testament. Christians believe in a ‘creator’ God and the Holy Trinity. In
addition to that, there are a few important rituals (sacraments) in Christianity that are:
baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage and extreme unction. Some of these
sacraments are meant to clear a believer from his sins. The extreme unction is given to a
person who is awaiting death, after when their sins will be judged and they will be sent to
heaven or hell accordingly. Christians also believe in Saints; they are martyrs or people
who devoted their life to Christianity. Christian sites of worship are churches and the
ceremony is led by a priest.
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Christians in the Near East. News, BBC. "Guide: Christians in
the Middle East." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
Islam
The majority of the population in the Near East are
affiliated to Islam. Indeed, Muslims are found in Syria, Jordan,
Israel, Egypt and Lebanon. The first traces of Islam can be found
in Mecca more than 1400 years ago, according to Muslim beliefs.
Today, the believers of the Islamic faith represent more than one
billion of the world’s population, making it the second largest
religion on earth, after Christianity.
History and birth of Islam
Muslims consider that Islam has always existed, because
Allah is the creator of the universe. Muslims also recognize Abraham and Moses as
prophets and examples of faith. Abraham is also believed to have built the Kaaba, ‘the
House of God’, in Mecca, with help of his son. However, the act of founding the religion is
accredited to the Prophet Muhammad who became the messenger of God on the Night of
Power in the 7th century. Muhammad lived in Mecca, and was part of a local tribe. The city
was not the center of the Muslim faith at that time: it was a polytheistic city like most of the
region. Muhammad was chosen as the last prophet on the Night of Power (circa 610 AD),
during the month of Ramadan. According to Islamic belief, Muhammad was meditating in
a cave near Mecca when the Archangel Gabriel appeared and demanded he spread the
word of God. Muhammed accepted his duty of prophet and spread the Islamic belief in the
Arabian Peninsula.
The pillars of Islam
The Islamic faith resides on five pillars: a truthful declaration of faith known as the
Shahadah, five prayers a day known as the Salah, the Zakat or the paying of tax destined
to help the less privileged, the Sawm which is the fast during Ramadan and the Hajj, a
mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca. Following the five pillars is an imperative for many
Muslims. The Islam faith also rests on the belief of Predestination and the existence of a
Judgement Day. The Muslim holy book is the Qur’an. The version of the sacred text in use
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today is by the Caliph Uthman, however the very first version is believed to have been
unveiled to him by God. The Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters, themselves divided in
verses, the surah’s. The other sacred texts of Islam are the Sunnah and the Hadith, both
regarding the life of the last prophet and his decisions. The place of worship for Muslims is
a Mosque and the rituals are led by an Imam.
Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims
After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim community was divided
regarding the identity of his successor, the next caliph. A part of the Muslim community
believed that Muhammad’s descendants should be the Caliphs. The candidate for the title
was Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. On the other hand, some members of
the community believed that a new leader should be chosen, regardless of his affiliation to
Muhammad. Eventually, after Muhammad’s two successors were killed, Ali became the
Caliph. However, he was later assassinated and his relatives were massacred, the most
notable being his son Hussein who became a martyr of Shia Islam. On the contrary, the
Sunnis do not celebrate them as extensively, Ali only being considered as one of the
caliphs. This difference is still visible today as Sunnis do not celebrate martyrs as much as
Shia Muslims. Sunnis put forward Gods grip on our universe, and on the different spheres
of our society. There are other differences between the two movements on more specific
questions.
The majority of the Muslim population in the Near East is Sunni. There are small
pockets of Shia Muslims in the Golan Heights, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. Relations
between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the Near-East have not always been easy, although
they have common religious beliefs.
The Alawite sect
Another religious minority in the Near East are the Alawites. They represent around 15%
of the Syrian population. The members of the Alawite sect do not regard the five pillars of Islam
as compulsory, although they are considered to be the closest to Shia Muslims. Historically, the
Alawite minority in Syria has been marginalized, but during French occupation they massively
became soldiers and officers in the army, which promoted the ascension of the Assad family. The
Alawites also recognize more ancient events from Christianism.
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Alawites in Syria "Five Reasons Why There Will Not Be an Alawite State." Syria Comment.
Joshua Landis, 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
Druze
The Druze are a very secretive community, that draws elements from a lot of regional
religions such as Islam or Christianity. The Druze can be found in different countries in the NearEast: Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
History and birth of the Druze faith
The Druze faith has its roots in ancient Egypt. The believers honor Al-Hakim BinAmr Allah, the sixth Fatimid calif from 996 to 1021 A.D, as their God. Al-Hakim’s mandate
and actions are surrounded by controversy: he is sometimes pictured as cruel and irrational
leader, that imposed restrictive legislations on both Muslims and Christians. However,
those actions are contradicted by his tolerance of other faiths in rare occasions. The caliph
also affirmed he was an incarnation of God, and still today, the Druze believe he was the
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last incarnation. Some historians have said his actions were meant to unify the whole
Muslim world under one structure. When he died, his close collaborators continued to build
a religion around his deity status.
Principles of the Druze faith
The vizier of Al-Hakim, Hamza, declared “the Seven Pillars of the Druze Faith”.
These principles are that the Druze should not lie to each other but they can lie to outsiders
in order to protect their interests, they should defend their fellow believers, they should only
follow the Druze faith and isolate themselves from those who do not, they should recognize
Al-Hakim as their God and they should follow God’s guidance without questioning. Those
principles show that the Druze sect is a very closed of community that need to support and
defend each other from the non-believers in order to survive. Their sacred text is called
Rasahl, and contains pieces redacted by Al-Hakim and some of his companions who
assumed ‘cosmic roles’. Detailed outlines of the Druze faith are not shared amongst the
whole community, and only a few access that knowledge. The protection of their faith is
maintained through that secrecy and dissimulation.
Major Countries and organizations
Holy See
The Holy See is the representative of Catholicism, a branch of Christianity, therefore,
protecting the interests of the Christian minorities in the Near-East will be essential. Furthermore,
the Holy See emphasizes the need of intercultural dialogue in schools and “cultural education”,
Catholic Schools.
Iraq
The Iraqi delegation has raised concerns of the religious diversity in countries suffering
from terrorism in a recent Security Council meeting. Iraq and Syria have both seen their religious
diversity endangered with the relentless attacks from different extremist jihadist groups such as
the so called Islamic State (IS). In addition to that, due to cultural tensions in the past, some
religious minorities, like the Jews, have fled the country or have been the target of violence.
Palestine
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The tensions between the Jewish and the Palestinian community have caused too many
deaths in the past. Tolerance, respect and justice would bring peace. In addition to that it is
essential that Palestinian Israelis feel included in the school curriculums.
Middle East Council of Churches
The MECC represents the different Churches in the Middle East. The main focus of this
council is to promote peace, to protect and to mend ties between religious communities. It has
already participated in efforts of mediation in Lebanon. The council also wishes to focus on interfaith dialogue, tolerance.
Syrian Republic
The Syrian Arab Republic is already religiously diverse: Druze, Shia and Sunni Muslims
share the Territory with the Alawite. Because of the ongoing civil war, action on intercultural
education will be very limited. However, ensuring the religious diversity of the country is protected
from destruction is capital.
United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO)
Some of the target areas of UNESCO are to “learn to live together” and “intercultural
dialogue”. Understanding between communities is essential to that. There are several programs
to promote peace and cultural dialog. The UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity also follows
that theme. Furthermore, the UNESCO has also published various reports on intercultural
education, including official guidelines.
United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF had already worked on the possibilities of Intercultural education, in South
America. This initiative aims to promote intercultural and bilingual education amongst indigenous
populations, similar programs could be used in the region.
Timeline of Events
● 2000 BC – Birth of Judaism
● 0 AD – Birth of Christianity
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● Around 610 AD – Beginnings of Islam
● 632 AD – Death of Muhammad, starting the debate on his succession
● 680 AD – Massacre of Hussein, beginning of Shia Islam
● Around 1021 AD – Birth of the Druze faith
● 2001 – Declaration on Cultural Diversity
● 2008 – Madrid Interfaith Dialogue Conference
● 2016 – Summit of Religious Leaders for Peace in the Middle East
Relevant Documents, Treaties, and Resolutions
 The United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Elimination of all forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination based on Religion or Belief (A/RES/36/55)
 UNESCO Declaration on cultural diversity (2 November 2001)
 Madrid Declaration on interfaith and intercultural dialogue (2008)
 Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for
peace (A/RES/61/221)
 Promotion
of
religious
and
cultural
understanding,
harmony
and
cooperation
religious
and
cultural
understanding,
harmony
and
cooperation
(A/RES/60/11)
 Promotion
of
(A/RES/58/128)
 UNESCO World Report “Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue
Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) sponsored the Summit of Religious
leaders for peace in the Middle East. The final communique emphasized the shared responsibility
of all religions in the region. The UNAOC is an alliance that focusses on pluralism and dialogue
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between communities. In addition to that, the 21rst of May was declared the ‘World Day for cultural
Diversity for Dialogue and Development’ following the Declaration on Cultural Diversity. A
proposition to create an Interfaith Council in the UN has also been made, however no effective
measures seem to have been taken. UNESCO has issued Guidelines on Intercultural Education,
that aim for education that:
1. “Respects the cultural identity of the learner through the provision of culturally appropriate and
responsive quality education for all,
2. Provides every learner with the cultural knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to achieve
active and full participation in society,
3. Provides all learners with cultural knowledge, attitudes and skills that enable them to contribute
to respect, understanding and solidarity among individuals, ethnic, social, cultural and religious
groups and nations.” The International Bureau of Education (IBE) of the UNESCO also evaluates
the quality of curriculums and how they should be modified to fit the needs of the time and area.
Possible Solutions
Religious diversity needs to be promoted through better understanding between the
communities, and better information. It is crucial that all religious communities are treated as
equals in this process. Therefore, ensuring the rights of the minorities are preserved is essential.
Furthermore, the ongoing conflicts, such as the Syrian civil war and the Israeli Palestinian conflict
also have a strong effect on religious diversity and cooperation, knowing that religion plays a
significant role in them. Religious diversity can be promoted through intercultural education, as
the younger generations will have to face the need for tolerance between the communities.
Coexistence can be ameliorated through exchanges between the different communities.
Preventing tensions between religious communities through education could maybe curb the
effect of terrorism and discrimination of minorities. Protecting religious diversity in countries like
Libya, Syria or Iraq is also essential. Therefore, we should ensure the rights of minorities and
religious sites are protected from terrorist actions or the consequences of war. The UNESCO
World Report on Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue also suggests the use of “cultural,
artistic and sport activities” to combat prejudice and cultural conflicts. Furthermore, adapting the
education to incorporate local traditions and habits can also help with the integration of all
students. In addition to that, the report highlights that fostering cultural dialogue through education
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needs to go beyond the boundaries of the classroom with activities such as travel and interaction
within the local communities.
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