The Conflict Continues
Prior to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, my understanding of the Israel-Middle east conflict was limited to casual and sporadic bits of information spread throughout my life. I have vague composite memories of car bombings and other attacks playing on the evening news throughout my childhood. Growing up in a conservative Christian home, I recall hearing things like “Israel is God’s chosen people”, “The return of the Jewish people to their land is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy,” etc. Along the way, I implicitly learned that Israel was “good”.
In 2020, I made my first Palestinian friend and she provided a safe space for me to ask questions about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. She introduced me to a simple book on the history of the conflict “Arabs & Israel for Beginners” by Ron David. [1] After doing an inspectional reading of the book, I received just a glimpse of the complexity of the conflict. Her grandparents owned land in Palestine that they later had to surrender when Israel became a nation. I remember being shocked when I heard this, not having the previous understanding of the conflict. I was also surprised when she shared that she and many Palestinians were in favor of the partition, but felt that there was massive injustice in the execution of the partition.
Reading through The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction by Martin Bunton, I learned that the conflict is rooted in two people groups fighting over the same land.
Buton surveys the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict and divides recent history into (mostly) 20-year periods.
The Ottoman Rule (1897-1917) was a time period marked by Theodor Herzl’s attempts to establish a Jewish state through political diplomacy. Herzl was a journalist that had seen racism towards Jewish people throughout Europe. He believed that there could be no safety for the Jewish people until they were in their own land. Herzl worked under the mental model that Palestine was uninhabited which was seen in the slogan, “A land without a people for a people without a land.”[3] I had only heard bits and pieces of this history before and Herzl’s observation of Jewish people’s unsafety in Europe brought understanding of the motivation for promoting a homeland. During the time, some emigrated to mandate Palestine, but mostly chose the coastal plains and fertile valleys over the ancient mountainous Biblical sites. These areas became the focus on the Jewish negotiations to come. This was surprising to me as I had naively understood the conflict to be over Biblical land vs. land with the most economic promise.
British Palestine (1917-1937) followed the first world war where Britain took control of Palestine and approached their rule in favor of Zioninsm. The Balfour Declaration was signed and had an incredible impact on the future of Palestine. Balfour defended this by saying, “Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, was rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs and future hopes of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit the ancient land.” [20]
In 1937, the Peel Partition Plan was put forward, allotting 75% of the land to Arabs. Over the course of several years and negotiations, the allotment to the Arabs decreased with the UN Partition Plan suggesting only 44% of the land for Arabs. Arabs vehemently rejected this plan as they were the overwhelming majority in the land (90%). I was surprised at learning about the original proposition of 75% of the land, to 44%, to only 22% today to Arabs.
After the withdrawal of British forces, several decades of war followed but by 1988, Palestine had started to accept Israel as a permanent presence. On the contrary, Israel viewed the partition compromises as only the beginning of negotiations rather than the end.[4]
Navigating the Israel-Middle East conflict has been a journey for me. From being completely naive to still only having a limited understanding, I am saddened by the ongoing conflict. I can understand from both perspectives how this war begins and sustains over many years. I am often tempted to withdraw back into naivety around global war and suffering, but I’m reminded that our Lord Jesus is coming back soon, will right all wrongs, and is able to discern even the most complex issues to bring justice and reconciliation. Until then, I will pray for my brothers and sisters that are in the midst of conflict, and for those who are navigating troubling times without the hope of Jesus.
[1] David, Ron, and Susan David. Arabs & Israel For Beginners. Newburyport: For Beginners, 2007.
[2] Bunton, Martin. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction. 1. ed. Very Short Introductions 359. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
[3] Ibid, 2.
[4] Ibid, xv.
About the Author
Christy
10 responses to “The Conflict Continues”
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Christy, thank you for your honest assessment of your understanding of this complicated conflict. I appreciate that you have had a Palestinian friend who could help shed light on this problem from another perspective. What do you think you have gained most from this friendship, with regard to this topic?
I am thankful for my friend and her patience as I came with very little understanding. She was able to help me see that the conflict is very much two-sided that dates back centuries. There is definitely more learning in my future!
Thanks Christy, for your post. One of the interesting things your post makes me think of is the differences that the West and Middle East view the use of land and how it might have contributed to the British preference of Zionist plans for agriculture, irrigation, etc. Do you see any of those threads in your reading and listening to others? What implications might that have for where we are now?
Christy,
I love having friends that create an atmosphere in which we are able to and even invited to ask them any questions about themselves and their culture. I am wondering if your Palestinian friend is a Christian, a Muslim and what role do they see religion playing in alleviating or deepening this conflict? Do you have any thoughts on the American Church’s role in this conflict?
Hi Christy, as we all continue to become better educated and navigate this conflict, I wonder what actually stood out from Bunton’s reading that struck you the most?
The most surprising thing to me is that the original partition plans and waves of emigration excluded some of the most important Biblical sites since they were in the mountains rather than the fertile coastal plains and valleys. This was surprising because I had previously understood the battle to be over the holy land from Biblical times.
Hi Christy,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this challenging and multifaceted issue. Indeed, it is overwhelmed by the complexities of the Israel-Middle East conflict. Your journey from naivety to a more nuanced understanding reflects the difficulty many of us face in grappling with global issues. How can we balance our understanding of complex global conflicts with our faith, and what role can prayer and hope in justice play in addressing these challenges?
Hi Shela,
I got an early start on reading Jesus and the Powers by NT Wright and Michael Bird and found it to be a fascinating step in growing in prayer for global conflicts as well as hope for justice. I am praying that the kingdom would come on earth, just as it is in heaven – where conflict ceases and we are all in a state of shalom.
Christy, I appreciated your post. What you shared about your friend helps humanize this conflict in a way that those without a personal connection sometimes lack. What similarities/differences did you find between “Arabs & Israel for Beginners” by Ron David and Bunton’s work?
Hi Chad,
Both books illuminate the false perceptions that grew from the slogan “A land without a people for a people without a land”. Actually, I first heard this from my Palestinian friend as she described what this meant for her grandparents – being displaced from the home they owned and sent to a different geographical location in Palestine.
“Arabs & Israel for Beginners” goes back thousands of years in history while Bunton’s work is much more modern. Both were great introductions to the complexity of the current conflicts.