Israel - Palestine Conflict
A War Without End The Israeli – Palestinian conflict has been an ongoing conflict since the beginning of this century however its roots go back to the late 1800’s when a new political movement, Zionism emerged. The origin of the term “Zionism” is the biblical world “Zion,” which is another word for the hill of Jerusalem or the Land of Israel. Zionism is a system of beliefs and ideas that express “the desire to return to their homeland,” Israel.1 The idea of Zionism began with the “rise of national sentiments in Europe,” and was published by Theodor Herzl in 1896.2 The concerted efforts of the Zionist movement, Chaim Weizmann, the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate over Palestine were the primary causes of the establishment of the state of Israel and the resulting impacts. The idea of Zionism is based on the believed connection between the Jewish people and their land. This connection came into existence almost 4,000 years ago when Abraham settled in Canaan and the Israelites established themselves in part of Palestine. The struggle of who claims the holy land has been an ongoing conflict between the three main religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The Muslims believe Palestine belongs to them because the Prophet Mohammed was believed to have risen from the Dome of the Rock, located in Palestine, to the seventh heaven. The Jews believe Israel is theirs because it was where Abraham was known to have prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God, and it was also where David built an altar to the Lord that was later destroyed by the Byzantines. The Christians believe that the holy land is theirs because Jerusalem was where Christ was crucified and where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built on the believed location of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Jewish people have been targets for many different empires, from the Romans to Hitler and the Nazis. The conflict started with the Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple. The
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