by David Drayton

Created on: August 06, 2008

The violence and unrest between Israel and the Palestinian people has at its root cause several issues. Chief amongst these is the manner in which the Israeli state was established and the subsequent Arab resentment. In order to bring about a solution to the crisis in the Middle East, the process must rely heavily upon empathy and respect for the rule of law. The crisis has on several occasions' endangered international peace and security and is likely to do so in the future. For this reason, the solution must be an international effort spearheaded by the United Nations. This is not to say that multi party talks should be frowned upon, however they should have an agenda insistent upon the principles of the United Nations. The problems of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved without the fundamental understanding that this crisis has the potential to jeopardize global security. The very scope of this estimation suggest it is of international importance and must be solved with the rule of international law. It is only with the involvement of the international order that impartiality can be reasonably assured. Without such balance, it is likely that negotiations will be little more than appeasement for the politically elite and thus will actually encourage hostility between the populations of both parties.

There is of course an element to this crisis, which is absolutely critical to understanding the divisiveness within the region, and that is religion. It would be improper and altogether unwise to ignore the influence of such in this crisis. However, including religion in the solution process must be done responsibly. Framers of a future solution ought in accordance with cultural respect give religion a proper place in their planning. Even so, all parties involved would be benefited to consider the following:
"Religion consist in doing good; and the only way of serving God is that of endeavoring to make His creation happy. All preaching that has not this for its object is nonsense and hypocrisy."
Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Legal Applicability:

The international importance of the crisis requires the examination of the legal obligations applicable. The obligation the parties have before the United Nations is of particular importance. It is in this context that some reference point can be fathomed by which solutions can be formed. In order to derive a solution to the problem there must be some way to evaluate progress and the lack thereof, to form a

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