5 of 18

Write now Article Tools

The Middle East is without doubt the most fought over piece of real estate on the planet. Almost immediately after the establishment of Israel as a sovereign territory in the late 1940's surrounding Arab nations crossed the borders and attempted to overrun the country. Against overwhelming numbers the newly formed Israeli defence forces repelled these invasion attempts and consolidated the new settlements however the resentment in no way lessened in the following decades.

Israel is the focal point of Middle Eastern tension fuelled in part by disaffected and resentful Arab nations that vow to take back what they consider is theirs. With nations like Iran vowing to wipe Israel off the map' no amount of mediation or compromise will have an impact on reducing tensions.

Part of what drives the intense hatred runs generations deep, particularly for the Palestinians who claim they were driven from their homelands. The conditions under which many Palestinians live are horrendous and the refugee camps are a hotbed of resentment as well as one of the most prolific recruiting grounds for terrorists. Few surrounding nations permit refugees to resettle because if they were to do so it would take away one of the most effective propaganda tools that serves to portray Israel as the aggressor.

Syria, Egypt, Iran and Palestine openly promote anti-Semitism using a process of intense propaganda and indoctrination of their young who are taught to hate all Jews, and of course to hate all those who support the nation of Israel. This is a factual statement that can be easily verified by simply tuning into some of the broadcasts by Arab media, and through reading some of educational' books and resources used to teach children history from the Arab perspective.

Palestinians forced to live in the squalor of refugee camps are deliberately used by surrounding hostile Arab nations as a means of focussing their aggression against Israel. The humiliation of defeat in previous attempts of overrunning the country is intolerable. No Arab nation wants to face what they consider the dishonour of defeat and the Palestinian refugee camps serve to provide some face-saving through international forums whereby Israel can be painted as the inhumane aggressors responsible for the mess.

Religion plays a key role in Middle Eastern tensions between Arab nations and Israel. Islam first appeared on the Arabian peninsular in the late 7th century and expanded rapidly by way of invasion. Jews were decimated and

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Assessing the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict?
We want to hear your view. Write now!