saeedahmed.com

Saeed Ahmed - Staff
Monday, October 23, 2000

For years, Palestinians and Israelis have been trying to live peacefully with one another. But most Israelis are Jews and most Palestinians are Muslims or Christians. In addition to practicing different religions, they have different languages and customs.

With so many contrasts, it is difficult to set aside disagreements and peacefully share a country they both call home.

In recent weeks, tension between them has grown so thick that war may break out unless their leaders can agree on a peaceful solution.

To understand the root of their conflict, we must look at the history of the two peoples:

In biblical times

The area known as the Middle East is the home of three major world religions. In order of age, they are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three trace their roots back to a man named Abraham. His life and family are described in the book Jews call the Torah and Christians call the Old Testament. The story of Abraham is also in the holy book of Islam, which is called the Quran.

The stories say that Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, who had different mothers. Ishmael was an ancestor of Mohammed, the founder of Islam, the Muslim religion. Many people in Palestine see him as their forefather.

Isaac had a son, Jacob, also called Israel, who was an early leader of the Jewish people. The modern country known as Israel has his name.

According to the holy books, Isaac's mother, Sarah, and Ishmael's mother, Hagar, were jealous of each other. The resentment was passed down through their children and their children's children. For centuries, they have fought over land that is important to their religions.

In many ways, the trouble in the Middle East is a family feud between cousins.

In modern times

At the beginning of the 20th century, Palestine, or what is present-day Israel, was controlled by the British. During World War I (1914-1918), the British promised the people of Palestine that, in exchange for support in the war, they would let the Palestinians create an Arab kingdom there. But Britain also promised the Jews the same thing.

During World War II (1939-1945), nearly 6 million Jews in Europe were killed by the Nazi Germans. Many Jewish survivors wanted a safe place they could call their home. They chose Palestine and started moving there, because of its religious importance to their faith.

Arabs who lived there weren't happy about the Jews moving in, and that was when the seeds of the current conflict were planted.

In 1947, the United Nations voted to split Palestine into two countries, one for Jews and one for Arabs. The British pulled out of the Middle East in 1948, and Israel was created. Arab countries in the region protested the Israeli state, and war broke out. Other wars followed, including the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

In the 1980s, Palestinians and Israelis still were not getting along. Palestinians began a movement to reclaim their land. Demonstrators threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who sometimes responded by arresting or shooting them. This uprising became known as the intifada --- Arabic for "shaking off."

To prevent more bloodshed, world leaders urged Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinians, to accept a solution in which Palestine and Israel could exist together. Arafat and Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin finally signed an agreement to end the conflict in 1993. This is known as the Oslo Accord, which gave Palestinians control of two regions: the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River.

In 1995, Rabin was murdered by a Jewish extremist who opposed the peace agreement.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who was elected to replace Rabin, took a much tougher approach. He let Jews settle in areas that the Oslo Accord said belonged to the Palestinians, and this led to more violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.

Peace talks continued throughout the 1990s, but they often broke down, mostly over the issue of where people could live.

Israel's current leader, Ehud Barak, has been working with Arafat to achieve peace. They came very close to an agreement last summer when they met with President Clinton in the United States.

Deadly trouble in recent weeks

The latest crisis began Sept. 28, when an Israeli politician, Ariel Sharon, visited a site that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews and angered Palestinians by trying to claim Israel's control over the site. Palestinians responded by destroying a Jewish holy site.

In the weeks of fighting since then, more than 125 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed.

Last week, Israeli and Palestinian leaders attended a summit in Egypt and agreed to a temporary cease-fire to end the current wave of violence. The truce proved shaky as clashes broke out in the West Bank on Thursday and Friday. And the crisis deepened Sunday when Israel declared an end to official contacts with the Palestinians. The Israeli action was in response to what it called menacing language from Arab leaders meeting in Egypt, who urged Palestinians to continue their violent uprising against Israel.

--- Gayle White contributed to this report

ISREAL
Population: 5,851,900.
Land area: 7,849 square miles.
Religions: Jewish 80%, Muslim 15%, Christian 2%, other 3%.
EGYPT
Population: 68,359,979.
Land area: 384,343 square miles.
GAZA STRIP
Population: 1,132,063,
plus 6,500 Israeli settlers.
Land area: 139 square miles.
Religions: Muslim 99%, other 1%.
JORDAN
Population: 4,998,564.
Land area: 34,318 square miles.
LEBANON
Population: 3,578,036.
Land area: 3,950 square miles.
SYRIA
Population: 16,305,659.
Land area: 71,062 square miles.
WEST BANK
Population: 2,020,298,
plus 171,000 Israeli settlers.
Land area: 2,178 square miles.
Religions: Muslim 75%,
Jewish 17%, other 8%.
Note: Georgia has 58,910 square miles
/ WALTER CUMMING / Staff

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