The Golan Heights and the West Bank are both disputed areas between the Palestinians and Israelis?
SolarFlare asked:
Also, does the West Bank mean the west bank of the Dead Sea, and what are some of the main cities involved. Im trying to understand this mideast conflict better. It is very confusing.
Also, does the West Bank mean the west bank of the Dead Sea, and what are some of the main cities involved. Im trying to understand this mideast conflict better. It is very confusing.
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March 10th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Syria wants the heights so that they can shell Israel from them (again). Israel wants the heights to deter Syrian terrorism and aggression. Historically, the heights are part of the Jewish homeland of Palestine. The Golan heights have been part of Israel longer than they were part of Syria.
March 11th, 2009 at 5:35 am
You will be pleased to know that despite propaganda to the contrary, this is not an occupation.
For land to be occupied, there must be a power with sovereignty over the area. And no state is sovereign over the territory of Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”). For that matter, no state claims sovereignty over Gaza either.
The Arabs who had been living in what had been Palestine left their homes in 1947-48 for a variety of reasons. Thousands of wealthy Arabs left in anticipation of a war, thousands more responded to Arab leaders’ calls to get out of the way of the advancing armies, a handful were expelled, but most simply fled to avoid being caught in the cross fire of a battle. Had the Arabs accepted the 1947 UN resolution, not a single Palestinian would have become a refugee and an independent Arab state would now exist beside Israel.
The beginning of the Arab exodus can be traced to the weeks immediately following the announcement of the UN partition resolution. The first to leave were roughly 30,000 wealthy Arabs who anticipated the upcoming war and fled to neighboring Arab countries to await its end. Less affluent Arabs from the mixed cities of Palestine moved to all-Arab towns to stay with relatives or friends.
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March 13th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I salute you on your unbiased question and your desire to learn about this issue. In direct response to your question:
1. The Golan Heights were captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War, and have nothing to do with the Palestinians.
2. The West Bank (or Judea & Samaria) does refer to the western bank of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. Its boundaries are those that resulted from the cease-fire from the 1948 Middle East War (Israel’s War of Independence).
The West Bank has some large cities such as Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron, and houses two of Judaism’s holiest sites – Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs. Put as simply as possible, it is at once an integral part of the ancient Jewish homeland and home to the vast majority of Palestinians.
Don’t feel bad that you’re confused – welcome to the club. There isn’t an easy fix, and this conflict may never come to an end.