The Nub of the Problem

Although there are other long-running, severe conflicts in the world, such as those in Syria, Yemen, parts of Africa, Myanmar, and elsewhere, the Israel–Palestinian Arab conflict often receives unusually intense attention in Western discourse.

I think the obsession with Israel stems from the reestablishment of the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, which is closely tied to a unique moral and historical significance in Western political consciousness. That legacy can make Israel’s actions more emotionally and ethically charged in public debate than those of many other states.

Although the Jews accepted the 1947 UN partition plan, Arab states outright rejected it and launched a war against the nascent Jewish state. Arab rejection of the plan was shaped by a range of political, territorial, and national considerations, including opposition to partition, concerns over sovereignty, and competing nationalist claims.

But the main reason Arab states did not accept the partition plan of 1947 reflects, not their geopolitical out look as much as their religious imperatives.

Although the conflict has been framed in many ways, at different times, it was never about land, because Islamist were murdering Jews long before Israel existed as a state.  Truth be told, it is all about the radical Islamist ideology which believes that territory once ruled by Muslims should permanently remain under Muslim rule, and Israel is no exception.

And that is the nub of the problem.