Arab-Israeli Conflict: Who Should Have The Holy Land?

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Who Should Have the Holy Land?
The Arab-Israeli conflict was a brutal and long war that took place from 1947 to around 1978 sparking a controversy within the Middle East regarding the territory of Israel/Palestine. The main issue being fought over is who should own and have rights to the Holy Land of Palestine/Israel. Both groups have their own religious and political claims on the land, and both groups believe they should own the area. The Israelites believe they should have the land because of their covenant from God, and the fact that they were there first. Palestinian Arabs believe the land is theirs because it is where Muhammad ascended to the heavens, and the fact that they were in the area for much longer than
Jewish people were the first to inhabit Canaan, which is present day Israel, settling there as early as 2000 BCE after leaving Ur upon God’s request to Abraham. When speaking to God, Abraham was told he would become the father of a great nation if he moved from Ur to Canaan. Later, God told Abraham and his small group of followers that they would be exiled to Egypt, but would be able to come back soon. When the Jews returned in around 1000 BCE after the Exodus, they established a kingdom and defended it from many invasions, showing the Israelis ability to preserve a nation that they established. Despite the fact that they were exiled by the Babylonians upon their return, they still decided to come back to reclaim their land and show its Jewish significance to the rest of the world. Along with the Israelis being the first to populate Israel, they also kept a position of prominent power in Palestine, even after Roman conquest and facing
Although the population had decreased, the passion of the Jewish people to live in Israel and control it effectively had not diminished. Hardly any countries would open their doors to Jews until after many more had been murdered. Jews needed an area for themselves where they would be welcome and not subjected to violent discrimination. Early anti-semitism began soon after the Romans conquered Jerusalem in 70 BCE and declared Christianity the official religion. Jews were blamed for the death of Jesus and stereotyped as money hungry. Jews were separated by law, attacked and killed by Crusaders, marked with badges or hats, and confined to unlivable ghettos. The most outright and prominent acts of anti-semitism occurred during the Holocaust. Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat for many issues. Jewish shops were boycotted, along with Jews being forced out of their homes and violently discriminated against. Hitler’s goal was to systematically exterminate Jewish people, which he carried out through concentration camps. In these camps, Jews were overworked, underfed, and murdered in many despicable ways. In 1938, the Holocaust could have been stopped, but the world turned its back on European Jews. The Evian Conference was a meeting where almost all countries attended to decide what to do about the Jewish people. At this point, Jewish people were not welcome in most countries due to fear of bringing