Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Political science - Essay Example â€Å"Between World War I and World War II, over 230,000 Jews arrived in the area of Palestine from Russia, Poland, and Germany, providing skills and infrastructure for a future Jewish state, but also fueling violence between Palestine’s Jewish community and Arab community who feared displacement† (Meyer, 2006). Because of the rising tensions, Britain had tried to restrict Jewish immigration to Palestine until after WWII when worldwide support demanded that a Jewish state become a reality (U.S. State Department, 2004). This international backing led to the 1947 UN partition plan with the General Assembly voting by a two-thirds majority to â€Å"partition western Palestine into a separate Jewish and an Arab state† (Laqueur, 1969). Troubles continued to escalate forcing the British to leave on May 14, 1948. Soon after, the State of Israel was proclaimed and was quickly invaded by neighboring armies of the Arab nations which had ignored the UN partition plan.  "This conflict, Israel’s War of Independence, was concluded by armistice agreements between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in 1949 and resulted in a 50 percent increase in Israeli territory† (Meyer, 2006). The clash between Israel and the Palestinians is one of the longest unsettled battles in history. The 1929 Massacre in Hebron and other cities shows that Palestinian terrorism predates the 1948 beginning of the state of Israel. In the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority agreed to end all provocation against Israel, Israelis and Jews yet beginning with the declaration of the state, for more than 55 years the conflict has cost thousands of lives, involved neighboring countries in major wars, and unsettled the politics of the entire region. In 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine was estimated to be around 590,000 as compared to approximately 1,320,000 Palestinians, making the Jews equal approximately 31