Realism

Realism

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Introduction

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians started in the immediately after the second world war when Britain ended the mandate it had in Palestine. To that effect, there was a partitioning of Palestine into two sides the first part was to be Israel the homeland of Jews. The second one was meant to be for the Arabs. From then on the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has been defined by tensions that are escalating evidently in the failed peace processes. The conflict has formed a core part of the larger Arab-Israeli conflict. The conflict has been termed as the most intractable conflict in the world (Boaz,  2005). The hallmark of this conflict has been the height of violence that has been seen during the entire period of the conflict. The fighting has been carried out by paramilitary groups, regular armies, and individuals. The casualties are not only the military, but a considerable number of the deaths have been recorded in the civilian population. The conflict has negatively impacted this region and there has to be a lasting solution that will bring peace to the region. There have been numerous attempts at finding a solution in the region, but they have not been effective. The paper will look at the different measures that have been taken to bring peace between Palestine and Israel.

Research question and Thesis

The paper seeks to investigate the best way to handle the peace problem between Israel and Palestine. The attempts made to come to an agreement between the two parties have revolved around the role that the leaders in both sides have played and the international community. Resolving conflicts in such ways does not put into consideration the role the public plays in the peace process. It is of little importance since peace does not exist between conflicting parties if the people have no belief that peace indeed exists. Therefore, the overarching question the paper attempts to answer is: is the use of force and military power the best way to handle the peace problem between Israel and Palestine.

Different measures have been taken to deal with the peace issue between Israel and Palestine, but they have not been effective. Therefore, use of force and military power is the best measure to be used to going to handle the conflict between Palestine and Israel and bring peace to the region.

Literature review

There have been numerous long-term peace processes as well as reconciliations of Israelis and Palestinians, but they have failed to come up with a final peace agreement. The key issues that persist include security, mutual recognition, water rights, borders, control of Jerusalem, Palestinian freedom movement, Israeli settlements and finding a solution to the claim by Palestinians of the right of their refugees returning (Shlaim, 2008). The violence that has been witnessed from this conflict especially in such a region that has rich historic sites, religious and cultural interests all over the world has made this issue an international problem. There have been many international conferences that deal with historical rights, human rights and security issues set-up to examine the issue. The conflict has been a factor hindering tourism in the area and the access to these areas that have been contested hotly.

There have been many initiatives taken to try and come up with a two-state solution that involves creating an independent Palestine together with the state of Israel. From various polls, many of the Palestinians and Israelis were in support of the creation of a two-state as compared to any other solution. They prefer this to any other means of solving the conflict. However, there exists significant disagreements and mutual distrust of the commitment on each side to uphold the obligations that come with the agreement. The conflict has generated various opinions and views within the Palestinian and Israeli society. It brings out the deep divisions that exist between the Palestinians and Israelis and also within each of these societies.

Method

The answer to the research question can be found only if the different methods used to find peace between Israel and Palestine are considered. The paper will use the level of analysis methodology to answer the research question.

There have been numerous attempts to solve this conflict through conflict resolution process as well as international mediation. The conflict is deteriorating and it is escalating as both the willingness and positions of the two parties is becoming more polarized. The direct negotiations have been conducted by two parties that are the Palestine liberation organization led by Mahmoud Abass and Israeli government that is led by Benjamin Netanyahu. These negotiations are conducted by an international contingent called Quartet on the Middle East. These negotiations have failed to come up with a solution to the ongoing conflict due to various reasons (Shlaim, 2008). First, the process has failed owing to the elastic approach that is being used to resolve the conflict. The process failed due to three personal level factors which are; an existing disconnection between the promises by leaders and what they actually deliver to the public. Second, the leaders of Palestine and Israel are only involved in the peace process so as to promote their individual interests. Third, there was a lack of change in the leadership of both sides hence the deadlock.

The peace process also failed due to political and economic factors in the region. The Palestine region lacks a democratic political structure. Israeli political structure is unified, and it operates with a parliamentary democratic structure. There is no way that peace can be achieved between Palestinians and Israelis if there is a lack of unity in the claims. The major differences between Israeli and Palestinian economic performance also led to the .............