The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a dangerous and volatile situation that has attracted American and worldwide attention for some decades. The conflict is a sensitive subject that produces strong emotions in people. It is very hard to speak, write or discuss the subject without taking sides; but at the end of the day most people looking from the outside in would agree that that both parties are somewhat responsible.
In 1948, there were approximately 860,000 Palestinians inside today’s Israel. About 700,000 were driven out or fled during the fighting that followed the declaration of Israeli statehood. All refugees lost their property (about 800,000 acres were taken for Israeli use.). The 160,000 Palestinians still in Israel in 1949 when the fighting stopped lost another 250,000 acres. The Palestinians in Israel were left without resources or strong leaders.
Today, land taken from the Palestinians and earmarked for military purposes or Jewish settlements amounts to more than 52% of the most fertile areas of the West Bank and 40% of the Gaza Strip. Only a very small percentage of this land was sold willingly by Palestinians. Most of it was confiscated, and is held to be for Jews only-not just Jews from Israel, but Jews from anywhere in the world. By 1990, according to Israeli estimates, 83% of the water from the West Bank will be diverted to Jewish settlements and Israel. The indigenous Palestinians will get only 17% of their own water. This taking of natural resources from the Palestinians, are the reasons for the rise in conflict.
