Arab and Israel Conflict - Research Proposal Example

Arab and Israel Conflict Introduction A reflective exploration of the Arab-Israeli conflict requires a detailed investigation into the significant role of international actors in the conflict resolution, because this conflict has been at the centre of regional and international attention for the last eight decades or more. There have been several attempts at resolution in the conflict, both military and diplomatic, by the international community ever since the beginning of the conflict. The international community has taken a rather pertinent interest in providing conflict resolution on various key issues of the ongoing dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, including borders, security, reciprocal recognition, land rights, water rights, control of Jerusalem, and legalities relating to refugees. In a reflective exploration of the role of international actors in the Arab-Israeli conflict, it becomes obvious that several prominent world nations and organizations have taken part in the conflict at various stages of its development, although it is basically a conflict between the two parties of the Middle East today, the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). A conflict resolution perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict indicates that it is a complicated conflict which requires a careful investigation of the issues that must be resolved to achieve a final peace settlement as well as an analysis of the past conflict resolution efforts and the current state of the conflict. "When you come to the Arab-Israeli question, you face a very difficult kind of conflict. It is not a straightforward conflict leading itself to a straightforward conflict resolution." (Safty 2003, P 126). However, it is fundamental to realise that there have been important arguments for and against the international community providing conflict resolution. Therefore, a fundamental question in the analysis of the Arab-Israeli conflict will be if an ultimate conflict resolution is possible in the Middle-East and what role the international community plays in providing conflict resolution. This chapter makes a profound investigation in this question concerning the decisive conflict resolution and an analysis of the arguments for and against the international community providing conflict resolution. Arab and Israel Conflict: Role of international actors in conflict resolution The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most complicated wars in the modern history of man and there are various factors such as the involvement of religion, philosophical differences, the role of the neighbouring states and international community etc which contribute to the complexity of the conflict. A careful analysis of the history of the conflict suggests that the role of the various nations of the world, especially in the region, has been crucial in every stage of the development of the conflict. "The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most complicated, most intractable and most spectacular for international community at the beginning of the 21st century." (Weijan 2002. P. 169). Several peace-keeping processes initiated by the international community have incorporated various parties taking side with any of the conflicting nations. Significantly, the international contingent known as the Quartet on the Middle East (the Quartet) has been concerned with the official negotiations in the conflict and special envoy representing this international body include the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. Another important participant in the various phases of the conflict has been the Arab League which has proposed an alternative peace plan for the resolution of the various issues in the region. Similarly, Egypt, which was a founding member of the Arab League, has played an essential role in the settlement of the various issues in the region. It is fundamental to undertake an exploration of the short history of the conflict resolution efforts to determine if the role of international actors in the conflict resolution, if this is possible in the Middle-East. Such an analysis confirms that the Arabs and the Israelis, in the sixty years since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, have made considerable progress in resolving the conflicts between them. Most essentially, "though issues remain to be solved between Israel and the Palestinians, these previous agreements have laid the groundwork for an eventual final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians." (Stewart 2008, P. 169). As part of the conflict resolution efforts, various important international agreements were made by the conflicting parties under the guidance of the international community which include the 1979 Camp Davis Accords, the Madrid Peace Conference, the Oslo Accords or the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-government Agreements, Camp David II, the Road Map in 2002, and the Geneva Accord or the Draft Permanent Status Agreement. Camp Davis Accords of 1979 has been an important agreement in the conflict resolution process as these Accords directly led to the Israel-Egypt peace treaty in 1979, which ended the state of belligerency between the two states in the Middle East. The Madrid Peace Conference, hosted by the Spanish government, was the result of an important effort for conflict resolution by the international community in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War. Officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-government Agreements, the Oslo Accords resulted out of the secret direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and it was sponsored by the Norwegian government. The Camp David II is a result of the U.S. attempts in July 2000 to broker a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians under the leadership of President Bill Clinton, who invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat for the summit at Camp David. The Road Map in 2002 refers to a plan designed by a 'quarter' made up of the U.S., the European Union, Russia and the U.N. to end the violence and a lead to a permanent status agreement. "The Geneva Accord, also known as the Draft Permanent Status Agreement, was a joint effort led by an Israeli politician, Yossi Beillin, and Yasser Abed Rabbo, a former minister in the Palestinian Authority. It was launched, amid much fanfare, at a ceremony in Geneva on December 1, 2003." (Stewart 2008, P. 169). Therefore, the essential role of international community in peace agreements between the two conflicting sides of the Middle East is indubitable and the relevance of international actors in the conflict settlement is generally emphasised. In the recent conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the role of various important international actors such as the European Union is emphasised and it has long been regarded as an important duty of the international community to help both the parties in conflict to arrive at a settlement on the conflict issues. It is important to realize that the European Union considers a lasting peace in the Middle East as its central aim as an international actor in the Arab-Israeli conflict. There has been an important evolution of the European Union towards becoming an international actor that wants to be taken seriously for the last one decade and today it shows an increased willingness and capability to implicate itself in international conflicts. However, there is a serious criticism against the European Union that it does not play a very formative role in the settlement of the issues in the region. "The EU could play a major role in the Israel-Palestinian conflict by applying diplomatic, economic and political pressure on Israel. Currently, however, the EU has mostly either stood on the sideline or sided with the U.S." (Jensehaugen). Due to this characteristic of the position of the European Union, no real pressure has been applied on the stronger part in the conflict and most of the peace processes initiated by the Union ultimately ended in futile. Significantly, Europe has been historically and morally responsible for the emergence of the Israeli State and the Palestinian question and the union can never permit itself to stay in the margins of the Middle Eastern affairs. It has been a major agenda of the European Union to develop the economic, commercial, social, political and religious ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean Sea. "The study of Europe's action towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict highlights two pertinent observations: the affirmation of the European edifice as an international actor and its contribution to the conflict as a political actor." (Gianniou). Significantly, although the European Union has managed to successfully develop a European policy with regard to the conflict, it has failed to make a very crucial impact on the conflict resolution process in the conflict. The position of the U.S. on the issue has been a pertinent factor determining the interests of the EU in solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict involves various central aspects of the issues at hand and it is important to recognise the role of international community in arriving at a complete end to the long confrontation. The specific nature of the conflict emphasises the need for an effective guarantor of the peacekeeping and reconciliation process in the region. It is also essential for such conflict resolution efforts to respect the consensus of the international community, balance power relationships, reveal a nuanced appreciation of the local histories and cultural values, and keep the different parties in confidence. One of the recurring questions in the Middle East has been: 'Who will guarantee the implementation of peace' It is interesting to note that only one superpower, the United States of America, has assumed the role of 'honest broker' and 'mediator' for the last twenty years of the conflict resolution efforts. "Unfortunately, the overall perception of public opinion in the Arab Middle East is that the United States is not an unbiased and fair broker in the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although Arabs appreciate the ideal of an unbiased, Even-handed mediator, their conception of the preferred third party emphasizes the role of the principled guarantor who ensures a settlement based on equality and just compensation." (Barkan and Karn 2006, P. 144). The most important international actors with potential to influence the course of peace process and conflict resolution in the Arab-Israeli conflict have been the two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - and the United Nations, although other organizations such as the European Union and the Arab League also played important roles in the negotiations. In a reflective exploration of the Arab-Israeli conflict, it becomes lucid that the Arab nations initiated four wars against Israel which include the War of Independence in 1948, the Sinai War of 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Started as a political and nationalist clash over competing territorial ambitions following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Arab-Israeli conflict soon became an international issue of dispute and several international powers such as the United States, Russia, the European Union, the United Nations, and the Arab League have played vital role in the course of the conflict. Significantly, the chance for diplomatic movement in the conflict settlement seemed to depend on the international community, especially the United States, because the parties to the conflict have been locked into mutually unacceptable positions. It is important to realise that many of the Arab countries looked to Washington to press Israel for consensus, due to the close U.S.-Israeli relationship. "If a deal were to be struck, it would be through the efforts of the two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - and the United Nations." (Quandt 2005, P. 4-5). However, the impartiality of the U.S. efforts has often been questioned due to the close U.S. - Israeli relationship and this has greatly affected the conflict settlement process. Therefore, it is essential to emphasise the role of various international actors, especially the United States and the United Nations, in the conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict, although more transparency is expected of these international actors. An analysis of the history of mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict offers crucial evidence of the various circumstances leading to the ultimate failure of dispute resolution and the factors accounting for the successful results are greatly limited. If there is an assurance of compensation in the light of revising the policies of the parties to the conflict, they seem to be more receptive to the solution ideas. Significantly, a more detailed appraisal of the various essential causes of success and failure of each mediation attempt, four sets of factors come into play such as "personal factors, pertaining to the negotiator(s), support factors that determine the level of authority and backing from the international community, process factors, including style of discussion, and issue factors." (Feste 1991, P. 129). Thus, a host of mediator traits such as level of knowledge, bargaining skills, motivation to resolve the conflict, and warmth and charm and flexibility of the individual negotiators, generally known as the personal factors, have played key role in the conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In conclusion, the crucial role of the international actors in the conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict is indubitable and it is only through the intervention of the international community in the peace-keeping efforts that an amicable solution to the burning issues of the conflict can be made. The intervention of the international community in the conflict resolution process was a natural requirement of the period. "For the best part of a century the Arab-Israeli conflict has been a complex problem with important ramifications for the international community." (Edwards and Hinchcliffe 2001, P. 7). However, various issues affect the conflict resolution on the Arab-Israeli conflict, which include personal factors, pertaining to the negotiator(s), support factors, process factors, and issue factors. If the international actors can adopt strategies to effectively deal with these issues, wonderful results the conflict resolution process of the Arab-Israeli conflict can be achieved. Bibliography BARKAN, Elazar and KARN, Alexander. 2006. Taking wrongs seriously: apologies and reconciliation. Stanford University Press. P. 144. EDWARDS, Beverley Milton and HINCHCLIFFE, Peter. 2001. Conflicts in the Middle East since 1945. London: Routledge. P 7. FESTE, Karen A. 1991. Plans for peace: negotiation and the Arab-Israeli conflict, Volume 1991,Part 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. GIANNIOU, Maria. [online]. "The European Union's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: an active paradigm of European foreign policy" Last Accessed 25 March 2010 at: http://www.jhubc.it/ecpr-istanbul/virtualpaperroom/045.pdf JENSEHAUGEN, Jrgen. [online]. "The EU could play a major role in the Israel-Palestinian conflict." Last Accessed 25 March 2010 at: http://www.theeuros.eu/IMG/article_PDF/Jorgen-Jensehaugen-The-EU-could,2028.pdf QUANDT, William B. 2005. Peace process: American diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1967. Brookings Institution Press. Pp. 4-5. SAFTY, Adel. Leadership and Conflict Resolution: The International Leadership Series Book Three. Universal-Publishers. P 126. STEWART, Dona J. 2008. The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical & Cultural Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. P. 169. WEIJAN, Li. 2002. "Cultures and the Arab-Israeli conflict." Cultural impact on international relations. Xintian Yu. CRVP. P. 169. Read More