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NAMUNC II
“Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict” Status of the Gaza Strip Last October Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced Israel’s unilateral decision to withdraw the twenty-one Jewish settlements from the Palestinian-dominated Gaza Strip and four from the West Bank with no expectations from the Palestinian side. Earlier this year the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, gave final approval to the withdrawal plan making the first time an Israeli government decided to dismantle Jewish settlements on land claimed by the future Palestinian state. This plan, to commence in July, calls for the evacuation of about 9,000 settlers and will take two months to enact. The Israeli government will set aside $871 million for these settlers as compensation which will be allotted depending on matters such as family size and how long they have resided in the settlement. Sharon has ordered that the Jewish settlers leave by 20 July, or they will be removed by force. The prime minister has received mass support from Israelis, demonstrated recently when close to 10,000 Israelis marched through Tel Aviv carrying banners reading: “Evacuating Gaza is choosing life” and “Today Gush Katif, tomorrow the West Bank.” Ariel Sharon has declared, “I’m convinced that the decision we took is the right one to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state.” Many agree with Sharon, including the “Quartet” (United States, European Union, Russia, and the United Nations); this plan, however, has created many doubts and uncertainties in its application and future affect on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the “roadmap to peace”.
History of Issue The long-running conflict between Palestinians and Israeli over the West Bank and Gaza Strips dates back to almost 60 years ago from the 1948-1949 Israeli War of Independence. According to Masada2000.com, the war created a Jewish state slightly larger than what was proposed in the 1947 United Nations Resolution 181. The Arab Palestinian state was annexed by Egypt, occupying the Gaza Strip, and by Trans-Jordan, occupying Judea-Samaria (the “West Bank” of the Jordan River) and Jerusalem. The remaining land become under complete Arab control, yet there was no effort to make a second Arab State. In 1962, Yassir Arafat created the Palestinian Liberation Organization to promote ideas creating the State of Palestine and to defeat Israel. In 1967 Egypt, Syria, and Jordan sent armies into Israeli borders aiming to destroy the State of Israel starting the Six Day Arab-Israeli War. Israel defeated all three armies and gained possession of these territories. Although these lands are owned by Israel and many Jewish settlers reside in the Gaza strip, many Arabs lived there believing that the land was wrongfully taking from them. Perhaps Sharon’s plan will give the Palestinians what they desire, stop the constant violence, and establish peace between he Israelis and Palestinians.
Current Problems The delegates of the DISEC committee should aim to examine the Israeli withdrawal plan and come up ideas to address the remaining conflicts. How will the withdrawal be executed? Should Israel be allowed to keep control of Gaza’s borders, coastline and airspace? Many Jewish settlers who oppose Sharon dismantling plan have repeatedly warned that the evacuation could lead to a split in the nation. How will the plan prevent possible civil war and protect the families who do not know any other home, as many of Sharon’s political opponents have asked? Another issue is the prospect of violence. Will the violence increase or decrease in Gaza? Hisham Melhem, Washington Correspondent for the Beirut newspaper AsSafir, believes that Hamas and other extremist Muslim groups may take advantage of the evacuation to demonstrate to the world that Israeli is being pushed out and further attacks on the Israelis. What steps will Abu Mazzen Abbas, Arafat’s replacement, take to disarm Palestinian resistance fighters? What is the role of the United Nations in this matter? More importantly, what will become of the Gaza Strip? What will its status be -- a sovereign state? Examining the Palestinian side: they were completely excluded from negotiations of this plan, how should they react? Of course they would be glad to see Israel leave, but who will be responsible for Gaza politically? How will they prepare themselves if there is no sovereign state? What will be the role of countries such as the United States to help ensure stability and hope in Gaza? This committee will look at all these issues and will aim to design a detailed plan for the Israeli withdrawal, creating steps that will ensure the socio-economical and political status in Gaza. And further examine the next steps for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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