Conflict in the Middle East – will it ever end?
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Dr Andrew Vincent |
The conflict in the Middle East has a protracted history, brought to the forefront by the recent clashes between Hezbollah and Israel. What are the issues involved, and will there ever be peace?
Macquarie University students can study conflicts such as this and other issues of politics and international relations through the Centre for Middle East and North African Studies. The Centre, which is led by former Middle East diplomat Dr Andrew Vincent, was established in 1993 to encourage interdisciplinary research on the region.
“The main aims of the centre are research and outreach,” says Vincent. “We have a good track record of completed PhDs and currently have seven research students. One student has recently been awarded her doctorate, and her thesis on the way rogue states are depicted in Hollywood movies is to be published by a British book company.”
Palestinian – Israeli conflict
Vincent is often asked to make media comment on the conflict between the Palestinians and the Jews and this is an area with multiple research possibilities.
This near-century-old conflict dates back to the promise made by Britain in World War I to set up a national home for the Jews in Palestine. “Throughout the 1930s there was increased Jewish settlement much to the alarm of the Palestinians who thought they were losing their country,” explains Vincent. “The real conflict began after World War II when the British withdrew from the Palestine mandate and the UN decided to divide the country into a Jewish state and an Arab State.”
There have been a whole series of wars since this time which has seen the Israelis increase their territory to include the areas of historic Palestine such as the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The problem today is the occupation of these two areas. The Palestinians believe that this should be their homeland but the Israelis say this part of Palestine is the most significant part of the Jewish religion.
Will there ever be a peaceful resolution?
“Most people realise that for the peace process to happen the Israelis have to give up the West Bank and Gaza Strip and allow a separate Palestinian state to be created.
“The biggest problem is that for negotiations to successfully proceed you need to have a rough equivalence of power. Israel might not have 52 cards in its deck but it has 51. The Palestinians have very little power and there is no incentive for the Israelis to make the kind of concessions that need to be made to ensure a just solution.
“I don’t think there will ever be peace in the region but we need to think about how we can manage the conflict so people won’t get killed. Politics is all about working out solutions where rival groups can operate without violence. In this conflict outside powers like the United States and the United Nations need to be there to try and push each side to make the kinds of concessions that are necessary,” says Vincent.
For further information contact Dr Andrew Vincent andrew.vincent@mq.edu.au or visit The Centre for Middle East and North African Studies www.mq.edu.au/mec