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Questions and Answers, Part II

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This is the second part of a series that tries to deal with some of the common questions that people have about the region and some of the political questions that are currently being raised.

What is the United Nations doing in the Middle East?

The United Nations has played an extremely vital role in the development of the Middle East. It was crucial in the creation of the State of Israel and later in creating the foundation for a possible solution to the peace process in the form of UN Resolutions 242 and 338 that followed the Six Day War of 1967 and the October War of 1973. Today the UN maintains a peacekeeping force along the borders of Israel monitoring them against incursions. There are also efforts to seek out weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and additional missions are ongoing elsewhere in the region in a search to bring about stability. Secretary General Kofi Annan has made the Middle East one of his priorities in bringing about peaceful resolutions to disputes and is now in the process of trying to restart the talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. You can check out the United Nations web site for more information.

What is the current status of Jerusalem and why is it so important to Palestinians and Israelis?

Jerusalem has been a flashpoint in the Middle East for over 2,000 years. Israel annexed Jerusalem and made it part of its own territory in 1967 following the Six Day War. Many countries, including the US, have not recognized this annexation and several documents, including UN Resolutions 242 and 338 suggest that Israel will need to give up the City in order to achieve peace. Israelis see Jerusalem in a different light as they feel they won the City as a result of a defensive war and should not be forced to give up territory rightfully won in conflict. They point to thousands of year of history in military and international law that give them the right to annex territory won in conflict.

Palestinians see the Israelis as interlopers in Jerusalem and that they don't have any greater claim to the City than a tourist does. Palestinians have lived in the City for nearly two thousand years and they see Israelis as foreigners as most Israelis are not native to the region (most were immigrants from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union that couldn't trace their roots back to Israel). When Israel came into existence in 1947-1948, many Palestinians were displaced from their homes and this resentment continues to this day.

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