In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s two-state plan for Israel, violence broke out in
Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Israeli military claims that Palestinians began throwing firebombs
and stones in Hebron which is what lead to the deaths of at least three Palestinians including a
seventeen-year-old kid. There was a car-ramming attack in Jerusalem that resulted in seven Israeli
soldiers being injured. Violence has also been present at the Gaza border as Palestinians have sent
incendiary balloons, sporadic rockets and mortar fires to southern Israel. Following this, the Israeli
military sent warplanes to strike specific targets in the Gaza Strip. President Trump’s Middle East
plan is reported to be the cause of this rise in violence and tension as it seemingly disregards
Palestinians’ request for an independent state and allows Israel to annex approximately 30 percent of
the West Bank. Not only is this plan causing tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, but it is also
causing tension between Palestinians and Americans.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you think Trump’s plan could be changed to be more fair towards Palestinians?
- Do you think there would be the same reaction if there was a one-state plan? Why or why not?
- How can the violence seemingly caused by Trump’s plan be reduced?
I do think that Trump's plan, first should have involved the Palestinians in the discussion, as this is their future. I do think there would be a similar reaction to a one-state plan because there would be more issues regarding who has political power, the state religion, etc. Also just getting both Palestinians and Jews to agree or even get along will be difficult as they have had years to hold contempt for each other.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order for Trump's plan to be more fair towards the Palestinians, they need to be include in the negotiation process. I think that the one state plan would also face backlash because both the Palestinians and the Israelis have ties to the land and would be against sharing it. Also, due to past and present conflicts between the two groups, violence is a possibility. Violence can be reduced by including the Palestinians in the decisions and coming to a consensus that all parties agree to. Any decisions should be in the best interest of peace and prosperity for all countries.
ReplyDeleteTrump's plan should include both the Israelis and the Palestinians in the negotiation process. This will allow all the problems to be thrown on to the table and the three sides can work on fixing it as the US being a mediator. This will also allow less violence as the solution will come diplomatically rather than through brute force. As for a one state plan, that would simply cause more violence and backlash because the people there have different religious and ethnic backgrounds. Fueled by hatred from past events, uprisings will begin against people of the opposite religion. Government elections will also be complicated as sides will feel that it is unfair to have certain leaders be either Israeli or Palestinian.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the previous commenters that the Palestinians and Israelis should be included in the negotiation process, but I also believe that the US should respect both countries as individual countries. I think there would have been the same reaction if there was a one-state solution because there will always be someone who opposes either side so there would always be a reaction from either side.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I believe that Trump's plan could be more fair to the Palestinians by actually including the Palestinians in the conversation/negotiations regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, so that both could be happy with the agreement. That being said, the whole point of the disagreement that is STILL ongoing is centered around the fact that both countries CAN'T reach a mutual agreement where they're both happy - however, that doesn't mean that the solution here is for the US to just choose the country that they like more and only make an agreement with them. I think that a similar reaction would have occurred if a one state solution had been introduced, because there is always unrest when a new "solution" is implemented, which is bound to upset some groups of people and create violence.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are many differences between a two-state and one-state solution, I think the people of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank would have reacted in the same way considering that many people have differing beliefs no matter where you go. Although there are majorities of beliefs, minorities can stand out by being violent and since the people of Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank are very familiar with violence because of terrorist attacks, government violence, and violent uprisings, the people reacted in a way they knew would make a statement. Since peaceful protest hasn't worked in the past for them, it would only make sense that they respond with violence. Said violence could be reduced by having peace talks between the UN and Israel with the PLO and Israeli ambassadors speaking so that a collaborational solution could be made. This would also be more fair to the Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteThe plan definitely should've been more fair towards Palestinians. A one state plan would be received differently by the public, although I'm not sure if the reaction would be better or worse, because there's people that agree with and people that disagree with a one state solution. However, I don't think the Palestinians have issues with the fact that Trump's plan is a two state plan- it's more about the fact that its an unfair plan. It doesn't address any of Palestine's requests, such as a fair division of water resources and a grant of return for displaced Palestinians. The Palestinians definitely have the right to be upset, but I don't think violence was the correct way to go about showing it.
ReplyDeleteWith this violent response to the plan, Trump's plan should definitely should include the Palestinians in the planning process. Two state plan or one state plan, the Palestinians would still be angry with not being involved in the division of land for their independent state, as there are many factors involved into it with division of water resources, current settlements, etc. I feel like the violent response to Trump's plan was extreme, but was likely the result of a very long built up tension, from the long struggle to establish an independent Palestinian state.
ReplyDeleteTrump should have definitely included Palestine in the planning process for the Middle East Plan as it is obvious that the Palestinians didn't like being left out of the conversation, especially with so many factors at stake. The problem isn't just Jerusalem, they also have to figure out the division of water resources, the case for refugees, and how to deal with the Israeli settlers. The plan itself is not beneficial for Palestine, and its clear that Israel was favored during the making process.
ReplyDeletetrump's plan should have included the Palestine and Israel in order to come to a consensus on whether they should continue with 2 state plan. However, I believe that there would still be an ongoing hatred between Palestinians and the Israelis because they both believe that the land is theirs so there would still be attacks against each other.
ReplyDelete