Middle East violence has deep roots

As violence in the Middle East continues to escalate, so does the controversy in America concerning our unremitting support of Israel in its current conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah forces.

Those who support Israel?s latest efforts to defend itself cite Israel?s right to protect its borders and its citizens from those who have sworn to annihilate Israel. Those who oppose these efforts generally concede Israel?s inherent right to self-defense, but question the means to that end.

Both arguments have their merits-up to a point. The first recognizes the historical reality that Israel has been fighting its Arab neighbors off and on ever since its independence in 1948. The United Nations General Assembly had voted in 1947 to partition Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state. The Arabs rejected the partition. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria attacked Israel, but failed to destroy the Jewish state, which actually gained territory.

Thus were sown the seeds of conflict, which would be reaped many times in the ensuing decades. In October, 1956, after a series of terrorist raids on its soil, Israel briefly invaded Egypt?s Sinai. A UN cease-fire was arranged in early November. In 1967, Egypt and its allies attacked Israel in what became known as the ?6-Day War.? Again Israel prevailed, taking the Gaza strip and occupying the Sinai Peninsula to the Suez Canal. Israeli forces also captured East Jerusalem, Syria?s Golan Heights, and Jordan?s West bank. On Oct. 6, 1973 (on Yom Kippur, the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar), Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. Israel counter-attacked, driving the Syrians back and crossing the Suez Canal. Following another cease-fire, the Israeli forces withdrew from the canal?s west bank.

These major conflicts were followed by intermittent attempts to ?give peace a chance? in the Middle East. For example in 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a formal peace treaty, thus ending three decades of war. Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1982. Then in 1993, peace talks led to historic agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The PLO recognized Israel?s right to exist. In turn, Israel recognized the PLO as the Palestinians? legal representative. The two sides also agreed on limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza. In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a declaration ending their nearly 46 years of conflict. Other attempts at reconciliation followed during the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Those who question Israel?s responses to attacks and abductions by Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists assert they are ?disproportionate? and wrongly target the people and infrastructure of Lebanon. An Israeli military official?s statement that ?there are no civilians in this war? adds fuel to the fire of these assertions. So do the video images of carnage and chaos in Lebanon.

Whether we support Israel unconditionally or with some reservation, we can only hope this latest conflict in the Middle East will be resolved before it escalates even further. However, the violent history of that region suggests this may be the triumph of hope over experience.

Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the WCPI radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on 91.3 FM.