Syria/Palestine/Israel

The British falsely promised Syrian independence after World War I and the Brits never delivered. There were too many colonial interests at stake, such as the control of the oil fields, that the cries for justice and freedom were made null and void. Britain took the southern part of Syria, also known as Palestine and brought it under colonial rule. The British denied their promises to the Syrians and, in turn, promised a Zionist homeland for the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. Syria adamantly opposed Zionist influx into Palestine as it would only cause further political, social, and economic problems in the Middle East. In the resolution of the General Syrian Congress of Damascus on July 2, 1919, it states pertaining to Zionism, “We oppose the pretensions of the Zionists to create a Jewish commonwealth in the southern part of Syria, known as Palestine, and oppose Zionist migration to any part of our country…”(“General Syrian Congress of Damascus Resolution of July, 2 1919”). Syria desired to model its political system after a western democratic constitutional monarchy and built its economic infrastructure with Great Britain’s support. Tensions and opposition to Zionism for fear of undesirable economic conditions put tension on British-Syrian relations and Syrians lost hope for economic development with the European because of empty claims and false promises.

            The British imperial effect of false promises in the pursuit and exploitation of national resource interests has birthed the modern-day Arab-Israeli conflict. There are very strong arguments put forth on both sides which indicate extremely strong beliefs and feelings of passionate patriotism. The ancient question of who holds claim and belongs on the land of Palestine/Israel is one that may not be answered until the end of time. Nowadays, with rockets flying into Israel, bombings of Islamic fundamentalists and Jewish zealots alike, and halted peace negotiation after halted peace negotiation one can only begin to speculate on the perplexities involved in satisfying both parties’ wants and needs. Each side has their own economic problems, political objectives, and social/religious convictions. It may very well be that the only thing that can bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict is Divine Intervention from God himself.