HIST-410N Week 6 Discussion: Epic Changes in Africa Asia and the Middle East (Option 1: Middle East)

Week 6 Discussion: Epic Changes in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East Instructions For the initial post, address one of the following: Option 1: Middle East Examine the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its beginnings some 4000 years ago and how it has evolved/devolved over the centuries to the current time? Analyze the role of the Balfour Declaration on Israel's rebirth in 1948 and its effectiveness in helping Jewish people in their quest to reclaim their ancient homeland. Option 2: African Nation State Development Examine some of the main (internal or external) reasons why the African people were to develop into nation states later than most experts feel was appropriate/normal. Examine the role of European imperial powers and the role of tribal chieftans in the international slave trade and African nation state development. I chose Option 1 for my discussion post this week. The Arab-Israel conflict originates as a battle over Holy land. Biblical times trace Jewish ancestry to the region of Israel. The Hebrew Bible provides the greatest historical depiction of this region as the birthplace of Abraham, the father of Judaism. King Solomon is credited with building the first temple in the area in the year 931 B.C.. From biblical times to 1517 A.D., the land was conquered and ruled by different empires including Arabs, Greeks, Romans, and Turks to name a few. The Ottoman Empire ruled the area from the year 1517 to 1917 until the landscape was changed so much from WWI the Balfour Declaration was instituted. This Declaration was to establish a Jewish homeland of Palestine which included Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. The Arab-Israel conflict lies in that both Jews and Muslims deem the land holy yet practice very different religions (H editors, 2017). Muslims were outraged by the Balfour Declaration and do not respect the land as having extensive Jewish heritage. Israel has had a huge influx of Jews flocking to their ancient homeland since the Balfour Declaration but there is a great deal of fighting over the holy land still. A civil war broke out between the groups in 1948 which caused land to be divided into Arab land and Israeli land. Muslims still fail to recognize Israel as a legitimate state and there is still a great deal of hostility and fighting among the groups (Duiker, 2015).