Middle East

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues to affect Middle Eastern politics. The Palestinian people are still intensely angered by the Israel presence in their homeland. After WWII, the United Nations decided to set aside a part of land in the Palestinian state for the Jewish people (the manifestation of their movement called Zionism). However, this act of kindness was seen as an infringement on the Muslim people and ever since that event, the Palestinian Muslims have attempted to regain the land numerous times. In the last decade, they have resorted more to terrorism and less to cooperation. Even though Arafat had denounced terrorism in 1989, there still remains to be seen a shift in Middle Eastern relations. Since the Palestinians are offensively attacking the Israeli, they in turn are using more military force to defend themselves from further terrorist attacks. In August 2005, the Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon launched a resettlement plan, which forced the evacuation of thousands of Israelis from the Gaza strip. His plan is to create safer borders for Israel and to protect the Jewish population from an emerging Arab population.