Palestinian Independence could never be achieved unless they put aside their stubbornness and agree on key issues with opposing nations. In 1948 and 1949 the UN arranged a series of cease –fires between the Arabs and the Jews but full-scale wars broke out again in 1956 and 1967. By the time the UN’s cease-fire ended the war in 1967 Israel had occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and also held Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Syria’s Golan Heights. In turn this caused Egypt and Syria to launch a war against Israel in 1973.The cease-fires ended most of the fighting within a month. (13)
After the war, the fate of the Palestinians played a large role in the Arab-Israel struggle. In time the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) became recognized by all Arab states as the representative of the Palestinian people, but Israel strongly opposed the PLO because of its terrorist acts against Jews. (14) The PLO is a political and paramilitary organization and its main goal is to establish a state for the Arabs that is representing. (15)
In, 1991, the Lebanese Army defeated PLO forces in Southern Lebanon. afterwards most PLO members fled their military bases there, but the PLO continues to have influence in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. (16) According to an online written recording of the event, “The PLO was considered by the United States and Israel to be a terrorist organization until the Madrid Conference in 1991. In 1993, PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and rejected "violence and terrorism"; in response, Israel officially recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.”(17) The response given from the PLO was to withdraw the Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. As the Israelis withdrew, the Palestinians took control of these areas. In 1996, the Palestinians in these areas elected a legislature and president. (18)
In the year 2000 talks of peace continued between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but the two sides could not agree on key issues. That year the Palestinians began an invasion. Attacks by the Palestinian militias and suicide bombers took place throughout Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces repeatedly bombed and invaded the West Bank and Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,700 Palestinians. In 2002, Israel reoccupied most of the West Bank. (19) As a result Palestine’s stubbornness got in the way of achieving their independence, but as long as this continues to happen, Palestine will continue to fight in wars that only further set back their ultimate goal of independence.
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