Israel's 60th Anniversary: Cause for Celebration or Cause of Conflict?

PASADENA, CA, Feb 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
The following press release is being issued by Vision Media Productions.

This year will mark the 60th anniversary of Israel's statehood. On May 14th,
Israelis around the world will celebrate, while Palestinians will mark the
following day as The Nakba -- a day of mourning. The Nakba,
[http://www.alnakba.org/] or the catastrophe is remembered by many as a
time of ethnic cleansing when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were
dispossessed of their homes and villages.

"These two events have long been etched side-by-side in the memories of
Palestinians and Israelis," says David Hulme, author of "Identity, Ideology and
the Future of Jerusalem." "Both have served to add annual fuel to this
enduring conflict that seems destined to elude resolution."

Of course, neither statehood nor Nakba happened in a single day. Long
before
Israel declared independence on May 14th, 1948, key events pushed the two
peoples inexorably toward conflict. But their fates were officially sealed by a
United Nations Resolution. On November 29th, 1947 they passed Resolution 181,
in support of Israel's statehood alongside an independent Arab state.

On the 60th anniversary of the UN Resolution, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni, who has angered many Arabs by what some see as an extremist stance
against
Palestinian Arabs, had this to say in reference to the coming May 14th
celebration:

"I believe that the solution of two nation states serves the interests of
both sides. Not every celebration of ours is cause for sorrow on the other
side, and vice versa. I say to my Palestinian colleagues: Do not bemoan
theestablishment of the State of Israel; establish your own state, rejoice in
its establishment and we will rejoice with you, since for us the
establishment of the Palestinian state is not our Nakba, or disaster --
provided that upon its establishment the word 'Nakba' be deleted from the
Arabic lexicon in referring to Israel."

Is this a realistic scenario? It seems an unlikely one, at least so far as
the near future is concerned. Neither side seems ready or able to relinquish
long memories of suffered wrongs, especially those memorialized by the upcoming
anniversary.

Hulme notes, "Immediately following the passage of the UN resolution,
Palestiniansattacked the Jewish community. The Jewish forces retaliated, and by
mid-January 60 years ago, Palestinians in sections of West Jerusalem were
fleeing."

The stage was now set for a series of critical events leading up to
independence and catastrophe.

This is the historical timeline that Middle East expert Dr. David Hulme is
chronicling between now and May 15th in a special series for Causes of
Conflict. In this Blog, Hulme, who is also president of Vision Media
Productions, will cover the history and implications of the actions on both
sides
of the conflict, offering insightful analysis and exploring the question of
whether Israel -- and Jerusalem in particular -- will ever find the pathway
to peace.

Reference:

Livni's remarks:
www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Foreign+Minister+Livni/S

Contact
Edwin Stepp
www.vision.org
Vision Media Productions
476 S. Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone (24 hrs): 626 535-0444 ext 105

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