The Indigenous VS. the Persecuted

     The conflicts which have plagued Israel over a greater part of the last century are those involving the new state of Israel and the Palestinians who have lived in that part of the world for hundreds of years. In his book Israel and Palestine: Out of the Ashes: The Search for Jewish Identity in the Twenty-First Century, Mark Ellis talks about the ethnic dimensions behind the conflicts. He explores the rights of minorities in the region and how that impacts Jerusalem, as well as the relations between Jews and Palestinians. In the chapter "Indigenous minority rights, citizenship, and the new Jerusalem," Ellis labels the conflict between Jews and Palestinians as a struggle between the rights of indigenous peoples and persecuted groups. (Ellis, p.74) This way of putting it raises a few questions. Mainly, whose rights are more important? The rights of the Jews, a persecuted group of people which has suffered exile, genocides, and prejudice everywhere in the world, or the indigenous people of Palestine who have called the land in question their home for centuries? 
     There is no easy answer to that question, and the dilemma is made even more important because this land is considered holy by both sides involved, so there is really no room to back off for the belligerents. I would argue that there is no solution that will satisfy everyone. We could give all the land to the Jews, which would certainly make them happy. However, it would displace millions of Palestinians who would feel like they had no voice in this new country and would be forced to leave due to marginalization. We could give it to the native Palestinians, which would definitely bring peace to the region but would force the remaining Jews to relocate due to anti-Jewish sentiments which have been building up for nearly a hundred years. There is also the question of where the Jews would go. There are no other Jewish nations so they would have to return to being a persecuted and disparate people wherever they go. If we reach a compromise, then no side wins. In my opinion, the best we can do for now is hope that the situation calms down, but I don't think that's possible after so long.

Source: Israel and Palestine: Out of the Ashes: The Search for Jewish Identity in the Twenty-First Century, by Mark Ellis.