The article emphasizes the urgent need for peace between Israel and Palestine to prevent escalating conflicts that could lead to regional and global wars. It outlines the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rooted in competing national identities and the consequences of external powers' intervention, notably the British mandate and UN partition. The author advocates for mutual recognition and conciliation between the two peoples as the only viable solution to ensure lasting peace.

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IT IS URGENT TO CELEBRATE PEACE BETWEEN THE STATE OF ISRAEL
AND THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE
Fernando Alcoforado*
This article aims to demonstrate the urgent need to celebrate peace between the State of
Israel and the people of Palestine to avoid the escalation of the civil war in Israel between
Jews and Palestinians, a regional war between Israel and Iran and other Arab countries
and , even, of a new world war involving the great powers. The current events in which
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip launch rockets on Israeli cities and Israel retaliates by
launching bombs and rockets on the Gaza Strip, which could evolve into its occupation
by the Israeli Army and the massacre of the population in Gaza, need to be stopped.
Unlike past conflicts, the current conflict is also contributing to the outbreak of a civil
war in Israel involving Jews and Palestinians. Peace needs to be celebrated between the
State of Israel and the Palestinian people to end the violence between the two brotherly
peoples, Jews and Palestinians, and end the bloodbath taking place in the region since the
end of the First World War in 1918.
To better understand the Jewish and Palestinian conflict, it is important to know its history
from the 2nd millennium BC onwards. At this time, Palestine was organized into city-
states under Egyptian hegemony for much of the 2nd millennium BC. In the last centuries
of this millennium, successive waves of immigrants or invaders arrived in Palestine from
the north and northwest, from the islands or from the other side of the Mediterranean,
who were known as Philistines and settled, especially in the southwest (west coast of the
Negev and Chefella ), where they founded several small kingdoms (Gaza, Ashdod,
Ashkelon, Gat and Ekron). Parallel to the Philistine kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel was
established in the north of Palestine and then the kingdom of Judah in the low
mountainous area of the south. Among the ancient peoples of Palestine, the Philistines
had the greatest influence until the last centuries of the pre-Christian era. It was not by
chance that the name Palestine was given to the entire region, that is, the country of the
Philistines.
The various Palestinian, Philistine and Israeli kingdoms coexisted for centuries. At times
they fought against each other, at other times they allied themselves to combat the yoke
of some great power of the time. The first victim of this process was Israel, conquered
and annexed by Assyria in 722 BC. C. From then until 1948 there was no political entity
called Israel in the region. Judaism always retained the hope that one day all the dispersed
Jewish people would return to what it called "the Land of Israel". In their history, Jews
have faced several Diasporas that involve several forced expulsions around the world and
the consequent formation of Jewish communities outside of what is known today as Israel.
Generally speaking, the beginning of the first Jewish diaspora is attributed to the year 586
BC, when Nebuchadnezzar II, emperor of Babylon (located in ancient Mesopotamia,
located about 85 km south of Baghdad in Iraq), invaded the Kingdom of Judah, destroying
Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, in addition to deporting the Jews to Mesopotamia.
In the 1st century, the Romans invade Palestine and destroy the temple in Jerusalem. In
the following century, they destroyed the city of Jerusalem, causing the second Jewish
diaspora, sending Jews to other countries in Asia Minor, Africa and southern Europe.
With the Roman Empire's rule over Judea, most of the Jews who lived there emigrated to
Babylon, which became the largest Jewish community center in the world until the 11th
century. With the triumph of nationalist ideologies in Europe and the idea of creating a
national state, a nationalist movement emerged in the 19th century among the Jews of

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central and eastern Europe whose objective was the creation of a Jewish state, which was
considered the only means of ensuring the identity and survival of the Jewish nation, as
well as guaranteeing it a place in the sun among other nations. Jewish nationalism took
the name Zionism, a word that derives from Zion, one of the names of Jerusalem in the
Bible. Initially religious in nature, Zionism preached the return of the Jews to the “Land
of Israel”.
Contrary to Israel's formation of religious utopia, the state projected by Jewish
nationalists at this time did not necessarily have Palestine as its setting. Jewish nationalists
were quick to opt for Palestine. This choice was natural and quite mobilizing, because of
Judaism's connection to Palestine and the attraction it exerts even on many Jews who are
not religious or originally from this region. The First World War had tragic consequences
for Palestine. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), an ally of Germany
defeated in the First World War (1914-1918), which exercised domination over Palestine,
had decisive consequences for the future of this region. After the world conflict, it was
created, by the article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations on June 28, 1919, the
Mandate system that was intended to determine the status of colonies and territories that
were under the control of the vanquished nations. The British Mandate that included
Palestine was approved by the Council of the League of Nations on July 24, 1922 (Figure
1).
Figure 1- British Mandate for Palestine and Transjordan
Source: https://ensinandodesiao.org.br/artigos-e-estudos/historia-e-significado-de-palestina-e-palestinos/
The British Mandate for Palestine no longer considered its objective to bring the
population that then inhabited it, that is, the Palestinian population, to full independence.
Instead, he promoted the creation of a Jewish national home, that is, the creation of a
Jewish state with people who, for the most part, were still scattered around the world and,
therefore, had to be brought in from outside. Great Britain, the hegemonic power at the
time, promised the Zionist Federation that it would do everything possible to establish "a
national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine with the so-called Balfour Declaration.
The territory that the Zionists intended to establish their state in was much larger than

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Palestine. It encompassed the entire western part of Transjordan, the Golan plateau and
the part of Lebanon south of Sidon. The obstacle that prevented the process of Palestinian
independence was, therefore, the privilege given to the Jews to create the "national home
for the Jewish people" in this region.
The Palestinians saw the sponsorship given first by Great Britain and then by the League
of Nations to the Zionist project of creating a Jewish national home in Palestine as a denial
of their right to independence. Palestinians felt dispossessed. Naturally, the Palestinians
opposed the project of creating a Jewish national home in Palestine from the first moment
– as soon as they became aware of the Balfour Declaration and tried, by all means, to
prevent its realization, as they feared that it would result in their submission, not only
political, but also economic to the Jews, thus passing from the domination of the Ottoman
Empire to the Jewish domination, with an interval of British domination. Palestinians
lodged protests against the Balfour Declaration with the Paris Peace Conference and the
British Government. The first popular demonstration against the Zionist project took
place on November 2, 1918, the first anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. This
demonstration was peaceful, but Palestinian resistance soon turned violent, expressing
itself in attacks against Jews that degenerated into bloody clashes.
Generally speaking, outbreaks of violence were increasingly serious as the Mandate
prolonged and Jewish colonization in Palestine extended and strengthened. Events
unfolded in a sequence that became customary. Palestinian resistance also occurred in the
1936-1939 uprising. In April 1936, local disturbances between Arabs and Jews
degenerated into a widespread Palestinian revolt. The revolt was no longer just opposed
to Jewish colonization. It was directed, above all, against the British authorities, the
foreign power, from which the Palestinians demanded the constitution of a national
government. Having reached the conclusion that the Palestinians would not renounce
their independence, in 1937 the British considered the possibility of dividing Palestine
into two states, one Arab and the other Jewish. Both parties rejected this solution. The
Jews, who saw this plan as a deviation from not only British but also international official
policy, did not accept the idea of creating the Jewish state only in a part of Palestine,
which would apparently mean renouncing the claim to the entire region. The Palestinians,
in turn, did not renounce their territory. This divergence continues to this day.
It is important to note that the conflict between Jews and Palestinians began in the 19th
century, when Zionist Jews expressed the desire to create a modern state in their ancestral
land and began to create settlements in Palestine, at the time still controlled by the
Ottoman Empire. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim their share of the land based on
history, religion and culture. The great powers that won the First World War decided the
fate of Palestine in favor of the Jews, using the League of Nations to do so, thus
configuring the arrogance that has always characterized international relations throughout
history. The Palestinians saw the sponsorship given first by Great Britain and then by the
League of Nations to the Zionist project of creating a Jewish national home in Palestine
as a denial of their right to independence.
Since then, there has been much violence and controversy surrounding the issue, as well
as several peace negotiations during the 20th century. The State of Israel was founded in
1948, following the Partition Plan drawn up by the UN, which divided the region, then
under British rule, into Arab and Jewish states (Figure 2). Because of this partition, the
territories occupied by Israel at the end of World War II constituted about 78% of
Palestine. They became, in fact, the territory of the State of Israel. With the formation of
the State of Israel, in May 1948, there was the occupation of Palestine by the Jews when

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many displaced people and Jewish refugees from the Second World War migrated to the
new sovereign state. The chain of low mountains in central and southern Palestine, the
so-called West Bank, as well as the Gaza Strip, remained outside Israel. Jerusalem was
divided: the western part of the city outside the walls sided with Israel; the old city and
the extramural neighborhood to the north were on the Palestinian side.
Figure 2- UN Sharing Plan
Source: https://ensinandodesiao.org.br/artigos-e-estudos/historia-e-significado-de-palestina-e-palestinos/
Palestinians demand to establish a sovereign and independent Palestinian State. Most
Palestinians accept the West Bank and Gaza Strip regions as territory for a future
Palestinian state. Many Israelis also accept this solution. A discussion around this solution
took place during the Oslo Accords, signed in September 1993 between Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which allowed the formation of the ANP
(Palestinian National Authority). Despite the return of the Gaza Strip and parts of the
West Bank to Palestinian control, a final agreement still needed to be reached. To do this,
it would be necessary to resolve the main points of contention, which are the dispute over
Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the end of Jewish settlements in the West
Bank. Despite several other agreements and peace plans, such as those at Camp David
and the negotiations of the so-called Quartet for the Middle East (United States, European
Union, Russia and UN), the situation is still at an impasse.
One fact is evident: Israel's history has revolved around conflicts with Palestinians and
neighboring Arab nations that have been shaken by wars and clashes between Jews and
Arabs who do not agree with the territorial division of the former Palestinian lands, as
established in the current moment. Since the creation of the State of Israel, the conflict
opposing it to the Palestinians has been the epicenter of a conflict between Israel and all
Arab countries, with strong global repercussions. There were wars with Egypt, Jordan,
Syria and Lebanon, but without the tension in the region decreasing. During this period,

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Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights
and southern Lebanon after the Six-Day War against Egypt, Syria and Jordan in 1967
(Figure 3).
Figure 3- Israeli achievements in the Six-Day War (1967)
Source: https://www.curso-objetivo.br/vestibular/roteiro_estudos/questao_palestina.aspx
Figure 4 presented below shows that the evolution of the conflict between Jews and
Palestinians led to Israel progressively conquering the territory of Palestine from 1947 to
the present. This situation cannot continue because it generates permanent conflict
between Jews and Palestinians. The map of Palestine has changed over the years with
Israel's advance into Palestinian territory. Peace between Jews and Palestinians will
hardly be concluded if these conditions are maintained.
It can be said that there is only one solution to the conflict between the State of Israel and
the Palestinians: on the one hand, Israel needs to accept the constitution of the Palestinian
State, seek a fair and negotiated solution regarding Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian
refugees and end the settlements Jews in the West Bank and, on the other, Palestinians
need to recognize the State of Israel because neither Palestinians nor Israelis can impose
their will on each other. Neither Zionists nor Palestinian extremist groups will be able to
impose their will by force of arms in Palestine. The thesis of Clausewitz, a great military
strategist, does not apply to the Israel-Palestine conflict because neither Israel can
annihilate the Palestinians, nor vice versa. There is only one solution to the conflict in the
region: Jews and Palestinians celebrate peace and conciliation.

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Figure 4- Israel’s advance on Palestinian territory
Source: https://www.todamateria.com.br/conflito-israel-palestina/
The construction of peace can only happen if the Jewish people in Israel and throughout
the world, as well as the Palestinians, politically repel the extremists who exercise power
in their territories and establish governments that seek conciliation between the Jewish
and Palestinian peoples. This would be the way to avoid the continuation of the conflict
between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people, which could evolve into a regional
war involving all countries in the region. The transition from a regional war to a global
conflict can also happen with the involvement of major military powers with the United
States and the European Union alongside Israel and Russia and China alongside the
Palestinians. We need to prevent the conflict between the State of Israel and the
Palestinian people from becoming the epicenter of a new World War. Only peace between
Palestinians and Jews will avoid the worst for their people and for humanity.
REFERENCES
BARTON, John; Bowden, Julie, Wm. B. Eerdmans. The Original Story: God, Israel and
the World. Publishing Company. 2004.
BREGMAN, Ahron. A History of Israel. Palgrave Macmillan. 2002.
COMISSÃO DE JUSTIÇA E PAZ. A Palestina. CNIR/ FNIRF, Portugal. 2002.
FRIEDLAND, Roger; HECHT, Richard. To Rule Jerusalem. University of California
Press, 2000.
GELVIN, James L. The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War.
Cambridge University Press, 2005.

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* Fernando Alcoforado, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member
of the Bahia Academy of Education, of the SBPC- Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science and of
IPB- Polytechnic Institute of Bahia, engineer from the UFBA Polytechnic School and doctor in Territorial
Planning and Regional Development from the University of Barcelona, college professor (Engineering,
Economy and Administration) and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional
planning, urban planning and energy systems, was Advisor to the Vice President of Engineering and
Technology at LIGHT S.A. Electric power distribution company from Rio de Janeiro, Strategic Planning
Coordinator of CEPED- Bahia Research and Development Center, Undersecretary of Energy of the State
of Bahia, Secretary of Planning of Salvador, is the author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São
Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998),
Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do
Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de
Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora
Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos
na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social
Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG,
Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica,
Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate
ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores
Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no
Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba,
2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV,
Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua
convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018), Como inventar o futuro para mudar o
mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019), A humanidade ameaçada e as estratégias para sua sobrevivência
(Editora Dialética, São Paulo, 2021), A escalada da ciência e da tecnologia e sua contribuição ao progresso
e à sobrevivência da humanidade (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2022), a chapter in the book Flood Handbook
(CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida United States, 2022), How to protect human beings from threats to their
existence and avoid the extinction of humanity (Generis Publishing, Europe, Republic of Moldova,
Chișinău, 2023) and A revolução da educação necessária ao Brasil na era contemporânea (Editora CRV,
Curitiba, 2023).