The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has continued since the twentieth century. The root of the problem is two ethnic groups fighting over the land they claim as their own. The Jews were persecuted and driven out of Jerusalem, causing the Jewish population of the Ottoman Empire to relocate in Europe. After the Jews emigrated, the Arabs resided in the vacant land and renamed it Palestine. But once the Holocaust occurred, the Jews returned with the claim that the land was still originally theirs. Palestine became divided into the two states: Palestine of the Arabs and Israel of the Jews. Since then, both groups engaged in a bloody war that sees no end. Once the situation became thus, the United Nations decided to resolve their disputes. The United Nations (UN) plays a big hand in trying to solve the conflict between the two states, but ultimately the two parties don’t plan on reconciling.

The partition of Palestine took place in 1947, and the following year Israel was created as a “safe haven” for Jews. From the time of its creation, the UN had no influence on what was happening due to the lack of involvement in politics within the two states. As a result, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP, or the Committee) was created to settle the issue between Israel and Palestine (Hammond 4). It wasn’t until 1967, when the Six-Day War between the Arab countries (Egypt, Syria and Jordan) and Israel occurred, that the United States, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union took the problem into their own hands. Eventually, the Cold War arrived to the Middle East, but the UN was still unaware of what was going on because the world powers began to control the Middle East.

In the past, the situation seemed to be that the UN didn’t want to take action towards settling peace between the two states, but every time they tried, it failed due to the vast division that has occurred. The first solution was Resolution 194: a first step towards getting Palestinian refugees back home after being kicked out of present-day Israel (Administrator 1). The most controversial solution was one drawn up after the Six-Day War: Resolution 242. The Assembly wanted a fair and long-lasting peace agreement (Administrator 6). The Assembly also passed Resolution 181, partitioning Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab States, with the exception of Jerusalem which would be considered a separate entity (“United Nations Resolution 181” 1). According to Phyllis Bennis, “When Israel joined the UN the following year, its membership (Resolution 273) was contingent on its acceptance of the obligations imposed by earlier resolutions, including 194” (Administrator 1). He further added that “The UN voted 105 to 4 to recognize the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and to grant the PLO observer status within the UN itself. Only Israel and the U.S., along with U.S.-dependent Bolivia and the Dominican Republic, voted against the resolution” (Administrator 14). The last resolution of that century was Resolution 425; it called Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon after an invasion. This caused the creation of the United Nation Interim Forces, which is a peacekeeping mission meant to keep Israeli forces out of Lebanon. (Administrator 18). The US kept interfering in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, eventually controlling it. The UN was trying to resolve it, but the US had other plans in mind. Oil companies in the Middle East that collaborated with the US would lose mass amounts of profit after the land would be divided. It was unknown if access would be granted from that point forward. US disregarded the UN Resolutions as, “ostensible basis of its own ‘peace process’” (Administrator 36). In the end, Israel launched “Operation Grapes of Wrath”. The UN refugee camp in Lebanon was bombed, and it was soon reported that Israel had prior knowledge of the camp. A negative connotation towards Israel was fabricated among UN assemblies.

In the 21st century, the UN has been more involved in the situation. According to Bennis, “an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations, [was held] based on all the relevant UN resolutions. That would mean a new peace process based not only on 242’s call for an exchange of territory for peace, but as well on the panoply of resolutions including 194, mandating Palestinian refugees’ right to return and compensation, those identifying East Jerusalem as occupied territory, defining settlements as illegal, etc” (Administrator 31). Further, he stated, “[But] after months of clashes, rising numbers of Palestinian dead, a military occupation and siege tighter than ever, the best hope for a comprehensive and just peace remains a return to UN resolutions, international law, international protection, and a new peace process under UN supervision” (Administrator 35). Then the UN came up with six different resolutions. The first was Resolution “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”: the Assembly requests that all the parties (countries) negotiate and draft a final peace settlement. It also asks Israel to follow International laws that restrict it from further acts of violence (United Nations 2). Then came Resolution “Jerusalem”: the Assembly stated that it’s illegal for Israel to enforce laws, jurisdiction, and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem. It is a matter of respect towards the holy place where everyone is considered an equal (United Nations 3). The third was Resolution “The Syrian Golan”: the Assembly stated that Israel has to withdraw from the Syrian Golan as well as putting a stop to enforcing laws, jurisdictions, and authority on them (United Nations 4). After coming together again, they drafted Resolution “Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People”: the Committee is requested to support Palestine in its fight to be recognized as its own state and to displace Israelis in these areas (United Nations 5). The fourth Resolution led to writing Resolution “Special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat”: the Assembly wants the Department to release any information and effort they have put forth regarding Palestinian affairs (United Nations 6). The last of these was Resolution “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat”: the Assembly wants the Division to monitor any activities regarding Palestine (United Nations 6).

The UN has been in and out of power in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Currently, it is trying its best to come through with a peace settlement and two-state solution. Foreign interference is causing immense trouble because the more countries that get involved, the more out-of-hand the situation gets. The conflict won’t be just a dispute between Israel and Palestine; it would become a worldwide war. For now, the UN is handling Israel and Palestine with nonaggression.

Work Cited

Administrator. “What Has Been the Role of the UN in the Israel-Palestine Struggle by Phyllis Bennis.” TARI.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “United Nations Resolution 181.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Nov. 2014.

“Calling for Final Peace Settlement of Israeli Palestinian Conflict, General Assembly Adopts Six Resolutions on Middle East | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” United Nations, United Nations.

Hammond, Jeremy R. “The Role of the U.N. in Creating the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” WRMEA.

“The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Explained.” SBS News, 7 Nov. 2018.