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To achieve peace in the Middle East, the European Union voted on a bill presented by Jordan. The bill states that Palestine should be recognized as a 'principle state'. The US and Israel both strongly oppose this bill. The conflict has escalated in the past years. This territorial conflict is occurring because two religious groups want the same sacred holy land. How is the bill going to affect Israel and Palestine in the future?

I only see two possible solutions, both flawed. Somehow, I believe that the two religious groups could find a way to coexist, allowing them both to have access to their holy sites, but this would mean accepting the fact that the other is there. This seems unlikely to happen. Another option is to not let either group have it, and that way neither could be angry that the other possesses it. This, however, is also unlikely seeing how each group strongly refuses to give up its sites. They would fight until death for access. I really don't see this conflict ending any time soon.

Interesting solutions to the conflict. Why do you think the United States government has been pro-Israel since the creation of the state in the 1940s?

This article talks about the ongoing religious conflict in Israel and Palestine. For decades they have been fighting over the land that holds there holy spaces. I wonder if this conflict will ever end.

Sadhana- I agree that peace will be very difficult to achieve. They both want different things for themselves and the conflict will take time to resolve.

Bailey- I agree that the conflicts end is to be questioned. The idea shown in the article that neither side is willing to compromise is one of the largest issues in my opinion. The holy sites are so close together which makes both sides want the land enough that they will go to extreme lengths to defend it.

3 main ideas of the article: -Ultimately, Northern Ireland is a very small place, with a lot of madness, and in this sense it is also very similar to Israel. -Peace in Northern Ireland is there, but it's an unsettled peace. -Protestants, many descendants of Scottish and English settlers, see themselves in the Israelis' position - staking a righteous, ancient claim to territory in defiance of a force they view as bloodthirsty insurgents, the Irish Republican Army. This article talks about how there is still some unsettled people in all of Ireland, regarding religion. Also, during the unsettled peace, there are some incidents between Protestants and Roman Catholics, that connects to the Palestine-Israel conflict today. Will there be another religious war in Ireland?

It reminds me of the book I read, "Angela's Ashes" where the author mentions the stereotypes about Protestants that the Roman Catholics held even though these people weren't part of the conflict so long ago. The article is a reminder that history often repeats itself.

I liked how this article talked about two different conflicts and made a connection between the two. I also read Angela's Ashes, and it discussed the same religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Both of these issues signify the importance or meaning of territory to a religion, especially universal religions because of the hearth or birthplace. They have expanded and now try to return to the hearth which creates conflict as there are already people who have inhabited the area.

Since the Communist takeover of the region in 1949, the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China, have gotten a lot of religious and cultural persecution by Han Chinese. Similar to convicted communists during The Red Scare, Uyghurs have been prosecuted under false circumstances for separatist activities. While this isn't necessarily a dispute over territory, it's certainly an ethnic conflict and because of these hostilities, Uyghurs have a hard time finding migrant work within China. How does this relate to other ethnic conflicts like in Russia or Palestine?

I agree with Alexander about the similarity to Native Americans. Not only is China helping these people with jobs, but they are also making them go through the training programs which includes learning Mandarin, to the point where the minorities are in fear of losing their own identities. The Native Americans were forced to go through similar programs in order to "help them".

One of the cities that we will be traveling to in China is Xian. This city has a large Muslim minority. Do ethnic groups form enclaves as a refuge?

#mashaphug #mashwc

This article discusses the Israeli-Palestine conflict and how that has turned into many cruel acts of violence. What would possess someone to kill these men, especially on the stairs of a holy place?

Four rabbis and a policeman were killed by 2 palestinians inside of a jewish synagogue, and many people fear that the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is becoming a religious war, since they have different beliefs. Why would the Palestinians decide to attack the Israelis?

Israel and Palestine have been in a religious conflict for many years, fighting for the same land. Do you think these events could have any impact in resolving the conflict?

This conflict connects to territorial conflicts among religious groups because it talks about how various countries are starting to persecute Atheists and target them with hate campaigns. Why have countries started to bring up the past of Religious prosecution if it destroyed so many lives in events like The Holocaust?

This is different from the religious conflicts we discussed in class because the conflict between Palestine and Israel is mainly over the land, whereas this example of persecution is a result of the concept of atheism. In addition, Saudi Arabia, one of the countries mentioned in the article, is almost all Muslim and religious freedom is virtually nonexistent. Of course a country like this one will not tolerate atheists as other religions and freedoms are also extremely restricted.

This article is about the Palestinian conflict we have been discussing in class, and how it seems to be turning from a racial to a religious war, changing from bad to worse. How much longer can this region go before full-out war begins? What other countries may be dragged into a possible war?

I think because of the histories of the two places and the fact that what is happening now is because of years of increasing tensions and dangerous conditions, this conflict will not be solved soon, and because of that, it will only get worse. Both groups want the territory, but one group was placed there (the Jewish people by the British) so they spread and began to dominate, claiming it as theirs.

I agree with Alex, the tension in this region is historic and recently rekindled with the insertion of Israel back into this area. The conflict there is essentially a time bomb on its final countdown and is not likely to be dismantled before it goes off. From my perspective there is no way to stop it unless one religion is removed which is even more impossible.

Israel's bombings in Gaza have been physically, mentally, and emotionally detrimental to the kids exposed to this at young ages, which can lead to poor development for children. If the government of Israel could realize how their attacks impact the people how could Israel and Palestine relieve this conflict? Is it possible for an outside country to help solve this conflict if given authority?