Solving the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Practical Way Forward that Allows Both Sides to Negotiate a Solution in Good Faith

By Dr. Grenville Phillips II

Dr. Grenville Phillips II takes a new approach to solving the  Arab-Israeli conflict by resolving the underlying religious causes of the conflict that prevented both sides from negotiating in good faith. 

Over the past fifty years, proposals to end the Arab-Israel

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887386782

Dr. Grenville Phillips II

Dr. Grenville Phillips II is a doctor of engineering and chartered engineer who has spent the past thirty years designing solutions to complex problems. He has studied the Arab- Israeli conflict for the past forty years.Dr. Phillips is the president of Walbrent College and is a fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. He holds bachelor's degrees in mathematics and engineering, master's degrees in engineering and planning, and a doctorate in engineering.

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Preface

Why I Wrote This Book

Since Israel became a nation in 1948, it has been in continual conflict with its Islamic neighbors. There appear to be two religious reasons for this adversarial relationship, namely:

1. Mohammed’s final command that only one religion must occupy the Arabian Peninsula

2. Moses’ final command that the Israelites must occupy the Promised Land, which includes the west Bank and Gaza.

The Jewish and Islamic interpretations of these commands have led to challenging living conditions in the Arab-dominated areas of Gaza and the West Bank and a hatred of Israel in the region.

For the past forty years, political leaders from several nations have tried to facilitate political solutions to address the symptoms of religious problems. However, these negotiated agreements have failed to result in peace in the region, mainly because they appear to be entirely dependent upon the resolution of the two religious issues.

This book addresses the two religious barriers to peace and then proposes practical solutions to the critical obstacles to lasting peace in the Middle-East, namely:

1. the recognition of the Israel’s right to exist in peace

2. Israel releasing the Gaza and West Bank areas.

Introduction

Critical Obstacles to Peace

The Arab-Israeli conflict appears to be one of the most complex problems on the Earth at this time. It has engaged the attention of and received significant resources from the United States of America (USA), Europe, Russia, China, and the United Nations (UN). Yet the Middle-East remains one of the most volatile regions in the world. Israel and her Islamic neighbors have armed themselves with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry and have, on at least two occasions, almost triggered a World War.

Over the past forty years, the USA, British, French, Norwegians, Russians, and the UN have tried to find political solutions to the conflict by brokering various peace agreements. However, I propose that the reason why those agreements did not achieve the desired lasting peace, is because they were attempting to apply political solutions to the symptoms of religious problems.

It is easier to get the region’s national leaders to sign negotiated agreements, than to get their populations to accept the negotiated terms. The previous negotiated agreements have proven impossible to implement, because their success was largely dependent upon the cooperation of the region’s religious leaders.

All of the negotiated peace agreements have identified the following two critical conditions, that had to be accepted by the warring parties, in order to secure a lasting peace.

1. The Islamic nations must recognize Israel’s right to exist in peace.

2. Israel must return the Gaza and West Bank areas.

Let us examine both of these pre-conditions.

The First Pre-condition:

Recognition of Israel’s right to exist in peace

According to Islamic tradition, Mohammed’s final command was that the Arabian Peninsula must become, and remain, Islamic. A non-Islamic Israel in the Islamic region is the principal reason why Israel’s existence has been offensive to Islamic religious leaders, despite the recognition that Islamic political leaders may appear to give during negotiated settlements. A current political map of the Middle-East follows.

If Muslims are forced to recognize Israel’s right to exist in the region, then many Muslims believe that they are actually being told to choose one of the following two options:

1. intentionally violate Mohammed’s command and risk eternal damnation in exchange for a temporary and fragile regional peace; or

2. negotiate with Israel in bad faith and patiently wait for the opportunity to carry out Mohammed’s final command.

The Second Pre-condition:

Israel releasing Gaza and the West Bank areas

According to Jewish tradition, Moses’ final commands were that Israel was to occupy the Promised Land and dispossess its inhabitants. The boundaries of this Promised Land were defined by God, and they include the Gaza Strip area bounding the Mediterranean Sea, and Judea and Samaria, also called the West Bank area of the Jordan River. Currently, the majority populations of these areas are Muslims. If Israel is forced to return these areas, then many Jews believe that they are actually being told to choose one of the following two options:

1. deliberately violate God’s command to possess the land, and thereby invite the consequences of disobedience; or

2. negotiate with the Arabs in bad faith, and patiently wait for the opportunity to fully occupy the areas within the boundaries that were defined by God.

A current political map of Israel follows.

Negotiating in Good Faith

The principal obstacles to peace in the Middle East appear to be religiously-based. If both of the religious issues are not resolved to the satisfaction of the region’s religious leaders, then it appears that their political leaders will never be free