Israel and Iran comparison
The Middle East has been an area of great significance throughout history, with its rich cultural heritage and strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Two countries that have played an important role in shaping the political landscape of the region are Iran and Israel. Although they share some similarities, they also are very different in many aspects, including colonization, nationalism, political Islam, ethnicity and sectarianism, minorities, authoritarianism, militarism, and political economy.
While Israel was founded as a Jewish state in 1948, Iran has a much longer history, dating back thousands of years. In terms of colonization, Israel's history is characterized by its establishment as a state on a land that was already occupied by Palestinians. Israel's founding saw the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who were forced to leave their homes and become refugees. Israel also continues to expand settlements in the West Bank, which is seen by many as a continuation of its colonization of Palestinian land.
In contrast, Iran's history does not include colonization in the same way that Israel does. While Iran has certainly engaged in conquest and empire-building in the past, its focus has been
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Iran's nationalism is centered around Persian culture and history, and the idea of an independent and powerful Iran. Iranian nationalism has been shaped by the country's long history and its efforts to resist foreign intervention and dominance. Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 was a pivotal moment in the country's nationalism, as it cemented the idea of a sovereign Islamic republic and a rejection of Western influence. Iranian nationalism has also been influenced by anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist sentiments, with the country positioning itself as a defender of Muslim rights and interests against Israel and the
embassy in Tehran and seized control of the embassy. Farber provides both an international and domestic viewpoint on the crisis, which offers the reader more of an outlook on the situation. Farber’s international viewpoint provides the reader with the look into the origins of the situation and the policies the United States had put in place in Iran. These policies include the part in ousting Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh by the United States, the United States backing of the Shah and the inclination of policy makers to turn their backs to the problem of authoritarianism in Iran, which was causing suffering for the people in the country. These problems began when the United States took interest in the Middle East in the 1970’s because of its oil rich ground.
In 1978 it marked the beginning of many political and religious disturbance in Iran. The Iranian Revolution has a history of chaos in order to put power in the hands of the people. The 1953 coup was to overthrow of the elected prime minister of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh. Mohammad Mosaddegh almost succeeded in deposing the shah incensed Iran's intellectuals.
History An Islamic revolution had started in Iran in January 1978 that would eventually topple their government. The Shah Reza Pahlavi, commonly referred to as the Shah of Iran, fled Iran in January 1979. Immediately upon his departure, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile. His popularity would eventually allow him to control the political power of Iran.
European Imperialism Many of the conflicts in the Middle East today can be traced back to the social and political changes that occurred between 1800 and 1918. The division and struggle for national rights by the Kurds have been constant themes of recent Middle Eastern history. For most of their history, Kurds have been a part of the Persian and Ottoman empires and were a mostly nomadic people. However, the desire for a Kurdish homeland did not begin until the early 1900's.
Marjane portrays Iran as a nation that has existed during "2500 time of oppression and accommodation. " It 's a nation that has endured verging on persistent war. In the picture going with this quote we see a king on a steed making individuals bow down, an entire mounted force of Arabs attacking, Mongolians with bows and bolts, and the Europeans infringing. Fundamentally, the races and weapons have changed, yet the contentions have continued as before for centuries. They uphold a fundamentalist administration, driving ladies to wear shroud and full-body blankets on the grounds that "you demonstrated your resistance to the administration by letting a couple strands of hair demonstrate.
Israel is a sign of the Jewish transformation from helpless to self independence. '' Three times a day they prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem... These problems will not arise if a home be found for them which will be legally recognized as Jewish” ( Source G). The Jewish people went from praying for the restoration of their nation to being given one recognized as a Jewish state. They were given an opportunity to rebuild themselves, their families, and their religion in a new peaceful country long dreamed of. "...shown during two thousand years of appalling and suffering… the new Jewish state, with its superior institutions had become a reality” ( Source D ).
While this is happening, none of the people in Iran are fully aware of how to react because the country didn’t have a leader at the time. Marjane had to experience this imperialism during her teenage years and it played a large role in her perspective. To demonstrate this in the book, it says, “‘God did not choose the king. ’[said Marjane’s father] ‘He did so!
After the increase of modernization in Iran and the reductions of traditional religious values, the Iranian people began to grow displeased with the Shah and riots broke out in 1978. Many of the riots were in protest to the Shahs growing western political ties and an anti-west, more religiously tied group began to form. After increased pressure, the Shah left Iran in January of 1979 and Ayatollah Khomeini declared Iran as an Islamic state. Ayatollah Khomeini was a former prominent religious leader that was in opposition to the Shahs rule and was once exiles to Paris. Ayatollah Khomeini’s platform was one of traditional religious Islam and complete resistance to Democracy and Westernization.
Persia had lived in the words of “It was never about being Persian, it was about being good.” While America, “Commitment to justice, fairness, and openness philosophy of the United States. Where there is no tyranny of kings, where everyone is equal.” Persia invented human rights. They wanted to have that happiness and freedom within everyone no matter whether you were a
Israel gained its territory in wars but a big part of it was from the six-day war in 1967 where Israel conquered the east bank including Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza strip and Sinai from Egypt (after a few years they gave it back to Egypt in order to have peace), and the Golan Heights from Syria (HISTORY: The State of Israel). The idea of a Jewish country was formed a long time before the Holocaust happened, due to the Holocaust the U.N, which made the decision of creating the country, agreed to the idea because of the discrimination of Jews. As a result, they thought that they deserved a country of their own. Since Israel was formed it participated in seven wars and two Intifadas.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict all started roughly in the 1900’s when the Ottomans and the Arabs coexisted somewhat peacefully due to a common enemy. The Turks. However, this coexistence ended when WWI had started and the British encouraged the Arabs to revolt against the Ottomans promising them that they would have the right to set up an Arab State after the war. The Arabs believed this was a good deal, so they revolted against the Ottomans in 1916. After the war, the British foreign secretary, Arthur James Balfour, gave official support to Britain’s Jewish community to establish a national home for Jews in Palestine.
Although the Middle East is comprised of a multitude of different countries and cultures, many individuals overlook the complexities of these different civilizations and instead use common terms such as “Arab” to simplify the entire region of the world. When one looks deeper into the histories and intricacies of these countries, they are given an abundance of information and wisdom that allows them to gain new insight as to what they actually are and stand for. While people from nations such as the United States are very susceptible to this pitfall of ignorance, populations within Middle Eastern countries themselves can gain new, profound understandings of their neighbors by traveling, experiencing cultures firsthand, and engaging in discussions
I have known that Persia is current day Iran. Other knowledge I have on Greek society is from Greek mythology, like Heracles and Cerberus, and “The Odyssey,” which I learned in this course is written by the same author, Homer, that wrote the poem “Iliad.” The first thing I learned in this course was who the Greek and Persian people were. Greece had been a very advanced country, constructing city-states that had “developed science, mathematics, and representational art in
Jerusalem has been in a longstanding conflict between the Israelis, who are predominantly Jewish, and the Palestinians, which exhibit a majority Muslim population.
The Arab/Israeli conflict refers to the ongoing political and territorial debate between the State of Israel and various Arab states, primarily the Palestinian people. The conflict has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Zionist Jews began immigrating to Palestine with the aim of establishing a Jewish state. Since then, the conflict has resulted in numerous wars and peace negotiations, but a lasting resolution has yet to be achieved. There are several different points of view regarding the Arab/Israeli conflict, and understanding these perspectives is important for gaining an understanding of the conflict. The Israeli point of view is that the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state in 1948 was a necessary response