4 Main Issues that Divide Israel, Palestinians by Dion Nissenbaum - Article Example

The intertwining of the Arab and Jewish neighborhoods makes carving Jerusalem a poorly gerrymandered political district. Israel and Palestine have failed to reach an agreement on what they should do about the Old City’s 35 acres of land at the center which is sacred to Muslims as well as Jews. A very pressing issue for the Arab leaders is the fate of nearly over 4.4 million Palestinian refugees who are descendants of Palestinians whose homes have been fled in Israel. Israel would not let the Palestinians come back to Israel as it would threaten the status of the country as a predominantly Jewish nation.

The fourth major issue between Israel and Palestine is security. Israelis are not willing to accept a Palestinian nation in their neighborhood that is well-armed because Israel has been largely in a state of war with its Arab neighbors.