The Conflict In Northern Ireland's Troubles

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over territorialism and the establishment of a Jewish land and that of “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland between the largely Catholic Nationalists and the majority Protestant Unionists have many key similarities. Both “Northern Ireland the State of Israel emerged out of war, the breakup of empires, and international agreements.”1 (ESEP 93)The main phase of both the Northern Ireland conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict occurred around mid 1960s to late 1990s and both had similar grievances around territory and identity. Asymmetrical, sectarian disputes arose over inequalities in political power, access to economic resources, ethnic and cultural identity, and territory disputes. In Northern Ireland, the Union-dominated Northern Ireland parliament unfairly discriminated against the Catholic population. Along with Protestant cultural dominance, there was also “unequal access to economic resources... and the political power of the Protestants were underpinned by their economic power.” 2(TDOC 150) Conditions for the Palestinians living in Israel were also plagued with inequalities. Until it was amended in 1980, the Citizenship Law prevented many Palestinians from becoming citizens, barring them from many of the privileges Israelis enjoyed. “Israel was able to suspend in practice most of the rights its Palestinian citizens... [imposing]severe restrictions on their freedom of movement and economic opportunities, and placing them under surveillance and military law”3 (ESEP 97) Along with rising tensions over inequalities and violent, sectarian struggles, insurgent, terrorists organizations also sprung up from the chaos for both conflicts. Although there were numerous similar traits between these two conflicts, ultimately, the end results were vastly different. Northern Ireland and England were semi-successful in implementing peace through the Good Friday Agreement;however, the Palestinian-Israeli attempt at peace, thought the Oslo process, was not as successful, allowing violence to continue and escalate. Although both cases possessed many of the same variables that led to, and characterized, their conflicts, the difference in the success of their peace processes was due to the gaps between the core incentives and threats of the parties along with the deep antagonisms stemming from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. From the outset, Northern Ireland had been a vulnerable and insecure state that was founded in struggle and conflict for independence. …show more content…
The beginnings of the Northern Ireland conflict stemmed from the Government of Ireland Act in 1920 that partitioned Southern Ireland and the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. Southern Ireland was under Home Rule by a parliament located in Belfast while the latter was under British jurisdiction. This division was purely a political act rather than one based on geography.”Ulster 's boundaries were drawn to ensure the creation of a Northern state with a decisive, in-built Protestant and Unionist majority.”4 (NI13) This mainly-unionist parliament and union-dominated citizenship led to systematic, institutional discrimination against the Catholics and Nationalists. In addition, a series of treaties around the 1920s also increased violence and led to the development of guerrilla wars of independence and an Irish Republican Army (IRA) campaign. These conflict escalated to levels of civil war, where “over 550 people, mainly Catholics.5 (BCFP152) The Special Powers Act passed in 1922, further granting the state with draconian “emergency” powers which led to the incarceration of 500 Catholics without trial later that year. The Union-dominated government relied on intimidation and the continued suppression of the Nationalist population, which eventually led to the working-class revolts. Student radicalism spread from the civil right movement in America to Europe, inspiring the catholic middle-class to seek redress and demand elementary human rights. The Unionist government 's decision to retaliate with force led the conflict to spread throughout the province, leading to widespread rioting. This campaign for equal rights led to the feeling that the unionist dominance of Northern Ireland was under threat . Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, “Chichester-Clark adopted a tough stance [that] any opposition would be decisively put down.”6(BCFP156) In 1969, the British government ordered troops onto the streets of Northern Ireland. These violent reactions led to growing fears from the Catholic population and the “establishment of a right-wing traditionalist breakaway group that reasserted militarism and the armed struggle, the Provisional IRA.”7(BCFP157) “The Troubles” broke out in October 1968 and continued to late 19988 (NVS7) killing thousands. Although the Northern Ireland upheavals were a direct result of