ABSTRACT
The Arab-Israeli conflict is produced by forces in international relations that are universal in nature. All over the world peoples and states are caught up in the struggles over sovereignty and borders. A historical and contemporary overview of border disputes is relevant to understanding the Arab-Israeli situation. The general treatment in this chapter provides a broad perspective for understanding the evolution of Israel’s borders to their present stage, as well as for appreciating the boundary changes that are proposed. Border disputes, many seemingly intractable, have been resolved for reasons varying with the circumstances. The dispute between Turkish and Greek Cypriots expanded into a boundary conflict. The location of the ceasefire boundary led to population flight and transfer, and confirmed the division of the city of Nicosia. Territorial imperatives, space for population settlement, attraction of farm land and mineral resources, transportation technology, and intensity of transnational interaction, both peaceful and hostile, are forces that in various combinations shape the boundary-making process.
