PALESTINE AND THE EMERGENCE OF ISRAEL• 1095-1291-Crusades(3) –Christians tried

• to reclaim the Holy Land. Failed-Islamic leader, Saladin, defeated Christians

• 1453-1916- Ottoman Empire controlled Turkey and lands along eastern Mediterranean including Palestine

• 1896-1916- Zionist Movement founded by Theodore Herzl which encouraged Jews to return to their homeland in Palestine

• Jewish population in Palestine grew from 12,000 in 1896 to 85,000 in 1914

• Toward the end of WW I, European countries divided the land around Palestine formerly controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Palestine was divided into zones of influence called mandates:

• France- Syria and Lebanon

• Britain-Iraq and Jordan

• Palestine was internationalized

1917-theBalfourDeclaration issued by the British governmentfavored theestablishmentof a nationalhome for theJewish people.This “national home” was not realized

until 1948.

• 1947-United Nations adopted a plan to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states with Jerusalem as an international zone

• Jews received 56% of the land, but 2/3 of the population was of Arabic origin. Jews were given the coastal area while the Palestinians received the inland arid and mountainous areas

• 1948- May 14th the nation of Israel was proclaimed. On May 15th Israel was invaded by its Arab neighbors

PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN 1948

Over 450,000Palestinians left/wereforced to leave their homes in March, 1948.

Jews claim that the Palestinians were encouraged to leave by their Arab leaders. Palestinians claim that theywere forced to leave.

PALESTINIANS CALLISRAEL’S INDEPENDENCE AS THE “AL-NAKBA”MEANING CATASTROPHE IN ARABIC

PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS TODAY

There are now about 4million refugees inthe West Bank, Gazaand neighboring Arabnations.

• Israel survived the attack by its neighbors and began to develop the land

• 1964- PLO-Palestinian Liberation Organization was established

• 1967- Six day war between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Israel won and gained lands of

• West Bank Golan Heights

• Gaza Strip Sinai Peninsula

• 1972- Olympics in Munich, Germany. Arab terrorists attacked the Israeli dormitory killing 11 Israeli athletes. Five terrorists and one policeman were also slain.

• 1979- Camp David Peace Treaty between Egypt (Anwar el Sadat) and Israel (Menaham Begin) Sinai Peninsula returned to Egypt and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation

• 1981-Anwar el Sadat of Egypt is assassinated by an Islamic fundamentalist.

• 1982 – Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah (Party of God) is formed and based in Lebanon.

1987- Intifada first coined during this year. An Arabic word derived from the root meaning “to shake”. Palestinianswanted to shake off the chains of occupation. Symbolic stone throwing protests against Israeli soldiers

• 1987- HAMAS (Islamic Resistance

Movement) formed. Plans to use political

and violent means to create an Islamic

Palestinian state. Influence concentrated in Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

• 1993- Oslo Accords negotiates near Oslo, Norway, was an historic agreement between Israel and the PLO. Marked the first time that Israel and Palestinians formally recognized each other’s existence

• --

Rabin ofIsrael

Arafat ofthe PLO

President Clinton-U.S.

• 1994-Jordan (leader-King Hussein) signs peace treaty at the White House with Israel.

• 1995 –Rabin is assassinated by an

Orthodox Jewish Israeli because “Rabin

was going to give our country to the Arabs”.

The Intifada has continued in Israel and occupied territories.

Ayat -18 years old Rachel-17 years old

Suicide bombings continue-March 29,2002

• Palestinian statehood- boundaries?

• Jerusalem- both Israel and Palestinians

want Jerusalem as its capital

• Refugees -4 million displaced persons are in neighboring nations and in Israel

• Security and terrorism – Israel wants

assurance that attacks will cease

• Settlements – Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas

• Water - How should water be distributed?

KEY ISSUES IN DISPUTE

• 2002 to present- West Bank Barrier under construction. Israel claims it is for security reasons.

Palestinians claim that it is designed to disrupt transportation and separate Palestinian villages

DOME OF THE ROCK

Jewish settlements in occupied landsWest Bank and Gaza Strip

There are now over 200,000 Israelis living in about300 settlements among 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

These Israeli settlers are living on land which wascaptured by the Israelis in the 1967 war and itis on this land that the Palestinians want to establish an independent state.

Study the areas in the West Bank underIsraeli control and wherethe Israeli settlementsare.

Note the areas under Palestinian control anddesignate where you think the boundaries fora Palestinian state shouldbe in the West Bank andGaza Strip.

• Israel has already turned over some 40% of the contested land to full or partial Palestinian control in peace deals since 1993, however, the Jewish settlers regard the West Bank as Biblical land bequeathed to the Jews by God.

• The international community regards the settlements as illegal and obstacles to peace.

• The Palestinians see settlers as land thieves and legitimate targets for attack.

Palestinians are prohibited from building inapproximately 60 % of the West Bank and87 % of Jerusalem

Since 1967 more than 6,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed in these areas.

2005, Israel evacuates Israelis from 17 Gaza settlements. Violence continues to disrupt lives of those living in the Gaza Strip andWest Bank HAMAS has taken control of the Gaza Strip.At this time, two isolated settlements in the West Bank were evacuated.

ABOUT 246 ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST BANK Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip have been dismantled.

Total of about 4 million

refugees in Gaza Strip,

West Bank and

neighboring countries

What should be done

about these people

without permanent

homes?

HOW TO SHARE THE SCARCE WATER SUPPLY

CURRENT LEADERSHIP

PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL as of 2006, EHUD OLMERT, WILL BE RESIGNING UNDER CHARGES

OF CORRUPTION –New leadership to be elected next year

Member of thecentrist Kadima Party

Leader of the PLOYasir Arafat dies in 2004 andMAHMOUDABBAS- becomesPresident of the Palestinian National Authorityand is known asthe voice ofPalestinianmoderation. Has had conflicts withthe leadership of HAMAS.

ISMAIL HANIYEPRIME MINISTER OF PALESTINIAN

AUTHORITY-HAMAS

• Population of Israel- 6.7 million ( 83% are Jews) most others are Arabs

• Israel about the size of Massachusetts

• West Bank -1.8 million (83% are Palestinian Arabs) 17% Israeli Jews

• Gaza Strip - 1.2 million (99.4% Palestinian Arabs, .6% Jews)

JERUSALEM