Palestine – Israel 101

At the heart of this conflict is a dispute over land and boarders.

The land of Palestine was inhabited by

400,000 Muslims – 80%75,000 Christians – 15%25,000 Jews – 5%

1850

For centuries these groups had lived in harmony

Zionism

• Zionism - International Jewish movement to re-establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine

• Zionists began immigrating to Palestine• Movement grew stronger and gained more

support after the Holocaust

The British….

• Ottoman Empire controlled Palestine until WWI• In exchange for Arab support in WWI, the British

agreed to support Palestinian independence• Problem – British promised to support the creation

of a new “Jewish homeland” in Palestine.• allowed Jews to immigrate• refused to give Palestinians independence

1947 – UN Partition• Palestine would be split

up into a Jewish state and an Arab state

• Jerusalem would be an international zone (neutral) –it was a holy place for both Jews and Muslims.

1948: Arab Israeli War• Arabs refuse to abide by the UN Plan -

attack Israel on the day of its creation

• 90,000 European-trained Zionist soldiers possessing modern weaponry vs. 30,000 ill-equipped, poorly trained Arab soldiers

• Israel conquered 78% of Palestine

• Palestinians – “Hey you stole our land”

Brief Historical Background

1967: Six Day War• Neighboring Arab countries continued to threaten

Israel• Israel launched an attack and conquered more land

– Occupied additional 22% of Palestine – The West Bank and the Gaza Strip

– Occupied Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula

Recognizing the Two Sides

The Palestinian Side:

• Palestinians were promised self-rule by the British yet never received it

• Palestine was their homeland before the UN divided it

• Palestinians lost territory in the Arab-Israeli war and the 6-Day War which they want back

• The 57-year Occupation • Spiritual connection to the Holy Land

The Jewish Side:

• Palestine was settled by Jews going back to Biblical times

• History of Jewish Persecution including the Holocaust

• Promised a Jewish state by Britain and later by the UN

• Spiritual connection to the Holy Land• Palestinians gave up their right to control

the territory by attacking Israel

Recognizing the Two Sides

Economic Comparative Analysis

Israel

Unemployment 1 out of 10Growth rate -0.8%

Palestine

Unemployment 1 out of 2Growth rate -18%

Sources: United Nations 2004 Human Development Index (HDI), 2003 CIA World Fact Book.

A Palestinian has to work for 28 years to earn what an Israeli does in one yearA Palestinian has to work for 28 years to earn what an Israeli does in one year

GDPPer Capita

Annual BudgetUN HDI Rank

$117.4 Billion$19,500$45.1 Billion22 out of 177

GDPPer Capita

Annual BudgetUN HDI Rank

$2.4 Billion$700$1.2 Billion102 out of 177

In the land between the Mediterranean sea and the Jordan river…

Formative

• Using the maps provided, explain the perspective of each side.