ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

Can there be peace in the Middle East?

Where is Israel?

Where is Palestine?

Arab-Israeli History

Zionism-1890s

Its general definition means the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.

Balfour Declaration-1917Great Britain

Promises to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine: a British Colony.

Holocaust/World War 2 – 1934-1945

6 of 9 million European Jews are murdered by Hitler’s Nazi Germany

UN Partition Plan - 1947British Leaving Palestine to UN Control.

UN creates plan for Jewish and Arab States amidst terrorism from both sides.

Palestinians reject partition.

1948-WarArabs reject UN partition plan and go to war with Israel.Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq, and Lebanon attack Jewish State

Israel, with backing from U.S. and European countries wins the war.

Israel conquered 78% of Palestine

Created nearly 1 million Palestinian refugees

Over 400 towns and villages were destroyed

Every city, river, and hill received a new Hebrew name

Denied the existence of Palestine

Brief Historical Background

1956 – Israel invades Sinai/Suez Crisis

Egypt Nationalizes Suez Canal

Israel, backed by English and French forces take back the canal.

Agreement is reached, Israel gains Gaza strip.

1964-PLO Created

Political/Terrorist party with stated goal of creating an independent Palestinian state.

Yassir Arafat Leader (seen as terrorist and hero, may have been poisoned)

1967: Six Day War Israel conquered more land by launching a

highly successful attack Occupied additional 22% of Palestine – The

West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Recognizing the Two Sides

The Palestinian Side:

Fear of Dispossession / 20th Century Jewish Immigration

Refugees of 1948 The 57-year Occupation Spiritual connection to the Holy Land

The Jewish Side:

• History of Jewish Persecution• Holocaust• Israel as Jewish ‘Safe Haven’• Spiritual connection to the Holy Land

Recognizing the Two Sides

The Composition of the Holy Land

Source: 2003 CIA World Fact Book - Palestine data consists of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

1973 – Yom Kippur War

Egypt and Syria attack Israel on Yom Kippur

Egypt and Syria initially successful.

Israel wins, keeps no new territory

1978-79-Camp David Accords and Peace Treaty

Egypt Becomes first Arab nation to recognize Israel.

Israel gives back the Sinai peninsula

Anwar Sadat(Egypt) and Menachem Begin(Israel)

Anwar Sadat assassinated by his own soldiers.

1979 - Map

Important Note: Sinai has vast oil reserves

Northern Security Zone - 1982

Palestine attacks Israeli citizens in the north, create this safety zone to protect from attacks from Lebanon

First Intifada

Palestinian uprising against Israeli forces

1987 – 1993

Rocks vs. Tanks

Oslo Peace Process - 1993

Bill Clinton, Yitzhak Rabin, and Yasser Arafat

Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

1995 - Rabin assassinated by Jewish fundamentalist: Yigal Amir

2nd Intifada

The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada was the second Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation – a period of intensified Palestinian–Israeli violence.

It started in September 2000, when Ariel Sharon made a provoking visit to the Temple Mount and Palestinian demonstrations were cracked down by the Israeli army with brutal force, using lethal ammunition.

2nd Intifada 2000 - 2005

Gaza - 2005

Israel starts to leave the Gaza strip; costs $2.5 billion

Important Concepts

Arabs/Palestinians

Nomadic Peoples living in British Mandate of Palestine prior to the establishment of the state of Israel.

Ethnically Arab: can be Muslim, Christian, or Jewish

Mostly Muslim

Israelis

Citizens of the State of Israel: May be Christian, Jewish, or Muslim

May be European or Arab

Holy Land

Area around Jerusalem/Ancient land of Canaan

Sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

The Composition of the Holy Land

Source: 2003 CIA World Fact Book - Palestine data consists of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Homeland

Any area that an ethnicity or nationality lays claim to.

Both Jews and Arabs claim Israel/Palestine as their natural homeland.

West Bank

Portion of Palestine occupied during the Six-Day War - Today

The Israeli Barrier on the Ground

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, of Jerusalem said the wall, “cuts in half monasteries, convents, churches and cemeteries.” The pictures above are of the wall in Bethlehem

Gaza Strip

Portion of Palestine Taken over by Israel during Six-Day war in 1967 and occupied with periods of self-rule until today.

War fought between Israel and Gaza last November.

Occupation

Palestinian lands occupied by Israel after the Six-Day war.

West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights are occupied territories.

Partition

A division of lands between peoples.

To the left is UN Partition Plan for Israel and Palestine

Refugee

Any person forced from homeland because of natural, economic, or war issues.

Refugees plan to return home

700,000 Palestinian refugees after 1948 war

Checkpoints

Tollbooth-like structures where Palestinians are detained while traveling through the occupied territories.

Checkpoints make travel hard on Palestinians.

Checkpoints in the West Bank

Sometimes it takes Palestinians 4 hours to make a journey an Israeli citizen can make in 30 minutes.

Settlements

Israeli Communities in the Occupied territories.

One of the most controversial aspects of Arab-Israeli conflict

U.S. doesn’t want Israel building more settlement in the occupied territories

Israel is continuing to build new settlements.

Confiscating more Palestinian land in the Process

Settlements

Intifada

Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule.

1st Intifada 1987 – 1993

Organized by PLO Ended by Oslo

Accords Palestinian Rocks Israeli Uzis/Tanks

Arab-Israeli Conflict Continued

9/11 – Many see the attack on the World Trade Center as retaliation for U.S. support of Israel.

Arab Spring

Iranian Embargo

Terrorism Continued unrest in

Lebanon Strain on U.S. –

Israeli Relations Israel forced to play

as part of Europe in World Cup qualifying.

What should happen?