PALESTINEJoe Sacco

Student Name: _______________________________________________________

Before reading:

Vocabulary: Place the correct letter on the line.

1. Intifada ______

2. Zionism ______

3. Occupied Territories ______

4. Islam ______

5. "Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam"_______

6. Salaam Aleekum! ____

7. Mohammed ______

8. One State Solution______

9. Two state solution (Israel and Palestine) ______

10. Canaanite ______

11. Allah ______

12. Muslims ______

a. Jewish Nationalism

b. Is considered one of the most important people in the religion of Islam. "Messenger of God".

c. Greeting, Palestine

d. Refers to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a proposal for the creation of a unitary, Israeli-Palestinian state. (26% Palestinians prefer this)

e. Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation from 1987-1993 and 2000-2005

f. Areas that were conquered by Israel during the Six Day War (1967).  

g. People mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Most of their land, called Canaan, later became known as Israel.

h. People who follow Islam are called this

i. Refers to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a proposal for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. (46% Palestinians prefer this)

j. Is a religion whose holy book is called the Qur’an (Koran)

k. Muslims believe that there is only one god, who is called by this name.

l. Muslims have a custom of saying which means "Peace be upon him" after saying or hearing the name of Muhammad.

Match each picture to the definition found below.

A Molotov cocktail Checkpoint Hummus Keffiyeh

Kibbutz Burka Settler (Israel) Refugees (Palestine)

Hijab Koran Shekels Bar Mitzvah

13. __________________________________________ is a place, as at a frontier or in a motor rally, where vehicles or travelers are stopped for official identification, inspection, etc.

14. _________________________________________ Also known as a petrol bomb. It is a kind of incendiary weapon that is easy to make.

15. _________________________________________ A very popular Middle Eastern dip that is eaten with bread.

16. _________________________________________ A farming settlement in modern Israel in which everyone shares the work that was traditionally based on agriculture.

17. _________________________________________ Currency of Israel

18. _________________________________________ Someone who occupies an area

19. _________________________________________ Someone who has been pushed away from his/her home and seeks refuge elsewhere

20. _________________________________________ Commonly worn by Muslim men

21. _________________________________________ A word meaning "to cover", and in general, means to be modest. Muslim women wear this to cover their heads. Hamas made it compulsory for women to wear this.

22. ________________________________________ Which covers the entire body and only leaves a semi-transparent mesh in front of the woman's eyes, so she can see.

23. _______________________________________ The holy book of Islam.

24. _______________________________________ Jewish ritual held when children reach 13 or 12 years of age.

GEOGRAPHY

25. What do you notice about the picture above?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. Label each flag above.

GAZA

Fill in the blanks using the words in the box.

First Intifada Gaza Jabalia Hamas withdrew

Territory refugee camps Palestine Arabs

Populated Israeli-Palestinian conflict Mediterranean rockets

The Gaza Strip is a stretch of land along the (27) _________________________________. The main city in the

Gaza Strip is called (28) ___________________________________. At the beginning of 2006, the strip is not part of

any recognized country. It is currently ruled by (29) ____________________________________.

Israel (30) ________________________________ from Gaza in 2005, and gave over the

(31) ________________________________ to Palestinian administration. Meanwhile, Hamas, the Palestinian

group which controls the territory, has launched (32) __________________________________ at Israel. Israel has

fought back and bombed Gaza, most recently during December of 2008.

Most inhabitants are related to the (33) ________________________________ were displaced from their homes

during the Israel War of Independence in 1948. They live in cities which they call

(34) _____________________________. The main problems facing the area are war, unemployment, poverty

and malnutrition.

(35) ________________________________ is a Palestinian city located 4 kilometers north of Gaza City. It has a

refugee camp located close to the Israeli border. The camp only covers an area of 1.4 km² making it one

of the most densely (36) ______________________________ places on earth. The

(37) ________________________________in December 1987 began here. The camp has been the scene of much

violence in the (38) ______________________________. It is also considered a major stronghold of the Hamas

movement. The camp is the largest refugee camp in (39) _______________________________.

THE GAZA STRIPJABALIA

THE WEST BANK

refugee camp of Kalandia and separation wall Cave of Machpelah –

HebronThe city of Hebron

Child in Balata Refugee Camp

Valley Kidron Cave of Machpelah Christians Islamic inhabitants

Palestinian National Authority kibbutzes Muslims Hebron

Jerusalem Balata East Jerusalem West Jerusalem refugee camps

(40) _______________________________ is under the control of Israel, some countries and the United Nations say. But some disagree on whose it really is.

Right now, talks between the Israeli government, and the (41) _________________________________, which leads Palestine, are happening. These talks are about what will happen here in the future.

Most people on the West Bank are Palestinians but there also live many Jewish settlers in (42) ___________________________________ (settlements). There has been some controversy about these settlements, which are being built on Palestinian land against the will of the (43) _____________________________.

(44) __________________________________is claimed by both the Palestinians and the Israelis as their capital. (45) ____________________________________is mainly by Muslim and Christian Palestinians, and (46) __________________________ is populated primarily by the Jewish. (47) ______________________________ is one of Jerusalem’s most sacred sites.

There are many villages in the West Bank that hold some of the major(48) ____________________________. Some of these villages are: Tulkarm, Kalandia (located between Jerusalem and Ramallah), and Balata (Near Nablus). (49) ______________________________holds some of the largest refugee camps for Palestinians.

The city of (50) _____________________________has 160,000 Palestinians and 500-800 Israeli settlers. The Israeli settlers live in close proximity to the city boundary and require a constant Israeli military presence. (51) _______________________________ is a series of subterranean chambers located in the heart of Hebron's old city. The compound is the second holiest site for Jews, after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and is also considered holy by (52) __________________________and (53) __________________________.

Other places that you will hear about in the book where major fighting is taking place are in the west bank, are Jerusalem, Silwan, Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus. Please label these places, along with Tulkarm on the map located on the next page!

Jerusalem

The West Bank

People:

Can you match these faces to the people mentioned below?

Begin Arafat Ariel Sharon Sadat

PLO(The Palestine Liberation

Organization)

Hezbollah Hamas

(54) ____________________________________Prime Minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006.

(55) ____________________________________Became known as the first leader of the Palestinian people. The views of him are somewhat divided. Some people see him as a hero, who fought for the cause of the Palestinian people. Others see him as a terrorist, who promoted the use of violence to reach his goals. The current leader is Mahmoud Abbas.

(56) ____________________________________ The third President of Egypt. He served from 15 October 1970 until he was assassinated by Islamic extremists

(57) ___________________________________ The 6th prime minister of Israel. He promoted the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

(58) ____________________________________ The Fateh & The Popular are parts of this organization. It is a Palestinian organization that supports peace and is against violence and terrorism.

(59) ____________________________________An extremist Muslim group that has close links with Iran in Lebanon.

(60) ____________________________________ The political party that governs the Gaza Strip. They are considered a terrorist group.

While reading:

Answer these each question with a complete sentence.

1. How would you describe Sacco's artistic style? What is its most striking feature?

2. Choose a page in the book and carefully examine Sacco's visual strategies on that page. How does he combine words and pictures in effective ways? Be specific.

3. What chapter or story do you find most effective or interesting? Why? Be specific.

4. Which character do you find most memorable? Why? Be specific.

5. Take another look at pages 161-2, where a Palestinian sitting with Sacco questions the good that his book will accomplish. Then look at pages 242-3, where a mother who has lost two sons makes a similar point. What is your reaction to these charges? Why do you think Sacco included this section in Palestine?

6. What are your reactions to "Women" and "Still One of the Boys" in Chapter Five?

7. How does Sacco present himself throughout the book? Cite specific pages and/or panels as examples. What might he be suggesting about the role of the journalist?

8. This book was originally printed as nine individual comic books from 1993 to 1995. How do you think the relevance of this collection changed since the events of 9/11/01?

9. How would you describe the tone of this book? Cite specific pages and/or panels as examples.

10. What are your reactions to "Through Other Eyes" in Chapter Nine?

11. What point is Sacco making on pages 282-3?

12. Before reading this book, what where your attitudes about Palestine and Palestinians? About Israel and Israelis? In what ways has the book informed you more deeply about these places and peoples?

13. If you could ask Joe Sacco any questions, what would they be?

After reading:

Debate

Upon completion of this book you will be part of a debate.

1. After completing the novel, you will debate your views concerning the Israeli historical claim to the land and the Palestinians right to what they consider their homeland. You be assigned to your debate team after you read; therefore, you must understand both sides of the story.

2. Students will present their cases using the information gathered during through, the book, the film watched in class, information posted on the weebly and news stories. When planning your debate, you must take into account the religious history, political situation, cultural practices, and the economic factors of both places.

3. Pro-Israel: To prepare yourself for the debate, you must collect at least three news articles, magazine articles, or summary of a news cast about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. These will be due upon your return to class so that you can prepare with your debate team and must be accompanied with a summary in your own words. The news articles will account for 30% of your debate grade.

4. You must prepare notes from the book to support your debate. These notes should be one page long and bullet pointed. They will also count as 30% of your debate grade.

Projects

You may choose to do one of the following.

1. Make a peace plan for this area. Should the wall that they are building stay or go? (500 words)

2. Write a letter to Joe Sacco about his book. You can tell him about what you learned from his book, what you liked and didn’t like, and give your opinion about certain characters, experiences, etc. (500 words). I have sample letters if you need them!

3. Create a piece of art that depicts the conflict and peace in the region (use any medium). This must show me that you understood the book.

4. Study biographies of Israeli and Palestinian leaders and citizens mentioned in the book. You must tie your biographies to the book. In what context were they mentioned? (500 words)

5. Write a report comparing the similarities and differences between the lives of the Palestinian, Israeli children and yourself. (500 words)