Israel-Palestine http www mideastweb org nutshell htm Who

Israel-Palestine http: //www. mideastweb. org/nutshell. htm

Who is ARAB is an ETHNIC FAMILY living in the Middle East. Most are followers of ISLAM Palestinians are ARABS TURKS AND PERSIANS (IRANIANS ARE NOT ARAB

Who are the Palestinians • The Palestinians are mostly Muslim (some are Christian) ARABs • They are the descendents of the ancient Philistines

Palestine in Ancient times • Judea, home of the Jews in ancient times, was conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine was later conquered and inhabited by Arab MUSLIMS for over a thousand years.

In Ancient times The Zionist movement arose to restore Jews to Palestine And create a homeland The ottoman (Turkish Muslim empire controls The middle east from 1400 Till WWI. Then the British take over and ARABS are angry over WESTERN COLONIZATION

• Following the Holocaust the British allowed Jewish immigration to Palestine. In 1947, the UN partitioned the land into Arab and Jewish states. • The Arabs did not accept the partition- – because they did not want to share the land with a Jewish state and – There was no ARAB Palestinian leadership or movement to create a state. • The Israelis declared independence and war broke out.

6 Day War 1967 • A defining war for Israel’s military destroys ARAB neighbors and humiliates them. • Israel takes territory and millions of Palestinians flee or come under Israeli military rule • ENDS with UN RESOLUTION #242 negotiations would be land for peace.

What Are the Issues • Land-what will be the borders and who will control Jerusalem • Israeli security and Palestinian terror-Cycle of Violence- Terrorist attacks and Israeli military response • Jewish Settlements in Palestinian territory-West Bank • Israeli repression- of Palestinians and poor living conditions • Palestinian refugees living in other ARAB neighboring countries will they be able to return and who will fund their redevelopment

What are the issues of Conflict • Divisive History The Arab states refused to recognize Israel or make peace with it. Wars broke out in 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982, and there were many terror raids and Israeli reprisals. • “LAND FOR PEACE” has been the exchange

What are the issues of Conflict • Occupation, Land & Settlements • Israel has occupied the West bank and Gaza Strip since the 1967 6 -day war, and has built settlements with a population of about 220, 000, mostly in the West Bank. • In 2000 peace meeting Israel offered to turn over 97% of the land in the West Bank and all of Gaza, as well as Arab sections of Jerusalem. This offer was turned down by the Palestinians.

Refugees: Palestinians were expelled or fled their homes as a result of warfare • • • …that followed the creation of Israel. There are now about 4 million Palestinian refugees. Many of them live in crowded refugee camps in poor conditions in the West Bank and Gaza, in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Palestinians demand that these refugees should have the right to return to their homes in Israelis oppose return of the refugees because that would create an Arab Palestinian majority

Cycle of Violence • Israel and Palestinians have been caught up in a cycle of violence and failed attempts at peace for almosst all of the 60 years of existence. • Palestinian groups are accused or teaching and preaching extremist ideology and “breeding” suicide bombers as well as now having capability to launch missles into Isrealil towns.

Israel responds with… Palestinians stand in front of a destroyed building of Hamas's Interior Ministry after it was targeted by an Israeli missile in Gaza Jan. 18, 2008. Israel closed border crossings with the Gaza Strip and destroyed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry on Friday in what witnesses said was an air strike, stepping up what it says is a campaign to halt Palestinian rocket attacks.

What are the issues of Conflict • Israeli Security- Peace with SECURITY has always been an Israeli position • Israeli Repression Palestinians live under harsh military rule an POVERTY which has been a cause for attacks and INTIFADAS have led to harsh military responses Israelis have built “security walls” around settlements in West Bank

Israel has built “security walls to Protect them from attacks

Many Palestinians have been Cut off from towns and work as A result of the walls and check points In and out of towns.

The map illustrates Hezbollah's missile ranges under the assumption that they're armed with Iranianmade artillery rockets.

Palestinian Terror • Almost all Palestinian groups were founded with the declared aim of destroying Israel by violence • PLO-First Palestinain representative group led by Yassir Arafat since 1970’s. . criticized for his lack of sincerity to settle for peace and progress. • HAMAS-controls Gaza since 2006 -ARAB neighbors have refused to work with HAMAS • HEZBALLAH- attacks Israel from Southern Lebanon has led to Israeli invasions and military response summer 2006 • FATAH- has become moderate and runs the Palestinian Authority. – Palestinian gov’t of the West Bank- run by Mahmoud ABBAS- only Pal Leadership “West” recognizes

Hezbollah ( ﺤﺰﺏ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ • • Hezbollah or Hezb-Allah (Arabic ﺤﺰﺏ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ meaning Party of God is a Lebanese Islamist group founded in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is the main political party representing the Shia community, Lebanon's largest religious bloc. • Founded with the aid of Iran, it follows the distinctly Shiite Islamist ideology developed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. • It calls for the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon, . • In addition to its military wing, Hezbollah runs hospitals, news services, and educational facilities and participates in the Lebanese Parliament. It is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructural development projects in Shiapopulated areas of Lebanon. Hezbollah is regarded by many in the Arab and Muslim worlds as a legitimate resistance movement and is a recognized political party in Lebanon, where it has participated in government. However, a number of Western governments, including that of the United States, have designated it a terrorist organization,

Hamas ﺣﻤﺎﺱ • • Palestinian Islamist fundamental organization the US classifies a terrorist organization. Hamas was founded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, The Hamas military wing has been responsible violence/killings against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Tactics: rocket attacks suicide bombings. In 2006 after Israel turned control of Gaza over to the Palestinians Hamas won a decisive majority in the Palestinian Parliament The US and the EU halted financial assistance to the Hamas-led administration. Israel and Egypt then imposed an economic blockade on Gaza. The blockade is still in effect. Hamas calls for replacing the State of Israel with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The charter identifies the conflict as a "struggle against the Jews” Hamas leaders said it is political not religious.

H A M A S

Jerusalem was to have been internationalized under the UN Partition plan. Both sides have claims on the eastern part of Jerusalem was the ancient capital of Judea and site of the Jewish holy temple, of which only the Western Wall remains. It is also the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque - regarded by many as the third holiest site in Islam. neighborhoods are closely interwoven and difficult to separate.

Jerusalem

J E R U S A L E M WESTERN WALL

Water • • The land has always had a scarcity of water. The Israel National Water Carrier has made possible a high population density and standard of living. The carrier pumps water from the Sea of Galilee and carries it to areas in the center and south of Israel as well as for Palestinian areas. The aquifers that supply Israel's central area lie in the West Bank. The Jordan river flows through territory that would be part of Palestine. Both sides need water for survival and development and want to ensure an adequate water supply from the limited resources available.

Peace Processes 1993 2000 • • • 1993 Oslo HISTORIC PEACE TALKS…. OSLO NORWAY-RABIN (IPM) and ARAFAT (PLO) sign peace negotiation and begin withdrawl of GAZA. ISR. Extremist assassinates him. ’ 95 Netanyahu PM slows the peace process and mistrust and violence breaks out INTIFADA= shaking off Israeli rule 2000 Camp David- BARAK (ISR PM) and ARAFAT negotiate. mutual mistrust. ISRAELIS willing to negotiate and give back land in West Bank even deal on Jerusalem…in end ARAFAT rejects offer PALES still no state. . BARAK COMES READY TO NEGOTIATE!!! Did ARAFAT? ? ? The PA said they are not ready yet the Palestinian people are protesting the lack of peace and worsening conditions of their lives. ARAFAT AND PA says the offer and deal is not enough to create a state. ISRAELIS want security

2000 Intafada • After failed 2000 peace talks • 2000 INTIFADA= uprising due to anger, poverty, despair, frustration. of suicide bombers and escalation of violence leads Ariel Sharon to pursue hardline. AND FULL SCALE ISRAELI MILITARY RESPONSE No negot while violence occurs. Tells ARAFAT to control extremists. • 2002 - most significant--SAUDI”S on behalf of all 22 ARABS offer full recognition of ARABS for return for land. .

Cycle of Violence again • Passover Bombing 2002 Worst attack. 22 lb bomb in Jewish hotel during Passover celebration • SHARON RESPONDS WITH STRONG MILITARY FORCE— into Palestinian territory.

RECENTLY – In the summer of 2005 Ariel Sharon -using the Israeli military withdrew Israelis and settlements from the Gaza Strip……. • In the fall of 2005 Yassir Arafat died and is seen to many as a failed leader for not negotiating a nation for the Palestinian people and for not being able to control or unite the radical Islamic factions. • Winter of 2006 Ariel Sharon was incapacitated by a massive stroke. WAITING FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

What to Know IPC • 1. History of land people —Judea, Palestine, controlled by Rome, Muslims, ottomans, British. • 2. FORMATION OF STATE – ZIONISM, British/UN partition plan 1947. No palestinian leadership or government • 3. MAPS- 1947, current, occupied terr, arab neighbors. • 4. ISSUES – LAND-territories, Jerusalem, TERRORISM/Security, Recognition, Water, Refugees, break the cycle of terrorism and retaliation • 5. SIGNIFICANCE OF 6 DAY war, land, superiority military, recognition, defeat of arabs, UN RES 242 land for peace • 6. PEACE PROCESS- 1993, 2000…. Name two things that have derailed the peace process. INTIFADA- “Shaking off” • 7. LEADERS-; Ariel Sharon, Yassir Arafat, Yitzak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Anwar Sadat • 8. TERRORIST GROUPS- PLO, , HIZBALLAH(in S. Lebanon attacks Israel, Hamas(controls Gaza)and Islamic Jihad oppose any peace