Arab-Israeli Conflict

WHO? Arabs- any member or close relative of any Arabic speaking people (Islam) Palestinians- An Arab living in Palestine (Israel) (Islam) Jews- Descendant of Semitic tribes who lived in and around ancient Palestine

WHAT? Conflict between two groups of people over land (Palestine) Jews- original settlers Arabs- controlled for 9 centuries

WHEN 1947-Present

WHERE Palestine (Israel)

WHY?

1882 Zionist Movement European Jewish Immigrants move to Palestine

PALESTINE Part of the Ottoman empire Held no political unit Home to Arabs for hundreds of years

1947 THE UN PARTITION PLAN -United Nations voted to partition Palestine into 2 states Jewish & Arab Jewish land would be slightly larger (56/43)

ARAB V JEWISH CLAIMS TO LAND Arab Claimed based on continuous residence in country for hundreds of years Arabs represented the demographic majority until 1948 Jewish Claim based on biblical promise to Abraham and descendents Land was the historical site of the ancient Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judea

WHO’S SIDE ARE YOU ON?

1947 Arabs claim General Assembly vote was an international betrayal Now they’re mad, FIGHTING BEGINS

DIFFERENCES IN MILITARY ARAB V. ZIONIST Arab Poorly organized, trained and armed Zionist (Jewish) Much smaller military Well organized, trained and armed

APRIL 1948 Zionists secured control of territory and began conquering territory beyond its borders

1949 WAR ENDS! 800,000 Palestinians had been driven out of their homes Armistice agreements made Palestinian land divided into 3 pieces State of Israel- PERMANENT HOME TO JEWS West Bank Gaza Strip

STATE OF ISRAEL 77% of territory

WEST BANK Jordan occupied East Jerusalem and hill country of central Palestine

GAZA STRIP Coastal plain around City of Gaza

ISRAELI VIEW POINT Israelis do not feel safe as long as Palestinians continue to fire missiles at civilians Believe a strong military is the only defense Israelis fear an Independent Palestine would be hostile and provide a home for terrorists Compromise is risky, but only option to stop violence

PALESTINIAN VIEW POINT Palestinians feel they were forced to move in 1948 Feel the United Nations had no right to give land away to Jews Palestinians are willing to accept Independence but do not want Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas Palestinians justify terrorist acts as an effective way to resist Israel’s superior military

1967: SIX DAYS WAR Egypt, Jordan, Syria team up to attack and rid of Israel Israel strikes first 300,000 more Palestinians had been driven out of Palestine to become refugees Israel takes control of West Bank

ISRAEL’S LAW OF RETURN Israel's Law of Return- allows Jews anywhere in the world to receive immediate Israeli citizenship with all its privileges, simply by setting foot on Israeli soil. Millions of Palestinians outside Israel are not allowed to return to their homes Palestinians inside Israel are treated as second-class citizens Palestinians in the Occupied Territories have no vote and are citizens of no country.

1987: THE FIRST INTIFADA began in December 1987 after a military vehicle ran into and killed four Palestinians in Gaza Organized through networks of neighborhood committees and unions, the nonviolent uprising spread throughout the Occupied Territories challenged the Israeli military occupation with tax revolts, general strikes, boycotts, and protests. The uprising continued until 1993.

PEACE PROCESS, SETTLEMENTS, RESISTANCE AND OPPRESSION Oslo Peace Accords (1993) hoped would bring justice to Palestine and Israel. Unfortunately, this interim peace plan only created "autonomous zones," scattered areas of limited Palestinian authority still under Israeli military, political and economic control. The Oslo Accords created a Palestinian National Authority (PNA) with no real power over Palestinian affairs, mandated to protect Israelis from Palestinians but with no authority to protect Palestinians from Israeli settler or military violence.