Israel and Palestine Center of Conflict

Objectives Identify Israel on a blank map. Describe the physical geography of Israel. Identify at least two important religious sites in Jerusalem. Tell which religious groups are in conflict in Israel. Discuss the problems surrounding the West Bank. Discuss the problems surrounding the Gaza Strip.

Terms and People Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel and a holy city to Muslims. The West Bank is the eastern part of Israel, where Muslims don’t want Israelis to settle. The Gaza Strip is a small Muslim country to Israel’s west. Dome of the Rock is one of the most sacred Muslim sites. The Wailing Wall is all that’s left of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Zionism is the belief that Jewish people ought to have their own country. Palestine is what the Muslims call Israel.

The Jordan River is not a large river. The Jordan River runs from the hills in the north down to the Dead Sea. The Jordan River forms Israel’s border with its neighbor to the east, a country called Jordan. Jordan The Jordan River is not a large river.

Dead Sea The Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is so full of salt nothing lives in it. Dead Sea The salt makes it so dense that people float easily in it.

Low mountain ranges lie both east and west of the steep Jordan River Valley. The population of Israel lies the lowlands along the Mediterranean Sea and in the north.

The southern portion is desert.

Israel doesn’t fit in with the other countries in the Middle East. Although Israel is a small country in the Middle East, it is very important. Israel doesn’t fit in with the other countries in the Middle East.

1 Most of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula They don’t speak Arabic in Israel; they speak Hebrew. Most of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are united by a common language - Arabic.

2 They don’t speak Arabic in Israel; they speak Hebrew. Iran Libya Egypt Saudi Arabia Oman Israel is not a Muslim state. It is a Jewish state. Islam is the main religion of this area. People who are members of Islam are called Moslems.

3 They don’t speak Arabic in Israel; they speak Hebrew. Israel is not a Muslim state. It is a Jewish state. Israel has no oil. Oil, or petroleum, is a very important resource in the Middle East.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It is a city of three faiths. Moslem Jewish Christian

Three thousand years ago, the Jews built a temple in Jerusalem. They built it high on top of an elevated place called “The Temple Mount.” Later, the temple was destroyed, but not the Temple Mount. The Jews had to flee. They were gone for over 1000 years. While they were gone, the Muslims built a mosque on the Temple Mount.

It is in Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel. This is the Dome of the Rock. It is the second most sacred site for Moslems. It is in Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel. Moslems believe that it marks the spot from which Mohammed went to Heaven.

Jews from all over the world come here to pray. This is the Wailing Wall, the only part of the Temple Mount still standing. Jews from all over the world come here to pray.

Israel became a country after World War II. Mediterranean Sea Many Jews were already living here. Under the ideal of “Zionism”, Jews had been moving back their ancestral home since the 1800s.

Israelis are multiethnic. The Jews that live in Israel have come from Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Russia and Ethiopia.

The two Muslim areas are the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The term “West Bank” refers to the west bank of the River Jordan.

Many Israeli people are now settling in the West Bank. Many Moslems feel that the Jewish Israelis are taking over their land. The nation of Jordan once seized the West Bank, but when Jordan attacked Israel, Jordan lost the war, and Israel took over the West Bank.

The settlers make up less than 10% of the population there.

The Gaza Strip lies on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt. Folks in the Gaza Strip have fired thousands of rockets into Israeli cities. To keep the Israelis from blasting back at them, they have fired these from apartment buildings, schools, and hospitals.

In response, Israel has built a great wall between their countries. The Gaza Strip is impoverished. Peaceful Palestinians used to work in Israel, but now it’s closed off. Egypt has also built a wall separating themselves from the Palestinians. The Gaza Strip’s government is violent and doesn’t improve the lives of ordinary people much.

This makes the Palestinians there feel like they are under siege. In addition, Israel has sometimes searches through ships entering Gaza looking for rockets. This makes the Palestinians there feel like they are under siege.

Rocket Attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip Population of the Gaza Strip Rocket Attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip

Israel knows that it is small and is surrounded by many enemies. Every young person serves in the military. Young women too

Israel is America’s closest and truest ally in the Middle East.

Syria A Gaza D B Israel C Jordan Egypt E Which is the nation of Israel? Syria Which is the area known as the West Bank? A Gaza D West Bank B Which is the nation of Jordan? Israel C Jordan Egypt Which is the nation of Gaza? E

To which group is the Wailing Wall a sacred place? In what city are both the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall? Jews Jerusalem Muslims Christians Bedouins To which group is the Dome of the Rock a sacred place? Jews Muslims Christians Bedouins

What river flows down a deep valley in this area? Jordan What deep and salty body of water is at the end of the Jordan River? The Dead Sea

Please read “Israel: Economics and Cultures. ” World Studies: Asia Please read “Israel: Economics and Cultures.” World Studies: Asia. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. pgs. 195-199 And “Three Religions” and “Diverse Cultures” and “Recent History.” World Studies: Asia. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. pgs. 105 -109