UNITED NATIONS: RESPONSES TO THE ARAB- ISRAELI CONFLICT

YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS. YOU ARE ABOUT TO L EARN ABOUT REAL SITUATIONS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE PALESTINIAN REGION AFTER WORLD WAR I. YOU MUST DECIDE ON THE BEST ACTION FOR THE UNITED NATIONS TO TAKE.

Event A: The UN’s Plan for Palestine  The situation:  Britain issues the Balfour Declaration This supports the creation of a homeland for Jews in Palestine  Palestinians (90% of population) strongly oppose plan  Jewish immigration increases to the region and fighting between the groups intensifies  After WWII, Britain – realizing it has lost control - turns over the land to the United Nations (1947)

Your choices:  A. Make Palestine one state, and hold democratic elections to set the foundation for a democratic, secular (nonreligious) state.  B. Make part of Palestine into a Jewish state, and annex the Arab part of Palestine to the neighboring nation of Transjordan.  C. Divide Palestine into 2 states, an Arab state and a Jewish state. Make Jerusalem an international zone administered by the UN.  D. Keep Palestine as a United Nations mandate until violence between Jews and Arabs ceases and peace is secure.

Your choices:  A. Make Palestine one state, and hold democratic elections to set the foundation for a democratic, secular (nonreligious) state.  B. Make part of Palestine into a Jewish state, and annex the Arab part of Palestine to the neighboring nation of Transjordan.  C. Divide Palestine into 2 states, an Arab state and a Jewish state. Make Jerusalem an international zone administered by the UN.  D. Keep Palestine as a United Nations mandate until violence between Jews and Arabs ceases and peace is secure.

Event B: The 1948 War  The situation:  The UN has divided Palestine into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a UN-controlled international zone of Jerusalem  Jewish state called Israel  Jews = ; Arabs =   Arab troops from surrounding nations attack Israel  But Israel fights back and captures most of the Arab land proposed by the UN  About 900,000 Palestinians flee the fighting and become refugees  Palestinians demand to either be allowed to return to homes or be compensated for lost land/property  Israelis claim Palestinians chose to leave and their army rightfully won the land after Arabs attacked Israel.

Your choices:  A. Pass a resolution demanding that Israel, Egypt, and Jordan return land to Palestinian refugees so they can form a Palestinian state.  B. Do nothing, because the Israelis were attacked and simply struck back at the aggressor Arab nations. The Palestinians must suffer the consequences of losing.  C. Set up a fund to support Palestinian refugees with food and shelter.  Pass a resolution demanding that Israel compensate Palestinian refugees for lost land and property.

Your choices:  A. Pass a resolution demanding that Israel, Egypt, and Jordan return land to Palestinian refugees so they can form a Palestinian state.  B. Do nothing, because the Israelis were attacked and simply struck back at the aggressor Arab nations. The Palestinians must suffer the consequences of losing.  C. Set up a fund to support Palestinian refugees with food and shelter.  Pass a resolution demanding that Israel compensate Palestinian refugees for lost land and property.

Event C: The 1967 War  The Situation:  The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) founded to regain Palestine and eliminate Israel.  Israel feels continuously threatened by its neighbors and terrorist attacks  Launches surprise attack against Egypt and Syria  Israel takes the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza Strip and Sinai peninsula from Egypt  So, all the Palestinians who were under Jordanian control and Egyptian control come under Israeli control  This equates to 1.5 million Palestinians.  These areas become known as the Occupied Territories.

Your choices:  A. Support Israel against its hostile Arab neighbors by recognizing Israel’s capture of the Occupied Territories.  B. Pass a resolution condemning the military conquest, refuse to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and demand the return of the Occupied Territories.  C. Send the peacekeeping forces into the Occupied Territories to act as a buffer between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians and to guard the borders against further fighting.  D. Establish an international commission to study the situation in Israel/Palestine and devise a plan to bring peace to the region.

Your choices:  A. Support Israel against its hostile Arab neighbors by recognizing Israel’s capture of the Occupied Territories.  B. Pass a resolution condemning the military conquest, refuse to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and demand the return of the Occupied Territories  C. Send the peacekeeping forces into the Occupied Territories to act as a buffer between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians and to guard the borders against further fighting.  D. Establish an international commission to study the situation in Israel/Palestine and devise a plan to bring peace to the region.

Resolution 242  Resolution 242 – Calls for Israel to give back territory won in war.  However, contains vague language. Doesn’t say Israel has to give back ALL the territory, just that it has to give back territory  Israel responds by giving back the Sinai peninsula only.

Event D: The Intifada (1980s)  The Situation:  Intifada means “uprising” or “shaking off” in Arabic.  Israeli forces in the Occupied Territories are believed to be harassing Palestinians  Leads to increased unity and anti-Israeli activity among Palestinians  Arab people try to protest the Israelis  Kids throw rocks at Israeli soldiers and soldiers retaliate with tanks and guns – famous photos

The Intifada: Results  Israeli troops demolish homes and businesses, arrest thousands  More than 1,000 Palestinians die; 37,000 are wounded

Your choices:  A. Pass a resolution condemning Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.  B. Send peacekeeping forces into the Occupied Territories to stop the violence.  C. Take no action because the Intifada is an internal Israeli affair.  D. Send a Special Commission into the Occupied Territories to study Palestinian living conditions as a first step to ending the Intifada.

Your choices:  A. Pass a resolution condemning Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.  B. Send peacekeeping forces into the Occupied Territories to stop the violence.  C. Take no action because the Intifada is an internal Israeli affair.  D. Send a Special Commission into the Occupied Territories to study Palestinian living conditions as a first step to ending the Intifada.

So what happened next?  Eventually, moderate PLO leaders like Yasser Arafat accept Israel’s right to exist  In 1993, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shake hands and sign a peace agreement  It says: Israel will withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank (i.e. the Occupied Territories) Palestine will self-rule

So what’s happening now?  2005 – Israel leaves the Gaza Strip  Palestinians democratically elect terrorist/militant organization called Hamas  Hamas controlled Gaza Strip but elected out –  (This group does not accept Israel’s right to exist)  But Israel still controls most borders of Gaza  Dec January 2009 – Israel launches air strikes and ground strikes against targets in Gaza

United Nations  UN Resolution 1860: calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a full Israeli withdrawal  More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the 22-day war

Most Recently…  Palestine granted non-member statehood Gives Palestine more international rights So is statehood coming? Not quite…