Israel A Point of Middle East Conflict

Background History of Palestine The area that is Israel today used to be called Palestine. The Jews view Israel as their “ promised land” that was given to them by God. The Kingdom of Israel first formed in the 11 th century B.C., and lasted until it was defeated in the 6 th century B.C. After the defeat, most Jews were exiled to other parts of the world and were known as the Diaspora. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., there was a strong desire of the Jewish people to return to their homeland of Israel.

The Creation of Israel After World War I, the British were given control over Palestine. Palestine was considered a British mandate. Thousands of Jews migrated to Palestine. Both the Arabs and Jews felt they had the right to the land, and conflicts arose. In 1917, the British Foreign Secretary Balfour sent a letter to Zionist leaders stating that the British government “favours the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people…” This letter made Jews happy, but Arabs were angry. After World War II, Britain turned the issue over to the United Nations who decided to divide Palestine into two states, one for Jews and one for Arabs. When the British Mandate ended, the Jews announced the formation of Israel. Arabs were unhappy with the decision and attacked Israel, but Israel was able to defeat them. After approximately a year, Israel signed an armistice with its Arab neighbors ending the war.

The Suez Campaign In October of 1956, Israel attacked Egypt, because Egypt denied them access to the Suez Canal. Israel took control of the Sinai Peninsula, but the U.N. got involved and Israel left the peninsula. No peace talks occurred, so minor disputes continued, but for the most part, peace prevailed for the next decade.

The Six-Day War In 1967, Egypt signed a military alliance with Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. Egypt began to move troops to the Sinai Peninsula toward their border with Israel. The U.N. tried to intervene and settle the dispute, but failed. Israel carried out a preemptive strike against Egypt and took the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula. They also attacked Syria and Jordan and took over the Golan Heights, which had been controlled by Syria, and the West Bank, which was controlled by Jordan.

Israel after the Six-Day War.

The Occupied Territories The Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights are considered the occupied territories. These territories are controlled by the Israeli military. The population of these areas is made up mainly of Arab Palestinians who are mainly Muslims.

The Palestinians The Palestinian people want to have there own nation consisting of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Yasir Arafat is the leader of the Palestinians. The Palestinians have often resorted to violence in order to try to achieve their goals. Groups such as Hamas are terrorist groups that plan suicide bombings against Israeli targets. Yasir Arafat

The Israelis Israel is led by Ariel Sharon, who was a former general in the Israeli Army. He had a reputation of being extremely brutal toward Palestinians as a military leader. Israel’s military continues to seek out leaders of Palestinian groups who are responsible for suicide bombings. Ariel Sharon

U.S. Policy The U.S. has been a strong ally of Israel. President Bush has developed a plan called the “road map” to help bring peace to the region. President Bush has agreed to the development of a Palestinian state. Recent attacks in the area where Americans were involved, could have a major negative effect on the process.

What do you think? Answer the following: 1.What is your reaction to the situation between the Israelis and Palestinians? 2.Do you think that the U.S. should change its policy toward the situation? Why or why not? 3.Do you think peaceful ending can occur in this situation? Why or Why not?