1. Israel and Palestine

2. A History of Unrest
The Ottoman Empire, a Muslim government based in Turkey, ruled the area from the 1500’s until 1922

3. When the Ottoman Empire fell apart after World War 1, Britain and France received land in the Eastern Mediterranean
they signed the Sykes-Picot agreement, a secret agreement that divided the Middle East
France took took the northern part of the region (Lebanon and Syria)
Britain took the southern part (present day Israel and Jordan)
The boundaries created didn’t take into account tribal allegiances or enemies

4. British Control of Palestine
Both Jews and Palestinian Arabs consider the land its ancestral home
Palestinians are Muslim
In the 19th century a movement called Zionism began
zionism: a movement to create and support a Jewish homeland in Israel
Jewish settlers began buying land and settling in the area

5. In 1912, about 12% of the population in Palestine was Jewish
After WW1, Britain took control of the area and continued to allow Jewish immigration to the area
Arabs and Jews in the area got along
As more Jews came into the area, Arabs started to resist
In 1939, Britain stopped Jewish immigration to Palestine

6. Creating the State of Israel
After WW2, Jewish survivors of the Holocaust wanted to settle in Palestine
World opinion supported a nation-state for the Jews

7. Britain took the issue to the United Nations
In 1947, the UN came up with a plan to divide Palestine into 2 states = “two state solution”
1 for Jews and 1 for Arabs
neither side was satisfied
Arabs wouldn’t accept any Jewish state and were upset that half the land would go to Jews who made up about ⅓ of the population
Jews didn’t like that much of the land they received was desert

9. Creating the State of Israel
Jews came to support the plan
Arabs still opposed
they wanted no Jewish state but a single state under the control of the Palestinian Arab majority
“Palestine” came to refer to the state that Arabs hoped to control
“Palestinian” came to = Arab

10. Nation of Israel was established on May 14, 1948
Immediately - the next day - the surrounding countries invaded Israel
Jewish troops fought back and by the 1950’s Israel was an established nation
There was still no Palestinian state - Egypt and Jordan controlled the land the UN had set aside for Arabs

11. During the 1948 War, many Palestinians fled to nearby countries
Palestinians say they were forced to leave; Israel says they left voluntarily
Israel took over the land the Palestinians left and refused to let them return
Arabs who remained became citizens and today make up about ⅕ of the population

12. Continued Warfare Many have settled in refugee camps outside Israel
Jordan has the largest number of Palestinian refugees
In 1967, Egypt and other Arab nations invaded Israel
The Egyptian President stated his goal was to destroy Israel
Israel fought back within 6 days won the war = “The Six Day War”

13. After the Six Day War, Israel took control of much of the land in the area
more than 200,000 Palestinian refugees fled to Jordan

15. In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, Jews’ holiest day
a ceasefire ended the fighting but no formal peace

16. The Struggle for Peace
After the Yom Kippur war, the Egyptian President visited Israel
this was the start of Israeli/Egyptian peace talks which led to the Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords: a 1978 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel in which Israel returned land taken from Egypt in 1967 and Egypt recognized Israel’s right to exist
other Arab countries were furious with the Egyptian President and 3 years later he was assassinated

17. The West Bank and Gaza strip have been set aside for Palestinians but is under Israeli control

18. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed in the 1960’s to regain land for Palestinian Arabs
the PLO uses military and political methods to take back Arab land in Israel
when is was formed, it pledged to destroy Israel
1987: First Intifada = Palestinian uprising that went on for 6 years

19. In 1993 Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords: a peace agreement between the PLO and Israel
the PLO agreed to recognize Israel and Israel granted Palestinian self rule to parts of the West Bank and Gaza

20. The Palestinian Authority was formed from the Oslo Accords
Palestinian Authority: the governing authority for Palestinian self rule
Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, has been launching terrorist attacks against Israel

21. In the fall of 2000, the 2nd Intifada started
Israel built a wall across the West Bank
this isolated Palestinian towns
Israel continued to build settlements in West Bank, angering Palestinians

22. Israel Today The goal is still a two state solution
Some issues stand in the way:
Persuading Arabs who reject Israel’s existence to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state

23. 2. Israel’s control of land taken in the 1967 war
West Bank, Gaza
Israel has built communities in Palestinian territory in the West Bank
3. The demand that Palestinian refugees and their families be allowed to return to land is Israel
known as the “right of return”

24. Israel Today 4. Control of Jerusalem
from Jordan controlled East Jerusalem
After the 6 Day War, Israel took over all of Jerusalem
Israel says Jerusalem should be its capital
Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be their capital

25. Israel considers Jerusalem to be its eternal united capital, while Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of any future state.

26. Religious Holy Places
Temple Mount is a religious site in Jerusalem. Because of its importance for Jews and Muslims it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.
For Muslims, the Temple
Mount is known as the
Noble Sanctuary

27. Dome of the Rock
Muslims believe the Dome of the Rock is the spot where Muhammad rose into heaven
Jews believe it the site where Abraham was preparing to sacrifice his son to God

28. The Temple Mount
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and the 3rd holiest site in Islam
Muslims control the Temple Mount but Israelis control the entrances and exits
Muslims are allowed to pray at the site
Jews are allowed to visit but, under Israeli regulations, are not allowed to pray
Some Israelis want to change this, but Israeli officials say they are committed to the current arrangement

29. The Western Wall- the holiest site in Judaism