1. Aim: Describe the Formation of Israel

2. Setting the Stage
Following WWII, The Jewish people won their own state
Gaining of their homeland
Came at a heavy price
A Jewish state was unwelcome in this mostly Arab region
Resulting hostility led to series of wars
No one more opposed to a Jewish state than the Palestinians
Claim that much of the Jewish land belongs to them 2

3. Israel Becomes a State
Palestine now consists of Israel, West Bank, & Gaza Strip
Jews claim to the land dates back 3,000 years ago
Palestinians claim land belonged to them since AD 135
Global dispersal of the Jews is known as the Diaspora
19th-20th Centuries, group of Jews began returning to this region
Known as Zionists
People who favored a Jewish national homeland in Palestine
League of Nations asked Britain to oversee Palestine until it was ready for independence 3

4. Formation of Israel
1917: British Foreign Secretary Sir Arthur Balfour sent Letter to Zionist leaders
Promoting idea of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine (Balfour Declaration)
Efforts to create a Jewish state failed
At end of WWII, the UN took action
1947: UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into an Arab Palestinian state & Jewish state
Jerusalem was to be an international city owned by neither side
Palestinians rejected outright
May 14, 1948: Formation of Israel 4