1. Chapter 22

3.  There is disagreement over the control of Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories (p. 480) Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, West Bank  Jerusalem is where King Solomon built the First Temple  Jews come to pray at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) which is a portion of the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans

4.  Jerusalem is the sacred location of the final suffering and crucifixion of Jesus  Christians launched the Crusades to regain the holy lands from Muslim control  Muslims regained the lands until Israel was established in 1948

5.  Jerusalem is third most holy city to Muslims after Mecca and Medina  Dome of the Rock is located there, which Muslims believe is the spot where Muhammad rose to heaven  Jews believe it is the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac to God  Because these sites are so close together, there have often been clashes between Jews and Muslims

6.  Ottoman Empire (Turkey) ruled the Eastern Mediterranean from 1520 to 1922  When it sided with Germany during WWI it soon collapsed  Britain and France received the lands in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the war settlement

7.  Why would Europeans be interested in the Middle East?  France controlled the northern portion  Britain controlled the southern section  France frequently played different religious groups against each other  Britain controlled Palestine; Zionism was created  Zionism’s goal was to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine (p 512)

8.  At first, Arabs and Jews cooperated  More Jews migrated into Palestine to escape German persecution  Arabs began to resist the establishment of a Jewish state  1939, to reduce tensions, Britain halted Jewish immigration into Palestine

9.  At the end of WWII, survivors of the Holocaust wanted to settle in Palestine  Palestine was considered the Jewish homeland  The UN divided Palestine into two states – one Arab and one Jewish  Israel was established on May 14, 1948  Surrounding Arab nations invaded Israel to prevent its establishment

10.  Palestinian Arabs and Christians were caught in the middle  During the war many of them were forced to flee their homes or live in refugee camps  PLO was formed to regain land for Palestinian Arabs and allow them to return to their homes

11.  Because many countries did not receive independence until after WWII, political divisions, refugees, and weak infrastructures make economic development difficult  Jordan is one of the poorest nations in the region and has one of the largest refugee populations  Civil wars in Lebanon and Cyprus also cause economic problems

12.  Roads in war-torn areas have to be rebuilt  Irrigation systems are needed  Better communications systems and power sources for technology are needed  How is life different in Israel? See page 514 “Growing up in Israel”

13.  Some restaurants have separate sections for men and women  Most meals are eaten at home (see p. 514)  How are these meals different from the U.S.?  Lebanon has Christians, Eastern Orthodox, Shi’ites, and Catholics living in the region  Israel has many Jewish immigrants  Bedouins nomads that live in desert regions  Variety makes it difficult to build unity

14.  Clashes over land  Kurds (stateless nation) occupy what they call Kurdistan (Turkey, Iraq, Iran)  It is an area of ethnic and religious diversity

16.  Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent)– “land between rivers” Hittites brought knowledge of weapons  Persians brought ideas on government  Languages: Turkish, Farsi, Arabic  Religion: majority of Muslims are Sunni, most Iranians are Shi’ite

18.  Iraq invades Kuwait 1990-91 for oil starting the Persian Gulf War  September 11, 2001 – war on terrorism led to clashes over leadership in the Middle East  U.S. declared war on Iraq 2003 for fear of national security  Overthrow of the Taliban – were protecting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda terrorist networks in Afghanistan

19.  Oct. 7, 2001 Operation Enduring Freedom: goal was to seize terrorist financial assets and destroy infrastructure  March 2002 Taliban removed from power, transitional government headed by Hamid Karzai (President of Afghanistan)

20.  Saddam Hussein’s overthrow – UN ordered him to destroy chemical and biological weapons  March 2003 – believing Hussein continued to develop weapons, operation Iraqi Freedom launched to stop Hussein’s ability to wage war

21.  Already have limited agricultural land  Oil and natural gas resources can help generate money to update transportation, communication, power plants, water, and sanitation  Iran is still recovering from war with Iraq (1980-1990)  War and political problems (esp. in Iraq and Afghanistan) prevent countries from improving economies

22.  Economic restrictions imposed on war-torn nations limit trade  Divisions exist between those who want to adopt modern lifestyles and those who want to preserve traditional ways