By: Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY With a little help from Ms.

Elizabeth Heavner

A lot of conflict Palestinians v. Israelis Jews wanted Israel

because God told them that is their homeland.

Palestinians also believe it is their homeland; believe Jews took away their home.Wailing Wall with Dome of the

Rock in the background.

Since the 12th Century B.C.E., there has been fighting in the region that is today called Israel.

After World War II, the United Nations wanted to split Palestine in two: Half for Arabs/Palestinians Half for Jews

Jews agreed, but Arabs said no.

United Nations’s Plan to Make Palestine and Israel Two Separate States

On May 14, 1948, Israel is declared an independent state

The next day Israel is attacked by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Iraq.

Fighting ends in January 1949, Israel has expanded its territory.

Thousands of Palestinians flee to other Arab countries.

Israel in Israel in 1947 and 1947 and 19491949

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip in 1967

In 2005 Israeli troops pulled out of Gaza.

Prime Minister of Israel

Wants Palestine to exist beside Israel but they have to get rid of all their weapons and Jerusalem will belong to Israel only.

A holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Church of the Holy

Sepulcher (Christian) Wailing or Western

Wall (Jewish) Dome of the Rock

(Muslim)

From 1948-2009 there have been 12 different conflicts between the Arabs and Israelis over land.

The most recent happened in December of 2008 between Hamas and Israel.

Does Mother Nature Do Anything in aStraight Line?

Hezbollah (“Party of God”) is a powerful political and military organization of Shia Muslims in Lebanon. Get money and weapons from Syria and Iran Want to destroy Israel Think Palestine is occupied Muslim land and

Israel should not exist. Iran and Syria have a lot of influence over

their actions

Hamas is an extremist group of Palestinians

They refuse to recognize Israel as a state.

Since 1993, have killed over 500 people

Operate inside Israel

An Israeli extremist group

Wants all Arabs out of Israel

Involved in small terrorist activities

SunniSunni ShiiteShiite Majority of world’s

Muslims are Sunni. Believe religious ruler

should be selected by the people.

Iran has mostly Shiite Muslims.

Believe religious ruler can only be someone in Muhammad’s family.

Always fighting for power.

Saddam Hussein becomes president in 1979.

Iraq has problems between the Sunni and Shiite.

Oil discovered in Iraq in 1927

Mass Graves of Saddam’s Victims

Oil Fields in Iraq

Saddam invades Kuwait, claiming it is part of Iraq.

The U.S. and other countries attack Iraq and try to make Saddam leave.

Iraqi troops set Kuwaiti oil fields on fire because they were being forced to leave.

Saddam makes United Nations weapons inspectors leave.

U.S. worried Iraq has W.M.D.’s (Weapons of Mass Destruction).

U.S. wants to get rid of Saddam before he attacks Israel or the U.S..

U.S. invades Iraq in 2003 – capture Saddam the same year.

January 30, 2005 Iraqis vote for the first time!

A nation without a state

Most Kurds live in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

All of these countries refuse to give Kurds their own country.

Saddam killed hundreds by dropping chemical weapons on them.

Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Khameini A theocracy

President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Threaten Israel often with nuclear weapons

Iran’s President denies the Holocaust.

September 1980: Iraq invades Iran to show how powerful their military is.

Iran agrees to peace – scared U.S. will get involved.

In the Iran-Iraq war, the U.S. helped Iraq.

Cemetery in Iran

Iran lost 500,000 people

Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda are possibly hiding out in Pakistan .

President wants to build a fence and set mines between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Shares a border with Pakistan.

Many terrorists go back and forth between the two countries.

An international terrorist group

Leader is Osama Bin Laden

Responsible for attacks on 9/11

Believed to be hiding out and regrouping in Pakistan.

A Muslim extremist group in Afghanistan

In power from 1996-2001

Sheltering Osama Bin Laden

Very strict; do not allow women to be educated

Get money for weapons through drugs

2/3 of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan

Taliban receives $70-$100 million

60% of Afghanistan’s economy involves opium production.

Opium Poppy > Heroin

Why would a farmer go against his religion to grow something that is turned into drugs?

Water is a valuable, non-renewable resource.

The first fight over water rights happened 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq).

There is a lot of desert in the Middle East

Have to come up with new ways to grow crops because it’s so hot, the water will sometimes evaporate. Drip Irrigation

Everyday in the news you hear about an explosion in one country or fighting in another.

It seems unlikely that peace will come to the Middle East any time soon.