Conflict in Israel

Arab countries vs. IsraelMuslim vs. Jewish

Areas of Conflict:

• West Bank

• Gaza Strip

• Golan Heights

Background

• Violence in the area is a result of a historical claim for land

• End of the 1800s – political movement known as Zionism attempted to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine – caused many European Jews to immigrate

• Israelis feel this land is their “biblical promised land”

• 1916 (during WWI) – British Empire convinced Arab leaders to aid them in the war and in return they would support the establishment of an independent state in this region

• 1919 – Faisal-Weizmann Agreement: promoted the development of a Jewish National Homeland in Palestine and an Arab Nation in the Middle East

• 1922 – League of Nations established the British Mandate for Palestine; British made promises to both Arabs and Jews

• Arab leaders sought help from the Axis powers during WWII for removing Jews from their land

• After WWII – United Nations recommended dividing Palestine into 2 states

• The minority of Jewish people received the majority of the land

• 1948 – Arab-Israeli War (Israel War of Independence) Arabs rejected the UN plan of dividing the region into 2 states

• May 14, 1948 – US President Harry Truman allowed the formation of the state of Israel

• The United Nations estimated that 711,000 Arabs became refugees during the fightingArabs who fled the land were not allowed to

return

• 1949 – Armistice Agreement (Israel warns Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria to back off)

• Palestinians were driven out of their land and put into refugee camps

• 1950 – Jordan annexes the West Bank

• 1967 – Six Days War: Israel took the Gaza strip and the West Bank

• 1973 – Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur (Jewish Holiday)

• 1994 – Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip

• Construction of a large security fence around the West Bank

Israeli forces

West Bank

West Bank Protest

West Bank

West Bank Facts

• Population – 1,932,637

• 26.5% are refugees

• Jerusalem is in the West Bank

• 436 mile long barrier is being constructed

• Palestinians refer to the wall as: “jidar-alfasl al-’unsun” – racial segregation Arpartheid Wall

West Bank Facts

• 2009 saw the 1st year without a suicide bombing

• Expanded Palestinian security force

• 2009 causalities: 27 Palestinians killed15 Israelis killed

Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip Facts

• Borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east, and Egypt to the south.

• Population of 1,500,000

• 1 in 5 people are online

• Size of the island of Lanai of the Hawaiin Islands

• 1,000,000 are UN-registered refugees

• People live primarily in refugee camps and are fed by the UN

• 1 in 5 refugee dwellings allow sewage and waste water to flow along the roads

• More than 1 in 6 children ages 6-months to 5-years suffer from malnutrition

• Main languages are Arabic, Hebrew, and English

• Next to Israel, Gaza Strip fears drought the most

• 99.3% are Sunni Muslim

• When goods are brought in or taken out of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security require that trucks be unloaded and then loaded onto Israeli vehicles on each side.

• Israeli, United States, Canada, and European Union have frozen all funds to the Gaza Strip.

• 34% are unemployed

• Tunnels under the border used to bring in goods and weapons

• Airport was put out of use by Israeli attacks in 2000

• Israel maintains control of Gaza Strip’s:AirspaceTerritorial watersOffshore maritime accessGaza-Israel border

Recent Conflict in Garza

• Israel started its current operation in November 14 with the targeted assassination of a commander of the Hamas

• Israel responded to an increase in rocket attacks

• Hamas governs Gaza’s population• Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood supports

Hamas

Beach in the Gaza Strip

Golan Heights

Golan Heights

• Conflict between Syria and Israel

• Area is a region about 460 square miles, about the same size as Los Angeles

• Israel invaded the land during the Six Day War in June, 1967.7,500 Syrian soldiers were killed400 Israeli soldiers were killed

• 1973 – Syria attempted to reclaim the land by force, but did not succeed

1,300 Arab vehicles were destroyed10,000 Syrian soldiers were killed3,000 Israeli soldiers were killedIsraelis lost all of its tanksArea of fighting now called the “Valley of

Tears”

• 1981 – United Nations Security Council declared Israel’s annexation of the Golan “null and void”

• 2008- Israel had about 15,000 settlers living in the Golan

What is the main reason Israel is occupying the Golan Heights?

• Farmland?

• Water?

• Protection?

The Syrian civil war has advanced to Israel’s side of the Golan Heights

Syrian shells have exploded inside of Israel

Israel responded by shelling Syrian fighters