Israel

Israel

• Palestine- Name for the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River

• 1947- the U.N. voted to divide the area known as Palestine into Jewish and Arab states (U.N. Partition Plan)

• Palestinians disagreed with the division

Israel

• 1948- British left the area and Jews set up an independent country in their part of Palestine- Israel

• Only country created by the U.N.

• First Israeli leader– David Ben-Gurion

Israel

• 1948 War of Independence- Israel attacked by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq

• War lasted 11 months

Israel

• 1948 War of Independence Results- Jordan took West Bank & east Jerusalem; Israel took west Jerusalem & Palestinian area that increased Israeli land by 1/3; 800,000 Palestinians displaced- many fled to Jordan

Israel

• 1967 Six Day War-Israel attacked Jordanian, Egyptian, & Syrian troops stationed at its border

Israel

• 1967 Six Day War Results- Israel took east Jerusalem, parts of West Bank, Syria’s Golan Heights, & Egypt’s Sinai (Sinai was returned in ’82 after the ’78 Camp David Accords)

• This quadrupled its land holdings

Israel

• Six Day War Link

Israel

• 1973 Yom Kippur War- Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the holy day

• Yom Kippur War results- Syria got the Golan Heights back; Arab countries launch embargo against U.S. after sending arms to Israel

Israel

• Yom Kippur War Video

Israel

• Camp David Accords (1978)– Meeting

between Israeli Prime Minister Begin, Egyptian President Sadat, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Israel

• Terms of Agreement– Sinai Peninsula taken during Six Day War

returned to Egypt– Egypt recognized Israel’s right to exist– U.S. agreed to pay over $3 billion annually to

the 2 countries

Palestine

• Palestine is now a patchwork of districts in the West Bank and Gaza, broken up by Israeli settlements

Palestine

• Palestine- never been an organized country

• The closest thing Palestine has to a government is the Palestinian Authority created in 1993– It oversees the West Bank and Gaza Strip– Ineffective, squanders international aid

Palestine

• Hamas– Started by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987– Known for its militants– Main force behind suicide bombers– Hates Israel

• Its destruction is one of Hamas’ stated goals

Palestine

• Hamas– Provides social

services to Palestine• Welfare• Medical aid• scholarships

Israel Today

• Israeli Prime Minister– Benjamin NetanyahuPopulation– 6,426,679 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem

Israel Today

• Ethnic Groups– Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%,

Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab)

• Religion– Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians

1.7%, other Christian 0.4%

Israel Today

• Government – parliamentary democracy

• Capital – Jerusalem

Gaza Strip Today

• President – Mahmud Abbas

• Population – 1,482,405

• Ethnic Groups – Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

• Religion – Muslim 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

• Government– Palestinian Authority (PA)

West Bank Today

• President – Mahmud Abbas

• Population – 2,535,927

• Ethnic Groups – Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

• Religion – Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%,

Christian and other 8%• Government

– Palestinian Authority (PA)

Conflict

• Challenges to Peace

• U.S. Relations to Conflict

Israel-Palestine

• In every peace talk, 3 issues emerge– The right of return for Palestinians displaced

since 1948– Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza– The status of Jerusalem, which Israel claims

as all its own