PALESTINE-ISRAEL CONFLICT

Introduction
Claims to the land
Israelis Palestinians

Jewish people with Muslim Arabs with

the religious and religious and
historical ties to the historical ties to the
land. land.
 1947 The U.N Partition
Post- WWII, Britain sends the issue to the United
Nations
U.N. partitioned British-controlled Palestine into
Arab and Jewish states.
Results:
Jews accepted partition plan & were happy.
Received 55% of land even though they had
only 34% of the population All Islamic countries
voted against it and Palestinians rejected it
outright World supported it because they felt
bad about the holocaust.
 1947 British Withdrawal
British withdraws from Palestine. United
Nations approves the partition of British-
mandated Palestine into a Arab state and
a Jewish State. Accepted by Israel, but not
by Palestinians as it was considered highly
illegitimate with Israel given larger swaths of
land. Neighboring Arab states launched a
ground invasion to crush the Israel state
which it was able to defend with the help
from West.
 1948 First Arab-Israel War
May 15, 1948 Israel declared itself an
independent state. Led to first Arab-Israel
War.
Israel immediately attacked by five Arab
countries.
Egypt
Syria
Jordan
Iraq
Lebanon
 Result
Israel defeated the
combined Arab countries
and seized territory UN
had designated for the
Palestinians.
Cease-fire agreement
ended fighting, but Arabs
refused to sign peace
treaty.
No Arab country
recognized Israel.
750,000 Palestinian
refugees fled to Arab
states.
 1967 The Six Day War
Israel launched surprise attack to destroy
Egyptian and Syrian air forces.
Took control of the Sinai Peninsula.
Drove Jordanian army out of the West
Bank.
Took control of strategic position of Golan
Heights in Syria.
 Results of Six Day War
Israel captured this
territory in 1967:
Golan Heights
from Syria.
West Bank and
East Jerusalem from
Jordan.
Sinai Peninsula and
Gaza Strip from
Egypt.
 Rise of The PLO
(Palestinian Liberation Organization)

Yasser Arafats group, Fatah , took control

of the PLO (1969).
Actions - Under Arafat, PLO fought a
decades long guerilla war against Israel
to liberate Palestine.
Goals: Destruction of Israel and
establishment of secular Palestinian state.
 1973 Yom Kippur War
Egypt and Syria
attacked Israel on
Jewish holy day.
Israel repelled
attack and cease
fire declared.
1979 Camp David Accords
Peace treaty signed
by Israel and Egypt.
Egypt became first
Arab state to
recognize Israel.
Israel returned Sinai
Peninsula to Egypt.
Anwar Sadat
assassinated by President Carter with Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat and Israeli
Islamic extremists in Prime Minister Menachem Begin
1981.
 1987-1990 First Intifada
Palestinian uprising
against Israeli
occupation of
West Bank and
Gaza.
First suicide attacks
in Israel.
1,500 Palestinians
and 400 Israelis
died over six years.
 1993 Oslo Accords
President Clinton brokered peace
agreement between Israel and
the PLO.
PLO recognized Israels right to
exist and renounced use of
violence.
PLO goal now a Palestinian state
next to Israel.
Oslo Accords: Land for Peace
Israel agreed to gradual
Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and
West Bank as first steps towards
establishment of Palestinian state.
Palestinian Authority (PA) created
to govern Palestinian territories.
Arafat became first leader of the
PA.
2000 - 2005 Second Intifada
Clintons attempt to
reach final
settlement between
Israel and
Palestinians in 2000
failed.
Led to second, more
violent, Palestinian
uprising.
Dozens of suicide
bombings in Israel
and Israeli crack-
down in Gaza / West
Bank left thousands
dead.
2005 Israeli Disengagement
Israel acted to
disengage from
Palestinians by
evacuating all Gaza
settlements and
withdrawing all
troops from Gaza.
Also began
construction of a
controversial security
barrier separating
Israel from the West
Bank.
 2006 Lebanon War
Hezbollah attacked
Israel civilian areas with
rockets and killed eight
Israeli soldiers.
Israel responded by
bombing and invading
Lebanon again to
destroy Hezbollah.
Month-long war leaves
1,500 dead before U.N.
brokered cease-fire
agreement.
 2008- Present War in Gaza
Almost daily rocket
attacks against Israeli
towns provoked Israeli
air strikes and ground
assault against Hamas
in Gaza.
Three week long war
killed 1,400 Palestinians
and 13 Israelis.
Both sides accused of
war crimes(deliberately
targeting civilians) and
Israel widely criticized
for using excessive
force.
UNRESOLVED
ISSUES
 Unresolved Issue # 1
Permanent Borders of Palestinian State
Palestinians want Israeli withdraw to pre-
1967 borders and establishment of
independent Palestinian state in the West
Bank and Gaza.
Israel still occupies and controls parts of
the West Bank.
300,000 Jewish settlers now live in West
Bank and Israel has annexed some West
Bank territory.
Israel West Bank Settlements
 Peace Process Stalled Over
Settlements
Palestinians insist that Israel halt expansion
of all settlements before theyll return to
peace talks.
Current Israel government has so far
refused.
Obama has backed off demands for
complete halt to construction.
Palestinians have accused U.S. of
backpedaling on settlement issue.
 Unresolved Issue # 2
Palestinian Refugees and Right of Return

Four million displaced Palestinians today living in refugee

camps in occupied territories and neighboring Arab
states.
Palestinians want refugees or their descendants to be
able to return to homes they lost in 1948.
Israel has rejected idea of refugees returning to Israel.
Would threaten existence of Israel as a Jewish state.
 Unresolved Issue # 3
Control of East Jerusalem
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the
capital of their future state.
Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and
has vowed it will never give it up.
Residents of East Jerusalem mostly
Palestinians, but 250,000 Israelis now live
there as well.
HOW CAN PEACE BE ACHIEVED?
Israel Palestine Resolution:
1)Apology and Forgiveness
Both sides must forgive and accept apology.
They should begin their own process of truth
and reconciliation.
2) Recognition and Acceptance
Palestinians and Arabs have to accept Israel
as a Jewish State.
Israel should stop intervening in Palestines
affairs.
No party should infiltrate each others territory,
thus maintaining sovereignty.
3) Sharing Process
There can be no peace without economic
prosperity.
Mutual prosperity will provide a basis for
overcoming mistrust, paranoia and
defensiveness.
4) Rights of People not States
They need to recognize the rights of each
others people.
Israel should acknowledge its role in creating
the plight of Palestinian refugees and be
given freedom to live where they want.
Palestinians should be compensated for the
property that they lost in conflict.
5) Mutual Religious tolerance
Judaism, Christianity and Islam need to
acknowledge one another.
Israel needs to recognize the legitimacy of
Islam and Christianity.
Palestinians need to acknowledge that
Judaism has a deep historical connection to
Old City of Jerusalem.
6) Education and Communication
Both should change the curricula, textbooks
and other learning sources to accept the
concept of new truth.
Both sides need to move towards re-
humanization and empowerment.
By confronting differences they will discover
similarities.