Transcript CASE STUDY: The Israeli

CASE STUDY:
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
HISTORIC BACKGROUND
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Palestinians:
United by a strong
anti-colonial and
ethnic nationalism
Arabs, primarily
Muslims
Use violent and nonviolent means to
achieve their goals
Main goal: national
self-determination
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Israelis:
United by a strong sense
of religious and ethnic
nationalism
Israel – a Jewish state
with non-Jewish
minorities
Use violent and nonviolent means to achieve
their goals
Main goal: maintaining
sovereignty
Jewish and Arab Nationalism
Jewish Nationalism
• Zionism – Jewish political
movement with the goal of
creating a homeland for
Jews
Arab Nationalism
• Anti-colonialism and drive
for Arab selfdetermination and
independence from
European colonizers
• Response to European
involvement in the Middle
East and Zionism
Theodore Herzl
• Response to violent antisemitism in Europe
Jewish Claims:
• Biblical claim
“And I will give to you,
and to your
descendants after
you, the land of your
sojourning, all the
land of Canaan, for
an everlasting
possession; and I will
be their God."
Genesis 17v1-8.
Jewish Claims (cont.)
• Continuous presence
in the region
• Political sovereignty
granted by the
international
community (the
United Nations)
• Territory captured in
defensive wars (see
classroom handout)
Palestinian claims:
• Abrahamic connection
through Ishmael
(considered the father of
the Arab people)
• Palestinians –
descendants of
Canaanites, the original
inhabitants of Palestine
• Palestinian (Arab)
controlled land in
Palestine before the
partition
Palestinian Claims: (cont.)
• Jewish immigration to Palestine before 1947 led
to displacement of Palestinians
• The UN partition plan did not reflect Palestinian
claims and interests in the area
--53% of land to the Jews (30% of the population)
--47% of land to the Arabs (70% of the population)
• Israel occupied Palestinian land after 1947
Foreign Involvement and Influence:
20th Century Overview
• Early 20th century – Arabs were under
control of the Ottoman Empire
Foreign Involvement and
Influence (cont.)
• Ottoman Empire allied with Germany
during World War I
• The British encourage Arab nationalism
against the Ottoman Turks and promise
Arabs self-determination after the war
• Conflicting Promises: The Balfour
Declaration (1917) vs. The HusseinMcMahon Letters (1915)
• British interests in the region: oil and trade
route to India (proximity to the Suez
Canal)
Foreign Involvement and
Interests (cont.)
Sharif Hussein of Mecca
Sir Henry McMahon
(1) “Subject to the above modifications, Great Britain is prepared to
recognise and support the independence of the Arabs in all the
regions within the limits demanded by the Sherif of Mecca.”
(2) “Great Britain will guarantee the Holy Places against all external
aggression and will recognise their inviolability.”
The Balfour Declaration:
• “His Majesty’s Government views with
favor the establishment in Palestine of a
national home for the Jewish people and
will use their best endeavours to facilitate
the achievement of that object, …nothing
shall be done which may prejudice the civil
and religious rights of existing non-Jewish
communities in Palestine.”
The Balfour Declaration, 1917
Promises Betrayed:
The Sykes – Picot Agreement:
The Treaty of Versailles and the
Mandate System:
World War II and Its Aftermath:
• The Allied nations refused to open their
borders to Jewish refugees
• The Holocaust solicits sympathy and guilt
for the Jewish people in the West
• The United Nations, dominated by the
winners of the war, partitions Palestine
Arab – Israeli Wars and Uprisings:
(after Israel’s independence)
• War of 1947-1948
• War of 1956
• War of 1967 (Six Day
War)
• War of 1973 (Yom Kippur
War)
• The First Lebanon War 1982
• The first intifada
(uprising) – 1987-1993
• The second intifada
• – 2000-2004 (?)
• The Second Lebanon
War (Israel-Hezbollah
War) - 2006
• Gaza War – 2009
Arab-Israeli Wars and Current
Major Obstacles to Peace:
a). Borders and Israeli Settlements
(including East Jerusalem)
b). Palestinian Refugees’ Right of Return
c). Terrorism
See this web-site:
http://www.cfr.org/israel/crisis-guide-israeli-palestinian-conflict/p13850