Where are Israel and Palestine?

Where are Israel and Palestine?

Israel Palestine

Palestine is composed
Israel is located in of two territories
the Middle East, at linked by land
east of the corridors through
Mediterranean Sea. Israel. The larger of
To the north is the two is West Bank
Lebanon, North East while the smaller area
is Syria, East is is the Gaza Strip
Jordan and South which is adjacent to
West is Egypt. The the Mediterranean
Where are Israel and Palestine?

Israel is located…

Palestine is located…

Keywords:
Middle East Egypt
Israel Jordan
Palestine Syria
Jerusalem Mediterranean
West Bank Sea
Gaza
How did it get like this?
Setting the Scene…
The region of Palestine and Israel is
defined as the territory between
the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan
River. This region is historically and
culturally important for Christians,
Jews and Muslims.

Palestine has been controlled by many

kingdoms and powers,
including Ancient Egypt, Greece,
Persia, the Roman Empire in 63 BC,
several Muslim dynasties in the 7th
Century, and the Crusaders in the
Medieval period.
Setting the Scene…
From the 1500s onwards,
Palestine was a part of the
Ottoman Empire. The area was
then captured and ruled by
Britain from 1918 until 1947.

Following the end of World War

Two, in 1948, Palestine was
divided into what is known
today as Israel, the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip.
Setting the Scene…

Today, the West Bank and

the Gaza Strip are the areas
that make up Palestine, also
know as the Occupied
Palestinian territories. The
rest of the region is Israel.
Setting the Scene…
A Short History
The Balfour Declaration
During World War One, Britain made several
conflicting agreements to gain the support of
various groups in the Middle East. In 1917,
the British Balfour Declaration promised
the establishment of a Jewish national home
in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. This
was in order to win Jewish support for
Britain's First World War effort.
At the same time, the British had
promised the Arabs that a united Arab
country, covering most of the Arab Middle
East, would result if the Ottoman Turks were
defeated. Neither promise was delivered.
Britain was granted a Mandate
for Palestine- approved by the League of
Nations in 1922. This meant that Britain
now had authority over the region of
Palestine.
 Indigenous Palestinians
From 1517 – 1917, the Ottoman Empire ruled
much of the region. The Ottoman Empire
was an Islamic-run superpower which ruled
large areas of the Middle East, Eastern
Europe and North Africa. This lasted for more
than 600 years.

The community has always been mixed with

different Palestinians, including Arab-
Muslims, Arab-Jews alongside Arab
Christians. The region saw peace for
hundreds of years. Christians, Jews and
Muslims lived alongside each other.
General Sir Edmund Allenby entering In 1896, 85% of the population in Palestine
Jerusalem, Palestine on 11th December was Muslim, 10% Christian and less than
1917 after defeating the Ottomans 5% Jewish.
 In 1920, Britain took over…
The British Mandate allowed for
Jewish immigration from Europe to
Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Jewish population in
Palestine increased from 6%
(1918) to 33% (1947). During the
next two decades, over 100,000
Jews entered the country. The
British Army's operations in Palestine
during this period were mainly
directed against militant Arab groups
and Zionist militia groups due to the
British troops engaged in railway
protection duties near Haifa, Palestine
opposition to this mass Jewish
1936 immigration. Violence reached a
height with the Arab Revolt of 1936-
39.
 Zionism and The Haganah
The Holocaust had a major effect on the
situation in Palestine. During the Second
World War (1939-45), the British restricted
the entry into Palestine of European Jews
escaping Nazi persecution. Following the
War, 250,000 Jewish refugees were stranded
in displaced persons camps in Europe. This
provoked armed Jewish resistance, and
eventually united those who looked to Britain
to help establish their national homeland.
Many Jewish refugees formed underground
Zionist militia groups. This included the
Haganah, the Irgun and the LHI. They used
terrorism- tactics such as bombing bridges,
Jewish child refugees at Haifa Docks, rail lines and ships to drive out the British.
1947
Zionism and The Haganah

The Haganah had resisted

attacking the British as long as
they were fighting Nazi
Germany. Now their fighters
allied themselves with Irgun and
carried out several raids against
the British. The main terrorist
groups were Irgun - ultimately
led by future Israeli Prime
Minister Menachem Begin - and
Jewish refugees disembarking, an even more militant
Palestine, 1947
organisation, Lohamey Heruth
Israel or in short LHI.
Zionism and The Haganah

The British called LHI the Stern

Gang after its leader, Abraham
Stern, who was killed in a clash
with the Palestine Police in
1942. In November 1944, LHI
assassinated the British Minister
for the Middle East, Lord Moyne.
Used to conventional fighting in
Europe, British troops found it
difficult to deal with the violent
British troops searching a Jewish actions of the Haganah, Irgun
immigrant ship, Haifa, 1948
and LHI.
Immigration to Palestine

Between 1920 and 1945, Jewish immigration to Palestine.

………..
 British Withdrawal
In September 1946, the British called a
conference of Jewish and Arab leaders in
London. When this ended in deadlock in
February 1947, the Government
announced it had decided to refer the
problem to the United Nations.
Terrorist activity from the Haganah/Irgun
continued, leading to the introduction of
martial law and stricter curfews.
British soldiers were frequently targeted
for attack and kidnap. A typical insurgent
operation was the bombing of the British
A train sabotaged by the Irgun, Haifa, Officers Club in Haifa, in which 30 people
1947 were killed and injured.
British Withdrawal
The United Nations proposed a
plan to create areas of Palestine
that were under Jewish Rule, some
under Palestinian Rule, and keep
Jerusalem as a neutral area.

Palestinians rejected the proposal

because it stripped away much of
the land that was under their
control. At the time, they owned
94% of historic Palestine and
comprised 67% of the population.
This plan was never implemented
on the ground
 British Withdrawal
Throughout 1948, Zionist militant
groups carried out massacres, most
notably the Deir Yassin village
massacre which killed 107
Palestinians. The massacre was
condemned by Rabbis and Jews
abroad.

On 15 May 1948, Britain gave up

her mandate. The British Army
departed from Palestine leaving
The clasp ‘Palestine 1945-48’ was
the Jews and the Arabs to fight
added to the General Service Medal it out in the war that followed. The
and awarded to soldiers who served in campaign had cost around
Palestine between 1945 and 1948 750 British military and police lives.
(when the last British troops departed).
The Nakba
The 1948 Palestinian exodus,
also known as the Nakba literally
‘disaster’ or ‘catastrophe’
occurred when more than
700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or
were expelled from their homes.

15th May marks an annual

commemoration day for
Palestinian refugees across the
world. Many Palestinians see the
Nakba as an ongoing
catastrophe, until they can freely
return to their ancestral lands.
Since 1948…
Following the formation of the State of
Israel in 1948, there was much tension in
the newly drawn up areas of both Israel
and Palestine. The UN Partition Plan of
1947 had not sat well with either
Palestinians, who saw it as a land
theft, and Israeli’s who wanted more
land for Jewish settlements. The State of
Israel was not recognised as legitimate
by Palestinians and many neighbouring
Arab states. Post 1948, there were
several heightened conflicts and wars
with many attacks on Israel. This period
included the 6 Day War, also referred to
as the Arab-Israeli War. This was fought
between 5 and 10 June 1967
between Israel and Jordan, Syria,
and Egypt.
The Gaza Strip
The occupied Palestinian territories have
been under Israeli military control since
1967. This makes it the longest
occupation in modern history. The
territories include Gaza, the West Bank
and East Jerusalem.
The Gaza Strip is a small coastal area
bordering Egypt to the south. This region
is home to 2 million Palestinians.
The West Bank is the kidney bean-
shaped area to the east. It lies west of
the banks of the Jordan River from where
it gets its name. East Jerusalem is
located on the Palestinian side of the
1949 Green Line. 3 million Palestinians
live in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem.
The Gaza Strip

Israel has
imposed movement restrictions on
the Gaza Strip since the early 1990’s.
Restrictions intensified in June 2007,
following the takeover of that part of the
occupied Palestinian territory by Hamas.
Israel imposed a land, sea and air
blockade on Gaza, citing security
concerns. Despite relaxation of some
blockade-related restrictions in recent
years, 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza
remain ‘locked in’, denied free access to
the remainder of the territory and the
outside world.
The Gaza Strip
Israel has imposed movement restrictions on
the Gaza Strip since the early 1990’s. Restrictions
intensified in June 2007, following the takeover of
that part of the occupied Palestinian territory by
Hamas. Israel imposed a land, sea and air blockade
on Gaza, citing security concerns. Despite relaxation
of some blockade-related restrictions in recent
years, 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza remain
‘locked in’, denied free access to the remainder of
the territory and the outside world.
In 1987, Hamas, a militant organisation was formed.
They declared their objective was to liberate
Palestine from Israeli occupation and transform the
country into an Islamic state.
Hamas are the democratically elected leaders of
Gaza, Hamas are identified internationally as a
radical militant group and are responsible for
ongoing rocket attacks and deaths of civilians in
Israel.
 Israeli Settlements
Israeli settlements are Jewish communities built on
Palestinian land. There are between 600,000 –
750,000 Israeli settlers living in at least 250
settlements (130 official , 120 unofficial) in the
occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli
settlements are illegal under international law as
they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which
prohibits an occupying power from transferring its
population to the area it occupies.
This has led to conflict and tension. It is a
continuation of a 73 years long conflict. The key
cause for conflict is land. Following forced evictions
The Israeli settlement of Pisgat from villages such as Sheikh Jarrah and Lifta, there
Zeev, built in a suburb of the was a resurgence of violent clashes between
mostly Arab East Jerusalem Palestinian residents, Israeli authorities and Jewish
settlers. The evictions are illegal under UN law. The
settlements are also illegal under international law.
The response from both the Israeli authorities and
Hamas have fuelled the situation further, including
 Skills Activity
Describe the main events of Israel and Palestine’s
history.

Israel and Palestine are located…

Prior to 1918…

The Balfour Declaration gave…

Since 1948,…
 Demographics of Palestine
Palestine is a region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean
Sea, although adjacent territories are sometimes considered a part of Palestine Religion, Economy and Politics
Palestine. The region is between Egypt, Arabia and Syria and it is the Islam is the predominant religion in Palestine, with nearly
birthplace of Christianity and Judaism. Palestine is also known as the 85% of people practicing it in Palestine as a whole, and 99%
Land of Israel, the Promised Land and the Holy Land. The boundaries practicing it in the Gaza Strip. The majority of Muslims in Palestine
of Palestine have changed many times. practice Shafi'i Islam. Shia Islam is common in the Gaza Strip and
Palestine is now considered a country by the U.N. and most of its Ahmadiyya Islam is often found in the West Bank. Aside from
members. While it is recognized as a sovereign state, Palestine does Islam, 6% of Palestinians are practicing Christians of a variety of
not actually possess any land, and most of the territory called denominations. There are also pockets of Jewish people within
Palestine is controlled by Israel. Eastern Jerusalem. There is no official religion in Palestine and it is
generally assumed that there is freedom of religion.
Palestine Demographics The economy in Palestine has no been very strong in recent years
There are estimated to be 4.43 million Palestinians in the State of with nearly 80% of the nation's GDP coming from foreign aid. The
Palestine in 2014, with 1.7 million living in the Gaza Strip and 2.8 restrictive regime of Israel and the internal divide between the
million in the West Bank. According to the UN, over 1.5 million West Bank and Gaza has kept the private sector from being able
Palestinian refugees live in camps in countries in the area, with to flourish.
about 4 million Palestinian refugees in neighbouring countries but There are two competing governments within Palestine: the West
outside of refugee camps. Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the latter claiming to be able to
The number of Palestinians in Israel, the Occupied Gaza Strip, govern the former. The government of the Palestinian National
Occupied East Jerusalem and the Occupied West Bank is now Authority is a semi-presidential multi-party republic. This means
estimated at over 5.3 million, exceeding the Jewish population of that the president is the head of state, elected by popular vote,
5.2 million. and a prime minister is appointed by the president to direct the
By 2035, the Jewish population in Israel/Palestine is projected to parliament.
reach 46%. The Palestinian population in Palestine is growing at
about 2.4% per year, which is 33% higher than Israel's growth rate.
The population is also the youngest in the region, with a birth rate
of over 4 children to every woman.
40% of the Palestinian population is under 14 years old, while
people at least 65 years old account for just 2.9% of the
 Demographics of Israel
Israel, known officially as the State of Israel, is a democratic country in the ago.
Middle East on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon is Israel Religion, Economy, and Politics
located towards the north, Syria to its northeast, Egypt and Gaza Strip on Israel is the site of the holy land of the world's most prominent religions,
the southwest, Jordan and the West Bank to its east, and the Gulf of Aqaba with a long history of related conflict. Israel is the only country on earth
in the Red Sea south of Israel. Its laws define Israel as a Jewish and with a Jewish majority, claiming nearly three-quarters of the population.
Democratic State, and the fact is that it’s the world’s only state with a 17.8% of the country is Muslim, 2% is Christian, and 1.6% are Druze.
majority Jewish population. Israel has no constitution, but rather a document called the Basic Laws of
Israel, that defines the nation as a Jewish State. The country officially
Israel Demographics recognizes five faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druze, and Baha'i Faith.
The city of Jerusalem is the source of much of the religious contention in
The demography of Israel is monitored by a body named the Israel Central Israel because of its ancient role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, each of
Bureau of Statistics. The most recent demographics of Israel, taken on which considers its history of the utmost importance.
Israel's Independence Day in 2013, found 75% of the population is
Jewish while Arabs account for 21% of the population. The remaining The Israeli economy is very strong and the people living there tend to have
4% (318,000) are referred to as “others” and are family members of Jewish much higher qualities of life than in surrounding areas. Major industries
immigrants who are yet to be registered with the Ministry of Interior as include technology and industry manufacturing, and diamond
Jews, non-Arab Christians or non-Arab Muslims with no religious or ethnic cutting/polishing. Without much as far as natural resources, Israel has to
background. import most everything. The current median age in Israel is
Israel has a Law of Return, which grants all Jews and people of Jewish approximately 29.9 years of age, with a total life expectancy of 82.5
descent the right to citizenship. The Jewish people in Israel come from many years of age. In terms of factors supporting life expectancy and influencing
backgrounds. About 73% are Israeli-born while 18% are immigrants the quality of life, the national expenditure on healthcare is approximately
from North America and Europe and almost 9% are from Africa and Asia. 7.8% of the GDP, which results in 3.58 physicians per 1,000 individuals and
Jewish people from the former Soviet Union and Europe, plus Israeli-born 3.1 hospital beds per 1,000 residents of Israel. 100% of the population has
descendants and Ashkenazi Jews, account for 50% of Jews in Israel. access to improved drinking water and improved sanitation as well.
Over the last 10 years, many migrant workers have moved to Israel from Politically, Israel is broken into three Zionist parties: Labor, Revisionist, and
Africa, China, Romania, and South America. While there are no precise Religious. There are also many smaller parties, and the elections in Israel
figures with many living in the country illegally, it's estimated there are up tend to get very complicated, and any party rarely gains a majority seat in
to 203,000 migrants, including 60,000 African migrants. any branch of governance.
Around 92% of Israelis live in urban areas. There were more than
300,000 Israelis in West Bank settlements, 250,000 in East Jerusalem, and
20,000 in Golan Heights settlements as of 2009. 6.5% of the population is
made up of Israeli settlers. Almost 8,000 were living in the Gaza Strip until