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Israel and Her Neighbors

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ISRAEL

Israel Land

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Dead Sea – shores are the lowest place on earth, saltiest body of water

Negev desert covers half of Israel

Ways of Life

Kibbutz – people live in the same community and share all property

Moshav – people share in farming bur own private property

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The People 80% are Jews 6.7 million

population Democratic

republic Language:

Hebrew

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Economy

crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment.

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ZIONISM– POLITICAL MOVEMENT

– FOUNDED BY THEODOR HERZL (1897)

– OBJECTIVE: SECURE HOMELAND FOR JEWISH PEOPLE

BALFOUR DECLARATION (1917)– SUPPORTS CONCEPT OF A JEWISH HOMELAND

– WWI ALLIED (BRITISH) PROMISES TO ARABS – REVOLT AGAINST TURKS - GET INDEPENDENCE

JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO PALESTINE 1922 – BRITISH MANDATE TO GOVERN

PALESTINE RISING CONFLICT BETWEEN ARABS AND

JEWS

ISRAEL

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British Mandate

After World War I, Ottoman Empire was dis-membered.

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British Partition in 1946

Palestine – primarily for Jews

Arabs in Palestine are disturbed at the prospect of a Jewish state

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2 Sided Conflict – Little Compromise Israeli Position

– God gave us the land & holy places

– Balfour promised a homeland

– Holocaust proved we need a country – a theocracy

– We’ve made a desert into a productive land

– We won’t give up land taken until we have a guarantee of safety

Arab Position– We’ve lived here for

centuries – they left– WWI promises of

independence if we rebelled against Turkey

– We have holy places here

– Jewish immigration was making us a minority in our own land – had to stop it

– Want an Islamic theocracy

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DIVISION INTO JEWISH AND ARAB AREAS

BRITISH EVACUATE PALESTINE IN 1948

PROCLAMATION OF ISRAEL AS A STATE (14 May 1948)

UN PARTITION PLAN FOR PALESTINE

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1948: ARAB INVASION (WAR OF INDEPENDENCE)

ARMISTICE (1949)– 900,000

PALESTINIAN REFUGEES – NOT ALLOWED TO RETURN – REFUGEE CAMPS

Israel possessed more land than the U.N. partition had given it.

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1956: SUEZ WAR (Israel returns captured land)

1967: SIX-DAY WAR – ISRAEL GAINS CONTROL OF:

– GAZA STRIP

– SINAI PENINSULA

– WEST BANK OF THE RIVER JORDAN

– EAST SECTOR OF JERUSALEM

– GOLAN HEIGHTS IN SYRIA

1973: YOM KIPPUR WAR– ISRAEL THROWN BACK INITIALLY –

– AURA OF ISRAELI INVINCIBILITY OVERCOME

ARAB – ISRAELI CONFLICTS

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•Golan Heights

•West Bank

•Gaza Strip

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

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STRUGGLE FOR JERUSALEM HOLY TO JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND MUSLIMS

JUDAISM: CAPITAL OF JEWISH KINGDOM 3000

YEARS BP; FAITH TOOK FORM IN THE FIRST

TEMPLE-DESTROYED BY BABYLONIANS IN 586 BC;

REBUILT AS SECOND TEMPLE-DESTROYED BY

ROMANS IN AD 70 – Wailing Wall is all that is left

ISLAM: PROPHET MUHAMMAD ASCENDED INTO

HEAVEN 7TH CENTURY AD (Dome of the Rock site)

CHRISTIANITY: BASED ON THE TEACHINGS OF

JESUS CHRIST; CRUXIFICTION & ASCENT

– Many sites in Jerusalem are considered sacred by

Christians

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JERUSALEM

17E.J. PALKA

E.J. PALKA

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

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Wailing Wall – foundation of the Temple

Dome of the Rock(Holy Islamic Shrine)

Jews praying at the wailing wall

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E..J. PALKA

Rock where where he stood when Muhammad was taken up to see heaven.

Interior of the Dome of the Rock Mosque

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E..J. PALKA

DOME OF THE ROCK

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Christian Holy PlacesProtestant location for Golgotha

Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – Catholics believe it is built over both Golgotha and the tomb.

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Catholic view of the site

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E..J. PALKA

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

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Obstacles to Real Peace Arabs want return of land seized in 1967 Israel wants security from attack Israeli settlements in the occupied land

are considered illegal by the Arabs Israel wants Jerusalem as the capital of a

theocratic State of Israel – see it as a God-given right!

Muslims want access to their holy places in Jerusalem, as do Christians

Both sides “pay back” violence with violence and escalate the problem

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Tragedy of Conflict

Palestinian suicide bombers kill Israelis indiscriminately and so do Israeli retaliatory strikes at the Palestinians.