ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT Israel is a mostly Jewish country in the Middle East, while Palestine is a mostly Muslim territory controlled by Israel At one time in history, these two peoples were related. Even today, Hebrew, the language of Israel, and Arabic, the language of Palestine, have many similarities * Zionism – Israel’s national ideology, with Judaism serving as both a nationality and religion. 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords THE FIRST INTIFADA, 1987 TO 1991 1987 Hamas created 1917 – Pre-British Mandate Palestine 1918-1947 – Jewish immigration from Europe 1947 – Proposed UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) 1948 – Palestinians expelled 1967 – Israel occupies Gaza and the West Bank 1993 & 1995 Oslo Accords The current map of Palestine is often described as resembling “Swiss cheese” filled with hundreds of illegal Israeli settlements and military checkpoints. • The second intifada, 2000 to 2005 • Hamas took control of Gaza Strip, 2007 • Cumulative fatalities: 27,000 Today, the West Bank is nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority and is under Israeli occupation. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamist fundamentalist party, and is under Israeli blockade. INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION The United Nations has 193 member states. Of those, 162 (84%) recognize Israel and 138 (72%) recognize the State of Palestine.