Changing borders: Israelis and Palestinians claim the same homeland in the Middle East. These maps show the disputed areas and how borders have changed over the years.The present-day state (nation) of Israel was founded in 1948. But its borders are still in dispute. Both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs claim the same land. The Palestinians demand an independent state of their own, with Jerusalem as their capital. In 1993, leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), coordinating council for Palestinian organizations, founded (1964) by Egypt and the Arab League and initially controlled by Egypt. (PLO PLO abbr. Palestine Liberation Organization PLO Palestine Liberation Organization Noun 1. PLO ) signed the first Oslo accord. Israel agreed to hand over the Gaza Strip Gaza Strip (gäz`ə), (2003 est. pop. 1,330,000) rectangular coastal area, c.140 sq mi (370 sq km), SW Asia, on the Mediterranean Sea adjoining Egypt and Israel, in what was formerly SW Palestine. and part of the West Bank to the PLO. In exchange, the PLO agreed to reduce violence caused by militants. But negotiations for a final settlement proved difficult. By September 2000, the effort had stalled. Palestinian violence erupted, which was answered by Israeli military attacks. In 2003, diplomats from the U.S., Russia, the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community , and the United Nations (UN) proposed a peace plan known as the "road map." Israeli and Palestinian leaders resumed negotiations, but they soon broke down. In October, the Israeli Parliament approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to remove all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip by the end of 2005. QUESTIONS Study the four maps and the information on these two pages to answer the questions. 1. In 1920, the area that now is Israel was known as --. 2. Who ruled that area in 1920? --. 3. The 1947 Partition Plan called for the creation of which two states? -- 4. In which area is Bethlehem, a city sacred to Christians, located? 5. Israel gained control of East Jerusalem East Jerusalem refers to the part of Jerusalem captured by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and subsequently by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. It includes Jerusalem's Old City and some of the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, such as the Temple Mount, Western and which four Arab areas during the 1967 War? -- 6. Which of the four areas did Israel return to Egypt in 1982? 7. Which of the four areas is entirely occupied by Israel today? -- 8. What city is located closest to 32[degrees]N, 36[degrees]E? -- 9. What is the capital of Israel? -- 10. What plan of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did the Israeli Parliament recently approve? -- 1920: British Mandate The British Mandate may refer to:
Until the end of World War I in 1918, the Turkish Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire (ŏt`əmən), vast state founded in the late 13th cent. by Turkish tribes in Anatolia and ruled by the descendants of Osman I until its dissolution in 1918. controlled Palestine and most of the Middle East. In exchange for Arab support during the conflict, Britain offered to back Arab demands for independence. Britain also promised to support the creation of a Jewish "national home" in Palestine. In 1920, the League of Nations gave Britain a mandate (authority) to rule Palestine. During the 1930s, Arabs protested as a growing number of Jews moved to Palestine, many escaping persecution by Nazi Germany. 1947: UN Partition Plan Demands for a Jewish state grew after 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust during World War II (1939-1945). But Arabs also asked Britain to fulfill its promises to them. In 1947, the UN proposed a partition (division) that split Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jews agreed to the plan; the Arabs did not. On May 14, 1948. Israel proclaimed itself an independent Jewish state. Armies from neighboring Arab countries attacked the next day, but Israel won the war. 1967: The Six-Day War Six-Day War: see Arab-Israeli Wars. Six-Day War or Arab-Israeli War of 1967 War between Israel and the Arab countries of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel gained territory after defeating Arab armies in 1948-1949, War broke out again in 1956 and in 1967. In the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula Sinai Peninsula Peninsula, northeastern Egypt. Located between the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea, it covers some 23,500 sq mi (61,000 sq km). and tile Gaza Strip from Egypt and the Golan Heights Golan Heights, strategic upland region (2003 est. pop. 10,500), c.500 sq mi (1,250 sq km), SW Syria. It borders S Lebanon, NE Israel, and NW Jordan. It takes its name from the ancient city of Golan and was known as Gaulanitis in New Testament times. from Syria, Israel also occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Jordan had controlled, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982 after signing a peace treaty in 1979. ANSWERS 1. Palestine 2. Britain 3. Israel and Palestine 4. West Bank 5. Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and the West Bank 6. the Sinai Peninsula 7. Golan Heights 8. Amman, Jordan 9. Jerusalem 10. the removal of all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip by the end of 2005 |
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