Crisis in the Middle East: this summer, violence erupted between Israel and Lebanon, trapping children in the cross-fire.

** Objective

Students should be able to:

* recognize and discuss the various points of view presented in the article.

** Words to Know

* Hamas: a movement of militant Islamist Palestinians based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

* Hezbollah: a militia and political party of Lebanese Shin Muslims.

** Background

In addition to their violent histories, Hamas and Hezbollah have established themselves as parts of legitimate governments. In elections last spring, Hamas gained control of the Palestinian Authority's parliament. Last year, Hezbollah won 14 seats in Lebanon's 128-member parliament. Hezbollah is also accused of being responsible for nearly 200 terrorist attacks that have killed more than 800 people.

** Critical Thinking

COMPREHENSION: Which three areas are involved in the current crisis? Which armed groups? (Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon; Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Israeli Defense Forces)

MAKING CONNECTIONS: See the cartoon on p. 22. Does the article support the cartoonist's point of view? Explain. (Yes. The cartoonist's point is that people are suffering on both sides.)

** Activity

SEEK PEACE: Divide students into four groups: Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, and Hezbollah. Ask each to come up with three key demands and three proposals for peace. Then have the class compare and discuss their ideas. Do they see room for compromise? Why or why not?

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

** Global connections: The problems or beliefs of a single group or country can have international impact, harming people with no part in the conflict.

RESOURCES

PRINT

** Frank, Mitch, Understanding the Holy Land (Viking Penguin, 2005). Grades 6-9.

** Yancey, Diane, The Middle East: An Overview (Thomson Gale, 2004). Grades 6-12.

WEB SITES

** Middle East Background cbc.ca/news/background /middleeast/index.html

** Youth of the Middle East Tell Their Stories unicef.org/emerg /index_35164.html

Bombs hit major highways, blocking escape. Rockets destroyed homes, and children ran for their lives. This summer, war returned to the Middle East. Nearly a million people in Israel, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip (see map, p. 13) were forced from their homes. More than a thousand died.

The wave of violence began in June. Hamas militants, an extremist Palestinian group from the Gaza Strip, attacked an army post in southern Israel. They killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped a third. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck back against Hamas with rockets, air strikes, and tanks.

Nowhere to Go

Dvir (d'VEER) Didi, 14, is from the Israeli city of Sederot (seh-duh-ROTE). He left his hometown after Israeli rockets bombarded it. "Everything is too quiet there now," Dvir said of Sederot. "Places are closed, and people don't leave their houses. Everyone is scared that a rocket will fall on them."

Fear gripped Dvir's family too. "Every time a rocket fell," he said, "my little brothers cried, and my mother got very nervous. Even I was scared."

Muhammad Il-Hamdani, 14, lives in Jabalya, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. When the IDF struck back against Hamas, the Palestinian people in Gaza suffered. "Since Hamas kidnapped the [Israeli] soldier, the gates of hell have opened up in Gaza," said Muhammad. "Now tanks are firing on us, and it's not safe to be outside."

Hezbollah Attacks

Then, on July 12, fighting broke out on Israel's northern border. This time, the attack came from Hezbollah (HEHZ-buh-LAH), a militant group based in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two. After they began to fire rockets, Israel launched air strikes in self-defense.

The sudden and intense violence shocked people around the world. Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The IDF bombarded Hezbollah strong-holds, many in Lebanese towns. It also bombed roads and airport runways to prevent more weapons from reaching Hezbollah. Israeli ground troops pushed into southern Lebanon.

In just one month of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, more than 150 Israelis were killed, and more than 1,180 Lebanese. Nearly a million Lebanese had to evacuate their homes (see sidebar). But Israel's military effort did not stop Hezbollah rockets.

The Sound of Rockets

In northern Israel, Mor Harush, 15, and her family hid in a bunker under their home in Hazor Haglilit.

Dozens of times a day, a siren warned residents of incoming Hezbollah rockets. The steady rocket fire made it hard for Mor's family to get food or even use the bathroom.

Mor said she would never forget the sound of the rocket that destroyed the house next door. "Suddenly, we heard a loud explosion, and everything shook," Mor recalled. "I thought we were going to die."

Nufar, 11, is Mor's sister. During the attacks, she spent most days crying. "I can't sleep," Nufar said. "I can't eat. I'm scared all the time. When we hear Hassan Nasrallah [Hezbollah's leader] on the news threatening to destroy Israel, it's frightening."

Like most Israelis, Mor believes that Israel had the right to fight back against Hezbollah. "We just want peace," she said. "We want to live in quiet. We don't want people to die in Israel or in Lebanon. But we need to defend ourselves from rockets and people who want to kill us. This is our only home."

Old and Bitter Disputes

For older Israelis and Lebanese, the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli conflict brought back memories of an earlier war between their countries. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to end Palestinian attacks on Israeli towns.

That same year, militants formed Hezbollah to drive Israel from Lebanon. Since Hezbollah's founding, Iran has sent it hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and weapons. Israel withdrew most of its forces in 1985. It ended its occupation in 2000.

The recent conflicts reflect old and bitter disputes in the Middle East. Both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs believe that they have a right to the same land.

Land is not the only dispute. An estimated 9,700 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons. Israel says that the prisoners are terrorists. Arabs say that some of the detainees, including women and children, are innocent.

An International Crisis

The violence this summer created a crisis in international diplomacy. Many countries denounced the broad scale of the Israeli bombing. However, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Israel's right to defend itself.

On August 11, the warring parties accepted a cease-fire resolution, adopted by the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The resolution calls for Hezbollah to get rid of its weapons, and for both parties to stop military operations. Lebanese and UN troops are to patrol a buffer zone between the two countries.

But the cease-fire does not solve the problems that started the fighting. Hezbollah remains a threat to Israeli security. Observers say that the conflict won Hezbollah many new supporters throughout the region. In Alexandria, Egypt, more than 120 babies born during the war were named Nasrallah, after the Hezbollah leader.

What lies ahead is unclear. But one thing is certain. Both Israel and Lebanon will need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild their war-torn countries.

Think About It

1. When and why was Hezbollah formed?

2. Is Israel justified in fighting Hezbollah even if civilians get caught in the cross-fire? Explain. What other options does a country have in defending itself from violent attacks?

QUICK QUIZ 

* Write the letter of the correct answer on the line
before each question.

--6. Which of the following did not take part in this
summer's fighting in Lebanon, Israel, and the
Gaza Strip?

A. Israeli Defense      C. Hezbollah
   Forces               D. U.S. Army

B. Hamas

--7. In June 2006, Hamas militants in Gaza struck
which region?

A. northern Israel     C. southern Lebanon
B. southern Israel     D. western Syria

--8. Hezbollah was founded in 1982, after which of
these events?

A. Israel's invasion of          C. Syria's war with
   Lebanon                          Lebanon
B. Iran's invasion               D. U.S, invasion of Iraq
   of Iraq

--9. This summer, U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice spoke in defense of
which of the following?

A. Iran                C. Hamas
B. Israel              D. Hezbollah

--10. According to the August cease-fire plan, soldiers
from the United Nations and which of the
following would patrol a buffer zone between
Lebanon and Israel?

A. Britain's Royal        C. Lebanese Army
   Air Force              D. Palestine Liberation
B. Israeli Defense           Organization
   Forces

ANSWER

6. D

7. B

8. A

9. B

10. C

RELATED ARTICLE: Teen diary.

Praying for Safety

After the bombing began in southern Lebanon, Zahraa (zuh-rah-ah) and her family of Shia Muslims fled from their hometown of Jwaya. Here is Zahraa's story

by Zahraa Soufan, 15, as told to Cassandra Nelson

"I was in my home sleeping, or at least trying to sleep. Throughout the night, Israeli forces bombed my town. We had not had any sleep for several days. We would lie in bed each night and pray for the bombing to stop. My entire family, even aunts, uncles, and neighbors, slept in the same room of our house on the floor, side by side. It was the safest place in our neighborhood, so everyone came to stay with us.

One night, the bombing came so close that everything started to shake. It felt like an earthquake. I heard windows shattering and everything falling to the floor. My mother cried and held me.

The bombs finally stopped briefly--maybe for an hour--so we ran to the school, where others in the town had taken shelter.

Then the bombing started again. One hit my house. I never saw it again, but I heard my father tell my mother that our house was finished.

Early in the morning, my father told us to get up and run to the car he had found. I was so afraid I could not move my legs, but somehow I managed to go outside.

Everyone who was with us wanted to escape. We crowded as many people as we could into the minivan--including my mom, dad, three sisters, and their husbands and babies. We had to leave behind my aunts and cousins because there was no room left. I felt so sick as we drove away. I prayed all the way to Beirut that they would be safe.

It took us all day to reach Beirut. The roads were bombed out, and we had to drive through rubble. All the while we heard Israeli planes flying overhead and bombs falling around us. I was sure we were going to be killed at any minute.

When we reached Beirut, we had nowhere to go. We had no money. We had nothing, just the clothes we were wearing. We did not know anyone. There was no one to go to for help. A taxi driver took us to a school where many other people from the south had come for shelter. A man from the neighborhood helped us, and he said we could take one classroom for our family. Now 17 of us live in one room. There is one public bathroom that everyone shares--more than 600 people.

It is very hard here, but we thank god we are all alive. There is nothing to do. I don't know where my friends are, or if they are even alive. All day I think about the aunts and cousins we left behind, praying for their safety."

fered. "Since Hamas kidnapped the [Israeli] soldier, the gates of hell have opened up in Gaza," said Muhammad. "Now tanks are firing on us, and it's not safe to be outside."

Hezbollah Attacks

Then, on July 12, fighting broke out on Israel's northern border. This time, the attack came from Hezbollah (HEHZ-buh-LAH), a militant group based in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two. After they began to fire rockets, Israel launched air strikes in self-defense.

The sudden and intense violence shocked people around the world. Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The IDF bombarded Hezbollah strong-holds, many in Lebanese towns. It also bombed roads and airport runways to prevent more weapons from reaching Hezbollah. Israeli ground troops pushed into southern Lebanon.

In just one month of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, more than 150 Israelis were killed, and more than 1,180 Lebanese. Nearly a million Lebanese had to evacuate their homes (see sidebar). But Israel's military effort did not stop Hezbollah rockets.

The Sound of Rockets

In northern Israel, Mor Harush, 15, and her family hid in a bunker under their home in Hazor Haglilit.

Dozens of times a day, a siren warned residents of incoming Hezbollah rockets. The steady rocket fire made it hard for Mor's family to get food or even use the bathroom.

Mor said she would never forget the sound of the rocket that destroyed the house next door. "Suddenly, we heard a loud explosion, and everything shook," Mor recalled. "I thought we were going to die."

Nufar, 11, is Mor's sister. During the attacks, she spent most days crying. "I can't sleep," Nufar said. "I can't eat. I'm scared all the time. When we hear Hassan Nasrallah [Hezbollah's leader] on the news threatening to destroy Israel, it's frightening."

Like most Israelis, Mor believes that Israel had the right to fight back against Hezbollah. "We just want peace," she said. "We want to live in quiet. We don't want people to die in Israel or in Lebanon. But we need to defend ourselves from rockets and people who want to kill us. This is our only home."

Old and Bitter Disputes

For older Israelis and Lebanese, the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli conflict brought back memories of an earlier war between their countries. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to end Palestinian attacks on Israeli towns.

That same year, militants formed Hezbollah to drive Israel from Lebanon. Since Hezbollah's founding, Iran has sent it hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and weapons. Israel withdrew most of its forces in 1985. It ended its occupation in 2000.

The recent conflicts reflect old and bitter disputes in the Middle East. Both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs believe that they have a right to the same land.

Land is not the only dispute. An estimated 9,700 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons. Israel says that the prisoners are terrorists. Arabs say that some of the detainees, including women and children, are innocent.

An International Crisis

The violence this summer created a crisis in international diplomacy. Many countries denounced the broad scale of the Israeli bombing. However, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Israel's right to defend itself.

On August 11, the warring parties accepted a cease-fire resolution, adopted by the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The resolution calls for Hezbollah to get rid of its weapons, and for both parties to stop military operations. Lebanese and UN troops are to patrol a buffer zone between the two countries.

But the cease-fire does not solve the problems that started the fighting. Hezbollah remains a threat to Israeli security. Observers say that the conflict won Hezbollah many new supporters throughout the region. In Alexandria, Egypt, more than 120 babies born during the war were named Nasrallah, after the Hezbollah leader.

What lies ahead is unclear. But one thing is certain. Both Israel and Lebanon will need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild their war-torn countries.

Think About It

1. When and why was Hezbollah formed?

2. Is Israel justified in fighting Hezbollah even if civilians get caught in the cross-fire? Explain. What other options does a country have in defending itself from violent attacks?