The Middle East: a land of conflict: a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians seeks a path to peace.Uncertainty, fear, frustration, anger. Although they are on opposite sides of the conflict in the Middle East, most Palestinian and Israeli kids share the same feelings. The ongoing conflict is a disaster for all kids. Since the current Palestinian intifada The Palestinian Intifada may refer to:
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. reports by the United Nations Children's Fund United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), an affiliated agency of the United Nations. It was established in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. (UNICEF UNICEF (y  `nĭsĕf'), the United Nations Children's Fund, an affiliated agency of the United Nations. ). Hundreds of thousands more have been injured, lost a parent or siblings, suffered mental anguish When connected with a physical injury, includes both the resultant mental sensation of pain and also the accompanying feelings of distress, fright, and anxiety. As an element of damages implies a relatively high degree of mental pain and distress; it is more than mere disappointment, , or been deprived of their basic rights. Recently, the number of attacks by Palestinian suicide bombers has declined. Israelis credit this to the security barrier Israel is building to divide itself from the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. But the fence has not completely stopped attacks on Israelis. And it has not prevented scores of Palestinians from being caught in the crossfire A multi-GPU interface from ATI for connecting two ATI display adapters together for faster graphics rendering on one monitor. CrossFire machines require PCI Express slots, a CrossFire-enabled motherboard and, depending on which models are used, either a pair of ATI Radeon adapters or one between the Israeli Army and Palestinian militants. There are many reasons for the continuing violence. But at the core of the problem is simple geography. For Palestinians, the area between the Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea [Lat.,=in the midst of lands], the world's largest inland sea, c.965,000 sq mi (2,499,350 sq km), surrounded by Europe, Asia, and Africa. Geography The Mediterranean is c.2,400 mi (3,900 km) long with a maximum width of c. and the Jordan River Jordan River River, Middle East. It rises on the Syria-Lebanon border, flows through Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee), and then receives its main tributary, the Yarmuk River. is the Arab state of Palestine. For Jews, the same area is the land of Israel. Each side views the region's history from a different perspective. A Jewish Settler Thirteen-year-old Eliana Koby is upbeat, energetic, and a good student. She attends a school for arts and drama and dreams of becoming a movie director or an actor someday. Her least favorite subject is history. But Eliana has also experienced history in a way that many kids never will. When she was 5, she moved with her family from Maryland to Israel. They now live in Tekoa, a Jewish settlement inside the West Bank. Israel seized the Palestinian territories This article is about the Palestinian territories as a geopolitical phenomenon. For more on their geography, demographics and general history, see West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and 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. during 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. in 1967. With the Oslo peace accord of 1993, Israel agreed to begin transferring control of these territories to the Palestinians. But many Israelis believe that the territories belong to Israel. Hundreds of thousands of them have built settlements there to make this point. The United Nations (UN) and many foreign governments say the settlements are illegal. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced that he will remove all Jewish settlers from Gaza and four West Bank settlements next year. But many settlers intend to remain, despite the dangers they face living amid Arabs who believe the land is rightfully theirs. Three years ago, Eliana's older brother was murdered while hiking in the wadi (a dry riverbed or canyon) behind their home. "We are not sure what happened, but the Arabs stoned him to death," Eliana says. "They never caught the people who did it. Since my brother's death, nothing has been the same." Daily life inside the Tekoa settlement can seem almost normal. Surrounded by a wire fence a fence consisting of posts with strained horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework, between. See also: Wire and a gate with a military guard, about 300 families live in modern two-story homes and apartments. There are two grocery stores and a pizza place, and a community pool is being built. At home, Eliana hangs out with her friends and goes for walks. Despite her brother's murder, Eliana considers Tekoa her home. "I want to live in my settlement forever," she says. "It never crossed my mind to want to leave." A Palestinian in Hebron Tha'lr (THAY-ler) Awawa, a 13-year-old Palestinian, lives in the ancient West Bank city of Hebron. In the early 1970s, Israelis began a settlement there. "I feel like I could lose my life sometimes," says Tha'lr, "especially when [Israeli] soldiers stand me against the wall with their guns." He tells about friends' homes being destroyed by the Israeli military. Israel claims it is looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. terrorists, but Palestinians believe Israel is seeking more land for settlements. The Israeli military also imposes curfews in Hebron that last for days, forcing Tha'lr and his family to remain at home, sometimes without food. But for Tha'lr, who is in sixth grade, the conflict has affected his education the most. Although his school is just a 15-minute walk from his home, he has to allow at least two hours to get there because he must go through an Israeli military checkpoint. Members of a human-rights organization protect Tha'lr on his route. At the checkpoint, he and his schoolmates and teachers wait for up to two hours, standing with their bags open for inspection. Some days they are not allowed to pass and must go home for no apparent reason. "I try to study hard, but now I think all my efforts will go with the wind," says Tha'lr. "How can a student get good grades when he is prevented from attending school?" Despite all the hardships, Tha'lr is determined that his family will never leave Hebron. "If we leave, the settlers will take our house and then eventually the whole city," he says. "We do not have to be afraid. It is our home, and we live here." A Complex History The history of the land where Eliana and Tha'lr live is complex. It is a story of many peoples who settled there, who intermingled with other peoples, or who were pushed out. In the Bible, the land was first called Canaan, the place God promised to the Jews. King David had conquered the area by about 1000 B.C., creating a united Israel. After waves of invaders, the land was conquered by Rome in 63 B.C. Most Jews eventually left or were forced out. The Romans called the region "Syria Palaestina"--later Palestine. Muslim Arabs moved into Palestine from the Arabian Peninsula Arabian Peninsula or Arabia Peninsular region, southwest Asia. With its offshore islands, it covers about 1 million sq mi (2.6 million sq km). Constituent countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and, the largest, Saudi Arabia. in the 600s A.D. They were controlled by the 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. for centuries, beginning in 1517. As that empire crumbled at the end of World War I (1914-1918), Palestinian Arabs saw a chance for their own country. But more Jews were also moving back, and Jews around the world dreamed of a "national home"--a new Israel New Israel is a religion that separated itself from a religions sect Old Israel which is type of Christianity in the beginning of the 20th century. It differs from mainstream Christianity in a number of ways. . The clash between two peoples who each saw Palestine as their home was inevitable. The world community has since sought to create both an Arab and an Israeli state in Palestine. The UN adopted such a partition (division) plan in 1947, a year before Israel declared itself an independent nation. But making two countries from this tiny area has so far proved impossible. Acts of violence--from terrorist attacks to full-scale wars--have brought death, destruction, and mistrust on both sides. Stronger Israeli control has caused millions of Palestinians to flee the area, becoming refugees. Kids for Peace For all of the violence, a few brave people continue to work for peace. One group of Palestinian and Israeli teens who call themselves Windows is dedicated to opening a dialogue between kids. The teens produce a magazine, in both Arabic and Hebrew, which addresses the conflict from both perspectives. "When we first started meeting, the Palestinian kids thought we were responsible for everything bad the military does to them, just like some Israelis think all Palestinians are suicide bombers," says Tomer Slutzky, a 13-year-old Israeli from Tel Aviv Tel Aviv (tĕl əvēv`), city (1994 pop. 355,200), W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Oficially named Tel Aviv–Jaffa, it is Israel's commercial, financial, communications, and cultural center and the core of its largest . Just getting the group together takes months of planning. The Palestinian kids must get permission to cross the military checkpoint and go into Israel. Most of the members complain that their classmates Classmates can refer to either:
But everyone who has joined Windows now believes that meeting kids from the other side is critical to finding a solution. "Peace can't come through signing agreements," says Mohammad Sahar, 14, a Palestinian who lives in a refugee camp on the West Bank. "It will come only from the heart." Middle East Crisis Time Line 1948 Israel, led by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion Noun 1. David Ben Gurion - Israeli statesman (born in Poland) and active Zionist who organized resistance against the British after World War II; prime minister of Israel (1886-1973) Ben Gurion, David Grun , declares its independence. Surrounding Arab countries attack, but Israel wins the war. About 750,000 Palestinians are displaced. 1964 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. is created. Yasir Arafat is named Chairman in 1969. Under Arafat, the PLO PLO abbr. Palestine Liberation Organization PLO Palestine Liberation Organization Noun 1. PLO launches guerrilla attacks on Israel. 1967 In the Six-Day War, Israel captures the West Bank and Gaza Strip For the West Bank and Gaza Strip please see one of the following:
Western wall where Jews lament the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. [Judaism: EB, X: 627] See : Grief in 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 . 1978 Israel and Egypt make peace with the Camp David Accords Camp David accords, popular name for the historic peace accords forged in 1978 between Israel and Egypt at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. The official agreement was signed on Mar. 26, 1979, in Washington, D.C. of 1978. But frustration in territories occupied by Israel spurs a Palestinian intifada in 1987. 1993 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Arafat sign the first Oslo peace accord, negotiated with the aid of U.S. President Bill Clinton. But Rabin is assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. in 1995, and the process stalls. 2004 In October, the Israeli Parliament approves Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to remove all Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. That month, Arafat is hospitalized in Paris, France, raising questions about the continuity of Palestinian leadership. Your Turn THINK ABOUT IT Would it be possible create a single country of Jews and Palestinians? Explain your answer. WORLD * OBJECTIVE Students should understand * the roots of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and the challenge of creating peace in the Middle East. * TEACHING STRATEGY Ask students: "How would you feel about your community if you had to live in an area that was constantly under attack?" * BACKGROUND Last month, the Israeli Parliament approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to remove all settlements from the Gaza Strip. The vote, however, does not ensure that the plan will be enacted. Several top government officials from Sharon's Likud Party resigned to protest the plan. And resistance from the settlers themselves is fierce. Even so, the vote was historic, for it was the first time that Israel approved the dismantling of settlements of which Sharon himself was once a chief sponsor. * CRITICAL THINKING MAIN IDEA: What issue is at the root of the. conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? (Jewish claims to the land of Israel date back to biblical times. Arabs, however, argue that they lived in the land long before the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948. These competing claims have stirred up feelings of hatred and distrust on both sides.) NOTING DETAILS: What happened to Israel soon after its founding in 1948? (The newly independent nation came under attack by surrounding Arab countries, but Israel won the war.) * ACTIVITY ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN LIFE: Tell students to write a fictional account of what it is like to live as an Israeli and as a Palestinian. Students should base their stories on what they learned from the article and from independent research. STANDARDS SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Global connections Global Connections is a charitable organisation acting as a UK network of mission agencies, churches, colleges and support agencies involved in evangelism around the world. Amongst the several hundred organisations and churches that are members of the Global Connections network are many : How the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over control of their common land has led to decades of violence in the region. * People, places, and environment: How Jewish and Arab peoples have both been affected by the violence. RESOURCES * Silverman, Maida, Israel: The Founding of a Modern Nation (Dial Books, 1998). Grades 5-8. * Gunderson, Cory Gideon, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Abdo & Daughters Pub., 2003). Grades 5-8. GROLIER WEB SITE KEY TERM * Middle East WEB SITE * Foundation for Middle East Peace The Foundation for Middle East Peace was created in 1979 by Merle Thorpe, Jr., a Washington-based lawyer and philanthropist. Thorpe, as one of the earliest Americans to recognize that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, became deeply www.fmep.org * Windows www.win-peace.org QUICK QUIZ WORLD: THE MIDDLE EAST: A LAND OF CONFLICT, PAGES 8-11 * Write the letter of the correct answer on the line before each question. -- 6. Which territories were seized by Israel during the Six-Day War? A. Lebanon and the West Bank B. the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and Sinai Peninsula C. the Tekoa settlement and the Gaza Strip -- 7. What did Israel agree to in the Oslo accord of 1993? A. Israel will begin turning over control of Gaza and some of the West Bank to Palestinians. B. Arab women will have the right to vote. C. Israel will renew trade with Norway. -- 8. Which group has suffered from the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians? A. Israeli children B. Palestinian women C. The violence has affected both Israelis and Palestinians. -- 9. Which political leader recently convinced the Israeli Parliament to remove settlements from the Gaza Strip? A. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon B. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan C. PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat -- 10. When was the modern state of Israel founded? A. 1000 B.C. B. 1918 C. 1948 ANSWERS 6. B 7. A 8. C 9. A 10. C |
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