Israel+Palestine

 Israel & P a l e s t i n e    By Liam, Jon, & Michael **ISRAEL AND PALESTINE 20TH CENTURY** Before World War II, Palestine was a new country recently just seceded from the Ottoman Empire, and controlled by the British mandate. Although many Zionists (Jewish populace whose interests lay in claiming Palestine as their homeland) had been immigrating into Palestine for a long time, just before WWII Zionist movements into Palestine (reference to Balfour, etc would be helpful here) had increased dramatically. The Palestinians grew angry and demanded that the British stop the immigration. Following this the British outlawed Jewish immigration into Israel, but this new law did very little to stop the Zionists, who were very persistent. The Palestinian Muslims grew very angry to the point were they had what was called a Religious strike, where they destroyed many Jewish farms and homes, effectively killing their means of surviving. They then started a revolt against the British as well. The British rounded up several thousand troops, and they then recruited Jewish troops as well, when the revolt ended in March 1939. When World War II had started, most Palestinians supported the Axis, and the holocaust, (this is a very inflammatory, dangerous and troubling statement. Do you have evidence to prove that the Palestinians actually SUPPORTED the holocaust????? however they were forced to join the British army as members of the Allies, as well as several thousand Jews who held residence in Palestine.

After World War II ended, the Anglo American Committee of Inquiry had agreed to allow 100,000 Jews from certain parts of Europe to enter Palestine, however America refused to provide military support, for they feared that this would cause an Arab rebellion. This is when the UK decided to end the mandate, and give Palestine to the UN. They announced that this would be done no later than August 1, 1948. However, the Zionists, lead by future Prime Minister Ben – Gurion, declared their independence as a state on May 14, 1948, they did not mention any borders. Their independence was almost immediately recognized by the Soviet Union and the United States, and then followed the rest of the world. Many countries around Israel dislike it due to the fact that they believe in a Muslim owned Palestine. Israel ended up signing a peace treaty with Egypt and has made temporary peace with other countries surrounding it. (when exactly??? and also your description of Israel's "temporary peace" could better be characterized as tenuous....

**ISRAEL AND PALESTINE 21ST CENTURY** Since declaring independence as a country, misplaced modifier  Israel and Palestinian territories have been greatly debated over. Palestinian owned land has decreased significantly from the period of declared Israeli independence to the modern day. Israel has had to endure constant threat of attack and several small wars and battles since its claim of Independence, but now especially why "now especially"? Many Palestinian radicals constantly demolish public busses and shops, killing many innocent people. Israel is under constant threat of attack, and most of the Middle East does not support Israel, and in fact poses a threat. Today one of the most pressing issues with Israel (and Palestine) is the pressure by the Middle Eastern country and the United States to give up the Gaza strip to the Palestinians as part of the Two-State solution, a solution that proposes that two independent states (one Israeli and one Palestinian) coexist next to each other. The amount and location of land being given to the Palestinians is being heavily debated, and continues to create issues for Israel’s stability.

**Israel** the inclusion of lyrics in English would make both of these musical resources more interesting and educational to interact with. media type="file" key="National Anthem - Israel (Hatikva).mp3" width="240" height="20"


 * The worlds only Jewish state (this Jewish Nationalism is known a Zionism)
 * Democratic Government with Parliament
 * Independence in 1948 marked by the end of the British mandate of Palestine
 * Capital of Jerusalem

Declaration of Israel's Independence, 1948 This Primary document is Israel's Declaration of Independence. Throughout history the Jewish people have exiled and massacred from their homes and constantly a moving society. They now pledge to form a Jewish state on their holy land of Palestine under the nationalistic Zionist ideals and under the vision of a holy God. They plan on having external aid from the United Nations in the formation of their state. They offer peace to their neighbors and a sanctuary for all Jewish people. This new state shall be called Israel. U.S. and Israel Split on Speed of Iran Threat Although Israel and the United States have been allied much through the past, the rising threat of a nuclear attack from Iran makes the Israeli military want to take action while America wants to leave the situation to use more covert actions that could take much more time. The basis of this argument between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama is that Israel fears that in the situation of an Nuclear Attack from Iran will be nearly unstoppable unless measures are taken now. Though perspectives of the two countries are vastly divided, with America as a distant global power and a neighboring country that is enemies with Iran. The threat is pressing but Israel may be over-reacting, (is it your opinion that they may be over-acting, or did you get this opinion from another source? In either case, it needs to be explained.)

Palestine

media type="file" key="National Anthem - Palestine (Biladi).mp3" width="240" height="20"


 * Democratic Government with a Parliament
 * Declared independent on November 15, 1988 although did not receive membership in the United Nations until 2011 and is still biding for statehood
 * Less economically stable than Israel (No airports or seaports) and a much weaker military
 * Capital of Jerusalem
 * Led by Palestinian National Authority and the political group Fatah

VIDEO: Is Palestine ready for independence? Although the presence of Palestinian Nationalism is pressing in the hopes of forming its own official country, Palestine might not be economically stable enough to support the people. Palestinians import most of their goods from Israel due to their lack of ports andthe overalll economy relies a lot on Israel. With the formation of a separate state, officials say that the people will have to make sacrifices but it will work. The question for the Palestinian people is whether the nationalistic ideal of a separate state is worth the individual sacrifices that come along with becoming economically independent from Israel.

**Famous People**

**1860 - 1904 Theodor Herzl**
 * wrote and published “Der Jedenstaat,” where he explained that the solution to the anti-Semitism in Europe is to create a untied Jewish state.
 * this later led to Zionist organizations and the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine

**1874 - 1952 Chaim Weizmann**
 * Became the first President of the State of Israel in 1949
 * political leader in the Zionist organization and held many important positions including helping in the production of the Balfour Declaration

**1955 - 1963 David Ben-Gurion**
 * led Israel in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948
 * was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence
 * Became the first Prime minister of Israel in 1949 as part of the Zionist-Marxist party, Mapai

**1928 - (Present) Ariel Sharon**
 * Israel's 11th Prime Minister in office from 2001 - 2006 as part of the right-wing, Likud party
 * Focused his rule on increasing national security against terrorism
 * A commander in the Israeli army from its creation
 * Held many office positions prior to his election
 * Indirectly responsible for the massacre of 800 to 3,500 Palestinians in the 1982 Lebanon war during his reign as Defense minister, leading to his forced removal from that position
 * [|Accurate information on Sharon's resignation]

**1929 - 2004 Yasser Arafat**
 * Palestinian leader including the first President of the Palestinian National Authority from 1996 - 2004
 * Winner of a Nobel Prize
 * Spent most of his life fighting for Palestinian independence from Israel and Nationalism
 * Proclaimed Palestinian independence on November 15, 1988
 * Founder of Fatah, a Palestinian Left-wing Nationalist party aimed at liberalizing Palestine and getting its independence

** Timeline **

**Land Conflicts** Israel defiant on 1967 borders In 1967, the United Nations created a border to give Israel and Palestine a distinct land border, giving Palestine the area of West Bank and the Gaza strip; this border was soon relinquished by Israel's victory in the Six Day War. This article explains how this land agreement is completely obsolete today due to the changes in control throughout the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outwardly rejects the Palestinian request to peacefully return to these borders. Israel clearly does not want to give their occupied land to the Palestinian people. As you can see, the Palestinian land has shrunk drastically over the last century and the Israeli land has drastically increased. Palestine went from holding almost all of the region in 1947 to only having the Gaza strip and patches of West Bank in 2000. This fight over land is the basis of most Palestinian and Israeli affairs and has taken the lives of countless soldiers and civilians. VIDEO: Gilad Shalit: Five years in captivity

After the brutal capture of Sergeant Gilad Shalit of the Israeli army in 2006 by Palestinian militants on Israeli territory, the two countries finally stroke a deal exchanging Shalit for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011. The Palestinians being released to their families are convicted of murderer and terrorism by the Israelis, yet are praised as war heroes in Palestine. Even though the exchange was peaceful and considered a victory by many on both sides, it was caused by a brutal war between the two countries and only made the citizens of each country even more disposed against each other: "for all the brief optimism generated by this one event, the contours of the conflict have not been changed." The war originated by a dispute over land and religion, which lead to many loses and casualties on both sides, doesn't appear to be letting up any time soon.

[|VIDEO: Palestinian Flag at Unesco]

With their new recognition into the UN, Palestine raised their flag over the UN agency of Unesco in hopes that it will allow them to live peacefully next to Israel. The Palestinians reached a new level of pride as their state got more representation in global affairs. The Israelis, on the other consider it a rash move that will only make the issues between the two countries worse because they never arranged negotiations with Israel first. As Mark Regev of the Israeli government states, "only direct negotiations will do that [advance the cause of peace]." Whether or not this helps both Israel and Palestine's hope for peace, it marks a new achievement in the quest for Palestinian statehood. I like these videos much better. They are from reliable sources and present a issues from both sides of the conflict. Your wiki needs to be more responsive to the content and essential questions particularly in drawing out the role of Paestine /Israel in the Middle East, the world and with regard to the United States. Clearer attention to pre- and post 9-11 issues is needed as well.