Who’s land is it anyway?



Have you ever been forced out of your home?
If you have, what effect has that had on your
life?
If not, how do you think you might react to
being forced out of your home?
Aim: Who are the lead participants in the
Israel-Palestine conflict?


Vocabulary
Islam
Definition:A religion whose followers believe in one God
(Allah) and practice the teachings of the Koran, their
sacred text. People who follow Islam are called Muslims.
Context:Islam is the dominant faith in Arab countries.
Israel
Definition:A Jewish state established in 1948
Context:Located in southwest Asia on the eastern
Mediterranean Sea, Israel is the Jewish homeland.
Palestine
Definition:A historical region at the center of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict
Context:Palestine is holy to Muslims, Christians, and Jews.


PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization)
Definition:A political movement uniting
Palestinian Arabs in an effort to create an
independent state of Palestine; founded in 1964
as a terrorist organization dominated by Yasser
Arafat's al-Fatah.
Context:Yasser Arafat became chairman of the
PLO in 1968.
Zionism
Definition:A Jewish movement that arose in the
late 19th century to reestablish a Jewish
homeland
Context:Although opposed by most Arabs,
Zionism has gained support by other nations.

Historical Timeline of the Area

The Pro-Israel camp generally base their arguments on the
following principles:
a) Israel is the historical "homeland" of the Jewish peoples
who have lived there continuously since biblical times.
b) Many Jews believe that they deserve a "Jewish" state
because of historical injustices, such as the Holocaust, and
because they have international support and recognition
through the U.N.
c) The majority of Israelis support a "two-state" solution,
creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel in Gaza and
the West Bank.
d) Other Israelis support the idea of "one-state", either by
annexing all occupied territories into the Jewish state (far
right view), or incorporate the occupied territories into one
secular democratic state with equal rights for all (far left
view).

The Pro-Palestinian camp generally base their arguments
on the following principles:
a) The Palestinian people have lived in the area of
Israel/Palestine since biblical times. They see most Israeli
Jews as foreign colonizers who began arriving within the
last 100 years.
b) Palestinians consider themselves a national entity,
deserving of the rights of all nations, including a
Palestinian state.
c) Many Muslim Palestinians and their supporters see the
land as Islamic holy land, and are strictly opposed to nonMuslims owning and establishing a state on Muslim land.
d) Palestinians vary widely in what they see as a just
solution to the conflict. They include: the total destruction
of Israel; a "bi-national" or "one-state" solution; and a
"two-state" solution.



Three students will read excerpts from
speeches or articles regarding the IsraelPalestine conflict
With your group you will be provided with
some questions to answer.
There are 7 questions in total
◦ Choose 2 questions for each student in your group
to work on individually, then review them and share
answers as a group. Each group member is
responsible for completing their assigned questions
in order to get full participation today.






1. Ms. Akhras regarded herself as a "martyr." What do you
suppose she meant by that word and by saying she was
willing to die for Palestine?
2. What does the story of the two women tell you about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
3. President Bush calls suicide bombers "murderers," not
martyrs. Why do you suppose he disagrees with Ms. Akhras
and Hamas leaders?
4. What do you think President Bush means by "the future
itself is dying" and that suicide bombings "undermine the
cause of the Palestinian people"? Do you agree? If not, why
not?
5. What is President Bush's criticism of Arafat? of Sharon? Do
you agree? Why or why not?
6. Why do you think Brzezinski regards the Middle East crisis
as "a grave threat to United States interests"?
7.What criticisms does he make of Israel? the Palestinians?
President Bush? Do you agree? Why or why not?



1) A Story of Two Women: This story is based
on articles in The New York Times of 3/30/02
and 4/5/02 and in Newsweek of 4/15/02.
2) Excerpts from a speech by President Bush,
4/4/02
3) Excerpts from an article by Zbigniew
Brzezinski, U.S. national security advisor,
1977-1981



Two students will read excerpts from
speeches or articles regarding the IsraelPalestine conflict
With your group you will be provided with
some questions to answer.
There are 4 questions in total
◦ Choose 1 question for each student in your group
to work on individually, then review them and share
answers as a group. Each group member is
responsible for completing their assigned questions
in order to get full participation today.


1. Ms. Akhras regarded herself as a
"martyr." What do you suppose she meant
by that word and by saying she was willing
to die for Palestine?
2. What does the story of the two women
tell you about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict?


1) A Story of Two Women: This story is based
on articles in The New York Times of 3/30/02
and 4/5/02 and in Newsweek of 4/15/02.
2) Excerpts from a speech by President Bush,
4/4/02

Should the United States continue to get
involved with the crisis in the Middle East?



There are four corners labeled, Strongly Agree,
Agree, Strongly Disagree, Disagree
I will pose a solution to the Israel/Palestine
Conflict. I will give you time to think about it,
then I will tell you when it is time to go to a
corner.
When you get to your corner all members are to
share how they feel with the other students at
their corner.
I will ask one or two students at each corner to
paraphrase (put in your own words) what other
students in the group said.


Students are asked to paraphrase what they
heard from each corner in their notebook.
Any questions?

Is one bi-national state an acceptable
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
◦ Recognizing Jewish and Muslims in one land.
◦ Israeli opposition to bi-nationalism is based on
three main factors: 86% believe that Jews and
Palestinians would be unable to live together with
equal rights; 80% believe it would be impossible to
maintain the security of the minority Jewish
population; 66% say that a bi-national state would
undermine the realization of Jewish identity
(Surprisingly, 25% feel it would to be possible to
realize Jewish identity even in the framework of a
bi-national state.)"

Is a two-state solution (Israel and Palestine)
an acceptable solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict?
◦ Give the Jewish people their homeland of Israel
◦ Give the Muslim people their land of Palestine.
◦ Would it be possible for them each to have their
own state?
Write a first hand account from the point of view
of either an Israeli or Palestinian child about what
you have learned about in class and from your
previous hw assignment. You might need to do
more research to do this well.
 Assignment: Write a journal entry including what
it is like to live in the Middle East, witnessing
these suicide bombers, check points, security at
every turn. What is it like living in an area where
there is constant war?
Write your entry using complete sentences.







Did I write Dear Journal and include a date?
Did I use “I” or “me” in my journal since its in
first person?
I included details/facts from what I learned in
class
I wrote from the point of view of a child
growing up Israeli or Palestinian?
I described the problems/situation I would
face every day
I wrote in complete sentences.

Dear Journal,
10/26/09
 I am having a hard time living as an Israeli child. Every
day I walk to school in fear of being stopped by the
military. They want to make sure of who I am, where I
am going, and remind me to carry my pass at all times.
My dad is an Israeli soldier. He works a lot of hours to
try and protect our people and the Jewish temple. He
worries about us so much that I must go home straight
after school every day, I am not to stop off or go
anywhere else. I heard a story of another bus
bombing. I just don’t understand why people need to
kill innocent people for their cause. Can’t there be
another solution? I hope we stop the fighting soon,
goodbye journal
Marissa





If you completed the homework you will get ½
credit, you will get full credit after you edit
someone else’s journal entry.
Check for the list of things I put on the earlier
slide. If the person has any
mistakes/grammar/spelling you may circle or write
them a note at the bottom. Include 2 positives and
2 criticisms/advice on the back of their paper
Final journal entries will be due at the end of the
period.
There is no formal heading, just Dear Journal and
the date. Try to avoid all cross outs and writing
over words. I will be around to help.
If you did not do your homework this is your time
to do it for half credit!!!






Did I write Dear Journal and include a date?
Did I use “I” or “me” in my journal since its in
first person?
I included details/facts from what I learned in
class
I wrote from the point of view of a child
growing up Israeli or Palestinian?
I described the problems/situation I would
face every day
I wrote in complete sentences.
Elements of
Civilization
Government
Social Classes
Public Works
System of Writing
Description
WHO CREATES THE
LAWS/MAKES THE
DECISIONS FOR THE
PEOPLE?
HOW ARE PEOPLE
DIVIDED
UP/GROUPED?
MADE BY THE GOV’T
FOR THE PEOPLE
WRITTEN
LANGUAGE/USED FOR
RECORD KEEPING
Examples from
Mesopotamia