Today, we head back to the Middle East and bring the country of Israel into the picture of the post-World War II years. We'll set you up to participate in the Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference at our next meeting as you'll attempt to resolve decades/centuries/millennia of conflict in this region.
We'll first draw roles for our conference, then we'll do a quick overview of the major events leading up to the current situation in the region.
The "Modern" Middle East Crisis
Here's an Arab/Israeli Note-Taking Guide for these events if you'd like one...
Zionism v.
anti-Semitism
World War I - collapse of the Ottoman Empire
- Balfour Declaration - 1917
World War II - Holocaust
- United Nations created - 1945
- Takes up "Jewish Question"
Israel created - May 14, 1948
- UN Partition of Palestine
- 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- 1948 Palestinan exodus - al Nakba
Suez Crisis - 1956
Six-Day War - 1967
- Palestinian Liberation Organization formed - 1967
Yom Kippur War - 1973
- Black September - 1973
Camp David Accords signed - 1979
PLO begins intifada against Israel - 1987
- Intifada II sparked in Jerusalem - 2000
Jerusalem 2009 Peace Conference: You will receive one of the roles below to represent at tomorrow's conference. You won't be expected to give individual introductions, but you should come ready to represent your role from a relatively accurate position. You can expect some of these "big questions" to be on the table.
- Should an independent Palestinian state be created? If so, where?
- What should be done with the status of Jerusalem?
- Should the security barrier/ wall on the West Bank be removed?
- What should be done to improve conditions in Gaza?
- What role, if any, does the outside world play in these negotiations?
- Should Palestinian refugees receive the "right of return?"
- What can be done to increase the safety of the citizens of Israel?
Representatives of Israel
- Israel - Tzipi Livni (leader of Kadima)
- Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister - Likud)
- Israel - President Shimon Peres
- Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (leader of Yisraeli Beiteinu)
- Israel - Ehud Barak (leader of Labour)
- Israel - soldier serving of Gaza border
- Israel - settler living on West Bank
- Israel - mother of three (Jerusalem)
Representatives of the
Palestinians
- Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah)
- Palestinian -PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya (Gaza - Hamas)
- Palestinian - PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (West Bank - Fatah)
- Hassan Nasrallah - Hezbollah leader (based in Lebanon)
- Palestinian - member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade (in Gaza)
- Palestinian - resident of Hebron (West Bank)
- Palestinian - resident of Jericho (West Bank)
- Palestinian - mother of three (Gaza)
Representatives of "The
Quartet"
- US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
- Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
- European Union - High Representative Javier Solana
- Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair
