Biblical References to “Eretz Israel”• Eretz Israel “The Land of Israel”• Promised by G-d (Yahweh) to Jews in Covenant

– “Behold, I will make a covenant: before all thy peoples I will do marvels” (Exodus 34:10)

– “For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders” (Exodus 34:24)

– “Thou (Israel) shall worship no other G-d: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous G-d” (Exodus 34:14)

– “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt (now Wadi el Arish in the Sinai) unto the great river (the river Euphrates)” (Genesis 15:18)

According to Genesis, 15:18 –“from the river ofEgypt to the greatriver, the riverEuphrates”

Biblical References to “Eretz Israel”

Israel/Palestine Early History• Jews a nomadic people till about 1250 BCE-conquest of

Canaan• Jerusalem founded by King David c. 1000 BCE

– First Temple established c. 950 BCE by King Solomon• 586 BCE Conquered by Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzer

– Jews exiled to Babylon, Temple destroyed• 539 BCE Persian control – allowed Jews return and rebuild

Temple• 333 BCE: Alexander the Great brings Jerusalem under Greek

rule• 323 BCE: Alexander dies: alternating rule by Egypt and Syria• 165 BCE: Maccabees revolt, establish independent state• 63 BCE Under Roman rule

Israel/Palestine Early History

• 0-36 CE-Birth and Death of Jesus Christ under continuing Roman Rule

• 66 CE Jewish revolt • 2nd Temple destroyed (Western Wall still standing)• http://aish.com/wallcam• Jews forbidden in Jerusalem Diaspora

– 2 main branches:Ashkenazic (German) – of Central and E. Europe –

spoke Yiddish - European beliefs (e.g. Socialism)

Sephardic (Mediterranean) - Spain, later Arab Countries.

Israel/Palestine Early History

• C. 135- Emperor Hadrian builds new pagan city on ruins of Jerusalem

• 330-638-Palestine under Byzantine rule: Emperor Constantine: Christianity spreads

• 630-Death of Muhammad/spread of Islam• 638: Arabs capture Jerusalem• 661-750: Palestine administered from

Damascus, Syria. Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque constructed

Spread of Islam

Jerusalem

Dome ofthe Rock/Al Quds

Al Aqsa Mosque

Al Aqsa Mosque

Israel/Palestine Early History

• 750-1250: Palestine administered from Baghdad (Iraq) with brief periods of control by rulers from Egypt and other areas

• 1099-1187: Crusades, establishment of “Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem”

• Crusaders vanquished: Jerusalem administered out of Cairo

• 1516-1917: Palestine incorporated into Ottoman Empire and administered from Istanbul– Recognition of 3 religions– They protected the different religious sites/kept them alive

Zionism as a 19th century nationalist movement

• Rejection of Torah as “symbolic land” – as moveable land - Jews need territory like other nations.

Theodor Herzl (Poland) “Der Judenstaat”Jewish State as a result of increased pogroms etc in E. Europe

1878-1903: First wave of Zionists (25,000) enter Palestine

1st Zionist Congress – Basel, Switzerland, 1897

“Lawrence of Arabia” Europe defeats Ottoman Empire in World War I by promising independence to Arab supporters.

1916 “Sykes Picot Agreement” Arab territory divided between England and France England: Palestine, Iraq, Jordan France: Syria, Lebanon

Europe makes promises it can’t keep

•1917 Balfour Declaration – British support for Jewish settlement in Palestine

--Seen as conflicting with the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence (1915-1916) promising independence to Arabs in the Ottoman region

•1919- Palestinian National Conference rejects Balfour Dec.•British Mandate for Palestine 1918-1948

-During this time approximately 225,000 Jewish immigrants arrive from Europe

•Growth of US influence in Middle East after 1945• US Pressure on UN in 1947 to partition Palestine

•UN partition – 1947 – planned to create state with Jewish state with ½ Jewish and ½ Arab population

Establishment of Israel and Changing

Borders- 1918-1948

Original UN

partition

plan for Palestine

1947

Galilee

Samaria

Judea

Developments in Palestine/Israel 1948-1993

• 1949: War of Independence – Neighboring states attack Israel.

• After war, borders expanded – • ethnic cleansing of Arabs and Arab flight to refugee

camps• Establishment of the “Green Line” (Borders at

1948/49) • defeat of Arab armies

• Rest of Palestine grabbed by Jordan and Egypt• Arab Refugees to surrounding areas:

• Arab population mostly in Galilee • Creation of Palestinian nationalism in camps • 1964: PLO founded

Developments in Palestine/Israel 1948-1993

• 1956: Suez crisis: • Israel invades Egypt (with secret support from Britain

and France) to recapture nationalized Suez Canal• “Six Day War” 1967 – Israel occupied West Bank, Gaza,Golan Heights, and Jerusalem, Sinai Peninsula

• U.N. Resolution 242 – creation of Palestinian homeland on West Bank and Gaza

• 1967 – Jewish Settlements in Judea and Samaria • 3 kinds – military (nahal), suburban Jerusalem and

religious (Gush Emunim)• Expanded dramatically after Likud in power 1977

West Bank –Jewish

Settlements

• 1973 Yom Kippur war with Arab states

• 1979 Camp David agreements – return of Sinai to Egypt

• 1978-2000 Jewish Occupation of S. Lebanon• Cold War- close ally of US; USSR supporting

Arabs• 1st Intifada by Palestinians 1987-93

• 1988-Hamas created• 1992: Israel Labor Party wins elections: • 1993/4: Oslo peace accords

– Palestinian Authority created

Developments in Palestine/Israel 1948-1993

Israeli Palestinian Socio-economics

• 1/5 of Israeli pop/ ½ of the poor

• Most are Sunni Muslims, 10% are Christian

• 50% are under 15 years old

• History of high education: currently 30 professors (out of 6000)

• Inequality of state welfare

• Increasingly unwelcome in Israeli army, institutions

Palestinian Diaspora

1. Israeli Citizens: 1.2 million (1/5 Israeli Pop)

2. Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza: 2/3 million (under Israeli military control)

3. Palestinians in UN Refugee Camps in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon: 2.3 million

4. Rest of Middle East/US/etc.: 1.5-2 million

Palestinian Diaspora

1) Labor party: Zionists (David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, etc) Ashkenazic tradition – elites -Kibbutzim (socialist), want multi-ethnic state with Jewish dominant

2) Likud bloc: (Ariel Sharon) Mitzrahim (Sephardic tradition) – major immigration in 1960s from Arab states – pop. Change – larger families– won Knesset elections 1977 “hard liners”

3) Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) –Religious groups – dominant in Jerusalem – religious parties – balance of power in Knesset after early 1980s

Israeli Politics – 2 main parties and 1 ultra-religious tradition

Knesset is all splinters

Barak

Sharon

Current Status: 1995-2003

• 1995: Rabin (Labor/Peace) assassinated by Israeli

• 1996: Likud/Netanyahu come to power– Jewish Fundamentalists rise in power

• 1998: Clinton tries to reach peace accords between Netanyahu and Arafat (Wye River talks) very lukewarm

• 1999/2000: Talks between PM Barak and Arafat fail

• 2000: Sharon goes to Temple Mount, visits Al Aqsa mosque, establishes home in Arab part of Jerusalem with Israeli flag Second Intifada

• 2000/1: Barak resigns, Sharon comes to power.• 2002: Sharon launches ‘Operation Defensive

Shield” • 2003: “The Quartet” (UN, EU, US, Russia) “Road

Map” • 2003: Arafat turns over negotiating power to

Mahmoud Abbas, as Prime Minister

Things really heat up

PoliticalArchipelagoes On the WestBank2000

New Concepts for Peace

• Post-Zionism: equalize power– Upgrade Palestinian power– Downgrade Jewish power

• (no longer automatic right of Israeli citizenship to diaspora• No Jewish work week

• Shared territories– N. Ireland Model

• Internationalization of Holy Sites• Limited Right of Return for Palestinians• Geographic Link between Gaza and West Bank

New Concepts

for Peace-

TABAPlan

Taba details