|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 Students will
- review key
events that have fueled the conflict between Arabs and Israelis
during the last century;
- research and
prepare a chronology that outlines the course of events of the
conflict; and
- suggest points
for negotiation that could act as a basis for peace between the
Arabs and Israelis.
- Copies of the
U.S.
News Article
- Newspaper and
magazine articles on the Arab-Israeli conflict
- Encyclopedias
- Access to the
school library or computer lab
- Internet
access
- Map
of Israel (Requires Adobe Acrobat plug-in)
- Poster board
or construction paper
- Scissors,
glue, or tape
What do you already know about the conflict between the Arabs
and Israelis? Why has the United States been a strong ally of Israel
since the country was formed in 1948? Should this policy change or
remain the same? What grievances do the Palestinians have against
Israel? What is the difference between being a “freedom fighter” and
being a terrorist?
- This
activity’s duration is estimated to be one 90-minute block period
or two to three 45-minute periods, with time devoted to homework.
Students should read the related U.S. News article and
discuss the questions above before they begin the
activity.
- Divide
students into small groups. Explain that each group will research
a key event relating to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Groups will use
their research to create an informative poster that will be
presented to the class and displayed on a time
line.
- Assign one of
the following events to each group. (Depending on class size and
the size of student groups, some of the events may not be
covered.)
- 1896: Theodor Herzl proposes the Jewish state
- 1917: Balfour Declaration is written
- 1933-1945: The Holocaust
- 1948: UN partition of Palestine
- 1948: Independence and war
- 1967: Six Day War of 1967
- 1973: Yom Kippur War of 1973
- 1978: Camp David Accords signed
- 1987: First Intifada begins; Palestine declares independence
one year later
- 1982: Israeli invasion of Lebanon
- 1993: Israel and Palestinians sign Oslo Accords
- 1995: Rabin assassinated
- 1998: Hebron turned over to Palestinians
- 2000: Second Intifada begins
- Each group
will need to research the following information on their assigned
topic and use it to create their poster:
The title:
The title should name the event being researched and presented.
Students can develop the title using computer text or clip art, or
write or draw it on poster board.
Written
information: Students will need to summarize their research in
at least three well-developed paragraphs. Students are looking for
information regarding the conflict between the Palestinians and
the state of Israel. The information should be typed (or neatly
hand-written if computers are not available), printed, and placed
on construction paper or poster board. Students should use the
Internet, CD-ROMs, books, and periodicals to locate critical
information.
Map: Each event on the time line has a
geographical element. Students should trace or copy maps that deal
with their topic. If a map does not exist, students should use the
written data to their own. Students should label key battles,
areas of conflict, territories, neighboring Arab nations, and
cities. They should place a one-sentence caption near the map to
show how it relates to the topic.
Biography:
Students must locate one important historical figure to include in
the written overview regarding their topic. They can illustrate
the biography by photocopying or scanning a photo or by drawing an
image of the person and event they are covering. Their poster
should include a caption of one or more sentences stating how the
historical figure fits into their topic.
Additional
illustrations: Students can print or copy additional images
from magazines, newspapers, or encyclopedias that illustrate the
topics they are researching or presenting.
Questions
and answers: As students conduct their research, they should
create a historical question about the topic for their poster. The
question can be written on an index card, and its answer can be
copied onto a second card, placed behind the question. Students
viewing the poster can flip the question index card up to see the
answer. Questions and answers should be fairly
brief.
- Provide
research time in the media center, library, or computer lab so
that students can gather data on their topics. Inform students
that if they cannot complete their research during their time in
the media center, they must complete their research at
home.
- Help students
locate information in reference works such as encyclopedias,
Internet Web sites, and CD-ROMs such as Encarta and
Grolier’s. Provide assistance with printing via computer or
making photocopies of photographs, maps, and other
images.
- Instruct
groups to paste all of their written paragraphs, questions and
answers, printed images, print-media clippings, and photocopied
materials onto a piece of construction paper or poster board. Each
group will present their poster to the class and display it along
the time line of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
- Review the
completed time line as a class and discuss the evolution of the
conflict. Moderate a class discussion on how peace can be
negotiated between the Arabs and
Israelis.
Extension
Ideas
For further study: This topic can be explored through
numerous media, such as television news broadcasts and
documentaries. Almost every major news organization has a
well-documented Web site that outlines the major events and players
of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Encourage students to use those Web
sites to gain a basic understanding of the history and current
events regarding the Palestinians and Israel. One such resource is
available through the BBC at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/middle_east/2000/mideast_peace_process/default.stm.
A Complex Issue
Inform students that the
Arab-Israeli conflict is a multifaceted problem that is not easily
settled. Along with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
the conflict involves other issues:
- Control over Jerusalem and its holiest worship sites
- Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights near Syria
- “Right of return” for Palestinian refugees
- Equal rights for Palestinian Israeli citizens
- Control of water resources in the region
- Jewish settlements in the occupied areas
- Arab determination to destroy Israel
Have students
write a short editorial stating their position on how peace might be
brought to the Middle East by choosing one of the positions below:
Position A: Israel must give up the West Bank and Gaza Strip
and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Position
B: The Palestinian Authority must renounce the use of terror and
allow Israel its right to exist.
Additional
Resources:
- The Foundation for Middle East
Peace
- The Institute for Counter-Terrorism:
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
- The
Houston Chronicle: Israel at 50
- A
to Z History: The Discovery Channel School
- The
Middle East Research and Information Project’s “Palestine, Israel,
and the Arab-Israeli Conflict”
- Ha’Aretz Daily
- Palestine
Daily
- The
Shepherdstown Peace Talks: Israel and Syria on the Road to
Peace
- brazenness
“.this was an assault of unprecedented
enormity and brazenness.”
Definition: Any action that is characterized by
inappropriately bold action.
- extradite
“Arafat says he will not
extradite Zeevi’s killers, and Washington is not asking him
to do so.”
Definition: The giving up of an accused criminal by
the country holding the individual to a nation that has
jurisdiction to try the case. The provisions of a treaty or
statute usually control the process.
- intifada
“Israel has a political purpose: to win
U.S. support for a stepped-up military campaign against the
Palestinian intifada.”
Definition: The name given to the broad uprising by
the Palestinians in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West
Bank that began in late 1987 and was renewed in 2000. The word
means “shaking” in Arabic.
- Knesset
“. he was the most aggressive anti-Arab
nationalist in the Knesset.”
Definition: The Knesset is the lawmaking body or
unicameral parliament of the state of Israel.
- ultraright-wing
“For Israel, it was like
September 11, or so Prime Minister Ariel Sharon portrayed the
assassination of his old army buddy, ultraright-wing
cabinet minister Rehavam Zeevi.”
Definition: A political position marked by extremely
conservative or old-fashioned views that often call for a return
to a formerly existing situation.
Time, Continuity, and Change; People, Places, and
Environments. For details, link to www.ncss.org/standards/2.0.html.
George Cassutto, author, Web master, and teacher of U.S.
history at a middle school in northern Virginia.
|
| |
9-12
World History, Historical
Understanding, Geography