Occupation and its Impact on Identities and Self-Determination

 Theodor Herzl– Austro-Hungarian architect of the ideology  A movement originating in 19 th -century (1896) Europe  A bulwark against European and Russian anti- Semitism  The quest for a homeland for the Jewish people that would be their refuge from persecution

 British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour’s promise/ guarantee to British Jewry  Letter by Balfour to Lord Baron Rothschild, central figure of the British Jewish community  Written in 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild, I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet. “His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely, Arthur James Balfour

 From the Palestinian perspective, the founding of the Jewish state was a Nakba, a catastrophe, a disaster.  From the Jewish perspective, the 1948 war that was the Nakba for Palestinians is referred to as the war of independence.  Right of Return: Palestinian refugees who fled their homes during the 1948 war demand the right to return to their homes.  Green Line: The boundaries of the state of Israel before the seizure of territories in the 1967 war.

 First Intifida (uprising) – 1987; waged by men, women, and children, through acts of civil disobedience and stone throwing  Oslo Peace Process– 1994; land for peace  Israeli settlements – despite Oslo increased from 1994 to 2000  Second Intifida – 2000; more militant, rise of Hamas, departure from Gaza by Israel

 Adopted in 1947  The establishment of two independent states, one for Palestinians and one for the Jewish people  Jerusalem is to be under international authority, administered by the United Nations  Establishes the borders of the Arab state and the state of Israel.

 Adopted in 1967 following the 6-day war between Israel and the Arab nations of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.  Calls for the withdrawal of Israel armed forces from the territories occupied during 6-day war.  Affirms the right of every state in the region to its borders and sovereignty and right to live in peace  Calls for a just settlement of the refugee problem (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon are sites of refugee camps).  5.2 million Palestinians are diasporic – living in places other than Palestine and unable to return to their homes

 bank bank  Israel invaded the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 and has occupied it since.  According to international law, the occupation is illegal. It is also illegal, under international law, for Israel to build settlements and populate occupied territory with its own civilian population.  Number of Settlements and “Outposts” Since 1967, Israel has built 120 settlements in the West Bank, and 12 settlements in East Jerusalem. There are also a number of “unauthorized” settlements. Between 1993 (Oslo) and today, the settler count in OPT has doubled.  The Jewish rate of population growth in the settlements, at 5.8%, is far higher than in Israel proper (1.8%), leading to a rapid rise in settler the population. In 2009, some 304,000 Israelis lived in the West Bank (not counting the number in unauthorized settlements), not including East Jerusalem.

25’ wall that snakes its way through the West Bank; does not follow the Green Line