1. FORMATION OF ISRAEL

2. Why was the state of Israel formed? Why was geography important in the development of Israel?  Key Terms: Palestine, West Bank, Gaza Strip

4. Jewish Nationalism  In the late 19 th Century, persecution of Jews, particularly in Europe, led to the creation of the Zionist movement  Zionist movement – a nationalist and political movement of Jews and Jewish culture that supports the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland

5. World War I  Balfour Declaration – Favored the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people  The declaration increased Arab-Jewish tensions  Anti-Semitism: prejudice against, hatred of, or discrimination against Jews as a national, ethnic, religious, or racial group

6. Jewish Immigration  Increased Jewish immigration to Palestine continuously worsened relations in the Middle East  Immigration laws in both the United States and Great Britain kept Jewish people from coming to their country

7. The White Paper of 1939  Millions of Jews trying to leave Europe  Almost every country in the world closed to Jewish migration  White Paper of 1939 – recommended that an independent Palestine be established within 10 years  Governed jointly by Arabs and Jews  After 1944, Jewish immigration into Palestine would require Arab approval

8. World War II  Jewish Agency worked to establish a Jewish army to fight alongside the British  Rejected by the British military and government  Churchill supported the plan  Jewish army was established in 1944 to fight with the British military  Also fought with the Soviet Union and United States

9. Holocaust  The Nazis led systematic efforts to kill every person of Jewish extraction in Europe – known as the Holocaust  Death of approximately 6.5 million Jews  ¼ of those killed were children

11. The United Nations Partition Plan of 1947  During the conflict and pressure for the creation of an Israeli state, the United Nations devised a plan known as the Partition Plan of 1947.  The Partition Plan of 1947 was to set up lands for both Arab and Jewish populations

13. State of Israel  Civil War between Arab and Jewish community  Palestine  On May 14, 1948, the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel was created  Known as the State of Israel  Both Truman and Stalin recognized the new state

14. West Bank and the Gaza Strip  West Bank – landlocked territory that shares boundaries to the west, north, and south with the State of Israel and to the east with Jordan  Composed of Palestinian Arabs and Jewish Israelis  Currently, about 80% are Arabs  Created after the civil war in 1948

16. The Gaza Strip  The Gaza Strip – Area on the western border of Israel  Mainly consists of Arab Palestinians  As consisted of violence since the creation of Israel  Why?  Controlled by Palestinians, Egyptians, Israelis throughout its existence