1. The Birth of a new Nation
The Creation of Israel
The Birth of a new Nation

2. A Jewish Homeland
Prior to the Holocaust, and even more strongly after World War II, the Jewish people wanted a state of their own
The land that was chosen was that of Palestine, along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Jews, known as Zionists, began returning to this land in the late 19th and early 20th centuries favoring a Jewish state in Palestine

3. A Jewish Homeland
The basis of the Jews claims for this land date back 3,000 years when Jewish kings ruled the region from Jerusalem
The problem is that this land belonged to Palestinians (both Muslim and Christian) since the Jews were driven out about 135 A.D.

4. A Jewish Homeland
The land had been ruled by the Arabs since their conquest of the land in the 7th Century
Since they were driven out the area, the Jews were not able to establish their own state and lived in different countries throughout the world, known as Diaspora

5. The Creation of Israel
In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour promoted the idea of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine while protecting the rights of Palestinians – this became known as the Balfour Declaration
In 1947, the new United Nations voted to create a partition (division) of Palestine into a Palestinian state and a Jewish state

6. The Creation of Israel
Jerusalem was to be an international city owned by neither side
Jews were given 55% of the land even though they made up only 34% of the population – the events of the Holocaust led many to feel great sympathy for the Jews

7. The Creation of Israel
All of the Islamic countries voted against the partition and the Palestinians rejected it outright, claiming the UN didn’t have the right to partition a country without considering the wishes of the majority of its citizens
Israel became a state on May 14, 1948 with David Ben Gurion as leader

8. Israel in conflict with its Arab neighbors
The Creation of Israel
Israel in conflict with its Arab neighbors

9. 1948 War
1948 War - The day after the declaration of the state of Israel, six of Israel’s Arab neighbors invaded – this ended in a few months with Israeli victory
Because of the fighting, the state the UN had set aside for the Palestinians never came into being – Israel seized the majority of the land with Egypt and Jordan taking land as well - 600,000 Palestinians became refugees

10. Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis (1956) – Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal, then controlled by the British
Britain asked France and Israel for help to retake the canal – the Israelis marched on the Suez Canal and quickly retook it
Pressure from the international community caused Israel and the Europeans to withdraw, leaving the canal in Egyptian hands

11. Six-Day War
Six-Day War (1967) – Egypt began arming itself with Soviet tanks and aircraft and began moving towards Israel
Convinced the Egyptians were about to attack, the Israelis bombed airfields in Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and Syria and then sent in its ground troops for a victory in 6 days
As a result of the Six Day War, Israel gained control of the old city of Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank and the state of Palestine ceased to exist – Palestinians had to chose between Israeli or Jordanian citizenship

12. 1973 War
1973 War – the Arabs planned an attack on the date of Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays – the Israelis were taken by surprise
Arab forces inflicted heavy casualties and recaptured some of the territory they lost in 1967, but the Israelis, led by prime minister Golda Meir, launched a counterattack and regained most of the territory

13. New Political Parties and Finding Peace
Creation of Israel
New Political Parties and Finding Peace

14. Creation of the PLO
In 1964, Palestinian officials formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to push for the formation of the Palestinian state they’d been promised
By the late 1960s, the PLO got the reputation as a guerrilla organization led by Yasir Arafat
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the PLO carried out a series of attacks against Israel with the support of many of its Arab neighbors

15. Camp David Accords
In Nov. 1977, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat shocked the world by beginning the negotiation process for peace with Israel – he wanted Israel to recognize the rights of Palestinians and to withdraw from the territory it took in 1967

16. Camp David Accords
American president Jimmy Carter recognized the importance of the gesture and invited Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland
What resulted was the Camp David Accords, signed in 1979, which ended 30 years of hostilities between Israel and Egypt

17. Oslo Peace Accords
Despite the agreement with Egypt, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians increased as the PLO continued its attacks against Israel
In 1987, the intifada (uprising) began as a form of Palestinian civil disobedience which took the form of boycotts, demonstrations, attacks on Israeli soldiers and rock throwing by unarmed teenagers

18. Oslo Peace Accords
Beginning in 1991, Israeli and Palestinian leaders met for a series of peace talks
The agreement, completed in Oslo, Norway in 1993, was the Oslo Peace Accords

19. Oslo Peace Accords
Israel agreed to Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank beginning with the town of Jericho
It was difficult to make the agreement work because the Israeli Prime Minister that made the deal, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated in 1994

20. Oslo Peace Accords
In 2006, Hamas won a majority of the seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council
The US and many European countries cut off support and funding to the PLC because they classify it as a terrorist organization
Negotiations continue, but no real solution has been reached

21. End