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Palestinians vs. Zionists. Is there an answer?. A (Very) Brief History. In ancient times Judea was home of the Jews Judea is conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine Arabs later conquer Palestine and live there for over a thousand years
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Palestinians vs. Zionists Is there an answer?
A (Very) Brief History • In ancient times Judea was home of the Jews • Judea is conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine • Arabs later conquer Palestine and live there for over a thousand years • The Zionist movement, beginning in 1890, was a Jewish movement in which Jews focused on getting their holy land back
A (Very) Brief History • The issue of Jerusalem • Jewish Holy City • Jews believe Jerusalem is sacred and there are numerous Jewish artifacts in the city • Muslim Holy City • Currently places exist that represent the Muslim faith • Can the two religions co-exist side-by-side?
Zionism • Zionismisthe national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel • Who joined? • Highly religious Jews • Secular Jews (Jews who believed government should exist separately from religion) • Common goal of Zionism was a Jewish state in the Jews’ ancient homeland
Zionism • Largely ignored the Arab population living in Palestine • The Jews were reclaiming their holy land • The Palestinians had lived there for over 1,000 years • Small Jewish colonies began forming from Zionist immigrants in Palestine in the late 1800s
Balfour Declaration (1917) • Was backed by the League of Nations • Written by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to a Zionist leader • The Balfour Declaration stated: • “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… • What is this saying? • …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.“ • What is this saying? • Which is more important?
Britain’s Agreement with Arabs • Britain also agreed to an independent Arab state, including parts of Palestine, in exchange for helping defeat the Ottomans during WWI • Both the Jews and Arabs expected Great Britain to fulfill its promises • How could they do both? • They couldn’t, and policies tended to favor the Zionists
Palestinian Response • Even though Arab standard of living improved and population grew, most Arabs wanted Zionists out of Palestine • Also, rumors spread that Jews intended to build a synagogue by Muslim holy sites • This led to pogroms (riots/murders specifically directed against Jews) in Palestine in 1920, 1921, and 1929 • Fears were that Palestinian Arabs would be dispossessed (lose their homes) • Goal to show British that a Jewish National Home in Palestine would be ungovernable
Options • After the 1929 pogroms, the British tried to convince Jews to stop immigrating • British claimed only 20,000 more families could settle in Palestine before Arab families would be dispossessed • When Zionists were critical of the policy, Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald issued a “clarification” saying Jewish immigration would not be stopped
Anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe • Anti-Semitism is the hatred of Jews • As Anti-Semitism spread throughout Eastern Europe in the 1930s, more Jews fled to Palestine • In fact, the Jewish Agency made a deal with Hitler, trading money for the right of tens of thousands of Jews the freedom to flee to Palestine
Palestinian-Jewish Conflict: End of Part I • This is just part I of the story of the Palestinian-Zionist/Jewish/Israeli conflict • We’ll pick up the rest of this as we move through history • As of now, who do you think deserves Palestine? Why? Write your thoughts at the end of your notes