Also Try Islam Middle East Middle East Conflict - Why? Muslim Rage Muslims Against Terrorism Terrorism Discussions Arabs and Jews Seeking Peace (PEACE Mid - East Dialogue Group) Provides discussion groups that allow Arabs and Jews to talk to each other, citizen to citizen, to work toward peace in the Middle East. 4-02 Lesson Plans Brokering Peace (USNewsClassroom.com - Watson) Encourages students to discuss the Middle East Peace process and the role of the USA. Editor's Note - This lesson is dated 10-00 and is therefore old. Albright was replaced by Powell, Barak was replaced by Sharon, and Clinton was replaced by Bush. The student can use other resources in this section of the Awesome Library to gain more current news. Otherwise, the issues still need resolution. 5-02 History of Middle East Conflict (USNewsClassroom.com - Cassutto) Encourages students to discuss the history of the Middle East conflict. Editor's Note - This lesson is dated 10-01 and is therefore old. The student can use other resources in this section of the Awesome Library to gain more current news. Otherwise, the issues still need resolution. 5-02 Palestinian and Israeli Perspectives (New York Times - Kohl and Harrad) "Explores the perspectives of different groups of people involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, intended for use with students in grades 6-12." Editor's Note - This lesson is dated 5-00 and is therefore old. The student can use other resources in this section of the Awesome Library to gain more current news. Otherwise, the issues still need resolution. 5-02 Palestinian and Israeli Perspectives (New York Times - Kohl and Khan) Provides news articles and discussion questions. "Students then use lessons learned from other 20th Century conflicts and resolutions they research in class to make suggestions for the Middle East peace talks." Editor's Note - This lesson is dated 10-00 and is therefore old. The student can use other resources in this section of the Awesome Library to gain more current news. Otherwise, the issues still need resolution. 5-02 Lists History of the Middle East (OCLC NetFirst) Provides historical resources related to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians with an emphasis on current events. Includes sources of information on organizations, leaders, lessons, and historical documents. 5-02 History of the Middle East - Ancient History (University of Texas at Austin - Middle East Network Information Center) Provides sources of information on ancient history and archaeology of the Middle East. 2-02 History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire (Awesome Library) Provides sources of information on the Ottoman Empire. 12-01 Israel - Culture and Government (University of Texas at Austin - The Center for Middle Eastern Studies) Provides a set of resourches for studying Israeli culture, education, art, economy, media, and government. 2-01 Middle East (Sunumi.com) Provides maps and sources of information on countries and cities in the Middle East. 10-01 Middle East - Travel Information by Location (Excite.Travel.com) Provides information on dining, where to stay, and interesting things to see. Search by city, state, or country. Includes Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen 3-02 Middle East Culture (University of Texas at Austin - Middle East Network Information Center) Provides sources of information on art, history, politics, religion, education, and more. Also includes maps. 2-02 Middle East Peace and Human Rights Groups (Brooks) Provides dozens of groups that are working toward peace and cultural understanding in Israel and Palestine. 2-01 Middle East and North Africa (Donn) Provides a set of resourches for studying the Middle East. 2-01 Palestine - Culture and Government (University of Texas at Austin - The Center for Middle Eastern Studies) Provides a set of resourches for studying Palestinian culture, education, art, economy, media, and government. 2-01 Materials Bias, Prejudice and Attitudes (IAT Corp and Tolerance.org - Greenwald and Banaji) Provides a test of attitudes regarding age, race, gender, and obesity. Your responses are measured by your speed of associations. Most of us do have biases (preferences) that may conflict with our values. Biases can work invisibly and give us a tendency to treat others unfairly (with prejudice). By uncovering our biases, we can combat our prejudices more effectively. History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire Map (Barteby.com) Provides a map of the Ottoman Empire in 1566. 11-01 Map of Areas of Israeli and Palestinian Control (CNN) Provides a map that shows where Palestinians have control and where Israelis have control. Includes Ramallah. 10-00 Maps of Israel and Palestinians Since 1920 (The Times) Describes the evolution of borders among Israel, Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. 11-01 Maps of the Middle East Conflict (BBC News) Provides maps at key periods of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Also shows the development of Israeli settlements, roads, and areas of control inside Palestinian territories. 6-02 Middle East Maps (University of Texas) Provides maps of Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Jericho, Persian Gulf, Strait of Tiran, Palestinian Refugee Camps, Strait of Hormuz, Kurdish Lands, and more. 10-00 Middle East Quiz (CBC News) Provides a quiz on the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 9-02 Quiz on the Middle East Conflict (CBC News) Provides a quiz on the persons, land, and events involved in the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. (Click an answer to see if it is correct.) 6-02 News -Middle East Conflict (ABC News Australia) Provides news on the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestinians. 5-02 -Middle East Conflict (BBC News) Provides news on the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestinians. 5-02 -Middle East Conflict (CBC News) Provides news and articles about the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the Middle East. 9-02 -Middle East Conflict (PBS.org - OnlineNewsHour) Provides daily news focusing on the Middle East, primarily the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 5-02 -Middle East Conflict (WorldNews.com - Middle East News) Provides news on the Middle East from international sources. 3-02 -Middle East Conflict (Yahoo) Provides daily news focusing on the Middle East, primarily the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 5-02 -Middle East Conflict - Israeli View (Jerusaleum Post) Provides news from an Israeli perspective. 4-02 -Middle East Conflict - Jordanian View ( Jordan Times) Provides news on the Middle East conflict from an Arab view. 5-02 -Middle East Conflict - News by Country (Al Bawaba) Provides news regarding the Middle East in general, as well as by country. 2-02 -Middle East Conflict - Palestinian View (Palestine Daily) Provides news on the Middle East conflict from a Palestinian view. 5-02 -Middle East News (BBC News) Provides news stories, features, and analysis of the news in the Middle East, with a heavy emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 6-02 -Middle East News (Israelinsider) Provides news from an Israeli viewpoint. 6-02 -Middle East News (Palestine Chronicle) Provides news from a Palestinian viewpoint. 6-02 06-24-02 Bush's Solution to the Middle East Conflict (Palestine Chronicle) Provides the full text of the speech given by President George W. Bush on June 24, 2002, to explain his plan for peace in the Middle East. "For too long, the citizens of the Middle East have lived in the midst of death and fear. The hatred of a few holds the hopes of many hostage. The forces of extremism and terror are attempting to kill progress and peace by killing the innocent." 6-02 06-29-02 Israel to Dismantle 10 Illegal Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Territory (ABC News) "Ten illegal settlements in the West Bank will be dismantled in the next 24 hours, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Saturday." "Earlier in the week, Ben-Eliezer vowed to remove 20 of the hilltop outposts, even if he had to send in the army to forcibly remove the settlers, many of whom say they have a biblical right to the land they believe God gave the Jews." 6-02 07-04-02 Sharon Supports Some of Bush's Ideas (Guardian) Summarizes Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's comments about President Bush's proposal for peace in the Middle East. Editor's Note - Sharon initiated the call for Arafat's replacement as leader of the Palestinians. Other major portions of President Bush's plan, such as Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territory, were not addressed in Sharon's comments. 6-02 07-18-02 Arab Ministers Give Bush Middle East Plan (International Herald Tribune) "Arab foreign ministers were giving President George W. Bush a detailed plan Thursday for establishing a new Palestinian government - with a written constitution, an elected Parliament and a prime minister - that could be recognized as a state as early as January, according to Arab sources." 7-02 07-18-02 UN Security Council Adopts Plans by USA, EU, UN, and Russia for Palestinian State (Bloomberg) Provides a summary of the agreement to support the development of a Palestinian state within three years. 7-02 07-23-02 Israeli Rocket Kills Hamas Commander and Civilians (ABC News - al-Kashif) Reports on an attack by an Israeli jet against the home of the commander of Hamas. "An Israeli fighter plane fired a missile into a crowded neighborhood in Gaza City Tuesday, killing the commander of the military wing of Hamas and 14 other Palestinians, including nine children." 7-02 07-24-02 Children Hungry in Palestinian Territory (Independent - Huggler) A preliminary report from US Agency for International Development (USAID) reveals a humanitarian disaster in Palestinian territory. "The findings say 30 per cent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and 21 per cent from acute malnutrition – a massive increase compared to a survey for the same agency in 2000 when the figures were 7.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent respectively." 7-02 07-24-02 USA Reassesses Weapons for Israel (Bloomberg.com - Ziegler) "The State Department is evaluating whether Israel's attack, which killed at least nine children along with its target, a Hamas mastermind of violence against Israelis, violated laws that ban the sale of weapons for anything other than self-defense or internal security." 7-02 07-29-02 Thousands of Palestinians Defy Israeli Curfew (Guardian Unlimited) " 'People who can't find food and need medicine and treatment should break the doors of their jail,' Aloul said in an interview with The Associated Press." "Shops, banks and offices opened to accommodate the curfew breakers, who filled the streets of Nablus. 'I've been confined to my home for more than a month. I have eight children, we've eaten all we have,' said Tamer Adnan, working at his felafel stand. 'I'm just fighting to get food for my kids.' ''  7-02 08-11-02 Bush's Middle East Demands (BBC) Summarizes President Bush's demands for action in the Middle East when he spoke in June of 2002. The BBC is British. 8-02 08-11-02 International Peace-Keeping Force Supported by the Pope (BBC) "Pope John Paul ll has lent his support to the creation of an international peacekeeping force to try to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." 8-02 08-18-02 Afghan Food Running Out (ABC News - Denyer) "The U.N.'s World Food Program is being forced to cut rations for millions of hungry and vulnerable Afghans because international donors have failed to stump up promised cash, officials say." 8-02 09-01-02 Hostilities Continue Between Israelis and Palestinians (Guardian Unlimited) "There have been no suicide bombings in Israel since Aug. 4." However, Palestinians continue to attack Israelis and Israelis continue to attack Palestinians. Haim Ramon, a lawmaker from the Jewish Labor party said "the killing of innocent [Palestinian] people threatens Israeli security because it `'damages our international standing'' and `'brings into the cycle of terrorism more people who did not previously intend to join it.' '' 8-02 09-03-02 Israeli Supreme Court Prohibits Deportations Based on Kinship Alone (ABC News) The Israeli Supreme Court "ruled unanimously that a militant's relative could not be expelled solely on the basis of family ties but had to pose a security risk, even if the army believed deportation could dissuade others from mounting attacks." This was viewed as a setback for the Israeli military. 9-02 09-11-02 Arafat Cabinet Resigns (ABC News) "The resignation of Yasser Arafat's Cabinet in the face of stiff parliamentary opposition may be the dawning of a new era in Palestinian rule, Israeli and Palestinian officials say." "Chief of Israeli military intelligence Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash described Wednesday's events as 'an earthquake in the Palestinian Authority' that would eventually lead to Arafat's replacement." 9-02 10-07-02 Israelis Attack Militants Among Civilians (Independent) Israeli soldiers attacked Palestinians towns, leaving 12 dead. "Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat denounced the Israeli raid as a massacre. 'Every time we witness efforts to revive the peace process and put it back on track, like those being exerted now by Mr Solana, the Israeli government moves to conduct such war crimes and murder innocent civilians because the end game of the Israeli government is to resume full occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,' Mr Erekat said." "Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Palestinian militants were to blame for the high death toll. 'We try to keep civilian casualties to a minimum, but we can't say that because there are civilians there, we will not take action against the terrorists,' he said." 10-02 Papers -Essay - Amos Oz Sees Two Wars in the Middle East (Guardian Unlimited - Oz) Provides a view from the Jewish novelist, Amos Oz, that we must be clear to distinguish two wars. "Two Palestinian-Israeli wars have erupted in this region. One is the Palestinian nation's war for its freedom from occupation and for its right to independent statehood. Any decent person ought to support this cause. The second war is waged by fanatical Islam, from Iran to Gaza and from Lebanon to Ramallah, to destroy Israel and drive the Jews out of their land. Any decent person ought to abhor this cause." He concludes that Israel must withdraw from Palestinian territories for moral reasons. If withdrawal does not end the war with fanatics, then he argues that Israel can continue to fight the second war with full moral authority. 4-02 -Essay - Arab American View That Palestinians Need a New Strategy (Arab American Institute - Zogby) Tawfiq Zayyad, former Mayor of Nazareth, argues that the method of armed conflict by the Palestinians has "increased suffering and done great damage to the Palestinian cause." Zayyad argues that "When facing a more powerful foe, never play into his power...." By using violence, Palestinians are playing a losing strategy, he states. Dr. Zogmy, a prominent Arab American, argues that it is now clear that the United States, Europe, United Nations, and Arab states will not come to the rescue of the Palestinians. If Palestinians continue to use violence to make their point, they will continue to lose support from those who could help. More important, Palestinian attacks give strength to Israelis who wish to use violence against Palestinians--since Israelis have more military power, they will win. 4-02 -History of the Middle East Conflict - Why? (Awesome Library - Adams) Provides a short history of the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people. 9-01 -History of the Middle East From Pre-History to the Present (MideastWeb.org - Isseroff) Provides a summary of ownership of Israeli and Palestinian lands under dispute, going back to before recorded history. 6-02 -Israeli and Palestinian Views on the Land (CNN.com) Describes the modern history of conflict over the land on the West Bank and Gaza. Israelis began placing settlements in the West Bank after Israel won its war in 1967. Israelis want to keep portions of the West Bank on the basis of protecting national security. Palestinians want the Israelis to leave the West Bank (and Gaza) because those lands are part of Palestinian territory. 12-01 -Israeli and Palestinian Views on the West Bank (CNN.com) Describes the views of Israelis and Palestinians regarding ownership of the West Bank. 6-02 -Jerusalem - East Jerusalem Focus of Conflict (CNN.com) Describes the modern history of conflict over the "Old City," East Jerusalem. Both Muslems and Jews consider portions of the city too sacred to allow the other to have control of the area. "Ground zero in the dispute is a hill in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. That precious piece of real estate is believed to contain the ruins of Judaism's holiest temple, on top of which stands the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site." 12-01 -Palestinian Refugees (CNN.com) Describes the refugee problem that is at the heart of the conflict between Jews and Palestinians. "Despite a U.N. resolution recognizing the Palestinians' right to return to their homes, Israeli law barred those Palestinians from re-entering Israel at the end of the war. The Palestinians became refugees, taken in by other Arab states." The Jewish view is that allowing the Palestinians to return to their homes "would create a demographic problem for Israel, making it unable to continue as a Jewish state." From a Palestinian view, "the displacement of Palestinians cuts to the core of Palestinian national identity. Many Palestinians say their right to return goes beyond the U.N. resolution, stemming from a right of a people to live in their homeland." 12-01 Amnesty International Denounces Palestinian Bombers (Independent - Huggler) "Amnesty International has condemned the killing of Israeli civilians in suicide bombings and other attacks by Palestinians as crimes against humanity." "Mr Barghouti crops up in Amnesty's report, which says he told the organisation's delegates that Fatah considers Israeli settlers living inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip...as legitimate targets, because they are living on occupied land. The report rejects that argument...." 7-02 Bombs - A History of Bombing Attacks by Palestinians (BBC News) Provides a brief description of each bombing attack by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, since 1994. Each year there were from none to a maximum of four--until 2001. In 2001 there were 14 bombing attacks against Israelis and in 2002 there have been many more. 4-02 Bombs - Bombing Attacks by Palestinians Since 2000 (USA Today) Provides a brief description of each bombing attack by Palestinians against Israelis since September of 2000. There were 29 Palestinian bombing attacks in 2001 and 41 attacks in 2002 (up to June 19th). Editor's Note - Palestinian attacks became intense in 2000 as a result of Ariel Sharon's defiant visit to a holy Muslim site, followed by Israeli soldiers shooting into protesting crowds and killing Palestinians. 6-02 Camp David Accords (U.S. Embassy) Provides a framework for peace between Egypt and Israel. 10-00 Commentary - Sharon's Intentions (Council on Foreign Relations) Siegman, a Jewish Middle East expert, asserts that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon considers the West Bank and Gaza to be disputed territory, not occupied territory. "Ergo, Sharon concludes, the West Bank and Gaza are not territory occupied by Israel's military but territory whose ownership - in principle, all of it - is 'in dispute.' Sharon is thus informing the international community that Israel's claim to the West Bank and Gaza is on a par with that of the Palestinians." "Given Israel's control of all of the territories, and given its overwhelming military superiority over the Palestinians, there should be little doubt about the outcome of this contest of Israeli and Palestinian 'rights.' " Editor's Note - Siegman makes some absurdly false statements to make some of his points. He assumes that the reader is an expert on the Middle East and will recognize such statements as an attempt at humor. 8-02 Commentary by Henry Siegman (Council on Foreign Relations) Siegman, a Jewish Middle East expert, is neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian in his perspective to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Rather, he attempts to describe the pattern of events. Without outside intervention, he expects Israel, under Sharon's leadership, to claim ownership of at least half of the West Bank. 8-02 Commentary by Henry Siegman (Council on Foreign Relations) Siegman, a Jewish Middle East expert, provides his perspective to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Without outside intervention from other countries, Siegman predicts that Israel, under Sharon's leadership, will claim ownership of at least half of the West Bank. 8-02 Comparison of Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon (ABC News) Provides a timeline of Ariel Sharon beside one of Yasser Arafat. 5-02 Crown Prince Abdullah's Saudi Peace Plan (Time - Karon) The Saudi peace plan is now the most likely roadmap to peace in the Middle East. The USA, Israel, Arab states, and Palestinians have all expressed interest in it. The Saudi plan includes "full normalization of relations with the Arab world if Israel withdraws to its 1967 borders. Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights in the war of June 1967, and Abdullah is advocating that the latter be handed back to Syria and the two Palestinian enclaves become a Palestinian state." 4-02 Debate - American Jewish and Arab Views on Conflict (MSNBC News) "Two Americans - one of Jewish descent, the other of Arab descent - each with passionate views on the Mideast conflict. MSNBC.com promised both of them anonymity and asked them to debate for a month the ins and outs of what is happening in the Holy Land." 5-02 Essay - Anarchy in Palestinian Territory - Sharon Destroys the Palestinian Government (BBC News - Plett) Describes the Israeli effort for complete destruction of the central government of the Palestinians. Rather than just rooting out terrorists, as Sharon claims he is doing, Plett reports that the military have gone into government buildings to destroy records, machines, and everything else. "After the war, Israel 'will be faced with a situation in which there is no central government in the PA and with the total anarchy that will develop in the absence of such authority,' writes Uzi Benziman in Israel's Haaretz daily." 4-02 Essay - Arafat and American Leadership Necessary for Peace (The Guardian - Hirst) Argues that if Arafat is killed, there will be little chance for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the Middle East. Hirst states that leaders who are much more extreme will take Arafat's place. He also warns that the USA must take a leadership role quickly. (The Guardian is a British newspaper.) 3-02 Essay - Birthrates in the Middle East Spell Trouble for Israel (Chicago Tribune - Kennedy) "Israel now contains about 6 million people, one-fifth of whom are Arabs. Its population is projected to reach about 10 million in 2050--a strain on agricultural and water resources, no doubt, but nonetheless manageable if everything else went well." "But that is the rub. Other things are highly unlikely to go well." Palestinian birthrates are double the Israeli rates. "By 2050, therefore, the forecast is that there will be almost 12 million inhabitants in the already crowded Palestinian areas." "What this means is that, by 2050, 8 million Jewish Israelis will be sitting cheek-by-jowl with approximately 20 million Palestinians and a few million Israeli Arabs. How they will deal with simple basic daily needs, such as water, boggles the imagination. Already, Israel gets 55 percent of its water from outside its formal territories, by siphoning underground supplies from its neighbors." "The hundreds of millions of desperate young men and boys in these lands will be encouraged by the same ruthless, exploitative leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas to make a supreme sacrifice by a terrorist act, and receive their everlasting reward, unless this can be headed off." 5-02 Essay - Catholic Message to the Israeli and Palestinian People (Leadership Conference of Women Religious and Conference of Major Superiors of Men) Provides a joint statement from two Catholic organizations to express solidarity with the people of Israel and the people of Palestine. Also expresses sadness that United States leadership has not spoken out more clearly and effectively against the violence by both Israelis and Palestinians. 5-02 Essay - Criticism of Israel Is Not Anti-Semitism (ABC News - Donvan and Koppel) Explores the difference between criticizing policies or actions of Israel and being anti-Semitic (against Jews). 4-02 Essay - How the Last Round of Violence (Intifada) Started (CBC News - MacDonald) Provides the events, starting with Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount of Jerusalem, that led to the great increase in violence by Palestinians against Israeli civilians since September of 2000. "So, why would Sharon do it? Why come to this holy site and stick his finger in the Islamic eye, especially during the course of sensitive negotiations over sovereignty here?" MacDonald claims that Sharon provoked the Palestinians in order to improve his political position for running for Prime Minister. MacDonald points out that Palestinians used the ensuing situation for their own purposes also, rather than to pursue peace. An Arafat official stated 'Our national duty is to continue the confrontation, continue to sacrifice our martyrs, so that the blood will not have been spilled in vain.' 4-02 Essay - Israel Extends Its Borders Further Into Palestinian Territory (Jerusalem Post - Nessman) Provides news on Israelis building settlements on Palestinian territory with Israeli government encouragement and support. "These new settlement efforts send a clear message that Sharon is more interested in extending Israel's borders than in trying to negotiate peace, Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said." 5-02 Essay - Israel Has Also Crossed a Line (Guardian Unlimited) Argues that, although Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorists, the way it is treating the Palestinian people (while chasing terrorists) is not justified. "In fighting terrorists in this way, Israel has crossed a line no democratic government should cross." 4-02 Essay - Israeli View of Palestinian Leadership (Jerusalem Post - Shaviv and Najib) "Palestinians agree with Israel and the United States that their leadership needs to be reformed - but have a far different idea of what that means." "The changes, if they occur, only have one purpose: to make the battle against Israel even more efficient." Editor's Note - This article is included to help understand Israeli views of Palestinian leaders. 5-02 Essay - Israeli View that the USA and Israel Agree on Next Steps (Jerusalem Post - Keinon) Argues that both America and Israel want to replace Arafat, in a diplomatic way, as a first priority. States that, according to an Israeli official, a regional conference this summer is a good way to "buy time" and appear to move things forward while really moving forward to replace Arafat. Replacing Arafat is politely called "Palestinian reform." Editor's Note - This article is included to help understand Israeli views. 5-02 Essay - Israelis Keep Palestinians from Essential Medical Aid (BBC News - Westcott) Reports complaints by humanitarian and medical workers that Israeli soldiers have prevented Palestinians from gaining life-saving medical attention. According to international law (the Geneva Conventions), such actions by soldiers are war crimes. 4-02 Essay - Jewish View of the Conflict (Chicago Tribune - Grossman) "For my people, the wait was almost 2,000 years. From the time the Romans exiled the ancient Jews from Jerusalem until the rebirth of Israel in 1948, each of them perennially lived the biblical phrase "a stranger in a strange land." "When Arabs aggress, most of the world is muted in its criticism. Arafat might be gently urged to do a little more to restrain the bombers. When Israel strikes back, condemnation quickly follows." 5-02 Essay - Jordan's Opinion on the Conflict (CBS News - Rather) King Abdullah of Jordan said, "The Israelis are saying to the Americans that you have to have security before you can have peace. Your president said in a speech a few days ago you can’t have security if you don’t have peace...." 5-02 Essay - Jordanian View of the Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians (The Star - El-Sherif) Provides a Jordanian view of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Jordan has helped to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians in the past. Jordan is also a strong supporter of the Palestinians. 4-02 Essay - Middle East Conflict (The Nation - Falk) "I was a member of a human rights inquiry appointed by the UN Human Rights Commission a year ago." "The basic conclusion of these efforts at impartial understanding was that Israel was mainly responsible for the escalations [of violence], and that its tactics of response involved massive violations of international humanitarian law." He also argues that past peace offers to Palestinians reflected the realities of power and control of the Israelis over the Palestinians and not international law. The past offers, he argues, would never have provided an independent Palestinian state, but rather a Palestinian state that was under the control of Israel. 5-02 Essay - Middle East Lacks Leadership (MSNBC News - Moran) Provides the view that neither Arafat nor Sharon can lead their people toward peace in the Middle East. Regarding Araft's leadership of the Palestinians, Moran observes that the "Palestinians may be the worst-led people on the planet...." "On the Israeli side, things are no better." Moran claims that those interested in peace find "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s policies to be disastrous." "The United States must take its share of the blame for allowing things to get so out of hand, however." 3-02 Essay - Palestinian Rage from Exile and Occupation (Chicago Tribune - Karmi) "These narratives are rooted in the fundamental attachment Palestinians have to the land historically known as Palestine--modern-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The land has been predominantly Arab since the 7th Century, and Palestinians base their claim to the land on 13 centuries of continuous habitation." "Palestinians call the creation of Israel in 1948 al Nakbeh, the catastrophe. Out of a total population of about 1.25 million, almost 60 percent of all Palestinians were displaced...." "Homeless and stateless, most of the Palestinian refugees ended up in camps hastily erected by their host countries and the UN. Most of these refugees and their descendants remain in those camps to this day. Many still have no passports and have never left the countries where they reside. Almost all still dream of their homes in Palestine, or, in more and more cases now, of their fathers' and grandfathers' homes." "It is impossible to overstate the sense of injustice Palestinians feel over the displacement of almost their entire people." 5-02 Essay - Palestinian View of Barak's Offer of Land (Gush-Shalom) Provides a Palestinian view of Barak's offer of land to Palestinians in exchange for peace. A great deal of controversy surrounds the offer and some of the current conflict between Palestinians and Israelis involves different views of what Barak offered. The offer is not available in written form, so it is difficult to confirm or deny what was offered. 4-02 Essays - Middle East Conflict (The Nation) Provides essays by experts on the Middle East. Focuses on the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. 5-02 Essays on the Middle East Conflicts and Other Current Events (History News Network) Provides essays on both sides of issues in the Middle East conflicts and other major current events. 10-02 Freshwater - International Freshwater Conflict Prevention (Applied Research Institute Jerusalem - Isaac) Jad Isaac of the Applied Research Institute, Jerusalem, recommends a confidence building measure by the Israelis. He emphasizes that Gaza and West Bank Palestinians do not have sufficient access to water now and suggests that negotiations for peace include Israel making sufficient water available to the two areas. 4-02 Freshwater - International Freshwater Conflict Prevention (Nobel Laureates 2000, Green Cross International - Peres and Gorbachev) "There is one salient fact that overrides all others in the 21st century: Today's 6 billion people -- projected to grow to 8 billion within the next 25 years -- must share the same amount of water on this planet shared by less than one-sixth that many before the turn of the 19th century." "In the past 10 years the various states in the Middle East have spent billions to acquire arms instead of building water pipelines or finding ways to conserve, clean and use water more efficiently on a shared, regional basis." "We all know that deserts create poverty, and that poverty often leads to war -- especially when everyone is armed to the teeth. But missiles in an armed desert can't carry water any more than minefields can stop pollution from crossing borders." "The alternative to another round of conflict, this time over water instead of land, is cooperation. Desalinization or joint management is cheaper than launching wars for rivers." 12-01 Hamas (BBC News - Westcott) "Hamas, the main Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories, was born soon after the previous intifada erupted in 1987." "The organisation opposes the Oslo peace process and its short-term aim is a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories."  "Hamas does not recognise the right of Israel to exist. Its long-term aim is to establish an Islamic state on land originally mandated as Palestine - most of which has been contained within Israel's borders since its creation in 1948." 5-02 History - Population of Palestine Before 1948 (MideastWeb.org) Provides census information on Palestine 1922 through 1948. "The Zionist claim that Palestine was 'a land without a people' is challenged by pro-Palestinian historians who cite census figures showing a substantial Palestinian-Arab population by 1914." 5-02 History of Jerusalem - Israeli View (The State of Israel) Provides a short modern history of Jerusalem, from an Israeli point of view. 10-00 History of the Middle East (CBS News - Katz) Provides a history of ownership of the land that is now occupied by Israelis and Palestinians. 3-02 History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire (Discovery.com) Provides a short history of the Ottoman Empire, from 1453 through 1924. 1-01 History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire (FORSNet) Provides a timeline of the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. 1-01 History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire (Infoplease.com) Provides an extensive history of the Ottoman Empire, from 1451 through 1922. 1-01 History of the Middle East - Ottoman Empire Timeline (HistoryChannel.com) Provides a history of Muslim rule, often called the Ottoman Empire. 12-01 History of the Middle East Conflict (CNN) Provides a history of war and peace negotiations in the Middle East. In the fact file on the right, the article also contains biographical information on the key players, such as Presidential Authority Yasser Arafat of the Palestinians, Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel, King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and President Bashar Assad of Syria. Also includes maps of the region providing information on events from 1920 to the present. 5-02 History of the Middle East Conflict (Washington Post) Provides maps and short narratives of each period of conflict. Includes more than 3,000 years of history. Uses Flash software. 6-02 History of the Middle East Conflict Between Israelis and Palestinians (Independent - Wasserstein) "Bernard Wasserstein explains the complex chain of events that have led to today's blood feud." "But if the prospects for peacemaking seem tenuous, the probable consequences of continued warfare are grim. Against this background, the last superpower may at last be ready to use real muscle to call a halt to the conflict between the sons of Abraham." 4-02 History of the Middle East From 1300 BCE to the Present (MideastWeb.org) Provides a general timeline from 1917 to Present and another more detailed timeline going back to 1300 BCE. 5-02 History of the Middle East From 1916 - 2001 (Avalon Project at the Yale Law School) Provides historical documents that are important to understanding the current conflict between Israel and Palestinians. 5-02 History of the Middle East Peace - British View (BBC) Provides a short history of the Middle East area for the past 50 years from a British point of view. Includes a map of the area. 7-00 History of the Middle East Regarding Israel (Guardian Unlimited - Brown) Provides a timeline, starting in 1881, describing the events leading up to the formation of Israel. Also describes the conflicts between Israelis and other Middle East countries. 4-02 International Peace-Keeping Force Urged for in Middle East (BBC - Foulkes) "The UN Human Rights Commission, meeting in Geneva, has been told that the situation is now so serious that only an international force in the region can bring an end to the violence." 8-02 Israeli Camp David II Proposals for Final Settlement (Mideast Web) "These were modified in various ways by U.S. bridging poposals. The details of the proposals are still secret at this time. Israel claims that they were far reaching and generous. The Palestinians have been claiming that the proposals would have perpetuated the precise situation of the interim agreements, in which the West Bank is divided into numerous small areas of Palestinian sovereignty interspersed with a much larger area of Israeli sovereignty." 4-02 Israeli View of Middle East (Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations) Provides documents and informaton from an Israeli viewpoint. 10-01 Middle East Conflict - A Political Perspective (Middle East Review of International Affairs - Rubin) Provides an analysis of the Middle East from a political perspective. 7-00 Middle East Maps and Profiles (ABC News) Provides a map and short profile of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Iran. 10-01 Mitchell Report for the Middle East (U.S. Department of State) Provides the findings of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, popularly known as the "Mitchell Report." The recommendations of the Committee were accepted by the Palestinians, Israelis, and the United States. However, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians have followed the recommendations. Instead, both sides have continued to pursue violence. 10-01 Muslim Rage (First Person Book Page - Mudge) Provides an interview with Thomas L. Friedman regarding his book, Longitudes and Attitudes. " 'I'm quoting here from a U.N. study that's just come out that says it's a deficit of freedom, it's a deficit of education and it's a deficit of women's empowerment. Thanks to these three deficits they've [Arab Muslims] dug themselves a really deep hole.' ""'The dark side of all this, Friedman writes in his diaries, is that it leads to what he calls the 'Circle of bin Ladenism, which is made up of three components: antidemocratic leaders, who empower antimodernist Moslem religious educators to gain legitimacy, who then produce a generation of young people who have not been educated in ways that enable them to flourish in the modern world.' " 9-02 Palestinian Agreements With Israel (Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations) Provides the texts of the signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians representatives. 10-01 Palestinian Refugee Camps (CBC News - O'Malley and John Bowman) "When the dust had settled [in 1948], Israel controlled three-quarters of what was Palestine, Jordan took control of the West Bank of the Jordan River, and Egypt took over the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians took over nothing, except the transient security of life in refugee camps throughout the region." "UNRWA estimates the number of registered Palestinian refugees has grown from 914,000 in 1950 to more than 3.8 million in 2001, and keeps rising." 5-02 President Bush Speaks Out (MSNBC News - Bush) President Bush presents the U.S. position on the growing conflict in the Middle East. "I call on the Palestinian Authority and all governments in the region to do everything in their power to stop terrorist activities, to disrupt terrorist financing, and to stop inciting violence by glorifying terror in state-owned media or telling suicide bombers they are martyrs." "They’re not martyrs. They’re murderers. And they undermine the cause of the Palestinian people." "Consistent with the Mitchell plan, Israeli settlement activity in occupied territories must stop, and the occupation must end through withdrawal to secure and recognized boundaries, consistent with United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338." 4-02 Saudis Debate Intolerance by Muslims (International Herald Tribune - MaFarquhar) "Prompted by the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, a cautious debate has begun in Saudi Arabia's closed society over intolerance toward non-Muslims and attitudes toward the West that are now viewed by some as inspiring unacceptable violence." 7-02 School With Both Arabs and Jews (Mr. Shivers Kindergarten) Describes the bilingual Israeli school, Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam or Oasis of Peace, designed as a model for spreading peace. 4-02 Secret Federal Court Rejects Justice Department's Request (MSNBC News) "The secretive federal court that approves spying on terror suspects in the United States has refused to give the Justice Department broad new powers, saying the government had misused the law and misled the court dozens of times, according to an extraordinary legal ruling...." 8-02 Successors to Arafat (BBC) Provides profiles of Palestinian leaders who have been considered as possible replacements for Arafat, in case Arafat steps aside as the president. The article mentions Ahmed Qurei, Mahmoud Abbas, Mohammed Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, Marwan Barghouti, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and Abdel Sattar Qassem. Tenet Report (Avalon Project at the Yale Law School) Provides the text of the plan for Middle East steps toward peace by CIA director George Tenet. 5-02 United Nations - Palestinian Questions and Resolutions by the United Nations (United Nations) Provides "United Nations resolutions related to the question of Palestine, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the current Middle East peace process, in reverse chronological order." 5-02 United Nations - Resolutions Related to Palestinians and Israelis (United Nations) Provides resolutions. 5-02 United Nations Documents on the Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians (UNISPAL - UN Information System on the Question of Palestine) Provides all key documents that have been made available to the United Nations regarding Palestinians and their relationship to the Israelis. Starts before 1945 and provides almost daily updates. Documents are typically written by official observers for each side of the question and attempt to present facts, what has recently happened, before asking for the UN to respond. 8-01 Walling Off the Palestinians (BBC News - Hawley) Describes the conditions of Palestinians trying to travel between towns in Palestinian territory. 6-02 Women's Views - Voices from Behind the Veil (Christian Science Monitor - Gaouette) Provides an inside view on the experience of Muslim women in the Middle East. "They bridle at Western assumptions about the nature of Islam and a woman's place in it. Like their Afghan sisters, these women stress that culture shapes their lives as much as religion and if they have problems, the veil certainly isn't one of them. They want change, but on terms that suit their society. Most of all, they would like Westerners to stop rehashing old clichés about who they are." 3-02 Wye River Peace Accords (U.S. Embassy) Provides a copy of the Memorandum signed by Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to facilitate implementation of the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 10-00 Projects Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Simulation (Donn) Provides a simulation to help understand the views of Palestinians and Israelis. 2-01

Return to Teachers, Kids, Teens, Parents, Librarians, or Community.