The controversial Creation of Israel

The land of Israel/Palestine has been fiercely disputed throughout the last 3,000 years. Through the Roman occupation, Crusades and the most recently the Arab-Israeli conflict, this small strip of land has a continuous history of conquest, war and bloodshed.

When I talk to friends about teaching this, their knowledge is often good and they have heard a lot about the problem. But, many also say that they don't know enough about it to have a full viewpoint on the issues.

It's difficult to fully understand all of these issues but there are many aspects to find fascinating (and deeply distressing) about the study of this area but the deep feelings expressed by either side are perhaps some of the most hard-hitting.

This was recited by Palestinian school children at the beginning of their school day:

Palestine is our country

Our aim is to return

Death does not frighten us

Palestine is ours

We shall never forget her

Another homeland we shall never accept.

The second is one (probably very popular) Jewish view from the 1940s:

There is no room for both peoples in this country. If the Arabs leave the country, it will be broad and wide-open for us. If the Arabs stay, the country will remain narrow and miserable. The only solution is Israel without Arabs.

The question is: How did the two sides end up so divided and will there ever be a solution?

As history there are all sorts of problems with looking at this aspect of the past. It is massively controversial and even the terms "Israel" or "Palestine" come with loaded meanings and connotations. It's also very current. This history isn't in the past. However, despite (or perhaps because of) these difficulties I think that this can be one of the most engaging parts of history to learn about. If you are very keen, you can even see a BBC documentary on this period of History by clicking here...

In short, in 1948 Israel declared itself an independent nation which was quickly recognised by the international community. This was the first time that Israel had existed as a country since before the Roman conquest. It was a victory for Zionists who had dreamed of a Jewish state away from much of the persecution which Jews had received in countries where they had been a minority for centuries (see my previous post about medieval persecution). Since this date, Israel has been in near-constant conflict with it's neighbours, many of whom have tried to destroy the new state.

However, the Arabs argue that the Israeli state has come at a heavy price for those who once lived in this land. The Palestinians were predominantly farmers and called this area their home for centuries. From their point of view the incoming waves of Jewish immigrants were a threat which has grown exponentially in the last hundred years. To begin with, disputes were local economic disagreements which turned into larger scale politics about the levels of immigration and the changing nature of the country. The map (taken from a pro-Palestinian forum) shows this loss of land over about sixty years and it's certainly possible to sympathise with many Palestinian refugees who feel kicked out of their own country. 

To add further complexity, neither side had complete political power at this crucial time. The entire region was administered by the British on behalf of the international community. For political reasons, the British promised the land to both sides. How foolish! Small scale dispute turned to rioting, terrorism (on both sides), civil war and more recently international war (some have even suspected the potential for nuclear conflict). 

It is possible to teach this history at a number of levels but the aim is often very similar. It's intriguing to see how difficult it is to solve the problem. I've invited pupils to try and solve the same issues which the UN faced in 1947-8 (and may face in the near future) and try to work out how to split the country between the two peoples. They must think about the population (right), the importance of the city of Jerusalem, the further increase in Jewish population in the coming years and the long-term relations between the new states. Once you start to factor in all of the different concerns, this becomes a near impossible task. Some pupils admit this very quickly and find the task very hard. Others propose radical solutions which convince me to never to vote them into a position of power but others try desperately to think of a way of solving the problem. I admire this gutsy approach and hope that there are people in power today who might continue working towards a solution. 

I think that everyone should be taught something about the Arab-Israeli conflict precisely because it is current and topical. In the West Bank, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem and Gaza, the problems of history are still being worked out today. This certainly isn't the only example. All over the world, the study of History is relevant, essential and also fascinating because it explains where we are today and how we got here. Maybe it can provide a solution too. 

Indeed, one organisation described the ongoing conflict like this almost 25 years ago: 

Two peoples live in the land of Israel – the Jewish people and the Palestinian-Arab people. Both have rights to this land. Therefore, the alternatives are clear; either compromise or endless war.


If you're a teacher, take a look at http://www.history.org.uk/resources/secondary_resource_117.html for some more ideas about how to teach this.