Summary

The Arab-Israeli conflict is regularly in the news. While it can be an intimidating topic to unravel, understanding its historical roots is critical to being an informed citizen in today’s globalized world.

This five-lesson curriculum on the Arab-Israeli conflict explores the history of the conflict and peace process. With an emphasis on primary sources, ICS’s resources are teacher-friendly and formatted to be easily implemented in the classroom.

By teaching your students about the Arab-Israeli conflict, students will become more knowledgeable global citizens and gain confidence in following current world issues.

Lesson 1: Zionism & Arab Nationalism
 

The origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict can be traced to the early 20th century, with the emergence of nationalism. In this lesson, students will use primary sources such as The Jewish State (1896) and The First Arab Congress (1913) to explore the concept of nationalism and connect the rise of nationalism in Europe to the emergence of both Zionism and Arab nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lesson 2: Broken Promises


This lesson examines how broken promises made to Arabs and Jews during World War I set the stage for the current challenges in the Middle East. Students will examine primary sources, including Hussein-McMahon Correspondence (1915), The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916), and The Balfour Declaration (1917), that were written during World War I and shortly after it ended.

Lesson 3: The British Mandate Era


After World War I, the League of Nations created mandates and placed the area that is today Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan under British administration. This area was referred to as the British Mandate for Palestine. While meant to be temporary, the British Mandate for Palestine lasted for nearly 30 years. In this lesson, students will examine official statements and proposals that stated how to divide the area known between Jews and the Arabs.

Lesson 4: From Independence to Egypt-Israel Peace


In this lesson, students will examine a range of primary sources and use the Source Analysis tool on the Library of Congress website to understand how the State of Israel was created in 1948. Students will also explore the Wars of 1948 and 1967, as well as the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

Lesson 5: The Continuing Arab-Israeli Conflict & Peace Process


At the end of the 1970s, it seemed like progress was being made toward peace between Arab countries and Israel. Unfortunately, new obstacles surfaced in the decades following. The primary sources in this lesson focus on the First and Second Intifadas, the Declaration of Principles (Oslo Accords), the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, and Israel’s disengagement from Gaza.

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