After the 1948 war between Israel and Palestine, Israel won and took more land than originally planned. Many Palestinians became refugees as a result, and to this day some Palestinians and their descendants still live in refugee camps or areas they believe should be part of a Palestinian state. The conflict continues over land and religion, with surrounding Arab countries supporting Palestine and the U.S. backing Israel, complicating peace efforts.
2. Palestinian-Israeli War in 1948
• War breaks out between the two Middle
Eastern nations Palestine and Israel.
• Although Palestine had help from other
surrounding Arab countries, Israel wins
the war.
• By winning the war, Israel survived and
took even more land from Palestine and
surrounding countries than originally
planned.
3. Palestine vs. Israel
After the war many Palestinians became refugees
(people who had to leave their homes as the
result of the war).
In the last 60 years there have been additional
wars between Israel and Palestine that were all
based on the idea that Israel should not exist in
the eyes of the Palestinians and other Middle
Eastern Arab countries.
Many of the Palestinians and their decendents still
live in refugee camps or in parts of Israel they
feel should be a Palestinian state.
4. Palestine versus Israel
• Surrounding Arab countries strongly
support the side of Palestine and the
United States is a powerful supporter of
Israel.
• The Arab-Israeli conflict plays a major role
in the difficulties that the United States
and the rest of the world face when trying
to find peaceful settlements between or
with Middle Eastern countries.
5. Pop Quiz
1. What was the outcome of the 1948 War
between the new state of Israel and the
Arabs living in and around Palestine?
a. The conflict ended and all Palestinian
Arabs became citizens in the new State of
Israel
b. Israel won the war and the new State of
Israel was even larger than originally
planned.
c. Almost no Jewish people were willing to go
to Israel because of the country’s angry
Arab neighbors
d. The United Nations decided to withdraw the
proposal to create a State of Israel because
of all the problems it caused in the area.
6. 2. What is a “refugee”?
a. A person who had to leave their home
as a result of war
b. A person who opens his home to
those who need a safe place to stay
c. A person who refuses to take in
someone who is without a safe place
to stay
d. Someone who refuses to leave his
home even though it is dangerous to
stay there
7. 3. What has become of many of the
Palestinians who became refugees in
1948?
a. Many still live in refugee camps
b. Most have become Israeli citizens
c. They have been given a state of their
own in which to live.
d. They have given up any claim to
return to the land they lost in 1948.
