20th Century Jerusalem
· British Mandate Period, 1918-1948:
o British promise to protect holy places of all faiths
o Balfour Declaration, 1917: “Jewish National Homeland”
o Sykes-Picot Agreement, 1916 (Britain-France): divides former Ottoman Empire into areas of control and influence
o Churchill’s “White Paper,” 1922: clarified how Britain viewed the Balfour Declaration, Britain partitioned area to the west of the Jordan for a Jewish settlement, Area east of Jordan was renamed Transjordan and given to Abdullah I
o Peel Plan, 1937: partition of country between Israel and Palestine, accepted by Zionists, but rejected by Arabs
o WWII, 1938-1945: Jewish flight Palestine
· Secular Zionism
o 1840, Yehuda Hai Alchelai (Rabbi of Sarajevo): “Redemption will begin with Jews themselves”
§ Fund established to buy land in Palestine
§ Orthodox Jews (mostly) respect Zionism as impious
o Theodore Herzi writes The Jewish State (1896)
§ Sanctity of Jerusalem plays no role in Herzl’s vision
§ Suggested a Zionist State in Uganda (2nd Zionist Conference)
o 1899, First “Zionist” Conference in Basel, Switzerland
· Anti-Semitism and Immigration
o Anti-Semitic pogroms in Islamic world instigated by Catholics, 1840
o Anti-Semitic pogroms in Russian begin in 1882, Jews flee to Palestine
o “Second” aliyah in 1902 as Jews flee Russia and Eastern Europe
o Rise of Hitler and anti-Semitism
· War of “Independence” 1948
o Termination of British Mandate
o War between Arabs and Israelis, Jordanians join
o Truce arranged by UN
o Armistice signed between Israel and Jordan (“winners” of the War)
o Green Line created between Israel (West Jerusalem) and Jordanian-held West Bank (East Jerusalem and Old City)
· Israeli State, 1948-present
o West Bank Under Jordanian Rule, 1948-1967
o West Bank Under Israeli Rule/ “Occupation,” 1967-present
· Six-Day War 1967
o Fight between Israelis and Jordanians/Egyptians
o Israeli Knesset formally annexes Old City and East Jerusalem
o Israel gives control of Haram to Muslims, but Jews forbidden to pray on the Haram???
· PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) 1964
o “Sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian People”
o considered by US to be terrorist organization
o Yasser Arafat Chairman of PLO 1969-2004
· Oslo Accords 1993
o Called for creation of PNA
o Called for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and West Bank
o Israel acknowledged by PLO as legitimate representative of Palestinian People; PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist as a state and renounced terrorism
o Prior, PLO tried to undermine Jewish state and did not recognize Israel as a state
o Palestinians upset at Oslo Accords
· Intifadas “Uprising”
o 1988-1992 First Intifada
o 1996 Temple Mount Tunnel Controversy
o 2000-Present Second Intifada: provoked by Ariel Sharon’s (Israeli) visit to the Al-Aqsa Most
This lecture was very fascinating because it explained the background and origins of the current conflicts in the Middle East. However, the terminology used in this lecture was very confusing. What are the differences between Jordanians and Palestinians? Both groups are considered “Arabs,” but why are they considered separate? The Peel Plan suggested partitioning the country between “Arabs” and Israelis, which was rejected by “Arabs.” Then, the Arab-Israeli War broke out, resulting in Israel getting a new state and Jordan getting the West Bank. But if Jordanians were considered “Arabs,” what happened to the other “Arabs,” such as Palestinians? In the end, Jordanians had control in the East, Israelis in the West, and Palestinians nothing. Professor Cargill said that the Palestinians should’ve accepted the Peel Plan, but Palestinians weren’t even part of the Peel Plan… because it involved Israelis and Arabs. But if Arabs had accepted, and Arabs include both Jordanians and Palestinians, how would the partitioning work? Confused!
