Importance of 'X' within the conflict

Question 1

What is the importance of Theodor Herzl

Answer 1

• Father of political Zionism (Creation of a Jewish state in Palestine is the solution to antisemitism/Jewish persecution and the abnormality of diaspora)
  o Zionism provided an ideological, political and organisational framework for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine
  o Zionism created a political and national movement for Jewish people, unified the diaspora
• Convened First Zionist Congress in Basel which created the World Zionist Organisation
  o Provided a global platform to advance the cause of Jewish statehood
   Lobbied politicians and diplomats across globe

Question 2

What is the importance of David Ben Gurion

Answer 2

• Head of the Jewish Agency until 1948
  o Facilitated mass Jewish immigration to Palestine
  o Established strong Jewish presence pre-Independence
• During British Mandate and beyond, key focus on building strong Jewish institutions and infrastructure
  o Jewish Assembly, Jewish Trade Unions (protect Jewish jobs), Jewish Army, Educational systems
   Palestinians Arabs had no state institutions (Jewish advantage regarding political representation, military strength, negotiations)
   Jewish institutions ethnically defined, discriminated against Palestinian Arabs
• First Israeli Prime Minister (Labor) from 1948-1963
  o Led Jews to victory in Independence War 1948 despite being outnumbered by Arab forces
   Strong institutions = Israel prepared for war
   Victory expanded territory, solidified Israel’s presence in Palestine

Question 3

What is the importance of Ze’ev Jabotinski (Revisionim)

Answer 3

Ze’ev Jabotinski/Revisionism
- Father of Revisionist Zionism (Jewish state without Arabs on both sides of River Jordan)
o Emphasises expansionism (Greater Israel), a strong military presence, and firm stance on security
o Forms the ideological foundations of Likud Party (Benjamin Netanyahu)
 Promotion of settlers and expansionist military logic has escalated in conflict and damaged trust with Palestinian/Arab representatives
- Founded Irgun (Zionist terror group operating in mandatory Palestine)
o Responsible for Deir Yassin Massacre of Palestinian village
o Part of effort to forcibly displace Palestinians through fear/violence, never granted Right to return

Question 4

What is the importance of the Sykes-Picot Agreement

Answer 4

• Carved the Middle East Between the French and British after WW1
  o British strategically interested in access to India and oil
  o Straight arbitrary colonial borders historically foster ethnic/religious conflict
• Undermined Hussein-Mahon Agreement 1915, British promised Independence to Arab world if the revolted against Ottomans and Turks in WW1
  o Began longstanding motif of Arab mistrust and resentment arising from Western deception, betrayal, and self-interest
  o Created need for pan-Arab anti-colonial nationalism against British

Question 5

What is the importance of the Balfour Declaration (1917)

Answer 5

• British Government declared Palestine a national home for Jews
  o First major political recognition of Zionist movement (By British), gave international legitimacy to increased Jewish immigration/settlement/statehood
  o Solidified Arabs feelings of mistrust, betrayal, and resentment towards British (further denial of independence)
   Brits conspiring with Zionists to create Jewish state
   need for pan-Arab anti-colonial nationalism against Zionism and British
  o Ambiguous language -> Brits dual promises of Jewish national home and protection of Palestinian Arab rights
   Unworkable and impossible dynamic for British during Mandate, escalated tensions between PA and Jews

Question 6

What is the importance of British Mandate in Palestine

Answer 6

• Outcome: Deepened conflict between Jewish and Palestinian Arab populations
  o No Jewish-Palestinian institutions built for cooperation
• Jewish institution building and land purchase from Arab upper class
  o Kibbutzim (communal farms) and New Jew (pioneers)
   Resulted in Arab peasant evictions (result = violence/conflict)
  o Stronger educational, political, military institutions than Arabs, responsible for superior position in conflict
• Lack of Palestinian institution-building or representation
  o Takeover of maximalist, disorganised, and self-interested Arab leadership
  o Palestinian fears that institution-building related to Balfour Declaration/Mandate perceived as acceptance of Jewish statehood/British colonialism
   Unable to form successful response to Zionists/Mandate, significantly disadvantaged
• Increased Jewish migration
  o Due to rise of Hitler/Holocaust in Europe
  o Resulted in Arab-Jewish violence (e.g., Hebron massacre 1926 / Arab revolt 1936-39)
   Arab violence pushed Jews and British closer
   Zionists endorsed by biggest colonial power
   Palestinians denied institution-building help/recognition of late institutions by British

Question 7

What is the importance of Hajj Amin al-Husseini

Answer 7

• Poor/unfavourable representative for Palestinians during Mandate
  o Maximalist leadership
   failed to take advantage of British policies beneficial for Palestinian institution-building during Mandate
   prevented leadership coalition building with Arab leaders/British
  o Support for violence/revolt
   doomed sympathy for Palestinian cause
   escalated tensions with Jews/British, breakdown of dialogue
  o Alliance with Hitler, associated with Nazism
   abandoned dialogue with British over Palestine
   damaged Palestinian cause internationally after Holocaust
   perceived as genocidal by Jewish populations

Question 8

What is the importance of The Six-Day War (1967)

Answer 8

• Solidified that Israel’s presence as a fact in Middle East
  o Arab countries could not beat Israel militarily (Egypt’s Airforce destroyed)
  o Huge expansion to territory
• Beginning of end of Pan-Arabism, rise of Palestinian nationalism
  o No longer relying on Arab leaders for liberations
  o Intensified and incentivised anticolonial demands for Palestinian self-determination through armed struggle (PLO, Fatah)
• Territorial gains: West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza strip, Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights all now under Israeli military occupation
  o Rabbi Kook son, young cohort of Religious Zionists, RELIGIOUS VICTORY
   Recovery of Holy Places by Israel in 1967 war perceived as sign of redemption and return of Messiah
   Time for Jew’s to return to 1948 area they were expelled from
   Beginning of settlement movement, building of illegal settlements in WB
   Complicates peace process/two-state solution
• Territorial gains bring huge Arab populations into Israel’s governance sphere
  o Palestinian uprisings/unrest/opposition with it
  o Growth of nascent Palestinian nationalism under occupation

Question 9

What is the importance of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

Answer 9

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
- Formed in 1964 by Arab League as primary Palestinian representatives regionally and internationally
- Shaped the trajectory of Palestinian nationalism, resistance, and diplomacy.
- Most influential under Yasser Arafat (Fatah) (1969-2004)
o Arafat prioritised PALESTINIAN nationalism (not pan-Arab nationalism)
 Re-asserted Palestinians as the primary agents of their own liberation from Israel/Zionism
o Emphasised armed struggle against Israel/Zionist entities as key
 Guerrilla warfare, plane hijacking, bombings, kidnapping, assassinations
 Intended to give Palestinian cause global publicity – but terrorist tactics were condemned
- Exile from Jordan and Lebanon, weakening of PLO
o Launch guerrilla warfare attacks on Israel, operating from Jordan
 Exile from Jordan, move to Lebanon
o In Lebanon, moved toward strategy of international terrorism
 Bombings, plane hijackings, assassinations
 1982, Israel invade Lebanon, PLO forced out of Lebanon
o Exile weakens PLO’s direct influence, opened up a vacuum for local power (Hamas)
- Diplomatic achievements in peace process for Palestinians
o Abandoned armed struggle for diplomacy (albeit not very stringently)
o Oslo Peace process 1990s
 Israel and PLO affirm right to exist, mutual recognition, and mutual commitment to peace process for the first time
 Creation of PA to govern Gaza
* Palestinians’ self-rule for first time
 Increase in Palestinian state-building from 1996 (e.g., airports, elections)
o Also, Camp David 2000
o Hamas used armed struggle/terrorism to embarrass and discredit PLO/Arafat during peace process

Question 10

What is the importance of Yasser Arafat

Answer 10

• Spokesperson/leader of Palestinians since 1969
  o Founded Fatah, Chairman of PLO, President of PA
  o Leadership/institutions/nationalism became Palestinian-led (NOT self-interested Arab states representing Palestinians)
• Became the face of Palestinian armed struggle against Israel (PLO/Fatah)
  o Guerilla warfare, plane hijacking, bombing, kidnapping, assassinations (intended to globally publicize the Palestinian cause)
   West wanted PLO to denounce terrorism
  o Ultimately led to the expulsion of PLO in Jordan and Lebanon (weakened PLO’s direct influence, vacuum for Hamas)
   Hamas/Hezbollah used armed struggle/violence against Arafat to embarrass and discredit his leadership during peace process
• Diplomatic achievements in peace process for Palestinians
  o Abandoned armed struggle for diplomacy (albeit not very stringently)
  o Oslo Peace process 1990s
   Israel and PLO affirm right to exist, mutual recognition, and mutual commitment to peace process for the first time
   Creation of PA to govern Gaza
• Palestinians’ self-rule for first time
   Increase in Palestinian state-building from 1996 (e.g., airports, elections)
  o Also, Camp David 2000
• Controversial figure
  o Corruption within PA
  o Authoritarianism
  o All or nothing approach to peace -> lost Palestinians best offer to date of statehood (Camp David)

Question 11

What is the importance of The Settlement Movement

Answer 11

• Post-1967 Six-Day War, New territories gained (contain religiously significant sites)
  o Security opportunity (Allon Plan) = build settlements as buffer zone to cities
   Settlements around Jerusalem and along Israel’s border
• Son of Rabbi Kook, Religious Zionists, and Eretz Israel
  o 1967 War and return of sacred sites = sign of redemption / return of Messiah
  o Religious command to settle, Return to Holy land (1967/1948 territories)
  o State subsidise settlements – Ultra-Orthodox have lots of children/live on poverty line OR young families
• Impediment to peace process and Palestinian statehood
  o Expansions in settlement activity complicate final borders of a Palestinian state (Two-state solution / Land-for-Peace)
   West Bank and East Jerusalem (future capital of Palestinian state)
  o Settlement expansions = Israel is disingenuous about peace, has not abandoned occupier role
  o Ben Gvir and Smotrich (Netanyahu’s government)
   Represent settler’s interest, advocate for greater Israel and continue war on Palestinians
   Essential for coalition govt, occupant mentality absorbed by government
• Radicalisation
  o Kahanism / Baruch Goldstein
  o Hebron Massacre – response to peace process, murder of 30 Muslims

Question 12

What is the importance of Hamas

Answer 12

• Founded in 1987 during the first Intifada in Gaza
  o Establish an Islamic Palestinian state through armed struggle, the destruction of Israel
• Leading role in first and second Intifada
  o 2nd - Hamas committed 425 attacks (50 suicide bombings)
  o Also undermined peace process (halted early Camp David talks)
  o Escalation of violence resulted in mass civilian suffering and worsened realities of occupation
   Separation Wall 2002 in West Bank
• Inhibiting the peace process
  o Anti-Oslo
   suicide bombing campaigns 1995-97
   embarrass and undermine Arafat competency
  o Hamas terrorist attacks ruin peace process by swinging 1996 election in Likud’s favor
   Netanyahu elected, slowing down/end of Oslo
• Displacement of the Fatah in Gaza
  o Hamas enters political arena, wins 2006 elections, forms a government alone
  o Hamas embedded in Gaza
• October 7th attack
  o Intended as a united attack with other Arab nationalist groups (only Hezbollah joined)
  o Resulted in the hammering of Palestinians and the complete destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure by Israel

Question 13

What is the importance of Hezbollah

Answer 13

• Emphasises how regional the conflict is
• Emerged after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982
  o Shia Muslim paramilitary organisation
  o Anti-Israel, anti-US
  o Drive Israel from South Lebanon, establish Islamic state in Lebanon,
  o Part of Iran’s axis of power
   Supply funding, training, arms, and aid to Hezbollah
• Links with Hamas
  o 1992 – Israel’s deportation of 415 Hamas members from Gaza to Lebanon
   Time in Lebanon, before returning to Gaza, forged crucial ties with Hezbollah
  o Hama/Hezbollah violence undermined Peace process (Oslo)
   Part of reason of Israeli exit from Oslo
• October 7th, Only proxy that joined Hamas was Hezbollah
  o Escalated into Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah war
  o Israeli assassinate Hezbollah’s leader Nasrallah
  o Significant losses for Hezbollah leadership, arms, manpower
• Fall of Assad Regime
  o Assad supported by Russia, Iran, Hezbollah
   Syrian regime would have fallen in 2011 if not for these allies (Arab Spring)
  o Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon changed the tide, Hezbollah permanently weakened – without key leadership
  o Will significantly affect Iran’s supply chain to Lebanon/Hezbollah (geographically speaking)

Question 14

What is the importance of The Oslo Accords (1993)

Answer 14

• US (Bush) , Israel (Rabin – later Peres), and Arafat (PLO) sign Oslo Accords:
  o Both Israel and PLO affirm right to exist, mutual recognition, and mutual commitment to peace process for the first time
  o May 1994 Gaza and Jericho First Agreement
   Israel withdrawal from Gaza Strip and Jericho
   Creation of PA
  o September 1995 Oslo-II Interim Agreement
   Split West Bank into three sections (A, B, C), gave Palestinians safe passage between WB and GS
   A = Gave Palestinians total control over security and government (18%)
   B = Palestinian government control but Israeli security control (22%)
   C = Israeli military and government control (60%)
  o Watershed / Landmark moment:
   Historic breakthrough in Israeli-PLO relations (exist, recognition, peace commitment)
   Gave Palestinians self-rule for the first time, PA to govern
• Increase in state-building (airport, elections etc..)
• Led to 2005 Israeli withdrawal from GS
   Partial end to military occupation of Palestine
• Settlement activity undermined Oslo
  o Opposition:
   Kahanism/Baruch Goldstein – Hebron massacre response to peace process
   Hamas / PIJ attempt to undermine peace process
   Rabin assassinated by opponent of Israeli withdrawal
• Rabin trusted to finish peace process
• Labor lose elections, Netanyahu (Likud) elected– effectively ends peace process

Question 15

What is the importance of Camp David Summit (2000)

Answer 15

• US (Clinton), Israel (Barak), PLO (Arafat) permanent status agreements on core issues: Borders, Jerusalem, Refugees, Security
  o Offered 90% West Bank and all of Gaza Strip to form Palestinian State
   Offers were most generous of any Israeli PM, but for Arafat it was not close enough (Right of Return, East Jerusalem, 100% West Bank)
  o Saliency of religion within conflict
   Arafat could not accept the compromise over Jerusalem (could only reject offer)
   Arafat feeling the weight of the Arab/Muslim world
• Importance of Haram-al Sharif / Temple Mount for Muslims
   Assassination of Rabin and Sadat over peace process (immense pressure to get things right)
  o Missed opportunity for peace
   Best offer to date
• Contributed to Labor’s permanent decline
  o Barak abandonment of united Jerusalem shocked Israeli public
  o Jerusalem prominent in 2009 election (Netanyahu/Likud won)
  o Shift to the right contributed to I/P conflict

Question 16

What is the importance of The Abraham Accords (2020)

Answer 16

• Actors: Trump, Israel, United Arab Emirate, Bahrain
• If Israel doesn’t annex West Bank, United Arab Emirate and Bahrain will sign peace treaty with Israel
  o military, economic, technological, cultural, and academic exchange AND security alliance with Israel/US beneficial for UAE and B
   tackle threat of Iran
  o Netanyahu framed as favoring peace/compromise, appears a huge sacrifice for Israel’s security
  o UAE and B frames themselves as protector of Palestinians
• Superficial
  o Trump - M.E normalisation (major foreign policy goal) good for election outcomes / tackles threat of Iran
  o Netanyahu – distraction from corruption trial / delays answering Palestinian Question by preserving territorial status quo / normalisation - domino with other Arab countries?
  o UAE prince – consolidates his power / boosts economy
• Palestinian betrayal
  o Arab states perceived as prioritising own interests over safeguarding Palestinians against Israel

Question 17

What is the importance of Two-State Solution

Answer 17

• The favoured approach within the international community regarding peace
  o Based on pre-1967 borders (Green Line)
   Palestinian state = West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem (capital)
   West Jerusalem = Israel’s capital
  o Complexities
   Settlements in WB complicate carving final borders for two states
   Hamas monopoly in Gaza, Fatah monopoly in West Bank
• divided Palestinian leadership makes difficult governance
   Jerusalem is major flashpoint/obstacle to peace
   Right to Return for fundamental for Palestinians, non-starter for Israelis
  o Favoured approach and yet vastly inadequate in many ways
   Highlights need for creative thinking or MAJOR compromises on all fronts

Question 18

What is the importance of West Bank/Judea and Samaria

Answer 18

• Religious significance for Jews, Muslims, and Christians
  o Jerusalem -> Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque
  o Biblical land -> J&S must remain under Jewish control / sovereignty
   Expansion of Jewish settlements prevents realisation of Palestinian statehood
   Expansion of Jewish settlements complicates Israeli withdrawal
• Political figures/groups ensuring this:
  o Ben Gvir, Smotrich (government)
  o Gush Emunim / Religious Zionists (extra-parliamentary movement)
• Demographic issues
  o Many Palestinian refugees in the West Bank after 1948 (1.3m) added to pre-existing Palestinian populations
  o Hundreds of thousands of Israeli Settlers (illegally)
• Israel’s role as an OCCUPIER, realities of occupation
  o Mandate legacy gave Israel powers over deportation, detention and censorship
  o Jordanian laws still operational -> stringent against unrest/opposition, death penalty, use of military courts
  o Gap between law/practise regarding human rights safeguarding
   Israeli civil law for settlers, Israeli military law for Palestinian Arabs
   APARTHEID (Separation Wall -> checkpoint, Palestinian limitations of movement/access to land and resources)

Question 19

What is the importance of The Green Line

Answer 19

• A demarcation line (not permanent border) establishing the borders of Israel and the Jordanian-controlled West Bank (Palestinians) and neighbouring Arab states after the 1948 war (until 1967)
  o Internationally recognised boundary, signed between Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria
  o Symbol of Israel’s expansionist drive
   1967 – Israel captures West Bank (Jordan), Gaza Strip (Egypt), East Jerusalem (Jordan), Golan Heights (Syria), Sinai Peninsula (Egypt)
   These are occupied territories
• Israel illegal building of Jewish settlements
• State subsidise settlements
  o Basis for part of Palestinian state in WB, EJ, GS
   Illegal construction of Jewish settlements complicates Israeli withdrawal from WB
   Major obstacle to realisation of Palestinian statehood
  o Separation Wall along parts of Green Line
   Limits Palestinian movement, access to land/resources

Question 20

What is the importance of the UN Partition Plan (1947)

Answer 20

• Partition of mandatory Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state, Jerusalem under international administration
  o Rejection by coalition of Arab states and War
   Led to Arab invasion of Israel in 1948
   Triumph of Israel and the expansion of its borders beyond UN Partition Plan (won in “self-defence”)
  o Nakba (The catastrophe) / Mass displacement of 750,000 Palestinians
   not a historical event, but a continuing process of displacement
   Deeply shaped the collective consciousness of Palestinians for generations to come (traumatic memory)
• Still living in refugee camps
   Right of Return (to land, home and old lives) key element of peace process/struggle for Justice for Palestinians
• IDF/Jewish terrorists destroyed and/or stole Palestinian homes/ villages/land in years before Nakba e.g., Dier Yassin
  o Egypt control of Gaza strip and Jordan annexation of West Bank
   Egypt denied Palestinians institution building in GS
   Palestinian issue eclipsed by Arab States self-interest
  o Was superseded by the Green Line after 1948
   Set precedent of Israel ignoring international law to pursue security/land interests

Question 21

What is the importance of the UN Resolution 242

Answer 21

• Formula for peace post-1967 Six-Day War
  o Israel returns stolen land from 1967, in return for peace with Palestine and neighboring countries (Land-for-Peace formula)
  o Became a cornerstone for future peace solutions (LFP)
• Ambiguity of language
  o What would come first – land or peace?
  o What territories? French/British translations differed
• Arab betrayal of Palestinians, Arab acceptance of Israeli state
  o More interested in re-gaining land they lost in the war than reversing 1948 war (the establishment of Israeli state)
  o Marked the end of pan-Arab nationalism, rise of Palestinian nationalism/identity (PLO)

Question 22

What is the importance of the Fatah Party

Answer 22

• Shaped the trajectory of Palestinian resistance, diplomacy, and governance.
  o Founded as a movement by Yasser Arafat (1959), later became a party (1965)
  o Arafat head of PLO (1969)
  o Arafat President of PA, Fatah wins most seats in Gaza Parliament (1996)
• Re-asserted Palestinians as the primary agents of their own liberation from Israel/Zionism/Western Imperialism (NOT Arab States)
  o Inspired by insurgent groups in Vietnam and Algeria
  o Arms struggle against Israel/Zionist entities key
   Guerrilla warfare, plane hijacking, bombings, kidnapping, assassinations
  o E.g., Karameh 1968
   Fatah and Jordanian army victory against IDF raid of 15,000 soliders
  o E.g., Black September (arm of Fatah)
• 1971 murder Jordanian PM in Cairo (response to PLO expulsion from Jordan)
• 1972 Munich Olympics, killed 11 Israeli athletes
• Loss of influence in Gaza’s governance
  o 2006 – Hamas wins the elections against Fatah
  o Hamas responsible for October 7th

Question 23

What is the importance of the Likud Party

Answer 23

• Founded by Menachem Begin (former Irgun member, revisionist ideology)
  o Revisionist Zionism ideology of Likud
   Greater Israel, pro-settlement expansion, hawkish stance on security and military, champion a Jewish state, oppose a Palestinian state
  o Dominant in Knesset since 1977
   Reflect right wing shift in Israeli society
• Role in the peace process
  o Assassination of Rabin (Labor), takeover of Netanyahu (Likud) after elections
   Slows down peace process despite time pressures of Oslo
• Likud-led withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 (settler/soldiers removed)
  o Hamas takeover in 2006
   Supplants arguments that withdrawal from occupied territories e.g., West Bank leads to regional instability
   Justified blockade of Gaza as containment of Hamas
• Role in Israel’s war on Palestine
  o Overseen the systematic termination of Hamas leadership
   E.g., Yahya Sinwar
  o Coalition government with United Torah Judaism
   Encouraging continuation of war to expand territory for illegal settlements
  o ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant on count of war crimes and crimes against humanity and consistent with genocide
   systematic restriction of humanitarian aid to Gaza
   starvation / limiting water access as a method of warfare
   deliberate and targeted bombings of hospitals

Question 24

What is the importance of the Separation Wall (Barrier)

Answer 24

Separation Wall (Barrier)
- Structure running along the West Bank built during the Second Intifada (2002)
o ICJ ruled it an illegal wall
- Slices through Palestinian families and communities, agricultural fields, farmland, restricts movement, restricts access to work/study/medical care
o De facto annexation of Palestinian land based largely on the location of illegal settlements
o Palestinian property / land destroyed to build wall
- Severs occupied East Jerusalem from West Bank
o Undermines the possibility of East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state
o Increases the ratio of Jews by extracting Palestinian neighbourhoods
- Nakba (the catastrophe) as an ongoing process of displacement NOT a historic event…

Question 25

What is the importance of The Khartoum Resolution

Answer 25

• Aftermath of 1967 Six-Day War:
  o The Khartoum Resolution // The 3 Nos
   No peace, no recognition, no resolution [with Israel]
  o Arab states acceptance of UN Resolution 242 seen as ultimate betrayal of Palestinian cause
   De facto recognition of Israel
   Solidified nd of pan-Arab nationalism, rise of Palestinian nationalism/identity (PLO)
• Emphasised arms struggle/guerrilla warfare

Question 26

What is the importance of the Right of Return

Answer 26

• Return = central component to national sovereignty for Jews AND Palestinians
  o 1949 UN Resolution 194 – Palestinian refugees allowed to return home/receive compensation after 1948/1967
   Israel’s destruction of Arab abandoned villages, destruction/takeover of Arab fields, and the establishment of settlements on Arab land made return impossible for Arabs
  o Parallel = 1950 Law of Return – Jews automatically granted citizenship and settlement rights
  o Right of Return obstacle in peace negotiations e.g., Camp David 2000
   PLO – return is an inalienable right of Palestinians (symbol of justice, recognition of suffering/trauma of 1948/1967+)
   Israel – return would jeopardise Jewish character of Israel (prefer limited return/compensation)
• fear “hostile” Arab population becoming fifth column
  o Solving refugee problem justly KEY to long-term peace
   collective consciousness of Palestinians = 1948/1967 and atrocious conditions of refugee camps
• fosters violent forms of nationalism

Question 27

What is the importance of the Palestinian Authority (PA)

Answer 27

Palestinian Authority (PA)
- One of the better outcomes of the peace process (Oslo Accords) in 1994
o Purpose was to pave the way to independent Palestinian state
o President Yasser Arafat succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas
- WATERSHED: First time Palestinians had self-rule
o Governing body in part of Israeli controlled West Bank, and in Gaza (until 2006 when Hamas took over)
o Internationally recognised
- Demonstrates that Palestinian institutions cannot grow to level Israel’s while under occupation (Palestinian state will never be realised either!)
o PA has trappings of a state but Israel wields the power
o Israel:
 Restricts Palestinian movement
 Controls legal and administrative systems
 Controls access to key resources (water, land, territories
 Control over security
 Controls PA’s taxes (withholding)

Question 28

What is the importance of The Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif

Answer 28

• Religiously and nationally significant site for both Jews and Muslims (and Christians)
  o Jews = the location of the First and Second Temples, in particular the Western Wall
  o Muslims = third holiest site in Islam, houses Al-Aqsa mosque and the Rock where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven
• Obstacle to peace process
  o Located in East Jerusalem (Israel has illegally annexed)
  o Status of Jerusalem is what crumbled Camp David (2000)
  o Denial of “other’s” religious affiliation
   Jews – Muslim direction of prayer changed from Jerusalem to Mecca, Jerusalem never mentioned in Qur’an etc
   Muslims – Arab tribes built and lived in Jerusalem before Hebrews
• Major flashpoint, related to Second Intifada (2000-2005)
  o Likud leader Ariel Sharon visits Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif
  o Provocation of Arab populations resulted in mass violence