The Untold Story of Israel s Return A Complete 2-part Discussion with Laura Green Jewish Advocate for the State of Israel Part 1: The Untold Story of Israel s Return Session 4. A Struggling New Nation Dr. Anne Davis
Preface Heartbeat of Israel: A Study of how Israel became a State This study is part of our Heartbeat of Israel project. Our desire to connect Americans with the Israeli people, their lives, their struggles and their triumphs, began in the spring of 2014 when ugly anti-semitic activity broke out at the University of New Mexico, which is close to our BibleInteract studio. American students were marching together with recent immigrants from Arab countries dressed in their traditional garb. These activists carried placards with messages of hate against Israel and the Jews, and they shouted ugly anti-israel and anti-semitic slogans. A black swastika was painted on the storefront of a Jewish deli. What was happening, we agonized. This event opened our eyes to a widespread up-swelling in universities across the United States that was fomenting similar hateful activities. The catalyst was a message of the poor Palestinians, who were ostensibly denied a state by the ugly Israelis, and the idea that peace would come to the Near East if only Israel would give land to the Palestinians. After much study and consideration as to what role we might play to combat this growing anti- Semitism, we developed the Mission Statement below. Note, in particular, the first objective of keeping the truth alive through an understanding of the formation of Israel as a state, which is the goal of this particular study. In our research, we learned the startling fact that Americans aged 50 and younger were simply unaware, except in a very surface way, of World War II and the Holocaust, the struggle of Jews to find a place where they would be safe from intense persecution, and the legal formation of the state of Israel. The name of our new endeavor is The Heartbeat of Israel. Our goal is to combat dangerous and growing anti-semitism, and an outright condemnation of Israel that employs half-truths and blatant lies. We intend to accomplish this goal by promoting a positive understanding of Israel and its people by: 1. Keeping the truth alive through an understanding of the formation of Israel as a state. 2. Connecting with the people of Israel by learning what it is like to live in Israel today. 3. Offering evidence, and encouraging others to draw their own informed conclusions. Our initiative to open American eyes to the Untold Story of Israel s Return led to our inviting Laura Green, who is very knowledgeable about Israel and the rising anti-semitism in the United States. Laura serves on the National Council of AIPAC in Washington (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), and is active in the Jewish Women s organization of Hadassah as a region representative of IZAIA (Israel, Zionist and International Affairs). Laura travels extensively to inform groups about current events in Israel. The goal of this particular study, The Untold Story of Israel s Return, is for you to identify with Jews who were desperately trying to escape vicious anti-semitism in the countries in which they were living, and to participate with them in the story of the struggle for a Jewish homeland. 1
The workbook is designed for small group discussion and will engage the participants in the material that is first presented in the video interview sessions. There may be more activities in the workbook than the group has the time or interest to handle. Therefore, the group leader should select what is appropriate for the group, and may also add other questions for discussion. Sample Schedule There are nine sessions, and we recommend you allocate two hours for each session. You may decide to spend more time if you wish, but two hours per session is the norm. If your group meets one hour each week, we suggest you show the video in the first half hour followed by the second half hour of discussion. You will then need another hour in the following week to complete the work for that session. Of course, if your group meets for more than one hour each week, you will likely complete one session each week. As an alternative, you may wish to have members watch the video at home before coming together for the group discussion. This approach allows participants to watch the video more than once and to grant them more time for discussion. Taking notes in the outline and reading the supplemental material can also be completed at home. However, the remaining sections of the Workbook, Projects, Discussion, and Life Application, are best accomplished through group discussion. SAMPLE SCHEDULE Session Dates Topic 1 Weeks 1 & 2 Vision of a Jewish Homeland 2 Weeks 3 & 4 Aliyah to Israel and Preparation for War 3 Weeks 5 & 6 The War of independence 4 Weeks 7 & 8 A Struggling New Nation 5 Weeks 9 & 10 Israel s Neighbors and Expanding Borders 6 Weeks 11 & 12 Israeli Government and the Oslo Accords 7 Weeks 13 & 14 Peace Talks and Settlements 8 Weeks 15 & 16 Unique Israeli Economy 9 Weeks 17 & 18 Challenges in Israel Today Support from BibleInteract Order additional workbooks or DVDs, contact BibleInteract. BibleInteract, Inc., 5600 McLeod Street NE, Suite N, Albuquerque, NM 87109 http://bibleinteract.tv 2
Part One The Untold Story of Israel s Return Summary Session 4 A Struggling New Nation Laura Green and Anne Davis continue their engaging discussion of Israel when it was a struggling new nation. Defense against Arab enemy attack led to the 1967 war when Israel recovered Jerusalem and expanded its borders again. The emergence of the Palestinian Liberation Movement under Yasser Arafat prompted a serious threat. Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat was born in Cairo and attended the Cairo University. In 1958 he founded Al-Fatah, an underground terrorist group that staged raids into Israel. In 1964 he created the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) whose goal was to return the land of Israel to its rightful owners, the Palestinians, and to form a Palestinian state. Arafat led the Palestinians as Chairman of the PLO from 1969 until shortly before his death in 2004. He participated in peace negotiations that led to the Oslo Agreements in 1993 and 1995 and the Camp David Accords in 2000 that ended with Palestinian self-rule in 5 major cities and created a road- Recovering Jerusalem in 1967 The United Nations partition plan in 1947 made Jerusalem an international city that would be open to all nationalities and religions. However, in the war that followed, when the Arab countries refused to accept the UN resolution, the Jordanian army entered Jerusalem, claimed the city for Jordan, and totally destroyed the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Jews were then forbidden access to their holy city. Twenty years later, during the 1967 war that was caused by the massing of Arab military forces on Israel s borders, the Israelis recovered Jerusalem after fierce fighting. The holy city is now open to all nationalities and religions. 3
map for further negotiations. However, speaking in Arabic to the Arab communities he declared, I see this agreement as being no more than the agreement signed between our Prophet Muhammed and the Quraish in Mecca. Mohammed had signed a 7-year peace treaty with the Quraish tribe in Mecca, but broke his promise 3 years later when he had gained enough troops to conquer the city, kill the men, and rape and enslave the women. Outline of the Lecture Below is an outline of Session 4. We suggest that you take brief notes in the space provided as you watch the video discussion. The purpose of the outline is to promote retention and encourage organization of thought. I. Visiting Israel II. The Suez Canal Crisis A. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal B. High tariffs to England and France, Israel not allowed to use the canal C. No change in borders III. 1967 War A. Pre-emptive strike B. Israeli air force C. Reunification of Jerusalem D. Expansion of borders IV. The Golan Heights V. Palestinian Liberation Movement A. Yasser Arafat VI. The Palestinian Authority A. Mahmoud Abbas 4
B. Holocaust denied C. Refugee problem demanding the right of return VII. Israel s desire for peace Projects Project 1: Israel s Prime Ministers In this session and subsequent sessions, you will begin building an informational chart on the major prime ministers of Israel. Use the internet to look up data, and record significant information in the chart provided. Share what you have discovered with others. David Ben Gurion 1949-1963 5
Project 2: The 1967 War In 1967, Israel captured the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the west bank (including East Jerusalem and the Old City) from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. On the map, identify: 1. Mediterranean Sea 2. Sea of Galilee 3. Jordan River 4. Dead Sea 5. Golan Heights 6. City of Jerusalem 7. West Bank of the Jordan River 8. Gaza 9. Negev Desert 10. Sinai Peninsula Project 3: Word Study Conduct a word study in Scripture on the events and people that are mentioned in the land of Bashan. 6
Project 4: Discuss Jihad Read and discuss Answering Jihad: A Better Way by Nabeel Quresh. Discussion 1. The Palestinians are demanding a state with borders that would include all of the West Bank that Israel took from Jordan in 1967 as well as East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In 2013 there were approximately 350,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and as many as 300,000 Jews living in East Jerusalem. Fill in the chart of the pros and cons of giving the Palestinians all of this land. Consider security issues for Israel and Israel s need for more land. Consider also the many Jewish communities that have been built on vacant, formerly unoccupied land and are now essentially huge cities. Pros Cons 7
2. The 1967 war was a preemptive act on the part of Israel, which initiated activities against the Arab forces that had assembled on their borders. Is starting a war ever legitimate? If so, under what conditions? 3. Why is David ben Gurion called the father of modern Israel? How would you compare Ben Gurion with George Washington, who is often called the father of the United States of America? 8
Life Application 1. How important is it for our children to know the history of the state of Israel? How will they learn? 2. Besides the state of Israel, about what other countries is it important for us, as Americans, to know the history? Why is this knowledge important? How well do you know these histories? How might you learn more? 9
The Golan Heights The Golan Heights are a high and very fertile plateau that is called Bashan in the Bible, an area that was known for the cattle that grazed on the abundance of grass and the oak trees that required rich soil to flourish (Amos 4:1-2). When Israel became a state in 1949, the Golan belonged to Syria. However, the Syrians took advantage of their high position that looked down on Israeli settlements around the Sea of Galilee by repeatedly shelling these villages and conducting night raids. In the 1967 war, Israeli troops took the Golan from Syria, which ended the hostility, violence and death of Israeli citizens at the hand of the Syrians from the Golan Heights. Since then, the Israeli government has provided agricultural training, water system installation and upgrades, and clearance of mines that had been installed by the Syrians to hinder an attack from Israel. The economy of the Golan today is based on agriculture, industry and tourism. Grapes for wine are a main crop, and the production of wine a major industry. Much of the land is dedicated to natural pasturage for cattle and sheep for both meat and dairy production. The Golan Heighs, which formerly belonged to Syria until 1967, is shown on the map to the east of the Sea of Galilee. It is a high and very fertile plateau, as shown in the picture above. The Golan is rich in pasture land and produces abundant agricultural crops. One of its major industries is the production of wine. 10