Practice 1 – Introduction to the

Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Name and group:

1. Introduction. The objective of this practice is analyzing the Palestinian-Israeli

conflict. For each part of the analysis, we will use a video, a press release, an
official report or an academic paper.

2. Different aspects of the conflict to analyze:

a. Historical context & belligerent actors. Watch this video and answer:
1. The conflict has been going on for centuries.
a. True
b. False
2. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish population living in
Palestine was small.
a. True
b. False
3. One of the keys to the origin of the conflict is that it was exclusively
religious.
a. True
b. False
4. Two Arab-Israeli wars are mentioned in the video: in 1948 and 1967.
a. True
b. False
5. Apart from these two wars, there were many other armed conflicts
between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Name four countries mentioned
at some point in the video.
a. Israel, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan
6. According to the video, what is the current number of Palestinian
refugees?
a. 3 million
b. 7 million
c. 10 million
7. Which two politicians from Egypt and Israel were killed in the conflict
by radical groups from their own country?
a. Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin
b. Hosni Mubarak and Ariel Sharon
c. Abdel Nasser and Simon Peres

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Ángel González Navas - anggonza@der-pu.uc3m.es
 Practice 1 – Introduction to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict
8. What is the name of the Palestinian revolt that started in the late 1980s
and had a second wave in 2000?
a. Arab spring
b. Intifada
c. Kale borroka
9. What are the two most important political organizations in Palestine?
a. Hezbollah and Hamas
b. Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO)
c. Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) and Hamas
10. The Palestinian National Authority is the interim self-government body
established in 1994.
a. True
b. False

b. Transversal issues, like gender approach. Read this article and answer these
questions. (For one of the questions you will have to look for additional
information):
11. What problems are women in Palestine facing?
a. Exclusion from peace talks.
b. Attacks and discrimination by the Israeli military.
c. Domestic violence.
d. All are correct.
12. Regarding the participation of women in peace processes, there is a
specific United Nations resolution. Name it.
a. ___________________
13. In conflict settings, boys are one and a half times more likely to be out
of primary school, and more vulnerable to child marriage:
a. True
b. False
14. Representation of women in key decision-making positions, including
in Palestinian Authority institutions, is barely 5%.
a. True
b. False
15. Randa Siniora, the female Palestinian campaigner interviewed in the
article, addressed a United Nations organ. Which one?

2 Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution

Ángel González Navas - anggonza@der-pu.uc3m.es
 Practice 1 – Introduction to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict
a. Security Council
c. International Law and International Humanitarian Law. Watch this video,
and read the “Israeli Measures against Hamas in the Gaza Strip” section of this
academic paper (Aula Global). Both are examples of analysis made with a
clear starting position: Arab women (some of them lawyers) and an Israeli
lawyer. Find some information about Gaza-Israel conflict, especially the 2008-
2009 Gaza War, and compare their positions, trying to briefly (max. 10 lines)
analyze if there are any omissions in them.
There is a clear distinction between both points of view. The video
portrays Arab women, that clearly state that Israel is not acting in
self-defense, it is not abiding by rules of occupation. They portray
the view that Israel is violating International Law in this conflict.
However, the Israeli lawyer defends the opposite position:
Palestinian armed groups violate international humanitarian law, and
Israel’s actions are indeed in self-defense. Israel was obliged to make
the movements. In conclusion, both information sources portray
completely opposite points of view.

d. Proposals for conflict resolution. The most recent proposal for a conflict
resolution is the ‘Peace to Prosperity’, known as Trump Peace Plan. The
document is very long and it is difficult to do a practical exercise on it, but
we are going to read this magazine article that comments on it. It is
interesting because it is an article very critical of the plan, written by an
Israeli diplomat. After reading the article, answer these questions:
16. Which country and what political system does the author compare
Trump's proposal with?
a. South Africans Apartheid
17. What is the name of the racist system used by the country in the
previous question to isolate native people?
a. Bantustan system
18. Apart from the United Nations, the author mentions two international
organizations that have historically supported a very different model
from Trump Peace Plan. Name them.
a. Arabic and European union

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Ángel González Navas - anggonza@der-pu.uc3m.es
 Practice 1 – Introduction to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict
19. The Israel-Palestine map has undergone many changes during the
conflict. What borders does the author suggest for the creation of the
Palestinian state?
a. 1967 borders
20. The author mentions the United Nations Security Council Resolution
2334. Write briefly (max. 5 lines) about it, commenting on its content,
the date of approval and the result of the vote in the Security Council.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on
December 23, 2016. The resolution addresses the Israeli settlement
activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East
Jerusalem, condemning them as a violation of international law and a
major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution. The resolution passed
with 14 votes in favor and the United States abstaining, marking a
significant departure from the usual U.S. practice of shielding Israel
from such resolutions.

4 Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution

Ángel González Navas - anggonza@der-pu.uc3m.es