THE ARAB-ISRAELI

CONFLICT

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asmady Idris

 PENILAIAN / ASSESSMENTS

Component Weight (%)

Mid-Term Test (Week 7) 30%

Group Assignment (Week 10) 30%
Group Presentation (Week 12 & 13) 20 %
Individual Assignment (Week 13 & 14) 20%

Total 100%
POINTS OF DISCUSSION
 NATURE OF THE CONFLICT

• The Arab-Israeli Conflict?

• Who started first? When? How? Why?
• Historical claims?
• Political claims?
• Religious claims?
• Victimized? By who?
 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS

• Who are the Arabs?

• Who are the Israel and Jews?
• Israel and Jews are similar?
• Palestine, Palestinians
 WHO ARE THE ARABS?

• Ancient Arabs ‘ Arab Ba’idah’– some perished

• ‘Ad, Thamud, Jurhum…
• Arabs now –
• Qahtan (Shem’s descendants)
• Adnan / Ismail a.s (mixed Jurhum tribes)
descendants
• Mostly in Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Jordan etc
WHO ARE THE ISRAEL / JEWS?
 WHO ARE THE JEWS?

• Israel refers to all – 12 tribes of Israel

• Jews – associated with 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin)
• Kingdom of Judah associated with King David (Nabi
Daud a.s) & King Solomon (Nabi Sulaiman a.s)
• Moses (Nabi Musa a.s) – widely associated with Levi
tribe
Arabs & Israel
are cousin?
WHO ARE THE ISRAEL / JEWS?
 CURRENT IDENTIFICATION OF
JEWS

• 1) Female/Mother descendants
• Ashkenazi, Sephardi & Mizrahi
• 2) Conversion – depends on Judaism
religious institutions
• Orthodox, Conservative and Reform
 PALESTINE, PALESTINIANS: VARIOUS
TERMS / NAMES

• a) Philistine (Aegean Islands) – Phonecians period

• b) Syria-Palaestina (Rome Byzantine Era)
• c) Filastine or As-Syams (Muslim era)
• d) Palestinians – current affiliations refers to ‘citizens
living in Palestine (Arabs, Israel and others)’
• Palestine Lands currently divided:
• i) Israel (80%)
• ii) Palestine West Bank & Gaza (20%)
 LAND ISSUES? WHY?

• Arabs and Jews have overlapping rights / claims?

• Where? - All of the lands or Jerusalem only?
• Since when?
• Jews – claim 3,000 years of historical bond with
the land of Palestine
 ARCHEOLOGICAL VIEWS

• Who are the Earliest

Inhabitants?
• Canaanites – Noah’s son ‘Ham’
• ‘The Land of Canaan’
 EXTERNAL / GREAT POWER
INFLUENCE

• Jerusalem / Palestine ruled by many

• 1) Ancient Egypt 1458 BC
• Abraham (Nabi Ibrahim a.s) – from Ur to settle in Hebron
during Canaanites era
• 2) King David (Nabi Daud a.s) & King Solomon – 1000 –
900 BC
• 3) Assyrians (721 BC) – wiped out Northern Israel
 EXTERNAL / GREAT POWER
INFLUENCE

• 4) Babylonia (586 BC) – abolished Kingdom of Judah & 1st

Jewish Temple
• 5) Persians - Achamenid era (539 BC)
• 6) Alexander the Great (336-166 BC)
• 7) Rome Pagan (142-63 AD)
• General Titus abolished 2nd Jewish Temple (70 AD)
• Jerusalem – renamed as ‘Aelia Capitolina’
• 8) Rome Byzantine (Christian Eastern Rome) in
Constantinople – 331 – 637 AD
 EXTERNAL / GREAT POWER
INFLUENCE

• 9) Muslim Era (638 AD) - 1918

• - Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt (909-1171 AD)
• 10) Crusades Era (1099-1187 & 1229-1244 AD)
• 11) Saladin / Ayubid Dynasty (1187-1229) vs Richard
Lionheart)
• 12) Mamluk/Muslim Dynasty (1250-1516 AD)
• 13) Ottoman (516-1918 AD)
 EXTERNAL / GREAT POWER
INFLUENCE

• 14) British mandate – 1922-1947

• 1947 – British surrendered Palestine to PBB
• 15) Israel has occupied Palestine from 1948 until
now
 QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• The most dangerous / brutal conflict since

post WW2?
• Agree or NOT?
• Some said less brutal due to the total
casualties / death
• Not many compared with other conflicts
 HOW MANY PEOPLE KILLED?

Victims - Killed (1920 - Present)*

Jews 24,969
Palestine 91,105
Total 116,074
*Source: Jewish Virtual Library, 2016

Palestine Genocide Report, 1948 - Present

Palestine 1.9 million killed
 ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT RANKED 49TH
IN THE WORLD, TOTAL CASUALTIES
(2007)

No. Conflict / War Casualties /

Killed
1. Red China, Civil War 1949-76 40,000,000
2. Soviet Bloc: Stalinism, 1950-53; post- 10,000,000
Stalinism 1987
3. Ethiopia, 1962-92: Communists 4,000,000
4. Zaire (Congo-Kinshasa): 1967, 1998-present 3,800,000
5. Korean war, 1950-53 2,800,000
49. Arab-Israeli conflict 1950-present 51,000
Source: Gunnar Heinsohn and Daniel Pipes, 2007
THANK YOU

See you again…