Arab-Israeli conflict 1948–1996

Groups

Pam Panczyk
Jamison High School

Jewish settlers

Jews, who settle in areas where there is some dissension about their validity of claim to the land. They are usually protected by an Israeli military presence. An example is the small Jewish enclave in Hebron on the West Bank. In the past, Jewish settlers were following the Israeli government policy of encouraging Jewish settlement on Arab land.
 

Labour and Likud (Herut) parties

Israeli political parties. Labour is left-wing, more inclined to look for peaceful solutions to the present problems of the conflict. Likud (Herut) is right-wing, not sympathetic to the Palestinians, more concerned about security and peace. Both parties usually need support from other smaller religious parties in the parliament to hold power. This often makes government difficult. Netanyahu's Likud government was supported by some very religious conservative parties.
 

PLO: Fatah and Hamas

Fatah is one part of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and was led by Yasser Arafat. When first formed in 1958, its aim was to fight the state of Israel with violence. From 1988 Arafat renounced those methods considering the only way to gain a state of Palestine was by negotiation over land. He had difficulty controlling the more extremist elements of the Palestinian cause, the Hamas and the Hezbollah, both Islamic extremist groups. (Yasser Arafat died on teh 11th November 2004)
 

Palestinian refugees

Palestinians became refugees when the Jews took over Palestine and declared it the state of Israel. Palestinians were either forced off their land or threatened, so they went to Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. Some remained in the areas of the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which are known as the Occupied Territories because after the Six Day War in 1967 Israeli soldiers controlled these areas. Since 1993, with the peace accords, there have been some concessions for Palestinians in these areas. However, it must be remembered that Palestinian refugees mainly live outside their homeland in temporary dwellings, waiting to return home.
 

Religious groups

Kach, Hamas, Hezbollah. There are extremist religious groups on both sides, Jewish and Palestinian. The Jews believe they are the rightful owners of large parts of Palestine because of what the Bible says. This is what the Kach believe, and some of their followers are living in Hebron and refuse to move. On the Palestinian side there are extremist Islamic views, and Hamas and Hezbollah believe that only violence and martyrdom will give them victory for their cause.