Israel and You Spaces and Places in Israel 
IsraelPalestine For Critical Thinkers: #15 Unresolved
In the last episode of Israel-Palestine For Critical Thinkers, Richard Bass summarizes issues that remain unsettled in the peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Palestine Refugees
The term “Palestine refugees” originally referred to both Arabs whose normal place of residence had been in Mandatory Palestine but were displaced and lost their livelihoods as a result of the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. The UNRWA’s definition of the term includes the original “Palestine refugees” as well as their patrilineal descendants in all surrounding Arab states. However, UNRWA’s assistance is limited to Palestine refugees residing in UNRWA’s areas of operation in the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
Final Borders
At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the dispute over land and borders. The geography of the conflict revolves around three territorial units of Israel: the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The issue lies in establishing agreeable borders that satisfy both Israel’s and Palestine’s security concerns. Another debate is over whether or not Jerusalem can be split in order to be the capital of both states.
Jewish Settlements
Israeli settlements are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israeli settlements currently exist in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Syrian territory of the Golan Heights, and had previously existed within the Egyptian territory of the Sinai Peninsula, and within the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. Israel evacuated and dismantled the 18 Sinai settlements following the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace agreement. Israel evacuated and all of the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, along with four in the West Bank, in 2005 as part of its unilateral disengagement from Gaza.
Land Swap Israel-Palestine
The Trump plan will swap land in the Negev for areas in the West Bank and build 12 bridges and tunnels to connect enclaves. However annexing certain parts of West Bank would carve up Palestinian territory.
The Old City
The Old City is a walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem. This area constituted the entire city of Jerusalem until the late 19th century; neighbouring villages such as Silwan, and new Jewish neighborhood such Mishkenot Sha’ananim, later became part of the municipal boundaries.
The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims.
Map of the Old City’s quarters Map: Jpatokal at English Q373
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount was the home of the First Temple was built by King Solomon the son of King David in 957 BCE and destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE and the Second Temple constructed under the auspices of Zerubbabel in 516 BCE and destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE.
The present site is a flat plaza surrounded by retaining walls (including the Western Wall) which was built during the reign of Herod the Great for an expansion of the temple. The plaza is dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period: the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain.
Jewish Timeline – A Brief History of the Jewish People on One Page
Approved and recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Education.
6,000 Years of Jewish history & legacy at a glance on a one-page infographic.
The poster-chart combines different fields on a single timeline such as demography, literature, Jewish and World events, traditions, historical figures and more. Every entry on the timeline is a hot-spot that pops a balloon with an image, further reading and useful links (Wikipedia & more). In addition, you may freely download and print a high resolution version of the Odyeda Jewish Timeline in PDF format in white or parchment backgrounds.
