The Balfour Declaration of 1917 expressed the British government's support for establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine while protecting the rights of non-Jewish communities living there. This led to conflict between Jews and Arabs over control of the land in the following decades. After World War 2 and the Holocaust, the newly-formed United Nations proposed partitioning Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, which Jewish leaders accepted but Arab leaders rejected, leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war immediately following Israel's declaration of independence.

1. Aliyot

4. Balfour Declaration 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild, November 2nd, 1917
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's
Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist
aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best
endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly
understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and
religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the
rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the
knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour

5. 1930s Palestine
•Arab riots
•Partition plans rejected by Arabs
•Millions of European Jews denied sanctuary

6. "We shall fight the War as if there was no
White Paper, and the White Paper, as if
there was no War."
David Ben Gurion, September 1939

7. The Shoah (Holocaust)

8. United Nations
Partition Plan
1947

9. Arab-Israeli War
1948
 British Withdrawal
• Maintain blockade
until end
• Give bases and
materiel to Arabs
 Israel declares
independence
 Arabs invade
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Jordan
• Iraq
• Egypt
• Saudi Arabia
 War ends in armistice

11. • Six Day War
(1967)
 Pre-emptive Israeli strike
 Israelis control
• West Bank
• Gaza
• Golan
 Israeli Peace offer

12. Khartoum Conference
• No negotiation
• No recognition
• No Peace

13. Yom Kippur
War
October 1973
• Surprise Attack
• Egypt and Syria
• Holiest Jewish Day
• Heavy casualties
• Israeli Response
• Crosses Suez Canal
• Suburbs of Damascus
A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People, Barnavi

14. • Peace With Egypt
• Sadat visits Israel 1977
• Camp David Accords
• Phased Israeli withdrawal from Sinai
• Sets the stage for later talks with Palestinians
• Sadat assassinated by Muslim Brotherhood

15. The Issues
 Popular
• Borders
• Checkpoints
• Fence
• Peace Talks
 Necessary
• How to defend attempts to
de-legitimize the Jewish
narrative?
• Can Arabs accept any
minority’s right to self-
determination?
• How should democracies
deal with an Islamist
agenda?
• Is there really anyone for
Israel to talk to?