Israel+and+Palestine

During April and May the Global Peace & Justice classes will study the history of Israel and Palestine. Our goal is to prepare students to write an argumentative essay that proposes a workable solution for the Israeli and Palestinian crisis of today.

Prepartion for writing this essay will include reading material from Brown University's Choice's packet on the Middle East as well as reading parallel Israeli and Palestinian narratives in material prepared by teachers in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Students will also be able to interview Delaware's current emissary from Israel as well as a delegation of Westtown seniors who visited Israel and the West Bank in February.

Finally, on May fourth all students will work with a panel of eight experts with a wide range of perspectives on the Israeli and Palestinian conundrum.

Israel: 1=Maddie&Ian 2=Jeff & John 3=Myles & Travis Gaza: 1=Claire & Hana 2=Izzy & Yianna 3=Grace & Spencer West Bank: 1=Emilio&Macon 2=Brooke & Cassidy 3=Hannah&Jimmy Egypt: 1=Arielle 2=Ben 3=Ben& Shannon Syria: 1=Margo 2=Annie 3=Lu Iran: 1=Jake 2=Brian 3=Phil Iraq: 1=Amanda 2=Sarah 3=Jacob Turkey: 1=Martha 2=Conor 3=Kelly Lebanon: 1=Jackie 2=Elijah & Lebanon 3=Logan Saudi Arabia: 2=Amanda ||
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The Search for a Sustainable Peace in the Middle East

Global Peace & Justice Wilmington Friends School in Spring 2012 D. Morton and S. Rhodewalt

Day One: Transition from India/Pakistan to Israel/Palestine Class: First go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vay7UMzjrpA & watch “Banksy & Wall and Piece” Brainstorm, “What is the Middle East?” Introduce and assign countries for Google Earth assignment. Like Firefox or Safari, Google Earth keeps a cache of temporary files & unfortunately this can quickly fill up a student's account. In order to help limit this, each student must take these steps: After launching Google Earth, click on Google Earth menu at the top and choose Preferences. Next click on tab that says Cache. Finally in the field that says Disk Size Cache, change the value from 2000 to 100 and then click the OK button. This will limit the cache size to 100MB & prevent your account from being filled up. Distribute: “Views from the Middle East Using Google Earth,” pp.45-48 in Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East, Choices Program, Brown University, July 2008. Complete: Using your computer access Global Earth and work with your assigned partner to finish Section I, Country ID, Section II, Government, Section III, Water, Section IV, Oil, Section V, Cities for your Middle East country or territory. Essential Question: How does geography influence history?

Day Two: Debriefing “Syrian Bride” Listen: to NPR’s 2005 interview with Eran Piklis, the Israeli director of Syrian Bride: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4511808 Read/Write: Read Canadian blogger David Leach’s 2011 comment on the Druze village: http://lookbacktogalilee.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-syrian-bride.html#!/2011/05/review-syrian-bride.html Then, go to the class wiki page and write what you understand about the film “Syrian Bride”. Show your own thinking, you will not receive credit by writing what someone else wrote before you. Class: Work with your assigned partner to create a three to five minute portrait of the Middle East nation or territory that you have researched on Google Earth. You will present these in class tomorrow.

Day Three: What is the Middle East? Read: “Views from the Middle East Using Google Earth,” pp.45-48 Write: Complete Section I, Country ID, Section II, Government, Section III, Water, Section IV, Oil, Section V, Cities (Consult Julia's blog algeriatoafghanistan.blogspot.com ) Class: Each pair of students presents three to five minute portrait of assigned country or territory. Essential Questions: How does geography influence history?http://goo.gl/tU4Js

Day Four: The Middle East in the World Read: http://goo.gl/tU4Js Part One: “The Middle East in the World,” Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East, Choices for the 21st Century Program, Brown University, July 2008, pp.1-12 Write Complete Part 1: Study Guide questions 1-6 Class: debrief questions and discuss advanced study guide questions Essential Question: What were 20th century realities of the Middle East? Day Five: “Why do they hate us?” Read: Karen Armstrong, “Ghosts of Our Past”, Modern Maturity, Jan/Feb 2002 Write: (1) List roots of discontent stated by the author; (2) List remedies proposed by the author. Class: discussion Essential Question: What are some remedies to address Islamic discontent

Day Six through Ten: Learning Each Other's Historical Narrative Read: Reading Each Other's Historical Narrative Peace: Palestinians & Israelis compiled by the Research Institute in the Middle East http://vispo.com/PRIME/leohn1.pdf (pages 1-50) Films: “Promises” and YouTube follow-up videos two and four years later. Anna Balzar's “Living in Occupied Palestine” Write: Begin to structure your own proposal for the best possible solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Is it maintaining the status quo, moving forward with a two-state solution, or creating a new one-state solution? This will be the argumentative essay that concludes the unit.

Day Eleven: Palestinian & Israeli perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 18) Class: Westtown seniors who traveled to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in February will speak about the range of Israeli and Palestinians perspectives, which they encountered. Essential Question: What are the range of perspectives on the current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

Day Twelve: The Partitioning of Palestine Read: packet, “Designing your Partition Plan” Write: Answer questions 1-3 on the “Designing your Partition Plan and create your own map Class: debrief the student maps and worksheet answers Essential Question: What were the factors that went into the partitioning of Palestine?

Day Thirteen: Israeli Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 20) Class: Onn Halfon, Delaware's current Israeli emissary, will speak about Israel and answer questions. Essential Question: What are the Israel Perspectives on the current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

Day Fourteen: The Search for a Sustainable Peace between Israel and the Palestinians Class: watch the movie Promises Essential Questions: What are some possible sustainable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Day Fifteen & Sixteen: The World Peace Game Simulation & Debrief (April 25 & 26) Read: Write: What was your role in the simulation? What was realistic about the simulation? Unrealistic? Class: debrief the simulation Essential Questions: What are some sustainable solutions to finding peace in the middle east? Day Seventeen: Non Violent Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Read: you will be assigned a group to investigate from a list of Israeli and Palestinian groups using non violent techniques to create change in this conflict. Write: Answer the following: (1) What is your group? (2) What are their goals? (3) What are their methods? (4) Have they been successful in any way? Class: Watch Seeds of Peace video, debrief homework Essential Questions: How are non violent techniques of social change being applied to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

Day Eighteen: Weighing US Priorities in the Middle East Read: Part Two: Weighing US Priorities in the Middle East,” Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East, Choices for the 21st Century Program, Brown University, July 2008, pp.19-28 Write: Complete Part 2: Study Guide questions 1-7 Class: debrief questions and discuss advanced study guide questions Essential Question: What has been the relationship between the US and countries of the Middle East?

Day Nineteen: Weighing US Priorities in the Middle East Read: Part Two: Weighing US Priorities in the Middle East,” Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East, Choices for the 21st Century Program, Brown University, July 2008, pp. 28-32 Write: Complete Part 2: Study Guide questions 8-10 Class: debrief questions and discuss advanced study guide questions, review of maps of Israel. Essential Questions: What has been the relationship between the US and countries of the Middle East?

Day Twenty: Weighing US Priorities in the Middle East Read: Read each of the four options from the “Options in Brief” packet Write: (1) Identify what you think is the best argument for each option; and (2) identify what you think is the best argument against each option. Class: debate on the four options Essential Question: What should be the US policy towards the Middle East?

Day Twenty-two: Creating a Sustainable Peace between Israel and the Palestinians Read: Write: Create two intelligent questions for the a panel of speakers on May 4th Class: A panel of speakers representing various points of view on the topic Essential Questions: What are some possible sustainable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Day Twenty-three & twenty-four: Shaping Your Vision of an Israeli and Palestinian Future Write: Create your vision of a solution that addresses Israelis and Palestinians' desires to have both freedom and security while also meeting the specific challenges of both groups wanting their capital to be in Jerusalem, as well as finding solutions for water, refugees and settlements.