Target Curriculum: History and Geography Target Grades: 10 SOLs: 10.3a, 10.3c, 10.4, 10.6, 10.11, 10.14 Time: Three, 60-minute lessons Objective and Goals: Students will develop an understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Purpose: By learning the history of the Jews and Palestinians, students will be able to describe how each side has a valid claim to the Holy Land. Through debate, negotiation, and settlement, students will also be familiar with the challenges of settling this issue that is integral to peace in the Middle East. Materials: An outline map of Israel and surrounding nations that includes water sources, and a hand-out titled "Peace in the Middle East: A Simulation" (see attachment). Procedure: Day 1: Students will do library research on the history of Israeli and Hebrew occupation of this land. Day 2: Each student will be put into one of the following groups: Israel, Jordan, the PLO, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, or the United States (as mediators). Each group will develop a position paper that must include specific information regarding occupied territories, water, and a fair settlement (see attachment). Day 3: Debate, negotiation, and settlement. Observation: Many students developed a great competitive spirit and intense feelings concerning the moral issues about this conflict. This depended upon their level of understanding of the issues, which resulted from their research on Day 1. Conclusions: Based on students' exit papers, many came away with an enhanced understanding of the various perspectives involved in this conflict. I don't believe this same understanding could be gained through lecture or reading. For Your Information: Planning the research in advance with your librarian makes the library time more productive. Also, encourage students to research on the Internet at home after Day 1. Extension: This same process can be used in other units, aside from the Middle East. For example, during a unit on Latin America, a similar simulation can be created to reflect environmental concerns and how different developing nations approach them compared with how developed nations approach them. Class Discussion Questions: How long does one group of people have to live in an area before they can, unequivocally, call it their own? To what extent is the United States responsible for helping to solve international conflicts in which it is not directly involved? Are there conflicts that we are unable to solve? Cautions and Concerns: It is possible for the debate to collapse into a shouting match. It is imperative that decorum be maintained throughout the entire process. Written By: Leigh Shipman with credit to John Hoffman and Marcelle Doll Submitted By: Leigh Shipman, shipmaml@pwcs.edu Grade Taught: 10 School: C.D. Hylton High School Division: Prince William County Public Schools PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: A SIMULATION You have by this time studied the conflict over the Holy Lands quite extensively. You will now have the chance to settle these problems in a simulation format. Each of you will be assigned to one of the following interested parties: Israel the Palestinian Authority (PLO) Syria Jordan Lebanon Egypt United States Mediators Each national group, with the exception of the United States, is responsible for a one- page position paper (1 grade) per member stating your position on the following topics: the status of Palestinian lands currently under Israeli control the status of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights and Lebanese security zone the rights and development of shared water resources a detailed map or maps that illustrates your group's version of a fair settlement The United States will assign one diplomat to sit in with and confer with each of the appointed groups. Each diplomat will be responsible for a one-page brief (1 grade) outlining that group's position and the possible areas in which they may be willing to compromise. The United States will also run the proceedings and push the various groups to come to a mediated settlement within a reasonable timeframe. The Peace Conference: Call to order and attendance taken by the U.S. Brief position speeches by each nation Breakdown into topic groups for caucusing Presentation of proposals Non-binding straw poll votes Basic Positions: The PLO was once a terrorist organization but now, as the legitimate "Palestinian Authority," it is in charge of administering the peace accords and ruling in Palestinian-autonomous areas such as Gaza and Jericho. Their leader, Yasser Arafat, has tried to distance himself from the terrorist attacks on Israel, but he is increasingly frustrated by Israel's slow pace in implementing the most recent Wye River Accords. The PLO is generally considered to represent the Palestinian majority and has retreated from its earlier calls for the annihilation of an illegal Israeli state. Arafat's vision for an independent Palestine includes linking Gaza, the West Bank and, perhaps, Jerusalem. Water is a crucial problem in the desert area of Gaza. A major concern among Palestinians is the refusal of religious Jewish "settlers" in fortified towns in the West Bank to move back to Israeli territory. Arafat has been accused by the Israelis of allowing terrorism in exchange for autonomy. There is groundwater and runoff available in the West Bank, but poor technology and Israeli control of the sources has been a problem. Syria has long been an enemy of Israel but, since the Gulf War, has tried to mend relations with the U.S. and, to some degree, with Israel. Badly in need of economic support, Syria seems to welcome economic cooperation and aid in exchange for playing a constructive role in the peace process. Hindering this move toward peace is the continued Israeli occupation and settlement of the Golan Heights. Syria has been frequently accused of aiding terrorist groups, such as Hamas, in order to put pressure on Israel but has never admitted this. Syria has some water from the Yarmuk aquifer but relies on Turkey for the balance of its needs. Jordan has become the home of thousands of Palestinian refugees who now make up a majority of the Jordanian population. Criticized for his support of the PLO and Saddam Hussein in the past, the late King Hussein (no relation) made peace with Israel in the hopes of getting relief aid and tourism for his resourceless desert nation. The current ruler King Abdullah II has strengthened ties with the West and supported the Peace Accords so that refugees in Jordan might return to a Palestinian state. Jordan's groundwater is very saline, but it does share the Yarmuk aquifer with Syria and the Jordan Aquifer with Israel. Jordan has argued that it has been cheated out of its fair share of water by its two stronger neighbors. Israel has lived in a perpetual state of war or alert since its founding in 1948. The 1993 Peace Accords were a breakthrough in moving toward a long-term settlement with the Palestinians. In May 1999, Ehud Barak was elected Prime Minister, swamping his opponent Binyamin Netanyahu whom Barak accused of stalling the peace process. Barak has pledged to pursue all areas of a permanent peace plan, including a pullout from Israel's two buffer zones - the Lebanese Security Zone and the Golan Heights. A Palestinian state might be a possibility but only if Israeli settlements with the West Bank are either relocated or insured against terrorist attacks. Barak's coalition government must please more liberal "land-for-peace" Israelis as well as conservatives who want little or no retreat from Israel's protected buffer zones. Terrorism continues to plague Israeli forces, especially in Jerusalem and on the Northern border with Lebanon. Israel's hydraulic technology far outstrips its neighbors but so does its water use per person. Israel has pioneered the recycling of wastewater and sewage to meet its needs. Many Palestinians have claimed that Israel shortchanges them on their share of the water to which the Israelis reply that the Arabs squander their fair share. Israel's only major water source is the Jordan aquifer. Lebanon is a mixed Christian/Muslim nation, which has suffered from a nasty civil war since the mid-1950s. Often a pawn of mightier neighbors, Lebanon began its recovery after the Gulf War with Syrian and Israeli agreements for a partial military withdrawal. South Lebanese refugees are constantly in a crossfire between Hezbollah guerillas rocketing North Israel and IDF artillery shelling suspected terrorist bases. U.S. peacekeepers keep an uneasy lid on the situation. In 2000, Israeli forces completely withdrew from their "security zone" in southern Lebanon. Lebanon has more than enough water thanks to the Yarmuk aquifer and snowmelt from its mountains. Egypt has been at peace with Israel since 1977. It has, however, been at war with its own Islamic militants who have claimed that the Egyptian leadership and army have sold out to the West and the Zionists. It is in Egypt's interest both politically and economically to see an overall settlement. Egypt has trade links to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and President Hosni Mubarak (along with the late King Hussein) has often acted as peacemaker and intermediary between Israel and its neighbors. Egypt's water situation is currently under strain because of rapid population growth and its requirements on their only water source - the Nile. Next to Israel, its hydraulic technology is the best in the Middle East. U.S. Negotiators: The United States has led the way toward peace in the Middle East even before the end of the Cold War. President Jimmy Carter iced the agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1977 and President Bill Clinton is very active in the latest phase of the peace process. Although influenced by a powerful pro-Israeli lobby in Washington, Arab-American groups have steadily increased their power in Washington. A lasting peace in the Middle East would solidify American interests in Israel and among the oil producing countries. Fifty percent of American military aid goes to Israel and Egypt.

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