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  • Israel and Palestine are currently on the brink of all out war, a level of fighting

  • that hasn't been seen since 2012. Yes. That was two years ago. Less than 24 months. In

  • light of the frequency of incidents, it may be good to focus on the conflict as a whole,

  • instead of the recent activities. So let's go back. How did this all start?

  • Prior to World War I, that area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. They were technically

  • Arabs, but most people living under their rule considered them to be conquering Turks.

  • As such, various groups that wanted Arab and Israeli independence started to emerge. These

  • groups weren't fighting against each other, they had a common enemy: The Turks. As a result

  • they co-existed somewhat peacefully.

  • Then in World War I, Britain encouraged Arabs to organize and revolt against the Ottomans,

  • promising them the right to set up an Arab State after the war. The Arab world complied

  • and started Revolting against the Ottomans in 1916.

  • Around the same time, the British Foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour, gave official

  • support to Britain's Jewish community to establish a "national home" for Jews in Palestine.

  • And that's where it all began. Both sides thought they had right to establish a nation

  • in the region, so they spent the next 30 years establishing the groundwork for those nations.

  • Arab groups did that, by fighting against the Turks and organizing themselves into somewhat

  • cohesive national identities; Iran, Iraq, Palestine, etc.. The Jews did it, by migrating

  • en masse to the area and setting up their own economy and system for self-governance.

  • Their migration was spurred on by hundreds of years of Jewish persecution in Europe,

  • two world wars, and the Holocaust. So Israel was established, in large part, as a safe

  • haven for Jewish Refugees.

  • During this migration period, there were conflicts over land and territory between Jews and Palestinians,

  • but compared to today it was relatively calm.

  • Then in 1947, Britain and the UN finally got around to keeping their word and allowing

  • the Palestinians and Jews to establish their own nations. They broke the area up with borders

  • that looked like this. Israel is in the Green. Palestine is in the Orange.

  • The problem was, a lot of Palestinians lived in the area now controlled by Israel and some

  • Israelis lived in the area now controlled by Palestine.

  • The Arab World thought that Israel was infringing on the state they were promised after the

  • war, and Israel was already starting to disenfranchise Palestinians stuck inside their borders.

  • In 1948, fighting broke out between Palestinians and Israelis, causing the surrounding Arab

  • nations to attack Israel in an attempt to eliminate it all together.

  • Israel won. During the conflict, over 700,000 Palestinians left the area or were displaced.

  • And Israel had expanded their nation to control what is now about 78% of historic Palestine.

  • Palestinians also claim that after the war, Israel wouldn't let them return home, forcing

  • most of them to live in The West Bank and The Gaza Strip. Both areas now function as

  • a home for Palestinian refugees.

  • In the years that followed, Israel established walls to separate the Palestinian areas out,

  • and they also enacted laws to further establish their Jewish State; laws that, by nature,

  • offered fewer rights to non-Jews. They also established a strong active military.

  • There are way too many incidents and militarily conflicts that took place after that to recount

  • here but the basic story for each conflict is generally this.

  • Militant Palestinian groups or other Arab nations use force in an attempt to either

  • reclaim land, protest the conditions of Palestinians under Israeli rule, or eliminate the entire

  • nation of Israel. Israel responds by winning militarily, displacing more Palestinians and

  • expanding their own territory. Sandwiched somewhere in there, are continual failing

  • peace talks, and an ongoing debate about US aide to Israel. Obviously this is a huge issue

  • and we can't cover everything, but we did include links to more info in the description.

  • If you found this video informative, please subscribe - and remember we have new videos

  • 5 days a week covering a variety of topics. Subscribing is the best way to get these videos

  • to you.

Israel and Palestine are currently on the brink of all out war, a level of fighting

Subtitles and vocabulary

B1 israel palestine arab jewish war establish

Why Are Israel and Palestine Fighting?

  • 447 24
    Jack posted on 2015/07/12
Video vocabulary

Keywords

break

US /brek/

UK /breɪk/

  • verb
  • To create a new record e.g. running the 100m dash
  • To form a crack in something
  • To burst or become damaged
  • To end a relationship
  • To escape from a place such as a jail
  • To train a wild animal e.g. a horse
  • To separate into pieces by force, or by dropping
  • To act against a law, rule, or promise
  • To become known suddenly, as in the news
  • To not do what you promised e.g. not keep promises
  • To solve a crime, or answer a problem
  • To stop functioning properly
  • To suddenly start, open or commence
  • To change in pitch suddenly, as in a voice
  • To fall on the shore, as in waves
  • To begin or change suddenly; the dawn or weather
  • To defeat by causing the person to lose their will
  • noun
  • Time you stop an activity before continuing
  • End of a relationship
  • An escape from a place such as a jail
  • (Lucky) advantage or benefit from something
  • Find a solution or answer to a problem or crime
  • Change in the weather
  • A pause in activity; a rest.
  • A lucky opportunity.
  • other
  • To separate into pieces; to fracture or shatter.
  • To fail to observe the terms of (a law, promise, or agreement).
  • To reveal or disclose (news or information).
  • To put an end to.
  • other
  • To separate into pieces; to fracture or shatter.
  • To interrupt an activity for a rest.
  • To become known; to be revealed.
  • To escape.
  • To stop functioning.
  • To enter a building illegally, typically by force.
  • To start suddenly.
state

US /stet/

UK /steɪt/

  • noun
  • Region within a country, with its own government
  • Situation or condition something is in
  • adjective
  • Concerning region within a country
  • verb
  • To say; declare as fact
world

US /wɜrld /

UK /wɜ:ld/

  • noun
  • All the humans, events, activities on the earth
  • Political division due to some kind of similarity
  • The earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
  • The universe or cosmos.
  • All the people living on earth and their activities.
  • A particular area of human life or activity.
  • A person's experience, environment, and way of life.
  • A great deal; very much.
attempt

US /əˈtɛmpt/

UK /ə'tempt/

  • verb
  • To try to do something challenging or difficult
  • noun
  • Effort made to try to do or accomplish something
eliminate

US /ɪˈlɪməˌnet/

UK /ɪ'lɪmɪneɪt/

  • verb
  • To completely remove; to get rid of
  • To remove from a contest by beating them
  • To completely remove or get rid of something.
  • To defeat someone so that they cannot continue in a competition.
conflict

US /ˈkɑnˌflɪkt/

UK /'kɒnflɪkt/

  • noun
  • Argument or struggle between two or more parties
  • A serious disagreement or argument.
  • A prolonged armed struggle; war
  • Mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands
  • A serious incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests.
  • verb
  • To have opposite ideas; to disagree; To not match
  • (of two things) be incompatible or at variance; clash.
  • other
  • To be incompatible or at variance; clash.
establish

US /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/

UK /ɪˈstæblɪʃ/

  • verb
  • To set or create something to last for a long time
  • To use facts, evidence to show truth or clarity
  • other
  • To start or create (an organization, a system, etc.) that is meant to last for a long time.
  • To discover or prove the facts of a situation.
  • To settle or place in a secure or permanent position.
control

US /kənˈtrol/

UK /kən'trəʊl/

  • noun
  • A device designed to operate a machine
  • Participant in experiment that is left untouched
  • Act to dominate or command; make manageable
  • A law limiting the growth or spread of something
  • A place which overseas or manages e.g. a factory
  • A means of regulating a machine or apparatus.
  • verb
  • To direct or influence the behavior of something
  • other
  • To have power over; to manage or regulate.
  • To exercise restraint or direction over; dominate.
  • To restrain; to keep in check.
  • other
  • The power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.
  • The ability to keep your feelings or behavior in check.
  • The power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.
live

US /liv/

UK /lɪv/

  • verb
  • To be alive
  • To experience a particular type of life
  • To make your home in a house or town
  • adjective
  • Being broadcast as events happen, not recorded
  • Carrying electric current; able to give a shock
  • Glowing because burning; hot
  • Not yet killed (for food)
  • adverb
  • (Music, drama) as it is performed
territory

US /ˈtɛrɪˌtɔri, -ˌtori/

UK /'terətrɪ/

  • noun
  • Area of land defended by an animal
  • Area of particular knowledge or experience
  • Area owned or controlled by a government, person
  • Area of land with a specific defining feature
  • An area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state.
  • An area of experience or knowledge.
  • An area defended by an animal or group of animals against others of the same species.
  • An area of activity or interest.
  • A district assigned to a salesperson.
  • An area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state.
  • An area in which someone has control or influence.
  • An area defended by an animal against others of the same species.
  • An area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state.
  • An area for which someone is responsible, especially in a job.
  • An area of activity or interest.
  • An area which an animal or person tries to defend.
  • A district assigned to a salesperson.

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