What happened in the Six Day War and how did the borders and governance change? How did this affect both Jews and Palestinians? What is a Jewish settlement? What are the groups that affect Palestinian politics? What is an anti-Fatta? What is the separation wall and how does it affect daily life? What is the current state of the Palestinian Israeli conflict and is there hope for resolution? We'll answer these questions and many more in today's episode.
Part three of three, the Palestinian is really conflict 101. Welcome to Wiser World, a podcast for busy people who need a refresher on all things world. Here we explore different regions of the globe, giving you the facts and context you need to think historically about current events. I truly believe that the more we learn about the world, the more we embrace our shared humanity. I'm your host, Ali Roper. Thanks for being here.
Welcome back to Part three of three of the Palestinian Israeli conflict 101 episodes. If you haven't listened to Parts one and two yet, this episode builds on all that foundation and context. So please, please go listen to those. This is arguably the most intractable, complicated and emotionally heated conflict in the world right now. So we really need context to understand what's going on. I also want to remind us of the stance I talked about in Part one.
When I designed these episodes, I had a particular audience in mind. And that person that I had in my head knows little to nothing about this conflict. And so I designed these as an intro series for those who need a foundation to build upon. I am very aware that there are 3,000 more layers down that we could be going. But for purposes of this 101 series, I'm trying to lay groundwork and show both sides as neutrally as possible. So please don't just take my word for it.
Please do some research on both sides as you wrap your head around it. I do give additional resources for deepening your understanding on my Patreon. You can access that at patreon.com slash wiserworldpodcast. I also have a free email list where once a month I email out the episode of the month, kind of a reminder and I share any additional announcements of the podcast. You can sign up for that by going to wiserworldpodcast.com and that's free. Okay. So let's go from 1967 to 2023 today.
So last episode, part two, we learned about how Israel became a Jewish state through the war of independence as Israelis call it or the Nakba as Palestinians call it. This was in 1948. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were expelled from their homes and many Jewish families moved in to the abandoned homes and also began creating more new developments for Jews to live in.
New lines were drawn with parts of the north and the west and the south being under the jurisdiction of nearby Arab countries while the rest of the land was called Israel and was run by a new Israeli Jewish government. From 1948 to 1967, we had Israel kind of creating itself as a new nation and many Palestinians have been living in difficult circumstances in refugee camps in parts of Palestine or in other Arab nations that they've been expelled to.
And the PLO or the Palestinian Liberation Organization was created as a means to fight back against the Israelis in the name of Palestinian nationalism. So let's take a look at 1967. At this point, many Palestinians have been in a refugee situation for 19 years since 1948. Intentions are high in the Arab world. There are border skirmishes between the Palestinian and Israeli land.
Palestinians are pushing for their right of return and have generally turned to Egyptian President Nasser for support. And he responds by blocking an important trade route for Israel. He sends troops to Sinai, which is very close to Israel, and tells Israel they're ready for war. So Israel begins preparing its people for conflict. Other Arab nations such as Jordan, they're also getting involved. The world is holding its breath. Would Israel be attacked? Right? Fear is rampant among the Jews.
Fear that they're about to be conquered by the Egyptians and that their state would be wiped out and they would be taken out along with it. The US is skeptical and officials say that they don't think Egypt is going to do it, that their troops are purely defensive. But Nasser challenges Israel by saying, quote, try all your weapons, put them to the test, they will spell Israel's death and annihilation. End of quote.
So on June 5th, 1967, very early in the morning, Israeli bombers take off toward the Sinai Peninsula in an unexpected attack. Egypt's entire Air Force was completely wiped out that morning. When Jordan responded by firing artillery into Israel, the Israeli Air Force attacked the air forces of both Jordan and Syria, which meant that they had complete control of the skies. Today, we call this the Six Day War, but really it was more like six hours.
The Arabs were suddenly left very vulnerable, no Air Force. Over the next six days, Israeli forces launched multiple military campaigns, especially in Sinai and the Gaza Strip, which were controlled by Egypt, as well as the West Bank, which had been controlled by Jordan and some of the areas up north. In just six days, it began and it pretty much ended. Israel now had control of the areas that had formerly been under Arab jurisdiction.
So the Six Day War of 1967 was devastating and demoralizing for Arab Palestinians. It was like in a single day, their hope of return had been demolished, a very, very severe blow. On the other hand, it was a huge victory for the Israelis, giving them a massive leg up and solidifying their position as a dominant regional military power, a position that they really still hold today. So Israelis are super relieved.
They see this as an absolute miracle of liberation from God, and Arabs are devastated and demoralized. The Six Day War launched another refugee crisis. More than 200,000 more Palestinians were again displaced from this war. When it came to this new Israel with extended borders, more or less, Arab states began to say, quote, no reconciliation, no negotiation, no recognition, end of quote. So you can see why many Arab states today don't even recognize Israel as a legitimate state.
The Israelis had control of the Golan Heights in the north, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip now. Because they had once been occupied by other Arab nations. However, much of the international community didn't actually recognize this. In fact, the UN Security Council basically told them that Israeli forces should not occupy those areas. And so some groups saw and still see this occupation as illegal, right? It really depends on who you talk to.
But regardless of this, the Israelis began to set up a judicial system in these areas, and life for Palestinians changed dramatically now that they were living under Israeli rule. Soldiers were now a part of their daily lives. Now a side note here, if you look at Palestinian history, the Six Day War was so significant, because it caused a lot of Palestinians to kind of lose faith in the international or Arab community to help them.
And so thousands of young men began signing up to become Theta Yine or Freedom Fighters to push against Israel to show them that they're not going to back down. And these Theta Yine were encouraged by the concept of martyrdom, that if they die in the fight, that they'll be honored in the afterlife and also by their people, right? And the PFLP, or the popular front of the liberation of Palestine, this group, kind of grew up during this time.
It's a left-wing Palestinian political and militant organization has more Marxist principles, and it believes that taking out Israel and having a single Arab state of Palestine. They began armed resistance as well with different guerrilla warfare tactics. The PFLP today is considered a terrorist organization in Israel by the United States and a few other countries, and we'll talk more about that in a minute.
But back to the end of the Six Day War, it's 1967, the line that had divided West Jerusalem from East Jerusalem, remember West Jerusalem had been held by the Jews, and East Jerusalem had been controlled by the Arabs. That line that had divided that part of Jerusalem, it went away, since it was now under Israeli control. And almost all of the historic Palestine was now under Israeli control.
And with this development, many Arabs who had been exiled in 1948 and had not been able to even go back to where they had once lived, were able to travel back to see their past houses and lands. And they found things very different than they had left them. For one, their houses had been lived in by Jewish families for, you know, 19 plus years now. Streets had different names. Signs were in Hebrew, shops had changed, and this had a deep psychological effect on the Palestinians.
Palestinian and Israeli life changed during this post-war time, most significantly for those who lived in territories like the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Because again, they were now under Israeli control. Military occupation meant restrictions of movement, curfews, again, more military presence. Palestinians were generally not treated very well by the Israeli military.
And there are countless stories of Palestinians being killed for various offenses, you know, and something as simple as a child's dealing fruit. This created intense resentment from the Palestinians to ward the Israelis. And after the war, the UN tried to work on resolutions to find a better solution than the one that was currently going on, but they were unsuccessful.
Additionally, in the years after the war, Israelis began breaking ground for Jewish settlements in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem and in other parts of the land. Now, a Jewish settlement is a community or like a residential area that pretty much only Jews live in. So basically, Jews started to create new towns and cities in these newly occupied areas that were almost completely Arab. Okay?
So sometimes settlements were slotted for Arab neighborhoods and the Arab homes were confiscated, dozed over, and rebuilt to make room for Jews, which displaced more Palestinians. Some of these Jewish settlements were completely started from scratch, right? But as these Jewish settlements expanded into the West Bank and East Jerusalem, things became very contentious because there were disputes. There still are disputes. On whether or not Israel legally can do that, right?
Israel maintains that the settlements are legitimately within Israel's borders. Palestinians and other groups in the international community say this is not the case and that building settlements on Palestinian land is illegal. So again, it's a very contentious issue and it created quite a stir back in 1967 and is still causing contention today. Likewise, Israel also built bypass roads in these newly occupied areas.
From the Palestinian perspective, these roads often divided Palestinian communities and Palestinians had to also learn to work under new Israeli laws. A system of checkpoints and roadblocks and permit systems were created, which made travel much more difficult for most Palestinians. It became very hard for some to travel for work or healthcare or education or visiting family. And to just give one example, if you didn't have a permit to enter into Jerusalem, you couldn't get in.
So there are these checkpoints with soldiers to check your papers to determine whether or not you can get in. So if you need medical care in Jerusalem or if you want to visit your grandma or whatever, you need a special permit to be able to do so. Otherwise, you're not going to get in and getting that permit is not easy. Permit systems are still in place today and Palestinians still have to apply for permits to travel to certain places or to work in certain places.
Now after the war, life for Israelis changed as well. Let's look at the Israeli perspective. This was mostly due to Palestinian resistance. There were protests and demonstrations, strikes, lots of violence and Israeli safety and security became top of mind, especially as they felt they were working with the people who were celebrating martyrdom.
So Jews became nervous to stray from Jewish areas, simply out of fear of a bus stop being blown up or a store being bombed as they're walking their kids to school. This naturally became a significant issue for Israelis and the distrust between the two groups continued. Now we've talked a little bit about the PFLP, which is seen as a terrorist organization in some countries and then their acts of resistance toward Israel, right?
But generally at this time, the PLO or the Palestinian Liberation Organization really emerged as the main group that represented Palestinians as a general whole, though of course not all Palestinians agreed with their methods. But a man named Yasser Arafat was the leader of the PLO from 1964 to 2004, so 40 years. The PLO, which became truly something of a government with a legislative council representation from different Palestinian groups, it's a controversial topic.
It is kind of the face of Palestinian nationalism, but it also encouraged acts of terrorism and violence during these years. Jordan expelled the PLO from its borders in 1970. This is often called Black September and the PLO moved its headquarters to Lebanon. It's impossible to list all of the acts of violence that happened during this time from both sides.
But I do think it's important to note that in 1970, so shortly after the war, the PLP hijacked some Western commercial airplanes and blew them up. They also did other hijacking attempts. They also organized an attack on Israel's airport and they killed an injured about 100 people. Ultimately, in this time, the 1970s, the acts of the PLO and the PLP didn't create more freedom for Palestinians instead it led to massive Israeli crackdowns.
Thousands of Palestinians were jailed during this time and unfortunately the violence created a very negative image of Palestinians in the eyes of much of the world during this time. In 1973, Egypt wanted to gain back control of the Sinai that had lost in those six-day war. Syria wanted to reclaim the Golan Heights in northern Israel. In October of 1973, a coalition of Arab states, again they were led by Egypt and Syria, they launched a surprise attack on Israel using Soviet weapons.
Remember, this is also during the Cold War. The conflict initially caught Israel pretty off guard and the first days of the war saw significant territorial gains by this Arab coalition. However, Israel mobilized mounted a counteroffensive and with support of the United States, Israel regained the initiative and turned the tide of the war. This short war lasted about three weeks and the UN brokered a ceasefire at the end of the month. But the aftermath of this war was significant.
It was costly on both sides because Arab nations imposed an oil embargo on any country that supported Israel, which led to a global energy crisis. This war also influenced many Israelis to build even more settlements in Arab majority areas. And this war is called the Yom Kippur War or the October War. So that was in 1973 in October. Now in 1974, Yasser Arifat, the leader of the PLO, addressed the United Nations. And he famously wore a traditional Palestinian Khafiyah while delivering the speech.
A Khafiyah is a traditional Middle Eastern headdress. It's like a square shaped scarf made of cotton. It has this very distinct pattern of black and white squares and it kind of drapes over the head and shoulders. And it's kind of secured by a black cord. It was start back in the day. It was just for protection of the sun and wind. But now it has become a symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity and is often seen as a political statement of standing with Palestinians.
Anyway, he stands in his Khafiyah and spoke of a dream that he had of a Palestine of tomorrow where Arab and Jew could live side by side in a secular democratic state. He receives a standing ovation by the UN. Whoa, everybody's watching this moment. Now even though the active fighting of the Yom Kippur War or the October War is done, the war really fully wrapped up in 1978. So a couple of years later with the camp David Accords. And this was mediated by US President Jimmy Carter.
Then in 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel and they signed a peace treaty with Israel. As part of this agreement, Israel with Druid's forces from the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal was reopened for international shipping. And Palestinians also received some more autonomy or freedom in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, though the issues never fully resolved. So this is a pretty significant moment, right?
We've got Egypt and Arab majority country that is making progress, talking with Israel, making deals with Israel. And the President of Egypt was seen by many Arabs as weak for not demanding more for the Palestinians. And he actually was assassinated shortly after. So the Palestinians at this time in history are generally feeling pretty stateless, like no one wants them. And throughout the 1980s, resistance from Palestinians continued and so did crackdowns from the Israelis.
There are countless stories on both sides and in my opinion, they're all terrible. And the PLO was becoming a real problem for Israel as it was building up a significant military presence in Lebanon. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. It's called Operation Peace for Galilee. And this conflict was super complicated, but the goal was to kind of take out the PLO. But instead, the PLO leadership was dispersed. And thousands of Palestinians' civilians were killed.
Arabic extremist groups retaliated by bombing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which led to the Israelis retaliating back. And I hope you can see now that there is a circular nature to this, right? Both sides retaliate, retaliate, retaliate, retaliate, and the conflict continues with no ended sight. Now in late 1987, things started to get extra heated. One day, there was a long line of cars that were carrying Palestinian men back to Gaza after working day labor in Israel.
And an Israeli vehicle swirled into this line of cars, and four Arabs were killed. And Israel covered it up. So rumors started to spread about it, and thousands of people gathered for the funeral and clashes broke out. Boys and young men begin throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. And the troops responded in many cases with live fire. And demonstrations spread throughout Gaza and the West Bank, and since weapons weren't allowed for Palestinians, they threw stones. This is an Arab uprising.
It's also known as an intifada in Arabic. So an intifada is an Arab uprising. Now this particular intifada was unique because instead of images of terrorists and hijackers, which had prior been what was shared in the Western world about the Palestinian is really conflict. And the Western world was seen young kids throwing stones and being met with bullets.
And there were over 200 Palestinians who were killed during the intifada, and more than 20,000 people were arrested, soldiers ransacked refugee camps searching for militants. There were curfews imposed, and some leaders in the intifada were deported. And a new group emerged during this intifada called Hamas. It's also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement. Now Hamas did not recognize Israel as a state and would not compromise on the right of return.
Remember we talked about that in past episodes. They wanted an Islamic state in all of historic Palestine. So their goal was to create a religious state, not a secular state. And they emerged as another Palestinian group during this intifada. That's Hamas. This is obviously not a safe time for Israelis, right? They're being attacked, they're attacking back. It's high violence time.
And in 1988, the UN proposed a resolution that Israelis had a right to, quote, live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force. End of quote. Yaasar Arafat of the PLO announced that he supported it, and he supported a two-state solution. But many Palestinians were really unhappy with this, as it meant that they would have to accept Israel's right to exist at all. And that summer, another faction of the PLO, Fata, said, no way.
Instead, they chose more armed struggle against Israel instead of a two-state solution. Now I want to add that throughout this time, there were many groups who were advocating on both sides for mutual cooperation and for peace for this land. And you know, sadly, some of these voices are really not listened to. In fact, there were plenty of nonprofits and other groups, including religious groups, who advocated for the rights of those different from them.
You know, Jews advocating for the rights of the Arab minority. Centers of Arab Jewish coexistence began to be built. Individual Arabs and Israelis were able to push past this entrenched conflict and have some individual friendships and to work together. And there was an increase to engage in more Arab Jewish dialogue during the time. This idea of coexistence was starting to grow.
And in the early 1990s, Israeli and Palestinian delegations got together to negotiate with the United States mediating. And Yitzhak Rabin was the prime minister of Israel at the time. And Yasser Arafat was the chairman of the PLO, both big-name players. And both of these leaders had seen a big arc in their growth. Yitzhak Rabin had fought against the Arabs in 1948, 1956, and in 1967. And Arafat had been exiled for many years for encouraging violence with the PLO.
So this is a big moment to have these two leaders working together. And a series of agreements called the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 and 1995. And some of the big moments of this were essentially that they created a framework for future negotiations between Israel and the PLO. And Israel agreed to recognize the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. And the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace and security.
And both parties agreed to negotiate a permanent solution about issues like borders and refugees and Jerusalem. And they established something called a Palestinian Authority to have a limited self-governing power in very specific areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. And in 1995, there was a second Oslo Accord that was signed. And the West Bank was divided into three different administrative areas.
Area A, which would have full Palestinian control, area B, which would have Palestinian civil control, but Israeli security control, and then area C, which would have full Israeli control. So this is pretty historic stuff, right? They're working together in the early 1990s. There's some hope. But unfortunately, the Oslo Accords never actually reached final status.
There were pretty massive challenges and setbacks and different interpretations of what the Accords meant, boots on the ground, right? And the conflict remained unresolved. And in late 1995, the Prime Minister Yudhisak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing extremist who did not agree with his stance on the Oslo Accords. And it was a huge shock. And the previous hope for peace kind of began to disintegrate on both sides. And in his place, Benjamin Netanyahu became Prime Minister.
And from 1996 to the early 2000s, suicide bombings from the Palestinian side became much more popular. Now, suicide bombing is when someone wears explosives and when they are detonated, the person dies, along with all the unsuspecting victims around them, right? And during this time, that we call this the second antifada, or the al-Aqsa antifada. And this is when there was a lot more violence again between the two groups.
There's met back together to try to finalize the Oslo Accords, but again, ended without an agreement. And the violence of the antifada became a significant problem. Casualties were very high on both sides, especially because Hamas, that, remember, that's that group that wanted a religious state, they launched rockets from Gaza and Israel retaliated with attacks of their own. And Gaza took some serious hits during this time.
And then counter violence, then counter-counter violence, and so on and so on, right, around and around it goes. And throughout this time, more and more Jewish settlements began being built, claiming more and more land in the West Bank, and even building special roads just for Jewish settlers.
And these settlements are, again, enormously contentious issues, if you ask anybody from Israel what they think of the settlements, you're going to be there a while because there's a lot of different opinions from both Jews and Arabs alike. But this is also going on at the same time. Now Israel responded to this second antifada by constructing a wall. This is sometimes called the separation wall. And in 2002, construction began to make this barrier between the West Bank and the rest of Israel.
And this included trenches and guard posts and razor wire and electronic sensors. And many Israelis saw it, see it, as protection from terrorism and keeping Palestinian militants out. And many Palestinians saw it and see it as Israel is starting more control and making life more and more difficult for them. The wall makes travel extra difficult, as there are numerous checkpoints that mean you have to stop and show paperwork. We talked about that permit system.
And these checkpoints slow down travel for many people. I remember when I lived in Jerusalem over 13 years ago. I lived in East Jerusalem and we were traveling to Bethlehem, which was only about 12 kilometers away. And that's what a 20-minute drive or less. And it took much, much longer because of the traffic that was caused by these checkpoints. So my point is that travel in and around Jerusalem, especially, became very challenging for Palestinians and also other people traveling there as well.
It's not the same as traveling around the US, for example, where no one's going to stop you for paperwork on a regular basis. So the wall began construction in 2002 and has again been a very complex and controversial issue. Also during this time in 2002, Israel started conducting military operations in occupied Palestinian territories. So trying to root out militant groups by going into refugee camps, Palestinian cities, and trying to root these people out. And it caused intense conflicts.
One of them was a group of Palestinian militants that sought refuge in the Church of the Nativity that's in Bethlehem. This is where a lot of Christians go to worship regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. And they hold up in this church. And there was a standoff there for 39 days between these Palestinian militants and the Israeli military. It was also common for soldiers to go into refugee camps and Palestinians grew very accustomed to being questioned without warning.
Additionally, Shinbeth, which is Israel's secret surface, basically they cover counterintelligence and counterterrorism and all of that within Israel, they began to get a lot more international scrutiny for methods of torture and interrogation and detainment of Palestinians that they saw as security threats. So there's a lot going on in Israel at this time. But by 2005, Israel withdraws its military and evacuates any Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
It also evacuated a few settlements in the West Bank. The mosque took control of Gaza and Fata took control of part of the West Bank. And this created a split in Palestinian governance, which is a difficult thing if you're looking at it from a Palestinian perspective. Because while these Palestinians share the goal of Palestinian statehood and self-determination, they had very different ways of going about things. One was much more religious. The other group was more secular and diplomatic.
So this makes it very difficult for Palestinians to have a united front against Israel and to have a united front as Palestinians. So when Hamas took on more governmental control of Gaza, the rocket attacks into Israel increased, which led to more military engagements with Israel, right? There have been three large conflicts in the last 20 years with Gaza between Gaza and the state of Israel. We have one in 2008, 2012, another in 2013, 2014.
And this has led to a lot of destruction and casualties. And peace talks have largely stalled out, though there have been many, many attempts. In 2018, more protests largely in Gaza began again. And they again demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees. This is all very, very recent stuff, right? I'm just giving a basic skim over. But in 2020, the Israeli government even considered annexing or again adding parts of the West Bank into Israel again. They were met with criticism.
The Trump administration also took a stab at a peace plan, but Palestinian leadership rejected it. Today, Gaza is technically governed by Hamas, but Israel has a blockade on the territories. So it does control the borders and the airspace there. Also in 2020, Israel signed the Abraham Accords, which led to diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and also Bahrain, which are two Arab Gulf coast countries in the Middle East.
And if you look into these agreements, you'll see a wide variety of opinions, right? People who think it's a good idea for Israel to have positive relations in the region and others who see it as a direct affront to Palestinian independence, right? It really is a hot button topic. In general, if you're scrolling the news and you see articles about Israel normalizing relations with its nearby Arab countries, it's something to stop and take a look at, right? It's significant.
It's controversial because historically, these countries have not worked together well. So hopefully now that you know a little bit more of the history, you'll feel a little bit more equipped as you read some of these things. In the last three years, there have been many clashes and demonstrations. Some over Palestinian families being evicted for Jewish residents. There's over Israeli leadership. Some over violence that the Palestinians are causing against the Israelis. Tensions have been high.
There are concerns of a third anti-fada breaking out, which could possibly lead to large-scale violence. So now it's 2023 and the Palestinian Israeli conflict remains unresolved. We've got Palestinian governance still divided. We've got Hamas administering in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority, which is associated with Fata administering in a portion of the West Bank. So different leaders and different opinions on what should happen with the Palestinian people.
More than 50% of the West Bank is under Israeli military and civilian control currently. There are still Arab majority cities and villages and also refugee camps that have kind of turned into pseudo cities. They've built up over more than 75 years with sections of terrible poverty. So currently has Benjamin Netanyahu as its prime minister. He was prime minister in the late 90s, a ton of the 2010s, and now again. So he has played a significant role in Israeli politics.
Israeli politics is like most places on Earth. They have a lot of different political parties, more than 10. Different ideologies on how things should be run. They have a right-wing, a left-wing, central parties, religious parties, also parties that advocate for Arab Palestinian rights. In some seasons, Arabs have even been permitted in the government. Currently, with Benjamin Netanyahu as the prime minister, Israel's government is right-leaning.
There are people who love him and there are people who hate him. It really just depends on who you talk with. And on a more broad political level, again, this is very high level, Israel is very concerned about Iran. Because if Iran continues making nuclear weapons, Israel is very high on the list of places that Iran would use them on, right? This is seen as an existential threat to Israel and one that they take very seriously. Israel's nuclear program and military program are significant.
They stand ready for potential threats all around them. As I mentioned earlier, Israel has normalized relations with a few Arab nations. But high on its list is Saudi Arabia. They both share an enemy in Iran. And as of 2023, there is some hope that a deal could be in the works Palestinians have really mixed reviews on these deals between Arab nations and Israel. Some are happy to see it. They hope it will cause better relations in the long run.
And others see it as Arab countries selling out and not standing with them. It really depends on who you talk to. Today, Israel has nearly 10 million people living there. And about 75-74% are of Jewish background. So definitely Jewish majority, 21% are Arab and 5% are defined as other. Life in Israel and the Palestinian territories is varied. In some parts of the country, life is extremely modern.
It feels very similar to what you would see in Europe or the United States or in other highly developed countries throughout the world. There are also parts that feel like you've gone back in time 2000 years. It's a historical and religiously charged place unlike any other place that I've been to. And now, remember that Israel is a Jewish state. So citizenship for Palestinian Arabs is a really complicated thing.
Israel does grant citizenship to people based on various criteria, including birth and descent and marriage and naturalization. I want to talk a little bit about naturalization. So foreign nationals, this includes Arabs, can apply for Israeli citizenship. This process involves meeting certain criteria like continuous residents in Israel, demonstrating knowledge of Hebrew, knowledge about the state of Israel, renouncing other citizenships, and passing a citizenship exam.
So there's a series of things that you have to do to become an Israeli citizen. Israeli law recognizes the right of return still. This is for Jewish people worldwide. But if you're a Jew that's not an Israeli citizen, you can become one if you choose to live in Israel. This is very unique and does not apply to non-Jews. So there are Arab citizens of Israel who have the right to vote and elect members to the Knesset, which is the legislature. But they're not the majority.
Generally, the Jewish majority and the Arab minority are separated. However, there are some areas where Jewish and Arab populations live like Haifa, Jaffa, which is a part of Tel Aviv, Nazareth, a handful of other places. Jerusalem also has both groups living near each other too. Though I will say there are distinctive parts of the city. There are Jewish and other parts that are Arab, not a lot of mixing going on.
Some neighborhoods have both groups as well, making intentional efforts to have both groups coexist. Some universities and colleges also have Jewish and Arab students attending as well. But there also are Jewish majority schools and Arab majority schools, and there is a lot of separation. Arabic is an official language in Israel alongside Hebrew. Military service is not compulsory for Arabs, but it is compulsory for Jewish citizens.
The term Arab-Israeli is growing in popularity right now, but some Arabs with Israeli citizenship do identify as Arab-Israeli. Others refer to themselves as Palestinian. It really depends on who you talk to and what their politics are, but it is something to be aware of. You don't want to just assume something about somebody, it's better to ask. There are certain areas of Israel that are more hot-button places, where there are more instances of violence.
Borders between Jewish settlements and Arab-majority places. Some religious areas where both Jews and Muslims have special interests. These are areas that have higher risk. For example, we talked about in part one, the area where the Western Wall meets the area where the dome of the rock and the al-Aqsa mosque are located. These areas are very, very close to each other, so this is often an area of contention.
Jews generally believe prophecies that a Jewish temple will one day stand at that site, and so many go to pray at the Western Wall and they write their prayers on small pieces of paper and put them into the wall. You may have seen images of that. This is the closest that they can get to their temple mount, and so it's a very, very holy site for them.
On the other hand, this draws into question, like, wait, if a Jewish temple will one day stand there, what's going to happen to the dome of the rock and the al-Aqsa mosque? Other holy sites right there for Muslims? How's that going to work? This area, again, it's a hotbed for religious and political disputes, and soldiers are always going to be walking around there with their guns very, very visible.
Ultimately, I think if you travel there as an outsider, it's just know that anywhere there are parts of Israel that are very tranquil and quite safe, and there are other areas that are discouraged to travel to, depending on where you want to travel in the country, it's just something to be aware of and to do your research. There are also times of year when there are more violent flare-ups in Israel depending on, again, where you live, right? Very dependent.
One of those is during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims. I have an episode all about what Ramadan is, episode 23, if you want to learn more about it, but this is typically a time of increased tension, especially if it coincides with Passover, which is a Jewish holiday. It's not uncommon for there to be high tensions and standoffs during these holidays.
One last thing I want to add, if you're traveling to Israel as an outsider, be aware of what you're wearing, depending on where you are in the country, right? In some areas, modesty is important, and sometimes a headscarf is required to enter into certain sites, covering your body. Likewise, be aware of your tourist purchases.
For example, if you decide to buy a Palestinian cafe or Jewish religious clothing or whatever, make sure you're aware of the message that it sends if you walk around wearing it, right? I remember when I was there, I noticed some tourists who really had no clue what message they were sending by their clothing choices.
It's one of the reasons that I made these episodes, which is simply so people could just be a little bit more aware of the deep ideological differences that exist side by side in these places, particularly in Jerusalem. My personal advice is when you're traveling there, just be aware and conscientious and respectful and avoid political encounters as much as you can. Guys, we did it. There are 10,000 more things I'd love to talk about, but I'm going to end there.
Let's do a recap of the history and a quick takeaway. Okay, so we got 1967. This is when the Israeli military takes out the air forces of nearby Arab nations in a day. This is called the Six Day War. It results in Israel occupying Arab territories like the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza strip, right? This significantly changes lives where both Arabs and Jews alike. Palestinians fight back. We've got groups like the PFLP, the PLO, Fata, Hamas, starting up, right? They have a hard time uniting.
Violence is met with violence as the Israeli military cracks down on the violence against them. Egypt becomes the first Arab nation to recognize Israel as legitimate. And shortly after, there is an Arab into Fata or an uprising, right? This ends with more violence and a separation wall is built to separate, in many cases, Israelis from Palestinians. Jewish settlements continue to be built, right?
The mosque takes control of the Gaza strip, rockets between Israel and Gaza are still happening today. The West Bank has parts of it controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Israeli politics continue to be complicated. Currently the government has Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister. Israel currently struggles with land and water issues, Iran's nuclear capabilities, issues over the government, like many countries today.
And the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli, the Palestinians and Israelis is still very entrenched with no real end in sight. Though coexistence and efforts to create peace are being made on the ground with many individuals doing great work. Jews and Palestinians can be friends, and the conflict does not always translate into people's everyday lives as much as you might guess. So it really depends on who you talk with.
So to wrap up, I want to end with some considerations on the future of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. And there are, again, numerous opinions on how peace can be a possibility, and hundreds of books have been written on these ideas, and I recommend that you pick them up and form your own opinion on this conflict. I offer no solutions because I truly feel like I'm always learning more about this conflict and I'm no expert.
But there are leaders and organizations that are searching for solutions, and personally I enjoy looking into their efforts because it gives me hope in what feels like sometimes a truly hopeless situation. One great book is The Lamentary by Sandy Tolin, and he attempts the impossible at showing both sides of this intractable conflict. And in the book, he shares the story of a Palestinian man meeting a Jewish woman who now lives in his home.
And in one part of the book, the two sit down to really flush things out, and the Israeli woman says, quote, we can see ourselves in you. We can remember our own history of exile over thousands of years. I can understand your longing for home because of our own experience in exile. End of quote.
And the man responds, and he says, quote, he that he has never been able to understand how another people's ancient longing, their wish to return home from a millennial exile, could somehow be equated with the actual life of generations of Palestinians who lived and breathed in this land, who grew food from it, who buried their parents and grandparents in it. End of quote.
And he goes on to say that this Palestinian man feels that the Palestinians were forced to suffer because the Western powers didn't know what to do with the Jews and wanted a military force in the Middle East. And they go back and forth for a long time about it, both of them making very, very valid points in my personal opinion. And in the end, she says, quote, what shall we do? And they don't come up with a good answer.
At the end of the conversation, she finally says, quote, my life here is at their expense. And if they want to realize their dream, it's at my expense. End of quote. She says, quote, I am amazed at the intensity of the perception that Zionism was this incredibly evil manifestation. While there's no way I could accept this description of the Zionists, my people, me, as being the expression of darkness, to me, Zion is an expression of my very ancient longing.
And me, it's a word that symbolizes a harbor for my people and our collective expression here. And for him, it's a regime of terror, something that's an obligation to fight and to resist in every way. Because for him, if Zionism is a reign of terror, then terrorism is an appropriate answer. End of quote. So personally, I really appreciate being able to see the perspective side by side. And there are many of the worlds you don't want to hear it that way. And that's fine.
But I personally think that there's great value in it. And scholar Ian Black says, quote, each point of view is authentic, even if dismissed by the other side's propaganda or lies. Neither can be ignored. The conflict between these two peoples can only be understood by paying attention to how they see themselves and their history, as well as each other. Narrative in its simplest definition is the story and nation tells itself about itself. End of quote. I thought those quotes were helpful to me.
After 75 years, the Palestinian Israeli conflict remains unsolved. Personally I hope for peace for both groups. The longer it goes on, the more complicated it becomes. And as you think on it, here are some questions to consider. What do you think is a long-term solution for this conflict? Which side do you find yourself sympathizing with more? And why do you think that is? Should Israel be a Jewish state? Or should it be a non-religious secular state? Why or why not?
Should it be a single state or is a two-state solution a better answer? How can average ordinary people make a difference in this conflict? And these are the questions that have plagued individuals and families and communities and governments for decades. But something to consider on our level. I think finding peace will require an enormous amount of reconciliation and mutual understanding on each side. And personally I wonder if it's possible.
We've seen how hurt people, hurt people, hurt people. And the cycle has continued for many generations. But that's where I'm going to leave you with just some questions to think about. Thank you for listening and learning alongside me. There's so much I didn't cover. And none of this happened in a vacuum. It happened to real people with their own histories on a big, large world stage. But it's a start. And I know that I will continue to learn more about this issue.
And I hope that you do as well. If you have learned something, please share it with somebody you know, especially if they're planning to travel to Israel or to live in Israel. I want to thank my mom and husband for watching my kids so I could finish these. And to my research assistant, Rachel, for helping me check facts and research. And thank you for listening, subscribing, sharing, and supporting the podcast. And let's go make the world a little wiser.