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Since the Hamas election victory and the international community’s isolation of the Palestinian government in early 2006, living conditions in Palestine have declined to their worst levels since 1967. The majority of Palestinians are dependent on food and cash handouts for their livelihood, and violence is rampant – with infighting between Fatah and Hamas increasing since late 2006.

Arab Israelis are full citizens under Israeli law, but they experience discrimination and social exclusion. The question of Arab Israeli’s status in Israel is particularly important for Israeli democracy and the Jewish state: How should Israel balance its Jewish character with equal rights for its Arab citizens?

Zionism is a nationalist movement based on the idea that the Jews should have a single homeland. There a several main Zionist visions. These include: Labor/Socialist Zionism, which involved the creation of a Jewish state through the establishment of kibbutzim and an urban proletariat; Religious Zionism, based on Judaism and the religious right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel as well as the idea that salvation would come from such ownership; and Cultural Zionism, focusing on Jewish culture, history, and language.

The war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 began on July 12^th when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel and captured to Israel soldiers. It continued until August 14^th when a UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect. Throughout the war there were accusations of atrocities, such as the deliberate targeting of civilian populations, on both sides. Lebanese infrastructure was severely damaged and the population displaced. The UN resolution which ended the conflict called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Lebanon, the deployment of Lebanese soldiers in the south of the country, and a reinforced and expanded UN peacekeeping force.

Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, was created as an armed Islamic movement in 1988 with the expressed goal of the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in all of Palestine. In January 2006, Hamas won the majority of votes in the popular election (This victory was largely due to a general disdain for Fatah’s corruption and an appreciation for Hamas’ social services), giving it control of the Palestinian legislature. Since then, the government has faced sanctions from the international community because of its refusal to recognize Israel, to abide by past agreements, or to renounce violence. The PalestinianTerritories are economically falling apart, and, more recently, there has been street fighting between Fatah and Hamas.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came up with the policy of unilateralism, also known as disengagement, in August 2005. Based on the idea that Israel had no partner for negotiations, its aim was to disentangle Israel from its conflict with the Palestinians by withdrawing from the settlements – the main source of conflict. The plan came under criticism from all sides: from the settlers and the right, who believed Israel should keep the territory and that withdrawal would be seen as a victory for Palestinian terrorism; and from the left who believed the policy would not end the conflict but would leave Palestine lawless and without any way to sustain itself. In August 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip (although it continues to control the air space and borders around it) and from four settlements in the West Bank. Since the Lebanon war of the summer 2006, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has dropped the policy of unilateralism.

Israel has two peace treaties with neighboring countries: Egypt (since 1979) and Jordan (since 1994). Beginning with the Madrid Conference in 1992, there was a real effort to come to a peace agreement with the Palestinians. However, this effort fell apart beginning with the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1994. Since then there have also been various Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements, failed attempts at treaties, and suggested peace plans. This page includes the text of some of the agreements/plans.

After the conclusion of Oslo, the Israeli government agreed not to build anymore settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, the settlements continued to grow and develop. Israelis argue that the land was either purchased legally from Palestinians or vacant to begin with, but recent reports have shown otherwise. Palestinians view the settlements as an sabotage a peace process.

Checkpoints, set up on Israel’s border with Palestine and within the West Bank, include both more permanent structures and temporary ones. They are a notorious point of tension between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians. Israel argues that the checkpoints are needed to protect the country from Palestinian terrorists. But the checkpoints also make it difficult for the Palestinians to travel or live normal lives and are often the site of abuse.

Running partially along the Green Line but diverging in many places to include Israeli settlements, the incomplete separation wall/fence which separates Israel from the West Bank has been a controversial project. The Israeli government argues that the barrier is an effective way to keep out Palestinian terrorists, but it also negatively impacts the lives of thousands of Israeli-Arabs by cutting their villages off from the rest of Israel.