I was wondering if anyone has given any thought to educational planning for the Fall in the event that the United Nations supports the declaration of a Palestinian state. How will we present the issue to our students? How will we compare and contrast it to the events of 1948? How can we use it to help fortify our students’ commitment to Israel? If anyone has any ideas or can refer me to educational resources it would be most appreciated. Sincere thanks. Jay Goldmintz Rabbi Jay Goldmintz Ed.D. Headmaster Ramaz Upper School http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19720#msg-19720 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:25:56 -0600 Phorum 5.2.19 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,20016#msg-20016 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,20016#msg-20016
Lesson 4 - LEGAL STATUS OF THE AREA OF THE PROPOSED PALESTINIAN STATE: THE WEST BANK

GOALS OF LESSON:
1. To examine the legal status of the area called the West Bank, claimed by the Palestinians as their state and occupied territory
2. To analyze U.N. Resolution 242 and show what it does and does not actually say about land captured in 1967 by Israel, negotiations and final borders.
3. To show the history of the area called the West Bank, in order to demonstrate that no has had recognized sovereignty since 1917

SYNOPSIS OF FILM CLIPS
1. Clip #1: (6:15) Danny Ayalon, Israeli politician, explained the legal status of the West Bank today, by explaining how (and from whom) Israel acquired the West Bank in 1967. By going back in history to explain the status of this land, the conclusion is that this area is not “Occupied Territory” but, rather, “Disputed Territory” which needs to be negotiated.
2. Clip #2: (3:15) Dore Gold , Former Israeli U.N. ambassador, explains the history of the West Bank from the Ottomans, British, Jordanians and Israelis, and who has legal sovereignty over this land today.
3. Clip #3: (4:10) Dore Gold , Former Israeli U.N. ambassador, shows why the term “1967 borders” used by the Palestinians (and President Obama) is not a correct term, and why that concept defies U.N. resolution 242.

A. Is the Land Claimed by The Palestinians as their State (the West Bank) Actually Occupied Territory, as Many Claim?
By focusing exclusively on "the occupation," Palestinian spokespersons are obscuring some of the basic facts of the conflict and areas of the West Bank. They never mention why Israel's presence in the disputed territories began or the reasons for the continuation of the conflict, and ignore the historical and legal context of Israel's presence there. It is thus important to understand how the land called the West Bank and claimed by the Palestinians, came to be in Israelis hands.
1. The people of Israel have ancient ties to the territories, as well as a continuous centuries-old presence there. These areas were the cradle of Jewish civilization. These are rights that the Palestinians deliberately disregard, and claim that Jews never lived there prior to the Zionist return in the early 1900’s.
2. The Ottomans (Turks) ruled the area for 400 years. In 1917, they were defeated. This area was then designated by the League of Nations as a Mandate of Great Britain to promote a homeland for the Jewish people. No one had sovereignty over the area. After the 1948 war, the West Bank was ruled by Jordan. Although Jordan claimed sovereignty, no Arab country and no other countries except England and Pakistan recognized this right of Jordan. Thus, in 1967, there was no recognized sovereignty over this area.
3. In 1967, Israel fought a war of self-defense and despite dire odds, won. As a result of being attacked by Jordan, Israel came into possession of additional lands, including territory that it considers vital to its security. Some of that area is the West Bank. Since there was no recognized sovereignty over the West Bank prior to 1967, the area is legally “disputed territory” and not “occupied territory” as many nations claim.
4. UN Security Council Resolution 242, which was adopted following the Six Day War, places obligations on both sides (as does Resolution 338, adopted following the 1973 Yom Kippur War). 242 does not call for unilateral withdrawal from the territories, but, rather, a negotiated peace with “defensible borders” for Israel. Despite this, the Palestinians focus exclusively on the call for an Israeli withdrawal, ignoring those clauses in 242 that place responsibilities on the other parties to the conflict. In addition, Resolution 242 does not require Israel to withdraw from all the territories gained as a result of the 1967 war, as the Arab regimes claim. Instead, the resolution deliberately restricts itself to calling for Israel's withdrawal "from territories" while recognizing the right to live within secure and recognized boundaries.

B. What the Palestinians Say About This Issue
1. The United Nations Security Council (Resolutions 446, 465, 484), the United Nations General Assembly (December 17, 2003), the United States, the EU (EU Settlements Watch, February-July 2003, the International Court of Justice (July 9, 2004), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (December 5, 2001) refer to the area of the West Bank as Palestinian territory occupied by Israel. General Assembly resolution 58/292 (17 May 2004) affirmed that the Palestinian people have the right to sovereignty over the area.
2. UN Security Council Resolution 242 notes the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" regardless of whether the war in which the territory was acquired was offensive or defensive. Prominent Israeli human rights organizations such as B'tselem also refer to the Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an occupation. John Quigley has noted that "...a state that uses force in self-defense may not retain territory it takes while repelling an attack. (Even) if Israel had acted in self-defense, that would not justify its retention of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
3. International law (Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention) prohibits "transfers of the population of an occupying power to occupied territories", incurring a responsibility on the part of Israel's government to not settle Israeli citizens in the West Bank.

C. What U.N. Resolution 242 Actually Says and Requires
1. Resolution 242, passed unanimously by the U.N. following the 1967 War, provides that the "establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East" must include "respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."
2. Palestinians and their supporters misstate the resolution by claiming that 242 calls for Israel's withdrawal from "all" the territories, although this is neither the language used in the resolution nor the intent of its framers.
3. Resolution 242 was drawn up by the British government. Lord Caradon, UK ambassador to the UN at the time, stated the following: “We didn’t say there should be a withdrawal to the ’67 lines; we did not put the ‘the’ in. We did not say all the territories, deliberately. We knew that the boundaries of ’67 were not drawn as permanent frontiers; they were a cease-fire line of a couple of decades earlier. We did not say that the ’67 boundaries must be forever; it would be insanity.”
4. The 1995 Declaration of Principles (Oslo Agreements) reaffirmed 242 and the need to negotiate a permanent solution, with “secure and recognized boundaries” for Israel.

D. The History of the Area Called Today the West Bank or Judea and Samaria
1. For 400 years immediately prior to the First World War, the area now known as the West Bank was under Ottoman rule as part of the province of Syria. At the 1920 San Remo conference, the victorious Allied powers (UK, US, etc.) allocated the area to the British Mandate of Palestine. The terms of the Mandate called for the creation in Palestine of a Jewish national home without prejudicing the civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish population of Palestine.
2. The 1947 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 aimed to establish a two-state solution within Palestine, and designated the territory described as "Samaria and Judea" (now known as the "West Bank") as part of the proposed Arab state, but following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War this area was captured by Trans-Jordan (renamed Jordan in 1949). The current border of the West Bank was not a dividing line during the Mandate period, but is the armistice line between the forces of the kingdom of Jordan and those of Israel at the close of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, specifically stating that these lines were not to be political borders.
3. From 1948 until 1967, the area was under Jordanian rule, but no Arab state and no other state except Britain and Pakistan recognized Jordanian rule. Jordan did not officially relinquish its claim to the area until 1988, ceding its territorial claims to the PLO and eventually stripping West Bank Palestinians of Jordanian citizenship.
4. The West Bank was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in June, 1967. With the exception of East Jerusalem and the former Israeli-Jordanian no man's land, the West Bank was not annexed by Israel but remained under Israeli military control. Most of the residents are Arabs, although a large number of Israeli settlements have been built in the region since 1967. Close to 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank settlements, annexed East Jerusalem and the former Israeli-Jordanian no man's land areas

For further information, analysis and study by the teacher and or student, feel free to contact Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel for any questions or issues (nachum@jewishdestiny.com or 212-444-1656 – note time difference to Israel)]]> Nachum Amsel Lookjed List Archive Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:41:23 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,20015#msg-20015 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,20015#msg-20015
Please take a few moments to read the description in depth. For your convenience, we have attached one Sample Lesson Plan (Lesson 4 - Legal Status Of The Area Of The Proposed Palestinian State: The West Bank). We have also provided a YouTube link to one of our exclusive video clips of Dore Gold, Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, as he discusses why there is opposition to the proposed declaration of the Palestinian State and the U.N. vote. The video can be seen at :
[www.youtube.com]

You can purchase the entire DVD now, before the UN debate begins, with 11 separate topics of videos, lesson plans and additional materials, for just $99, from the Destiny Foundation. Simply call 845-368-1425. You can also write to the Destiny Foundation to buy the program (Elaine@destinyfoundation.com). If you have any questions about the details of the curriculum contact me, Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel, at nachum@jewishdestiny.com or call before 4 PM Eastern Time 212-444-1656 (from Israel 0433-43-36-18).

I hope you will not only purchase the curriculum, but also use it to enlighten and inspire your students, as well as enhance their Jewish Identity in this difficult time for the Jewish people.

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year, a year of health, meaning and Jewish growth.

Nachum Amsel
Director of Education, Destiny Foundation


DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRICULUM
UNDERSTANDING THE PALESTINIAN STATE AND ISSUES ABOUT ISRAEL TODAY
produced by the Destiny Foundation

When the Palestinians, it seems, attempt to legitimize their state through the United Nations in September-October 2011, the entire world will be speaking about this event and its implications. The media will fill the airwaves with this issue. And almost no Jewish school, Jewish campus organization and any other Jewish organization is properly prepared to know how to react to these events, from an objective perspective, from a Jewish perspective. What is the Israeli position on this and other related issues? What are the facts? How do we convey the Israeli view to our students/constituents, when the news organizations, intentionally or not, do not present all the information regarding each issue? The Destiny Foundation has produced a comprehensive curriculum that presents each issue through the “language” of the 21st century, original video clips and accompanying instant lessons.

The Destiny Foundation has identified three general areas, and 11 specific issues/lessons, that relate not only to the Palestinian State, but also to Israel today. Each of the issues/lessons is independent, and you can select to discuss only those issues that you and your students/constituents feel are most important. Each issue is presented with one, two or three trigger video clips (you can decide to show one or more). An Instant Lesson Plan is included for the leader/teacher to use in discussing the issue, as an Educators Guide. Finally, for those who have the time, in-depth articles, often presenting various sides of the issues are available about each issue.

The Video Clips: The Destiny Foundation interviewed Dore Gold, an articulate, native English speaker and former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, who speaks, in these exclusive video clips, to Jewish students of all ages and backgrounds. In addition, several original clips, prepared by the Destiny Foundation, compare and contrast the founding of the State of Israel with the foundation of the State of Palestine. Video clips on the issues of Palestinian Refugees and the State of Israel from the Moslem perspective, were also developed by the Destiny Foundation. Several other informational video clips are also included. These video clips are meant to trigger discussion and represent each speaker’s specific viewpoint – not necessarily that of the Destiny Foundation – or your organization.

The Instant Lesson Plans: Each Lesson Plan contains the following: a) Goals of the Lesson b) Description of the Video Clip(s) c) What the Palestinians say on the Issue and d) Suggested Main Talking Points. Each plan is independent and relates to one issue/topic, and is concise and user friendly.

Additional Resource Materials: For each issue/lesson, several related articles (culled from generally recognized sources, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, newspapers, etc.) have been made available. These can be downloaded and printed. Many of the articles contain differing perspectives on the issues, and present the issue in greater depth than either the video clip or the Instant Lesson. These articles are ideal for the teacher/leader and those interested students who wish to delve deeper into the topic.

To purchase one DVD Curriculum, the cost is $99. For multiple purchases of ten or more units, the cost is heavily discounted. In the USA, contact The Destiny Foundation at 845-368-1425. In Israel contact Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel at 0544-54-36-18. For questions or further information, contact Nachum Amsel (from the USA) at 212-444-1656 (until 4 PM ET) or (from Israel) 0544-54-36-18.

The topics for each lesson and the video clips are described below in detail.



CURRICULUM: UNDERSTANDING THE PALESTINIAN STATE
AND ISSUES ABOUT ISRAEL TODAY
Produced by the Destiny Foundation

For each lesson, there is one or more original video clips, an Instant Lesson (about 2 pages in length) and articles to study the issue in greater depth, from different perspectives

I. THE PALESTINIAN STATE
Lesson 1 - The Process of Declaring a State and Having it Recognized in the United Nations
Video Clips: Dore Gold, Faith and Fate, Episode 6, #42, #43,

Lesson 2 - Opposition to Statehood: Israel and the Palestinian State – Who and Why?
Video Clips: Dore Gold, Faith and Fate, Episode 6, #29, #30

Lesson 3 - Do the Palestinians Need to Declare a State or Did they Declare in in 1988?
Video Clip: Dore Gold

Lesson 4 - The Legal Status of the Area of the Proposed Palestinian State: The West Bank & Gaza – and the Misnomer of the Term “Borders”
Video Clips: Dore Gold, Danny Ayalon


II. THE OVERALL MIDEAST PROBLEM BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE ARABS
Lesson 5 - Describing the Problems and Issues of the Middle East Conflict in a Nutshell
Video Clips: Dennis Prager U video on the Middle East Problem, Faith and Fate, Episode 6, #30, #33

Lesson 6 - The Peace Process Since Oslo
Video Clip: Dore Gold, Danny Ayalon video on the Middle East Process

Lesson 7 - The Palestinian Refugee Issue
Video Clip: Faith and Fate, Episode 7, #5

Lesson 8 - Why Believing Moslems Cannot Accept the State of Israel
Video Clip: Faith and Fate, Episode 7, #6


III. THE PR WAR FOR AND AGAINST ISRAEL
Lesson 9 - Why Israel is Losing the PR War -- Inner Conviction vs. Knowing the Facts
Video Clip: Dore Gold

Lesson 10 - Why Israel is Losing the PR War -- The Lies of the Palestinians vs. the Morality of the Israeli Army
Video Clip: Dore Gold

Lesson 11 - What Students Can and Need to Do
Video Clip: Dore Gold


ADDITIONAL RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR EACH LESSON ARE INCLUDED
(besides the Instant Lesson plan)]]> Nachum Amsel Lookjed List Archive Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:37:52 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19753#msg-19753 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19753#msg-19753
It is critical to remember that while the school administration may have specific ideas as to why the Palestinian UDI is uncalled for, and that these ideas may make sense to the school and the students, students need to understand what it is about the initiative that so many others see differently. Without challenging the points raised re the original Arab rejection of UN resolution 181, here are some things the students will need answers to:

1. After rejecting 181, are the Palestinians still entitled to self-determination and a state of their own on land that Israel currently administers/occupies (take your choice) in the West Bank/Judea/Samaria (again, take your choice of which term to use)?
2. If they are entitled to some/all of that land, why is it that Israel does not make it clear what it sees as the final borders it wants for the State of Israel, just as the Palestinians have made clear regarding what they see as the borders of the Palestinian Arab state (1967 lines, period)? Why is it that the Palestinians have a clear demand and clear starting position in negotiations--supported by the President of the United States and most of the world, and the Israelis do not?
3. Why is that Israel can unilaterally annex all of Jerusalem, territory captured in war that no country, even the United States, recognizes as Israeli territory, and yet be opposed to Palestinians who wish to similarly unilaterally declare statehood with the support of over 150 countries?
4. How can we believe the PM of Israel when he says he is willing to support the creation of a Palestinian state when his own party, the ruling Likud, has a charter/platform that is firmly against a Palestinian state and against the removal of any Jewish settlements? If we can't negotiate with Hamas leaders because of its stated goal of never recognizing Israel, why should the Palestinians negotiate with a Likud leader whose party also has a stated goal of never recognizing "Palestine"?

Keep in mind that your students will have to answer to people who will have these types of questions and that is what they should be prepared to intelligently discuss.

irwin j (yitzchak ) mansdorf phd]]> irwin j (yitzchak ) mansdorf Lookjed List Archive Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:35:31 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19745#msg-19745 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19745#msg-19745
I would love to hear any other ideas on this point or any of the other issues that Rabbi Goldmintz has raised.

All the best,
Rabbi David Sher
The Frisch School]]> David Sher Lookjed List Archive Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:57:08 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19736#msg-19736 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19736#msg-19736
To be fair and non-partial, there are a number of players in the field – from the WZO, WUJS, WJC, UNWatch, the CIE's durbanreview website (Australia-based) and the Israel Ministry for Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, as well as the Israel Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In addition, there are the many lobby and campaign organizations with websites, such as Stand With Us, Israel Campus Coalition, with the various Zionist, Jewish and student organizations addressing challenges at national levels.

The impression is that, in addition to the WZO, a number of these - and various specialists - are working on strategy and resources. In light of lessons learned from previous UN encounters, it is to be hoped that they will all come together round the table, given that many of these organizations are represented at the major meetings in Jerusalem in the course of these two weeks.

B'vracha,
Gila

Gila Ansell Brauner
Department for Diaspora Activities
World Zionist Organization
www.wzo.org.il www.izionist.org.il]]> Gila Ansell Brauner Lookjed List Archive Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:38:54 -0600 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19720#msg-19720 http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,19720,19720#msg-19720
Sincere thanks.
Jay Goldmintz

Rabbi Jay Goldmintz Ed.D.
Headmaster
Ramaz Upper School]]> Jay Goldmintz Lookjed List Archive Thu, 16 Jun 2011 05:18:06 -0600