Mark Yannone - Arizona, District 3, 2004 Congressional Candidate, independent - click to return to home page
Issues - Foreign Aid - Foreign Aid Budget - Israel
Israel, Palestine and Egypt - a map of the region

"Arab sovereignty in Jerusalem just cannot be. This city will not be divided; not half and half; not 60-40; not 75-25; nothing."

Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel, 1973
Israel is a country in southwestern Asia, formed in 1948 as a Jewish state in the historic region of Palestine, and located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is bounded on the north by Lebanon, on the northeast by Syria, on the east by Jordan, and on the southwest by Egypt. Its southernmost tip extends to the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea. Israel's isolated position as a Jewish state surrounded by Arab and predominantly Islamic countries has influenced nearly every aspect of its foreign relations, demography, and economic policy throughout its history.

The origins of the present-day struggle between Israel and Arab nations predate the creation of Israel.

Throughout the early 20th century Palestine, as the birthplace of Judaism and site of the ancient Hebrew Kingdom of Israel, became a center of Jewish immigration, encouraged and organized by a movement known as Zionism. However, the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, which contained areas holy to their predominant religion of Islam, also felt entitled to the region. Jews and Arabs remained in conflict throughout the British administration of Palestine from 1918 to 1948. War between Israel and its neighbors broke out when Jews declared Israel's independence in 1948. In this and subsequent wars Israel acquired territory beyond its original boundaries. As a result of the Six-Day War of 1967 Israel took and later annexed the Syrian territory of the Golan Heights, a claim not recognized by most nations. Israel also occupied the West Bank (formerly of Jordan) and the Gaza Strip (formerly of Egypt), areas now partially under Arab Palestinian administration. Even Jerusalem, the city Israel claims as its capital, remains an area of dispute. Predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem has been part of Israel since independence in 1948; Israel captured mostly Arab East Jerusalem in 1967. Israel has since claimed the entire city as its capital. However, the Palestinians and the United Nations do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

These territorial conflicts, combined with continued Jewish immigration, have caused major changes in population structure since Israel's independence. Much of the Palestinian Arab population in the territory that became Israel fled during the 1948-1949 war and became refugees in surrounding Arab countries. Still more Palestinians fled from the areas captured by Israel in 1967 (known collectively as the Occupied Territories).

Find out more about Israel by clicking HERE

Find out more about Palestine and Palestinians by clicking HERE

Return to the Foreign Aid/Affairs/Defense budget by clicking HERE
......
Site by webDedication webDesign Studios
© 2002-2007 Mark Yannone. All rights reserved.