History east

• What was the title of the op-ed published by Mahmoud Abbas on May 16, 2011?


  The Long-Overdue Palestinian State
• What did Mahmoud Abbas call for in his op-ed?

  Recognition of a Palestinian state by the UN
• Who was the President of the United States during the Arab Spring speech?

  Barack Obama
• What did Obama declare regarding Israel's borders?

  Israel must return to pre-1967 borders
• How did Abbas and Obama view the recognition of a Palestinian state?

  They could not explain its feasibility
• Who wrote about the troubles in Ireland in relation to Palestine?

  William Butler Yeats
• What did the League of Nations establish after World War I?

  The mandate for Palestine
• What territories were included in the mandate for Palestine?

  Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan
• What was the population of the mandate area at the time?

  Less than one million
• What percentage of the population were Jews in the mandate area?

  10 percent
• What did the Balfour Declaration promise?

  Support for a Jewish national home in Palestine
• How did the British encourage Jewish immigration to Palestine?

  By promoting freedom of speech and religion
• How were Palestinians viewed by the Ottoman Empire?

  They lacked a distinctive national identity
• What did Palestinian leaders demand during the Paris Peace Conference?

  A stop to Jewish immigration
• What was the outcome of the Palestinian demand to end Jewish immigration?

  Violence against Jewish communities ensued
• What event marked the beginning of regular Arab attacks on Jewish communities?

  The Nebi Musa riot
• What was the result of the Nebi Musa riot?

  Six Jews dead and property destruction
• How did the British respond to Arab fears after the Balfour Declaration?

  They created the emirate of Transjordan
• What was the impact of the partition proposals on Jewish and Arab relations?

  Increased tensions and violence
• Who led the Arab revolt against the mandate?

  Hajj Amin al-Husseini
• What did the Peel Commission propose in 1937?

  Partition of the territory into two states
• What was the size of the Jewish state proposed by the Peel Commission?

  About 20% of the remaining territory
• How did the Zionists respond to the Peel Commission's partition plan?

  They reluctantly accepted the plan
• What was the fate of Jewish immigration to Palestine leading up to the Holocaust?

  Severe limitations were imposed
• What did the UN recommend regarding Palestine after World War II?

  A two-state solution through partition
• How did Arab officials respond to the UN partition plan?

  They announced rivers of blood would follow
• What happened on May 15, 1948?

  Arab armies invaded Israel
• What was the outcome of the 1948 war for Israel?

  Israel expanded its territory by 40%
• What happened to the Palestinian Arabs after the 1948 war?

  650,000 became refugees
• Who occupied the West Bank after the 1948 war?

  Jordan's King Abdullah
• What did Egypt do with the Gaza Strip after the 1948 war?

  Denied Palestinians civil rights
• How did Jordan and Egypt treat the Palestinians under their control?

  They did not create a state for them
• What did Israeli prime ministers offer Palestinian leaders in the past decade?

  An independent state with generous terms
• What did Ehud Barak agree to at Camp David in 2000?

  Border adjustments for a Palestinian state
• What was Yasser Arafat's response to the Camp David negotiations?

  He walked out and launched violence
• What was the Palestinian response to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005?

  They launched a war of missiles against Israel
• What did Ehud Olmert present to President Abbas in 2008?

  A detailed map of a future Palestinian state
• What was Abbas's reaction to Olmert's map?

  He never returned with the map
• How have offers for a Palestinian state been received over the years?

  Met with violence against Jewish citizens
• What do both Abbas and Obama choose to ignore?

  The history of violence against Jews