Israel and the

Palestinians: a century of
conflict
Intermediate
 Warm Up

1) What do you know about the

Hamas-Israel war?

2) Locate the West Bank and Gaza

Strip on the map.

3) Write the names of the places Jordan

in their correct spot. Egypt Israel

Israel Jordan Egypt

 Vocabulary
1) Choose the correct definition for the words
used in the sentences.
a) He ordered the massacre of 2,000 women and
children. /ˈmæs.ə.kər/
b) The bomb attack was in retaliation for the
recent arrest of two well-known terrorists.
/rɪˌtæl.iˈeɪ.ʃən/
c) The small-scale uprisings were transformed
into a large-scale war. /ˈʌpˌraɪ.zɪŋ/
d) In order to escape capture, he fled to the
mountains. /fled/
e) Her only brother was killed in battle. /ˈbæt.əl/
f) The future looks grim. /ɡrɪm/
( c ) act of popular violence
usually against an established
government
( a ) act of killing a lot of people
( f ) extremely bad, worrying, or
without hope
( b ) revenge; the action of
harming someone because they
have harmed oneself
( e ) a fight between armed
forces
( d ) to escape by running away,
especially because of danger or
fear (irregular verb)
2) Match the expressions, collocations,
and phrasal verbs:
( cc ) away
a) terrorist
( aa ) attacks
b) diplomatic
( ff ) conflict
c) lock
( e ) out
d) Middle
( bb ) deals
e) push
( d ) East
f) long-running
3) With a partner, choose 9 words from the previous exercises and put them on
the grid. Play Tic-Tac-Toe. To be able to mark noughts or crosses, you have to say
a sentence with the word on the chosen space.
 Watching and
Understanding
What was the outcome of the
United Nations' vote in 1947
regarding Palestine?
a) A British mandate
b) An agreement for peaceful
coexistence
c) x The division of Palestine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIWqTIFRlYU
What has characterized the
1) Watch once and answer these questions: Israeli-Palestinian conflict since
What is the main focus of the video? 1967?
a) The history of the Ottoman Empire a) x Repeated battles and wars
b) x The Israeli-Palestinian conflict b) Numerous diplomatic deals
c) British foreign policy in the Middle East c) Peace and cooperation
2) Watch again. Below are sections of the transcript in shuffled order. Your task is to organize them in
the correct chronological sequence.
( 7 ) The last British soldiers left Palestine in May 1948.
( 6 ) In 1947, the UN voted to partition Palestine, but the Arabs rejected this, and fighting broke out once
again.
( 5 ) After Jewish anger also turned violent, the British gave up. They handed the problem over to the
United Nations.
( 3 ) After the First World War, the League of Nations gave Britain a mandate to rule Palestine.
( 10 ) Since the war of 1967, many Palestinians have lived in the West Bank, under Israeli occupation.
( 11 ) The massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas, a Palestinian group, and Israel's subsequent retaliation, is
the latest bloody eruption of a long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
( 1 ) This conflict has its origins in a letter, written more than 100 years ago, and just 67 words long.
( 2 ) In 1917, Arthur Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, typed a note that would change the face of
the Middle East.
( 9 ) An estimated 700,000 Palestinians fled or were pushed out of their homes. They called this the
Nakba, the catastrophe.
( 8 ) Neighboring Arab countries invaded immediately. In the Armistice of 1949, the land was divided
between Israel and Arab states, but there was no new state for the Palestinians, just two regions
controlled by Egypt and Jordan. Now known as Gaza and the West Bank.
( 4 The Arabs, who had been living there for centuries, turned increasingly to resistance and violence,
culminating in a revolt in 1936.
 Talking Point

1) What emotions, feelings, and thoughts did you experience while learning
about these horrific events?
2) What did you learn about the roots of the conflict? How does it connect to
what is happening today?
3) Do you believe there are potential solutions to the conflict, and if so, what are
they?
4) How has the conflict affected the lives of ordinary people on both sides and
what are the human consequences of the conflict?
5) If you had the power to make one change or take one action to contribute to
peace in the region, what would it be, and why?
6) Read the post and reflect on its importance:

You can read the guide here:

https://solutionsnotsides.co.uk/blog/2021/avoiding-antisemitic-islamophobic-hate-speech?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linktree&utm_campaign=i
srael-palestine%3A+10+ways+to+avoid+antisemitic+and+islamophobic+hate+speech
 Grammar Point - Past Simple x Present Perfect

1) Look at these sentences from the video:

a) "In 1917, Arthur Balfour typed a note."

b) "Since the war of 1967, many Palestinians have lived in the West Bank, under
Israeli occupation.

Relate the sentences with their correct explanation:

( b ) We use the present perfect for a period of time that continues up to now.
( a ) We use the past simple for a finished time in the past.
( a ) We use this tense with time expressions as yesterday, two weeks ago, last
year, in 1995.
( b ) We use this tense with time expressions that indicate time up to now, for
example, today, this year, in the last six months, since.
2) Study the
timeline.
Explain the
difference
between the
three
sentences.
3) Write sentences using past simple or present perfect tenses to describe
historical events or the connection between past and present in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

began
a) (past simple) The British mandate for Palestine __________ (begin) after World
War I.
has had (have) a long history of violence and
b) (present perfect) The conflict __________
resistance.
occurred (occur) in
c) (past simple) The Nakba, also known as the catastrophe, __________
1948.
have not brought (not bring) lasting
d) (present perfect) Diplomatic efforts __________
peace to the region.
wrote
e) (past simple) In 1917, Arthur Balfour __________ (write) a letter of support for
Zionists.
have lived (live) under
f) (present perfect) Palestinians in the West Bank __________
Israeli occupation for decades.
4) Complete each sentence with the correct verb form: past simple or present
perfect.

began
a) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict (begin) __________ more than a century ago.
b) In 1917, Arthur Balfour (write) __________
wrote a letter that changed the course of
history.
voted
c) The United Nations (vote) __________ to partition Palestine in 1947.
le
d) The last British soldiers (leave) __________ Palestine in May 1948.
were
e) An estimated 700,000 Palestinians (be) __________ pushed out of their homes
in 1948.
has resulted in numerous wars and uprisings over the
f) The conflict (result) __________
years.
have continued
g) The ongoing battles in Gaza (continue) __________ for decades.
Congratulations!
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Vocabulary
Grammar
Pronunciation
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