INTERMEDIATE
Israel and the Palestinians: a century of conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIWqTIFRlYU
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 in their correct spot.
Israel - Jordan - Egypt
google.com/maps
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/
( ) act of popular violence usually against an established government
( ) act of killing a lot of people
( ) extremely bad, worrying, or without hope
( ) revenge; the action of harming someone because they have harmed oneself
( ) a fight between armed forces
( ) to escape by running away, especially because of danger or fear (irregular verb)
2) Match the expressions, collocations, and phrasal verbs:
a) terrorist ( ) away
b) diplomatic ( ) attacks
c) lock ( ) conflict
d) Middle ( ) out
e) push ( ) deals
f) long-running ( ) East
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
1) Watch once and answer these questions:
What is the main focus of the video?
a) The history of the Ottoman Empire
b) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
c) British foreign policy in the Middle East
What was the outcome of the United Nations' vote in 1947 regarding Palestine?
a) A British mandate
b) An agreement for peaceful coexistence
c) The division of Palestine
What has characterized the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1967?
a) Repeated battles and wars
b) Numerous diplomatic deals
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.
( )The last British soldiers left Palestine in May 1948.
( ) In 1947, the UN voted to partition Palestine, but the Arabs rejected this, and fighting broke
out once again.
( ) After Jewish anger also turned violent, the British gave up. They handed the problem over
to the United Nations.
( ) After the First World War, the League of Nations gave Britain a mandate to rule Palestine.
( ) Since the war of 1967, many Palestinians have lived in the West Bank, under Israeli
occupation.
( ) 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.
( ) This conflict has its origins in a letter, written more than 100 years ago, and just 67 words
long.
( ) In 1917, Arthur Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, typed a note that would change the
face of the Middle East.
( ) An estimated 700,000 Palestinians fled or were pushed out of their homes. They called
this the Nakba, the catastrophe.
( ) 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.
( ) 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=israel-
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:
( ) We use the present perfect for a period of time that continues up to now.
( ) We use the past simple for a finished time in the past.
( ) We use this tense with time expressions as yesterday, two weeks ago, last year, in
1995.
( ) 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.
a) (past simple) The British mandate for Palestine __________ (begin) after World War I.
b) (present perfect) The conflict __________ (have) a long history of violence and
resistance.
c) (past simple) The Nakba, also known as the catastrophe, __________ (occur) in 1948.
d) (present perfect) Diplomatic efforts __________ (not bring) lasting peace to the region.
e) (past simple) In 1917, Arthur Balfour __________ (write) a letter of support for Zionists.
f) (present perfect) Palestinians in the West Bank __________ (live) under Israeli
occupation for decades.
4) Complete each sentence with the correct verb form: past simple or present perfect.
a) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict (begin) __________ more than a century ago.
b) In 1917, Arthur Balfour (write) __________ a letter that changed the course of history.
c) The United Nations (vote) __________ to partition Palestine in 1947.
d) The last British soldiers (leave) __________ Palestine in May 1948.
e) An estimated 700,000 Palestinians (be) __________ pushed out of their homes in 1948.
f) The conflict (result) __________ in numerous wars and uprisings over the years.
g) The ongoing battles in Gaza (continue) __________ for decades.
5) Practice: https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1/past-simple-present-perfect/
6) Play a game: https://create.kahoot.it/details/e1f4fbb0-2f2c-460e-92dc-
a1d7455673f3
