Video Transcript – Modern Israel Video

Video Transcript – Modern Israel Video

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Transcribed by YouTube Transcription for www.Miacademy.co

Brian [0:00]:
Welcome back explorers, Brian here. As you discovered in a previous lesson, the nations of Southwest Asia have a long, complicated, and at times turbulent history. The region is also the birthplace of three monotheistic religions including Christianity which is a primary reason that many around the world are highly interested in the area and travel there each year. Much of that contemporary history is manifested by the relationship between Israel, a Jewish state, and the other nations of the region, all Islamic. Muslim Arabs have inhabited the area for centuries ever since Muhammad founded the religion in the 7th century CE, but Jews have been in Southwest Asia even longer, having migrated to the region as early as 4,000 years ago. This was their homeland too!

[0:49]
The border dispute with Muslims over Palestinian land has been raging for decades, but there’s more to Israel than conflict with its neighbors. Today we’re going to analyze Israel’s population, culture, economic and political structures, and connect those to Israel’s past. Before watching any further make sure that you’ve printed out the lesson PDF which has places to respond to questions as you watch the video.

[1:28]
Modern Israel. Israel became an independent state after the United Nations granted Jews disputed land in Palestine in 1947. This came after European Jews had been brutally persecuted by Hitler’s Nazi regime who murdered six million Jews before and during World War II. Since its creation, Israel has focused on rapid economic and technological development. In fact, Jewish settlers called Zionists began filtering back into the area in the 1880s, decades before the Jews even had a nation to call their own. Upon their arrival, the settlers began draining swamps, irrigating the desert, and making the available land more livable as the fertile coastal plains and rich highland valleys were already filled with people. That initiative developed into a national policy to turn the desert into land fit for agriculture, industry, and settlement, specifically in the arid Negev desert which covers half of Israel. Pause the video here and respond to Question 1 on your connections and questions worksheet. How could Israel transform a desert into arable land?

[2:38]
Thanks to hundreds of miles of pipelines, canals, and tunnels, water is delivered daily to the desert from the Sea of Galilee transforming the land from barren to fertile. Although Israel produces most of its own food importing mostly meat, water supplies remain strained. To counter that industrial wastewater is treated and reused. Groundwater runoff is stored in reservoirs for later use. The salt-filled Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the planet, provides another example of Israeli ingenuity. Processing plants are in place to extract potash, salt, and bromide from the lake water for export and to make the water usable. Meanwhile, new towns such as Arad are constructed to attract immigrants to what is otherwise a harsh desert environment. The result is a modern Israel which is among the world’s leaders in many technological areas. The nation boasts a highly educated workforce, particularly in science and engineering. Israel is especially progressive in weapons systems, electronics, aerospace engineering, and medical lasers. That focus on technology has sparked Israel’s economic activity. The country’s GDP per capita is 49,840 U.S. dollars which ranks 21st in the world and third among Asian nations behind only Singapore and Qatar.

[4:03]
Israel is widely considered Southwest Asia’s most advanced nation in economic and industrial development. Israel also has the second largest number of startup companies in the world, trailing only the U.S. and is home to the third largest number of NASDAQ listed companies behind only the U.S. and China. Take a second to pause here and respond to Question 2 on your connections and questions worksheet. Why are these economic achievements so impressive?

[4:37]
Those statistics are especially impressive considering that Israel is a nation of less than 10 million people. The nation is small, less than 8,600 square miles in an area about twice the size of Rhode Island, with limited resources and a population density of 1,111 people per square mile. With just under a million people, Jerusalem is the capital and largest city. While about 75% of Israel is Jewish, another 21% of Israel’s people are Arabs, most of those Muslims. Followers of Christianity, Druze, and Baha’i are also present as there is no official national religion. What facts regarding Israel’s religious demographics are different from what you expected?

[5:28]
Israel’s official language is Hebrew which is taught in schools and used by the majority of the population. Many different accents of Hebrew can be heard here including Russian, Arabic, Turkish, German, French, and Amharic, which is Ethiopian. Those differing versions of Hebrew are a result of several migrations to Israel over the decades. Before 1948, most who came here to live were Ashkenazi Jews from northern and eastern Europe. Since 1948, the bulk have been Sephardic Jews from around the Mediterranean including North Africa, Southwest Asia, Southern Europe, and the former Soviet Union. These later immigrants are often unskilled laborers with less education and less influence in government. With the varied heritages come different political beliefs, all of which are represented by universal suffrage, meaning all citizens have the right to vote. Israel is a unitary republic as leaders are elected including a prime minister and a parliament. That legislative body called the Knesset has 120 members. An interesting fact. Israeli Arabs can serve in the Knesset but not the military. Arabs, 21% of Israel’s population, are seeking a larger voice in the nation’s future. Why do you think Israeli Arabs can serve in the Knesset but not the military?

[6:59]
Border dispute. Despite its successes as a nation, most Americans know Israel for its history of conflict with Arabs over Palestinian land. The dispute has been ongoing since Israel was granted the land. In fact, when the United Nations partitioned the land to Israel in 1947, the Israelis accepted the agreement and declared independence. Neighboring Arabs rejected the deal and attacked. Half a million Palestinian refugees fled Israel for neighboring Arab nations settling in the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. After Israel was ceded a great deal of Palestinian territory in 1947, the nation expanded its claims significantly over the next two decades. Israel has since extended its reach into other territories claimed and occupied by Palestinians. More than a million of whom have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

[7:58]
The primary resistance to Israel’s expansion has been the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The PLO, an Arab group founded in 1964 refused to recognize Israel as a country and called for Israel’s end. The PLO also wanted the Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their homes. Israel and others including the U.S. viewed the PLO as a terrorist organization. The conflict was especially heated through the 1970s and 80s as most PLO activity was directed from neighboring Lebanon. Following the 1993 Oslo Accords, the PLO finally recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace, accepted U.N. security council resolutions, and rejected violence and terrorism. As part of those accords, Israel agreed to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the west bank allowing Palestinians the ability to self-govern there. Later, Israel’s military moved back into some of these territories in response to armed activity and over time began to construct more settlements for Israelis leading to violent Palestinian counter-attacks. The conciliatory actions of 93% were reversed in 2018. And the fighting continues. Thousands on both sides have died and many more could as the PLO refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and Israel rejects solutions which allow for a Palestinian homeland. Based on your knowledge, how is this conflict similar or different to the other land disputes we’ve discussed in this course?

[9:37]
Conclusion. Israel’s future with a strong economy, highly educated workforce, and focus on technology and engineering appears bright, but the ongoing dispute over Palestinian land tarnishes that luster. Sadly the conflict has continued for decades and shows no signs of resolution anytime soon until next time keep exploring!