Lesson 1Ottoman rule to British Mandate (pre-1917 to 1948): Balfour Declaration and mandate institutionsWe look at the shift from late Ottoman rule to the British Mandate, focusing on the Balfour Declaration, League of Nations mandate terms, and how British policies, institutions, and community tensions built the groundwork for later conflicts and the birth of a state.
Ottoman administration and local societyWorld War I campaigns in PalestineBalfour Declaration text and contextMandate charter and legal frameworkJewish Agency and Arab leadership bodiesRiots, commissions, and White PapersLesson 21967 Six-Day War and territorial changes: settlements, occupation, and security implicationsThis part looks into the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel’s quick territorial gains, and how occupation, settlement policy, and new borders changed security thinking, regional talks, Palestinian daily life, and arguments over land and rightful claims.
Pre-war regional tensions and alliancesCourse of the Six-Day War by frontUN Resolution 242 and legal debatesOrigins and growth of Israeli settlementsOccupation policies in West Bank and GazaSecurity doctrine after territorial expansionLesson 31948–1967 formative wars and state-building: refugee issue and absorption policiesThis part covers Israel’s key 1948–1967 period, including taking in diverse Jewish newcomers, ongoing Palestinian refugee matters, border fights, the 1956 Sinai Campaign, and how these built institutions, sense of self, and security needs.
Mass immigration and absorption policiesMizrahi communities and social gapsPalestinian refugees and UNRWA roleBorder infiltrations and reprisal raids1956 Sinai Campaign and Suez CrisisInstitution-building and national identityLesson 421st-century turning points: disengagement from Gaza (2005), Gaza conflicts, and recent normalization agreementsThis part reviews major 21st-century shifts: the 2005 Gaza pullout, following Gaza wars, rocket and tunnel dangers, and fresh normalization pacts with Arab nations, weighing their effects on security, talks, and home affairs.
Sharon’s disengagement plan and motivesEvacuation of Gaza settlements and impactHamas takeover and internal Palestinian splitGaza wars and evolving military tacticsRocket defense and Iron Dome systemAbraham Accords and regional realignmentLesson 5Domestic political shifts since 2009: polarization, judicial debates, and changing party alignmentsWe delve into Israeli home politics since 2009, looking at election ups and downs, Netanyahu’s long stay in power, rising divides, talks on court changes and balances, shifts in right and center-left groups, and protest actions.
Netanyahu era and coalition patternsRise of centrist and new protest partiesReligious-secular and ethnic cleavagesJudicial reform plans and oppositionRole of Supreme Court and Basic LawsMass protests and public trust in institutionsLesson 6Peace processes: Camp David (1978) and Oslo Accords (1993) — terms and political impactThis part breaks down the 1978 Camp David Accords and 1993 Oslo setup, comparing their terms, rollout hurdles, and effects on Israeli, Palestinian, and wider regional politics, including backers’ hopes and critics’ worries on safety and valid claims.
Sadat’s visit and Camp David negotiationsEgypt-Israel treaty terms and outcomesOslo I and Oslo II core provisionsPalestinian Authority and limited self-ruleIsraeli and Palestinian public reactionsAssassinations, spoilers, and breakdownsLesson 7Late 19th-century Zionism: key thinkers, movements, and the First AliyahWe follow late 19th-century Zionism under Ottoman rule, spotlighting main thinkers, idea streams, and early setups, and look at the First Aliyah’s people makeup, settlement ways, ties with locals, and lasting political weight.
European antisemitism and Jewish nationalismHerzl, Ahad Ha’am, and rival visionsReligious, labor, and revisionist currentsFirst Aliyah demographics and originsAgricultural colonies and land purchaseRelations with Arab communities and elitesLesson 81973 Yom Kippur War and its political/economic aftermathHere we break down the surprise 1973 Yom Kippur War, battle progress, big power roles, and how the war’s shock changed Israeli politics, economy, civil-military ties, and opened ways to pullbacks and peace chats.
Intelligence failures and warning signsEgyptian and Syrian attack plansU.S. and Soviet roles in the warDomestic shock and the Agranat CommissionEconomic crisis and oil embargo effectsFrom war to disengagement and peace talksLesson 9Intifadas (First and Second) and their effects on security policy and politicsThis part looks at the First and Second Intifadas, their roots in occupation and frustration, methods used by both sides, and how these uprisings changed Israeli security plans, public views, Palestinian politics, and the wider peace path.
Roots of the First Intifada in daily lifeGrassroots organization and civil resistanceOslo process and Intifada outcomesSecond Intifada triggers and escalationSuicide bombings and countermeasuresSecurity barrier and policy reorientationLesson 10UN Partition and 1948 War: creation of the state and demographic/political consequencesWe study the 1947 UN Partition Plan, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and how state birth, battle results, and people movements set Israel’s borders, people balance, Palestinian refugee status, and the new state’s political setups.
UNSCOP recommendations and partition mapJewish and Arab responses to the planCivil war phase before May 1948Declaration of Independence and diplomacyMilitary campaigns and armistice linesNakba, refugees, and demographic shifts
