Lesson 1Ottoman rule to British Mandate (pre-1917 to 1948): Balfour Declaration and mandate institutionsWe trace the transition from late Ottoman rule to the British Mandate, focusing on the Balfour Declaration, League of Nations mandate terms, and how British policies, institutions, and communal tensions laid foundations for later conflict and statehood in Palestine.
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 section examines the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel’s rapid territorial gains, and how occupation, settlement policy, and new borders reshaped security doctrine, regional diplomacy, Palestinian life, and debates over land and legitimacy across the region.
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 section covers Israel’s formative 1948–1967 period, including absorption of diverse Jewish immigrants, unresolved Palestinian refugee issues, border clashes, the 1956 Sinai Campaign, and how these shaped institutions, identity, and security priorities for the young nation.
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 section reviews key 21st-century turning points: the 2005 Gaza disengagement, subsequent Gaza wars, rocket and tunnel threats, and recent normalization agreements with Arab states, assessing their security, diplomatic, and domestic implications for ongoing stability.
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 explore Israeli domestic politics since 2009, focusing on electoral volatility, Netanyahu’s long tenure, growing polarization, debates over judicial reform and checks and balances, shifts within right and center-left blocs, and protest movements shaping the landscape.
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 section analyzes the 1978 Camp David Accords and 1993 Oslo framework, comparing their terms, implementation challenges, and political impact on Israeli, Palestinian, and regional politics, including supporters’ hopes and critics’ security and legitimacy concerns in detail.
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 trace late 19th-century Zionism under Ottoman rule, highlighting key thinkers, ideological streams, and early institutions, and examine the First Aliyah’s demographics, settlement patterns, relations with local populations, and long-term political significance for Jewish return.
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 analyze the surprise 1973 Yom Kippur War, battlefield developments, superpower involvement, and how the conflict’s trauma reshaped Israeli politics, economy, civil-military relations, and opened paths toward disengagement and peace talks in the aftermath.
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 section explores the First and Second Intifadas, their origins in occupation and frustration, tactics used by both sides, and how these uprisings transformed Israeli security policy, public opinion, Palestinian politics, and the broader peace process over time.
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 examine the 1947 UN Partition Plan, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and how statehood, battlefield outcomes, and population displacements shaped Israel’s borders, demographic balance, Palestinian refugeehood, and the new state’s political institutions fundamentally.
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
