Middle East Conflict Web Sites
Global Connections: Middle East
Global Connections: Putting World Events in Context provides the background information needed to understand events occurring in the Middle East. The site includes original materials created in conjunction with the Centers for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard and UCLA. The site also aggregates and contextualizes the rich resources available throughout public broadcasting, including material from Frontline, Online NewsHour, NOW with Bill Moyers, Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, and many others. Designed with educators in mind, the site is also useful for those curious to better understand the Middle East and its relationship with the West.
BBC News: Israel & the Palestinians
The BBC provides plentiful helpful contextual and current information on the Middle East crisis. Offers Top Stories on Israel & the Palestinians, profiles of key players, BBC audio and video, maps, country profiles, stories of ordinary citizens, key documents, timelines, profiles, web links, and more.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Washington Post special report on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. Click on “One Land, Two Peoples” for an interactive guide to the Middle East conflict. Also features a multimedia guide to the walls and barriers Israel is building in the West Bank. In “Audio Perspectives,” you can ask an Israeli lawyer and a Palestinian spokesman about Hamas. There are also several editorials and commentary from the Washington Post.
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School: Middle East
A comprehensive collection of documents on the Middle East ranging from 1916-2003, arranged by date and search-able by period and keyword.
Middle East Web Gateway
Middle East Web Gateway is produced by a non-government organization in Israel and offers much in the way of news and views on the Middle East. Learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “in a nutshell” and read various articles and editorials on the Middle East. Consult the reference section for maps, timeline, and a history of the Middle East.
Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP)
Nonprofit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assisting in a peaceful solution that brings security for both peoples. Has documents, maps, charts, and much more.
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Guide to the Peace Process
Provides links to ongoing developments in the Middle East peace process as well as diagrams on the structure of the negotiations. See also the History of Israel section, especially the Israeli perspective on the history of Jerusalem.
Middle East Conflict – Palestinian View (Palestine Daily)
Provides news on the Middle East conflict from a Palestinian perspective.
Muslims
This recent PBS addition examines Islam through stories of diverse Muslims. The “Frequently Asked Questions” is like “Islam 101” as it concisely explains the basic principles of Islam, including the most widely accepted definition of “jihad.” This site provides an abundance of fascinating facts about Islamic history, basic beliefs, and various other topics through its portrayal and interviews of various Muslims.
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (PBS)
A great general site on Jewish history featuring an interactive timeline, primary sources, lesson plans, teacher sources, images, and more. Organized chronologically, each section features concise historical documents (with contextual information) as well as film clips from the PBS series.
Internet Islamic History Sourcebook
The Internet History Sourcebooks by Paul Halsall are wonderful collections of public-domain and copyright-permitted historical texts for educational use. The Modern History Sourcebook’s documents are well organized around several main categories including The Western Intrusion, Islamic Nationalism, and The Islamic World since 1945.
Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities and more
Global Connections: Lesson Plans
Global Connections: Middle East aggregates and contextualizes the rich resources available throughout public broadcasting, including material from Frontline, Online NewsHour, NOW with Bill Moyers, Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, and many others. Designed with educators in mind, the site is also useful for those curious to better understand the Middle East and its relationship with the West. Lesson plans include:
- Israeli-Palestinian Peace Summit – Students will develop persuasive arguments for a given position or point of view regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- A Meeting of World Leaders – Students will gain an understanding of some of the background, motivation, and philosophy that shape political strategies proposed by world leaders to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
- Stereotypes: More Than Meets the Eye – Students will think critically about images and media that portray the Middle East
- Coup to Revolution – U.S. Foreign Policy in Iran
- Middle East: Land, Resources, and Economics – Students will be able to describe major geographical features of the Middle East and explain how these features and other natural resources influence the economy of the area.
- Oil Crisis: What Would You Do? – Students will understand the multiple dimensions of the role of oil in the economies and politics of both the United States and the Middle East. Grades 9-12
Peace Signs: Exploring the ‘Roller Coaster Ride’ of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
In this New York Times lesson, students review their prior knowledge about the peace process in Israel and examine recent steps towards peace. They then research key figures, events and policies since Israel’s statehood in 1948 and determine how they impacted the peace process, illustrating their effects as if the process were a roller coaster. Finally, students reflect on how the proposed road map for peace might change the path of the roller coaster they created. (May 7, 2003)
Unmasking the Middle East: Examining the Political, Religious and Ethnic Relationships Among Middle Eastern Countries
In this New York Times lesson, students explore many of the countries in the Middle East, developing research-based posters and a “spider web” illustrating the relationships among the countries. They then write letters to fictional peers in Middle Eastern countries. (April 16, 2003)
Understanding History, Religion, and Politics in Jerusalem and Beyond
This lesson is based on the PBS program, Promises and is designed to help students understand the reasons for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and interpret a conflict from multiple perspectives.
Whose Peace? Analyzing Perspectives on the Israeli Palestinian Peace Process
In this New York Times lesson, students explore the perspectives of different groups of people involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (May 17, 2000)
The Fascinating World of Islam
Students will have the opportunity to learn about aspects of the world of Islam by using various research tools. They will then work with classmates in creating an ABC Book of Islam based on their research. Grades 6 -12.
Exploring Islamic Lands
In this high school lesson, students explore what it’s like to be a teenager living today in an Islamic country in the Middle East. They will begin by gaining background information about the religion and the region from which it sprang by using the PBS series ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH and other resources. Once students gain a historical understanding, they choose a particular modern day Middle Eastern country to explore in depth using resources such as the Library of Congress Web site and ePals. In the end, they will create a personal narrative of what it’s like to live in that country.
Islam in the United States 410
This website could be used to find resources and also fun activities on the subject of Islam. This site would be most useful to a teacher looking for activities, or to someone studying Islam who wants to find helpful information and use different kinds of media pertaining to Islam. The layout is a bit confusing, but this site includes ratings for links and descriptions to Islam-related sites.
Twenty-Five Most Frequently Asked Questions About Islam
By Dr. Athar, a physician, an Islamic writer and speaker. He is author of over 60 articles and 5 books on Islam.
Top Ten Misconceptions about Islam
Article by Huma Ahmad from Jannah.org, an informational website created by a nonprofit dedicated to teaching about Islam.
The Islamic Quiz
Six levels of quizzes created by IslamiCity, another nonprofit devoted to promoting peace and justice.
Brief Review in Global History and Geography: Document Based Essays and Practice Tests
PH@School’s Brief Review in Global History and Geography Web site provides multiple-choice questions from actual Regents exams. You can also practice your test-taking skills on document-based essay questions (DBQs), with the option of e-mailing answers directly to your teacher for review.