LEBANONOutcome Links: SOSE/ HSIE/ History: Social Systems & Structures25/07/06
Subject: International conflict

Teaching Information

Students will learn to identify and analyse events leading up to the recent conflict in Lebanon.

Discussion:

1.  Which countries border Lebanon?

2.  Which sea forms the western border of Lebanon? How does this affect the climate of Lebanon?

3. What have been some consequences for Palestinian people who were living in the Middle East when the State of Israel was created in 1948?

4. Who is Hezbollah and how did they start the recent conflict?

5.  Hezbollah has a history of taking hostages. What does this mean?

6.  What does the word ‘retaliation’ mean? How has Israel retaliated?

7.  The U.S Government says Israel has the right to defend itself and retaliate. What do you think?

8.  Up to 10 000 Australian citizens have registered to leave Lebanon.  Who is helping them to return to Australia?

9.  Lebanon has recently been a popular tourist destination. What types of jobs are created by the tourism industry in Lebanon?

10.  Predict how the recent events in Lebanon will affect tourism and other industries in this country.

Secondary Focus

What have been some positive, negative and interesting consequences of the creation of the State of Israel in 1948?

The U.S has not intervened yet, saying Israel has the right to defend itself from acts of war. Discuss and predict what might happen in the coming weeks once international citizens have left Lebanon.
 

Procedure

Provide the accompanying timeline and background notes for your students to support their historical understanding of the Middle East. Discuss this issue in the classroom in a safe supportive environment. Provide them with accurate and unbiased information; use maps to help students locate Lebanon in relation to Australia and to alleviate any fears they may have about the violence spreading. Reassure them that there are people working in Lebanon to help Australian citizens return home.

Recall the main points of the BTN stories about the Middle East. Encourage students to add new facts to the timeline as they are reported in the media.

In groups or as a whole class, write down on separate cards/notes some ideas about the events in Lebanon and Israel. Place the cards on a large display board or the floor and group them into connecting ideas. Use the written notes to create a mind map showing what is happening and is predict what is likely to happen in the future. Your students will also benefit from exploring the concepts of retaliation and negotiation in a classroom setting.

Additional ideas for helping students deal with war and conflict in the media are in the BTN Teachers Section.

Other task ideas for students to choose from: Remember Make a sketch map or a time line showing some key events that have led to the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Understand In a short talk discuss what happened when Hezbollah killed eight and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. Describe how Israel reacted. Create a mind map to show how this has and will affect the tourist industry in Lebanon, which is an important source of income for many citizens. Apply Write an article about the conflict in Lebanon from the point of view of a person living in either Israel or Lebanon. Read your article to a friend and justify your point of view. Analyse Find a newspaper article or watch another media report about the crisis in Lebanon. Compare and contrast the way in which the issues are presented. Evaluate Imagine you are John Howard, the PM of Australia. Draft an email to a colleague explaining what you think world leaders should do in response to the violence. Create Write a poem or email that expresses your view or hopes about the current situation in Lebanon and Israel.

HEZBOLLAH
Hezbollah (the Party of God) is a Lebanese Islamist group. The party won a seat in the Lebanese Parliament in 2005 and it largely represents the Shia community. It is a powerful military force in Lebanon, arguing that Israel has no right to exist.

Hezbollah (the Party of God) is a Lebanese Islamist group. The party won a seat in the Lebanese Parliament in 2005 and it largely represents the Shia community. It is a powerful military force in Lebanon, arguing that Israel has no right to exist.

When was it created?
It began in 1982 to remove the Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

Who funds it?
It’s reported that Hezbollah gets financial and political help, as well as weapons and training, from Iran and Syria.

A bit of history…

In the 1970s and 1980s there was a civil war in Lebanon. Israel invaded south Lebanon to stop Palestinian attacks on its northern border. In 1982 Hezbollah formed to get rid of the Israeli troops in Lebanon. Despite UN resolutions for Israel to leave Lebanon, the troops did not depart until 2000. In 2004 the UN called for Hezbollah to disarm their militia and for Syria to remove foreign forces from Lebanon. Once the Israeli and Syrian troops left Lebanon Hezbollah continued to see itself as a resistance force for the Middle East. It runs an influential television station, called al-Manar and has gained support for providing health care and social services in Lebanon.

What does it want?

Hezbollah aims to strengthen its position in Lebanese politics and to destroy the State of Israel. It also wants to put a stop to the pressure to give up its weapons.

HAMAS

Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organisation. Some consider it to be an independence movement. It is banned in Jordan and listed as a terrorist organisation by Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Israel and the United States.
When was it created?
Created in 1987 under the spiritual leadership of Shaikh Ahmed Yasin, Hamas was the Gaza Strip branch of the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement, which formed in Egypt.

Who funds it?
According to the U.S State Department, Hamas is funded by Iran, Palestinian expatriates and some private citizens in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

What does it want?s
 It aims to destroy the State of Israel and to replace it with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now called Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Hamas uses both political activities and violence to pursue its goal.  It is commonly known for its suicide bombings and other attacks against Israeli citizens, military and security force targets. The military wing was formed in 1992. Hamas has received public support by providing funds to schools and welfare programs.

In Feb 2006, in an interview for a Russian newspaper a spokesperson for Hamas said it would stop armed struggle against Israel if it recognized the 1967 borders, withdrew itself from all Palestinian occupied territories (including the West Bank and East Jerusalem) and agree to Palestinian rights which would include the "right of return". This was the first time that Hamas talked about a possible end to its armed struggle.
 

Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)
When was it created?             
Created in 1964, by the Arab League, the PLO is a political and paramilitary organization regarded by Arab nations as the true representative of the Palestinian people.
What does it want?
When it began the PLO wanted to destroy the State of Israel through armed conflict and to replace Israel with an independent Palestinian state between the Jordon River and the Mediterranean Sea. In 1988 it changed its aim to seeking a two-state solution, with Palestinians and Israelis living side by side. It wanted Palestinian people to be allowed to return to their own land and to participate in governing themselves. In 1994 the Palestinian Authority was created to govern most of Gaza Strip and parts of West Bank.
A bit of history
The PLO fought against Israel and then the Syrian-supported militia during the Lebanese Civil War. Between 1985 - 1988 thousands of Palestinians were killed and died of starvation in refugee camps in Lebanon.
Commonly asked questions
What started the fighting?
Israel launched attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killing eight others in a cross-border raid. 
What does Israel want now?
Israel wants their captured soldiers to be released and to weaken and disarm Hezbollah.

Maj Gen Giora Eiland, former director of Israel's National Security Council says, "it gives us the possibility of succeeding at something we tried to achieve and failed, both in 1982 and 2000".

SOURCES AND USEFUL REFERENCES Middle East Crisis: Explained to students

Country Profile http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/lebanon.htm

Timeline of Lebanon

BBC. Middle East Crisis in Depth

Israel and the Palestinians

Wikipedia
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

ABC News

http://www.abc.net.au/