Lecture 18 3/8/2011

In this lecture, the scope of what we learned shifted more towards the current era, and we began to talk about such topics as World War I and other more recent events. This period in Jerusalem's history was dominated by British Mandate, which went from the end of WWI until the end of WWII. We also learned about the idea of secular zionism, which surprised me. Although it was developed in the 19th century, it did not become prominent in Jerusalem until the 20th century and took off as a way of life. With the increased interest in secular zionism also came an increased sense of antisemitism and other hateful behavior from those who wanted the Jews to be out of Jerusalem. This also marks a significant period in the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians, as antisemitism led to tons of hateful feelings for both sides, from both sides.
The Peel plan was also suggested during this era, just prior to world war 2. This agreement was accepted by the zionists, but the Arabs immediately denied it, and believed that they were getting an unfair deal. War broke out in 1947 and a civil war began between the two sides. This period was a time of unrest and chaos in Jerusalem and all of Israel, as there was constant fighting coming from both sides of the war in various ways. King Abdullah I was then assassinated in front of the Al Aqsa mosque in 1951. The Israelis would eventually win the first war, which led to the first Intifada—a Palestinian uprising.