| Question | Answer |
| Which empire controlled much of the ME from the 1300s until the early 1900s? | The Ottoman Empire
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Why was the Ottoman Empire broken into numerous smaller countries at the end of World War I? | The Ottoman Empire was on the losing side in the war and the winners decided to take control of some of the Ottoman land
| Who drew up the boundaries of the new countries created from the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I? | European politicans - British and French
| What led to inceased conflict in the ME shortly after World War I? | European politicians didn't take into account religious and ethnic groups when creating borders for countries in the ME
| Who was ignored by the European countries as they created new countries from the Ottoman Empire? | Religious and ethnic groups
| Why is the city of Jerusalem often a part of religious conflicts in the ME? | Jerusalem is considered a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
| Why is the land of Israel historically important to the Jewish people? | God promised the land to them in ancient times (Biblical times)
| What is Zionism? | The worldwide movement that believed that Jews deserved to return to Zion where they had lived in Biblical times
| What was the major goal for Zionists? | A self-ruling Jewish homeland
| What event increased international support for a modern state of Israel in 1948? | The Holocaust
| Describe the Holocaust | The murder of millions of European Jews during World War I
| How did the Holocaust lead to the creation of modern Israel? | Zionists believed the Holocaust survivors needed a place to gather and grieve
| What world organization created the new state of Israel in 1948 as a homeland for the Jews? | the United Nations
| How did Arabs living in Palestine in 1948 feel about the creation of the new state of Israel? | They rejected it as unfair to them
| Which 2 groups fought to stop the formation of the country of Israel by waging war in 1948? | The Palestinians and neighboring Arab nations
| When war broke out in Palestine, what countries joined with the Palestinian Arabs to try to stop the creation of the new state of Israel? | Neighboring Arab countries
| What happened to the land that the U.N. promised to the Palestinians after they were soundly defeated by the Jews in the 1948 War for Israeli Independence? | The Jews gained control of the land after defeating the Palestinians
| What was the outcome of the 1948 War between the new state of Israel and the Arabs living in and around Palestine? | Israel won the war and gained more land
| What is a "refugee"? | A person who has to leave their home as a result of war
| What has become of many of the Palestinians who became refugees in 1948? | Many still live in refugee camps
| What is the major cause for the conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians as well as neighboring Arab nations? | Religion; Israel - Jewish and Palestinians and Arabs - Islam
| What are two priorities of the U.S. in the ME today? | Protection of Israel and security of the world's oil trade
| Describe the relationship between Arabs and Israelis today? | These two groups disagree about the existence of Israel and the land it controls
| The presence of which natural resource in the ME requires the U.S. to spend large amounts of money to help maintain peace in the region? | Oil
| What was the military action called when the U.S. in 1990 planned to keep a dictator from taking over a large part of the world's oil supply in the ME? | Operation Desert Storm and/or Persian Gulf War
| Why did the U.N. try to stop Iraq from taking over Kuwait in 1990? | The U.N. has to intervene whenever any member nation has a conflict with another country
| Who are the "Taliban"? | A group of radical Muslims who use to control Afghanistan's government
| Why did the U.S. bomb and invade Afghanistan in 2001? | The U.S. believed the Afghanistan government was offering safety to al-Qaeda, the group responsible for 911
| Why did the U.S. go to war against Iraq in 2003? | The U.S. government saw Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat to peace and U.S. interests in the ME
| What does anti-Semitism mean? | Hatred of the Jews |
