Teaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most complex challenges educators face. Many teachers worry not only about getting the history right, but also about navigating the perspectives, identities, and lived experiences students bring into the classroom. A 2024 RAND Foundation study found that about half of teachers are concerned that students or parents may feel discomfort when these topics are taught.
Avoiding the topic, however, leaves students without the tools to understand one of the most widely debated conflicts in the world today. The challenge is not whether to teach it, but how to approach it with accuracy, nuance, and strong classroom resources.
At ConnectED, our video and curriculum, The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, combines clear historical context with multiple perspectives, helping students explore both what happened and how it is understood differently across communities.
What Does the Video Cover?
The video provides a structured and classroom-ready overview of the conflict, from both the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, helping students understand both its historical roots and why it remains so contested today. Rather than simplifying the story, it equips students with the tools to engage with its complexity. Key topics include:
- Origins of the Conflict: The late Ottoman period, early Jewish migration, the rise of Zionism, and the emergence of Palestinian Arab identity, situating the conflict within broader regional and global developments.
- Competing National Movements: The video examines how Jewish and Arab communities developed distinct national movements, shaped by different historical experiences, cultural ties, and political realities
- Pivotal Moments (1917–1948): From the Balfour Declaration to the U.N. Partition Plan, students learn how international decisions and local reactions set the stage for conflict.
- 1948 and Its Lasting Impact: The war surrounding Israel’s founding is presented through dual narratives: Israel’s War of Independence and the Palestinian Nakba, highlighting both statehood and displacement while examining how these events continue to shape identity and memory.
- The Conflict Over Time: How the conflict evolved through major events like the Six-Day War, the Oslo Accords, and ongoing tensions in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Why Narratives Matter Today: The video emphasizes how historical memory, language, and lived experiences continue to shape how each side understands the conflict today.
Practical Tips & Strategies
- Building a Strong Historical Foundation – Help students understand that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not emerge overnight by grounding students in chronology before moving into analysis. As our video emphasizes, studying pivotal moments helps students see how history shapes national identity and collective memory. When students understand how key events connect over time, they are better equipped to engage thoughtfully with present-day issues.
- Multiple Perspectives – Present Israeli and Palestinian perspectives side by side so students can better understand how the same events can be experienced and interpreted differently. The History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict video models this by introducing the conflict through two core narratives, showing how each side understands its history, identity, and relationship to the land. This approach supports students in building historical empathy and engaging in more thoughtful, informed dialogue.
- Use Inquiry-Based Discussion – Use open-ended questions and activities to move students from learning what happened to analyzing why it matters. The ConnectED resource includes discussion prompts and activities that encourage students to analyze language, evaluate narratives, and grapple with competing interpretations. This inquiry-based approach helps students engage critically with a topic that resists simple answers.
A Sample from our Curriculum
Below are examples of discussion questions and activities designed to spark conversation, deepen analysis, and help students wrestle with complexity.
Discussion Questions Include:
- This war is known by many names: the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the War of Independence, the Nakba, War of Sovereignty, the War of Liberation, among others. Choose two and discuss how the choice of name shapes understanding of the conflict and its meaning for different communities.
- How do both Israelis and Palestinians see themselves as the “David” fighting “Goliath”? Can these narratives both be true?
- How did historical experiences, such as European antisemitism for Jews and European imperialism for Arabs, shape each community’s response to the U.N. partition plan?
Learning Activities Include:
- Dual Timelines: Ask students to create a timeline by hand or using Canva with 8-10 events in the Israeli-Palestinian story. On each side of the timeline, students should highlight each perspective with details from the video.
- Four Corners Debate: Students will address a fundamental tension in conflict resolution: Should peace prioritize addressing historical injustices or focus on pragmatic future solutions? Students will physically move to different corners of the room based on their position, discuss reasoning with others, hear arguments from all sides, and have the opportunity to change position based on what they learn.
