To better understand the different viewpoints regarding Israel, your group is to assume the role of Brits. Your task is to research the viewpoints of the British, and find out how they felt about Israel during the time of the formation of the Israeli state. You will then synthesize this information and create a diary from the British point of view. The diary will be completed using PageMaker and include related graphics.

Suggested Research Questions:

• How did Brits feel about the geographical area occupied by Israel?
• What role does religion play in the situation in Israel?
• What were the British attitudes about Israel?
• What justification did your group have for their attitudes and the actions they took?
• Could Israel have been located somewhere else?
• How are the Israeli and Arab economies linked?
• Did the Arabs use the land differently than Jews, and if so, how?

Meet as a group to determine the major areas of your research and to decide who will research which area. Divide your group into thirds. Send one-third of your group to each of resource stations (books/magazines, CD-Roms, Internet). You are to take written notes and jot down any visuals that may be used later in your presentation. You need to obtain information that will help you to understand how your group of people felt about Israel. Graphics, pictures, maps, charts and related items should also be collected to support the diary entries.

After the initial research has been conducted, students will assume the roles of their researched people who were alive during this time period. For each role, you will write down diary entries that accurately describe events of the time period and attitudes toward those events. You are, in essence, to "walk a mile in that person’s shoes." Synthesize your notes and write a rough draft of your diary entries.