How much do you really know about the Middle East?

The Middle East is one of the most contentious regions in the world. How many people truly understand the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? How many people in the world can separate fact from propaganda, truth from sheer lies? Take this quiz and scratch below the surface of what you think you know about this pivotal region...and let the surprises begin...

How much do you know about the Middle East, and specifically about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? What started it? Who is justified? Who has offered peace? Who has categorically rejected peace? Can the "facts" that you "know" about the Midde East be backed up with neutral and accurate historical documentation? Take this quiz and find out what you know...or don't know!

Created by: lg

1. What is your age?
Under 18 Years Old
18 to 24 Years Old
25 to 30 Years Old
31 to 40 Years Old
41 to 50 Years Old
51 to 60 Years Old
Over 60 Years Old
2. What is your gender?
Male
Female
3. How many countries in the M.E. have non-Muslims been murdered in or kicked out of, to the point of drastically reducing their representation of the population there?
4-5
6-9
10-15
16+
4. How many times has Israel officially offered a peace agreement with the palestinians?
0
4
1
3
5. How many times have the people who call themselves palestinians rejected a possible peace with israel?
one time
they have rejected every offer of peace throughout the last century
two times
palestinians never reject peace
6. where does the word "palestinian" come from?
it is an ancient arabic word meaning "freedom"
from the hebrew word "pleshtim" which referred to the Philistines who invaded and occupied Israel ca. 1180 BCE
from the British Empire who called the land Palestine
from the Ottoman Empire who called the land Filistina.
7. Who were the Philistines and where did they come from?
they were the first people to set foot in what is now modern-day Israel and have been there ever since.
ancient sea-peoples from the ancient city of Caphtor, which modern scholars now identify as near modern-day Crete and Cyrpus.
from Jerusalam
from Persia
8. When did Arabs arrive in the land that was referred to as Palestine?
636 AD
236 AD
around 700 BCE
Arabs have always been on that land.
9. What is the holiest city in Judaism?
Babylon
Nazareth
Mecca
Jerusalem
10. What is the holiest city in Islam?
Jerusalem
Nazareth
Mecca
Medina
11. How many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Koran (holy book for Islam)?
750
64
15
zero
12. How many times did Mohammad (the founder of Islam in 622 AD) go to Jerusalem in his lifetime?
four
one
two
zero
13. How many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Hebrew bible?
none
250 times
450 times
more than 450 times
14. What now stands at the holiest site in Judaism?
the sacred Jewish Temple
only the retaining wall from the Second Temple of the Jews (destroyed in 70 AD). On top of that, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque in 691 AD.
15. Likewise, how many Jewish or Christian structures stand in Mecca or Medina (the two holiest sites in Islam)?
one
two
three
none
16. According to Israeli law, who can visit Jerusalem?
anyone can.
you cannot visit Jerusalem unless you are Jewish
only Christians
only Muslims
17. According to Saudi Arabian law (where Mecca is located) who can enter the city of Mecca?
anyone can.
Christians and Muslims.
Jews and Muslims
you cannot set foot in Mecca unless you are Muslim.
18. Does the inaugural (Palestinian Liberation Organization) PLO Covenant of 1964 mention Jerusalem?
yes, it clearly states Jerusalem's importance.
no, only after the city fell back to Jewish control did the updated PLO Covenant of 1968 mention Jerusalem by name.
19. How many Muslim nations have non-Muslims in their government body?
0
1
2
3
20. How many of Israel's 120 Parliament members are non-Jewish Arabs?
4
7
11
13
21. Where was Yassir Arafat, beloved leader of the people who call themselves "palestinians" born?
Palestine (Israel), of course.
Gaza (under palestinian authority)
West Bank (under palestinian authority)
Egypt
22. Where does Yassir Arafat's widow live?
she splits her time in two homes among "her people" in Gaza and the West Bank
in Jersulem
in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
in a penthouse in Paris
23. How much money has been given through donations by Western and Muslim nation to the Palestinians, and how has the money been spent?
hundreds of thousands of dollars, on schools and peaceful endeavors
millions of dollars, on humanitarian developments to help others throughout the world
billions of dollars, and it's murky.
24. In August 2002, international donors forced Arafat to sign over his investments to the Palestine Investment Fund, which was audited by U.S. accountants and managed by Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official
just like any nation, it was spread between national expenses of education, healthcare, civil building, defense, and research and development
that every cent was being used to build the Palestinian State that palestinians claim they desperately want.
Arafat was guilty of skimming $2 million a month from the gasoline trade in the territories.
25. After Arafat was found to be guilty of squandering donations from the US, Japan, and European Union on cronies, extremist groups, and sending his wife (living in a Paris penthouse) a paycheck of $200,000 a month, what did he do?
he sincerely apologized and paid it all back
he showed how distributing the money to all these different groups was actualy beneficial to the Palestinians and the neighboring Israelis.
he ordered future audits to be kept secret.
26. TRUE or FALSE: Illegal Arab immigration to the British Mandate (occupied land) of Palestine was rampant in the first half of the twentieth century.
False
True
27. When the British divided Palestine up for the groups of people who lived in the land...how was it divided up?
50% to the Jews, 50% to the Muslims
80% was given to the Arab Muslims to form Trans-Jordan (which later became Jordan) and the remaining 20% was left to be split between the Jews and the Arabs.
40% went to the Jews, 60% was given to Arabs to become Trans-Jordan.
28. The only existing "legal" definition of who a "Palestinian Refugee" is comes from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), who defines it as "persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine [the Pal
2
5
10
they had to at least show a permanent residence and legal citizenship for the last five years to be considered.
29. Does the previous definition for refugees apply to Jews and other non-Muslims that have been exterminated, legislated, and kicked out of their home countries (like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Ottoman Empire) for centuries?
of course, the UN treats all human beings as equals
no, this was unique legislation developed just for people who call themselves palestinians.
30. What war created the "Palestinian Refugee Problem"?
WWI
WWII
the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
31. What started the Arab-Israeli War of 1948?
Israel attacked her neighbors
Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. Almost immediately, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq declared war on the nascent nation.

1. What is your age?

Under 18 Years Old

18 to 24 Years Old

25 to 30 Years Old

31 to 40 Years Old

41 to 50 Years Old

51 to 60 Years Old

Over 60 Years Old

2. What is your gender?

Male

Female

3. How many countries in the M.E. have non-Muslims been murdered in or kicked out of, to the point of drastically reducing their representation of the population there?

4-5

6-9

10-15

16+

4. How many times has Israel officially offered a peace agreement with the palestinians?

5. How many times have the people who call themselves palestinians rejected a possible peace with israel?

one time

they have rejected every offer of peace throughout the last century

two times

palestinians never reject peace

6. where does the word "palestinian" come from?

it is an ancient arabic word meaning "freedom"

from the hebrew word "pleshtim" which referred to the Philistines who invaded and occupied Israel ca. 1180 BCE

from the British Empire who called the land Palestine

from the Ottoman Empire who called the land Filistina.

7. Who were the Philistines and where did they come from?

they were the first people to set foot in what is now modern-day Israel and have been there ever since.

ancient sea-peoples from the ancient city of Caphtor, which modern scholars now identify as near modern-day Crete and Cyrpus.

from Jerusalam

from Persia

8. When did Arabs arrive in the land that was referred to as Palestine?

636 AD

236 AD

around 700 BCE

Arabs have always been on that land.

9. What is the holiest city in Judaism?

Babylon

Nazareth

Mecca

Jerusalem

10. What is the holiest city in Islam?

Jerusalem

Nazareth

Mecca

Medina

11. How many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Koran (holy book for Islam)?

750

zero

12. How many times did Mohammad (the founder of Islam in 622 AD) go to Jerusalem in his lifetime?

four

one

two

zero

13. How many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Hebrew bible?

none

250 times

450 times

more than 450 times

14. What now stands at the holiest site in Judaism?

the sacred Jewish Temple

only the retaining wall from the Second Temple of the Jews (destroyed in 70 AD). On top of that, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque in 691 AD.

15. Likewise, how many Jewish or Christian structures stand in Mecca or Medina (the two holiest sites in Islam)?

one

two

three

none

16. According to Israeli law, who can visit Jerusalem?

anyone can.

you cannot visit Jerusalem unless you are Jewish

only Christians

only Muslims

17. According to Saudi Arabian law (where Mecca is located) who can enter the city of Mecca?

anyone can.

Christians and Muslims.

Jews and Muslims

you cannot set foot in Mecca unless you are Muslim.

18. Does the inaugural (Palestinian Liberation Organization) PLO Covenant of 1964 mention Jerusalem?

yes, it clearly states Jerusalem's importance.

no, only after the city fell back to Jewish control did the updated PLO Covenant of 1968 mention Jerusalem by name.

19. How many Muslim nations have non-Muslims in their government body?

20. How many of Israel's 120 Parliament members are non-Jewish Arabs?

21. Where was Yassir Arafat, beloved leader of the people who call themselves "palestinians" born?

Palestine (Israel), of course.

Gaza (under palestinian authority)

West Bank (under palestinian authority)

Egypt

22. Where does Yassir Arafat's widow live?

she splits her time in two homes among "her people" in Gaza and the West Bank

in Jersulem

in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

in a penthouse in Paris

23. How much money has been given through donations by Western and Muslim nation to the Palestinians, and how has the money been spent?

hundreds of thousands of dollars, on schools and peaceful endeavors

millions of dollars, on humanitarian developments to help others throughout the world

billions of dollars, and it's murky.

24. In August 2002, international donors forced Arafat to sign over his investments to the Palestine Investment Fund, which was audited by U.S. accountants and managed by Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, a former International Monetary Fund official

just like any nation, it was spread between national expenses of education, healthcare, civil building, defense, and research and development

that every cent was being used to build the Palestinian State that palestinians claim they desperately want.

Arafat was guilty of skimming $2 million a month from the gasoline trade in the territories.

25. After Arafat was found to be guilty of squandering donations from the US, Japan, and European Union on cronies, extremist groups, and sending his wife (living in a Paris penthouse) a paycheck of $200,000 a month, what did he do?

he sincerely apologized and paid it all back

he showed how distributing the money to all these different groups was actualy beneficial to the Palestinians and the neighboring Israelis.

he ordered future audits to be kept secret.

26. TRUE or FALSE: Illegal Arab immigration to the British Mandate (occupied land) of Palestine was rampant in the first half of the twentieth century.

False

True

27. When the British divided Palestine up for the groups of people who lived in the land...how was it divided up?

50% to the Jews, 50% to the Muslims

80% was given to the Arab Muslims to form Trans-Jordan (which later became Jordan) and the remaining 20% was left to be split between the Jews and the Arabs.

40% went to the Jews, 60% was given to Arabs to become Trans-Jordan.

28. The only existing "legal" definition of who a "Palestinian Refugee" is comes from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), who defines it as "persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine [the Pal

they had to at least show a permanent residence and legal citizenship for the last five years to be considered.

29. Does the previous definition for refugees apply to Jews and other non-Muslims that have been exterminated, legislated, and kicked out of their home countries (like Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Ottoman Empire) for centuries?

of course, the UN treats all human beings as equals

no, this was unique legislation developed just for people who call themselves palestinians.

30. What war created the "Palestinian Refugee Problem"?

WWI

WWII

the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

31. What started the Arab-Israeli War of 1948?

Israel attacked her neighbors

Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. Almost immediately, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq declared war on the nascent nation.

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