Chapter 18 Section 4Conflicts in the Middle East

I. Israel Becomes a State1. The creation of Israel in a mostly Arab region becomes a hotspot

after WWII.2. Palestinians believe that the land give to the Jewish people

belongs to them.3. Jews stake their claim based on the Jewish kings who ruled the

land over 3000 years ago.4. Palestinians (both Muslim and Christian) counter with the Jews

being driven out by them in 130 A.D thus it is their land.5. During the 19th and 20th century Jews began returning to

Palestine, they were known as Zionist.

I. Israel Becomes a State1. After the end of WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Jews

became an increasing presence in Palestine.2. Britain tried to work a compromise called the Balfour Declaration which

would create a Jewish state but yet protecting Palestinian rights. However, it failed and stalled out until after WWII.

3. In 1947, a partition was granted by the UN giving Jews 55 percent of the area. On May 14th, 1948 the formation of Israel was created.

4. All of the Islamic states voted against it stating the UN did not have the to do this. Thus the beginning of the hostility in the Middle East.

UN votes to create Israel

II. Israel & Arab States in Conflict1. The day after Israel proclaimed itself a state, six

Islamic countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria) invaded.

2. This would be the first of many-Other years were 1956, 67’, and 73. Israel defended is land every time.

Israeli Air Force in 1948

A. The 1956 Suez Crisis1. This conflict arose for a geopolitical reasons2. Egypt was angry that the US and Britain were no longer going to

finance the Aswan Dam so Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser sent troops to take the canal and succeeded.

3. Britain was upset because they lost their control of the Suez Canal therefore they convinced France and Israel to re-take control which they accomplished

4. However, the US and the USSR forced them to give back control to Egypt thus putting an end to the conflict. One of the few times the US and USSR would be on the same side.

French Soldier

B. Arab-Israeli Wars Continue1. In 1967, the six day war followed. Israel went on the offensive when

Egypt moved their Soviet tanks and artillery off the Gulf of Aqaba which is Israel’s outlet to the Red Sea.

2. This preemptive strike allowed Israel to win the but also add Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank. Obtaining these holding would now give Israel a buffer zone for future attacks.

3. In 1973, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat planed a joint Arab attack on Yom Kippur (holiest Jewish holiday) and got some of the land back while inflicting heavy Jewish casualties.

4. Israel’s prime minister Golda Meir, launched a counterattack and regained most of the land lost before a truce was signed after several weeks of fighting.

Russian made Egyptian T-55 tank

C. The Palestine Liberation Organization1. Main reason for conflict is that the UN did grant Palestine a homeland

but must of it had been seized by Israel as a result of many wars that had occurred.

2. The voice for Palestinians was created called the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which was originally made up of teachers, lawyers, and laborers but eventually was taken over by guerilla fighters who believed violence was the only way to get their point across.

3. The leader was Yasir Arafat and he was able to get support from the Arab nations surrounding Israel giving the PLO the ability to aggressively fight Israel for independence.

Yasir Arafat in the Sunglasses

PLO Flag

III. Efforts at Peace1. In 1977, an unprecedented move was made by Egyptian President

Anwar Sadat who went to the Israeli Parliament and extended a peace offering but only if Israel would withdraw land acquired from the 1967 war and recognize the rights of Palestinians.

2. US President Carter was able to get Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to reach an agreement called the Camp David Accord which stated that Israel would return in Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and Egypt would recognize Israel as a Legitimate country. This would end 30 years of conflict.

3. Muslim extremist would assassinate Sadat but Hosni Mubarak (his replacement) would work to maintain peace with Israel.

SadatCarter

Begin

A. Israeli-Palestinian Tension Increase1. During the 1970’s & 80’s, the PLO’s armed struggle

intensified causing the Israel to invade Lebanon and getting involved in the ongoing civil war in Lebanon.

2. In 1987, civil disobedience called the intifada (uprising) erupted in the form of demonstrations, attacks on Israeli soldiers, & rock throwing by teenagers.

3. The world responded by putting pressure on Israel to seek negotiations of peace. Oct. of 1999, Israeli and Palestinian delegates met to discuss peace.

B. The Oslo Peace Accords 1. In 1993, Prime Minister Yetzhak Rabin agreed to grant Palestinians self-

rule in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. It was ratified on September 13, 1993 and become known as the Oslo Peace Accords.

2. As a result, Jewish extremists killed Rabin and Benjamin Netanyahu assumed power of Israel and even though he opposed the Accords, he made efforts to keep the agreement.

3. Netanyahu met with Arafat to work out a partial withdrawal from the West Bank.

Oslo Peace Accords Rabin’s Coffin

RabinArafat

Clinton

IV. Peace Slips Away1. All seemed to be going well with peace until an Israeli

political leader visited a Jewish holy place, in July of 2000, called the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

2. Unfortunately, this was one of the most holy places Muslims called The Dome of the Rock.

3. This visit outraged Palestinians who erupted into riots and a second intifada was launched.

The Dome of the Rock

Tensions Rise

A. The Conflict Intensifies 1. The second intifada created a new weapon- suicide bombers.2. In the first 17 months of the uprising, 1 Israeli died for every 3

Palestinians which was a rate must higher than ever before. Suicide bombings began to equal the killing field.

3. In response, the Israeli govt. sent troops, bulldozed building, and bombed Arafat’s headquarters trying to put an end to the uprising.

4. This was a bloody time period and the situation is still unresolved.

Aftermath of a suicide bomber

B. Working Toward a Solution1. In 2003, President George W. Bush was able to get Prime

Minister Mahmoud Abbas (PLO) and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel to begin working on a new peace plan called “road map”.

2. Both sides seemed committed to reaching some sort of agreement but nothing officially did and thus there are still divisive issues that still exist between both groups.

SharonBush

Abbas

Will this be possible?