Creation of Israel
description
Transcript of Creation of Israel
Creation of Israel
Ancient Times
• Jerusalem as a holy city for Jews, Muslims, and Christians
• Jerusalem as the capital city of the Jewish people
• Roman Empire exiled Jewish people
• Jews lived throughout world, mostly in Europe
Ottoman Rule and British Mandate
• 1914-1919: As a result of WW1 Ottoman Empire collapsed
• 1917: “Balfour Declaration” letter from Foreign Secretary Balfour to Lord Rothschild, Jewish leader in Britain: “His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”
• 1919: League of Nations, gave “mandate” to Britain to govern Palestine
• 1939-1945: WW2 and Holocaust
– created Jewish immigration to Palestine
– increased world sympathy for the Jewish people
1948: Creation of Israel
• 1948: Britain left Israel, leaving control to a new country, Israel
• Immediate war between Israelis, Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq
• Israel survived; Armistice boundaries gave West Bank to Jordan, and Gaza Strip to Egypt.
• Geographically, borders of Israel difficult to defend
1956 War
• Egypt created many small border incursions and threatened to close the Suez Canal and access to Red Sea to Israel
• With French and UK support, Israel preemptively invaded Sinai Peninsula
• UN demanded Israel’s withdrawal; Israel returned Sinai after a few months
UN Soldiers patrolling Sinai in 1957
1967: Six-Day War
• 1964: Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) formed in exile
• Escalating tensions between Israel and Egypt led to Six Day War
• Israel immediately defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan
• Israel seized Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, and West Bank
• 500,000 Palestinians fled
1973 Yom Kippur War
• Egypt, Syria, and Jordan fought Israel to regain lost land
• Israel defended land after initial losses
• Saudi Arabia refused to sell oil to countries supporting Israel until 1974
• Throughout 1970s, Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel (e.g., 1972 Olympics)
• 1977: Egypt’s Anwar Sadat flew to Israel and spoke to parliament -- first Arab leader to recognize the state of Israel
1978: Camp David Accord
• 1978: Israel and Egypt signed Camp David accord under President Jimmy Carter
• Israel returned Sinai Peninsula, Egypt promised peace
• US promised huge aid to both Israel and Egypt
• Egypt and Israel at peace ever since
• Sadat was assassinated in 1981
Palestinian Guerrilla Uprising
• Camp David accord effectively ended international wars over Israel
• PLO in exile• Bombings in Israel;
guerrilla bases in southern Lebanon
• 1982: Israel invaded Lebanon to destroy bases
• 1987: Intifada uprising began in Gaza Strip and spread to West Bank
• 1990s; Israeli established “settlements” in land previously controlled by Palestinians
Creation of an Independent Palestine
• 1993: Oslo peace accord, brokered by Bill Clinton
• 1994: Creation of autonomous Palestinian lands inside Israel
• PLO’s Yasser Arafat allowed to return to Palestine, where he led the Palestinian National Authority
• Plans call for eventual creation of independent Palestine
• 2000s: Suicide bombings• 2003: Start of
construction of wall separating Israel from Palestinian land