Arab -Israeli conflict 1945-1979Crisis in the Middle East

Day oneRoots of the conflict 1900-1945

Geography

Modern day Israel and PalestineLocated on the Eastern side of the Mediterranean SeaApproximately 10,000 square miles

Origins of the Conflict

Jews claim land back to 2000 BCE (Canaan)For hundreds of years, the Israelites were invaded, exiled and conqueredJewish Diaspora: Romans disperse Jews and raze Jerusalem (70 CE)

Ottoman empire

Ottoman Empire takes over in 1517: Palestine is now part of the Ottoman (Muslim) Empire

The break-up of the Ottoman empireAt the turn of the 20th century most of the ME was still under Ottoman control but the empire was imploding.

Young Turk movementArab ConsciousnessImperialism

European powers wanted influence in the crumbling empire.

The Zionist Movement (1898)

Zionism: the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine: the ancient homeland of the Jews.The movement was founded by Theodore Herzl in the late 19th century.Because of Jewish persecution the Zionist movement was gaining popularity among JewsJewish settlers began to move to Palestine.

World War IOttoman Turkey joined the Central powers—UK and France began to plot the division of the Middle East.

Britain promises Palestinian Arabs an Arab state in exchange for their help in defeating the Ottoman Empire. At the same time Britain also issued The Balfour Declaration

Issued in 1917; declared that a there should be a Jewish national home in Palestine. Free Palestine

Desire to encourage Jewish businessmen in America to support Wilson’s call for war loans.

The Mandate System: An authorization granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to govern the former German or Turkish colonies, such as the British mandate in Palestine. (San Remo Conference)The Balfour Declaration was included in the

obligations for the governance of Palestine; thus binding Britain to Jewish interests.

The British Mandate in Palestine, 1922-1945

Continued Jewish immigration, British support for the Zionist position, rejection of Arab demands for independence were met with resentment and led to several bloody clashes which created bitterness on all sides.

Source analysis 1922-1945Peel Report 1937: Chapter X. - Conclusion: Considering the attitude which both the Arab and the Jewish representatives adopted in giving evidence, the Commission think it improbable that either party will be satisfied at first sight with the proposals submitted for the adjustment of their rival claims. For Partition means that neither will get all it wants. It means that the Arabs must acquiesce in the exclusion from their sovereignty of a piece of territory, long occupied and once ruled by them. It means that the Jews must be content with less than the Land of Israel they once ruled and have hoped to rule again. But it seems possible that on reflection both parties will come to realize that the drawbacks of Partition are outweighed by its advantages. For, if it offers neither party all it wants, it offers each what it wants most, namely freedom and security.To both Arabs and Jews Partition offers a prospect--and there is none in any other policy--of obtaining the inestimable boon of peace. It is surely worth some sacrifice on both sides if the quarrel which the Mandate started could he ended with its termination.

British White Paper- 1939The Royal Commission and previous commissions of Enquiry have drawn attention to the ambiguity of certain expressions in the Mandate, such as the expression `a national home for the Jewish people', and they have found in this ambiguity and the resulting uncertainty as to the objectives of policy a fundamental cause of unrest and hostility between Arabs and Jews. His Majesty's Government are convinced that in the interests of the peace and well being of the whole people of Palestine a clear definition of policy and objectives is essential.

1. The objective of His Majesty's Government is the establishment within 10 years of an independent Palestine State in such treaty relations with the United Kingdom as will provide satisfactorily for the commercial and strategic requirements of both countries in the future2. Jewish immigration during the next five years will be at a rate which, if economic absorptive capacity permits, will bring the Jewish population up to approximately one third of the total population of the country…of some 75,000 immigrants over the next five years.

After the period of five years, no further Jewish immigration will be permitted unless the Arabs of Palestine are prepared to acquiesce in it.

The impact of WWII on the British The impact of WWII on the British Mandate in Palestine.Mandate in Palestine.

6,000,000 Jews were killed as a direct result of the HolocaustHundreds of thousands more were left homeless after World War IIMany countries would not allow displaced Jews to live in their countriesUK was looking for an honorable way out of the situation in Palestine.

Day 2: 1945-1948The last years of the British Mandate, UNSCOP and Partition.

Key Terms:1. Haganah: An underground Jewish group created in 1920,

Haganah became a countrywide organization that involved young adults.

2. Irgun: An extreme Jewish organization founded in 1931 after a split within Haganah. They were more militant and advocated armed insurrection against the British and Arabs.

3. Lehi: Radical armed Zionist group dedicated to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. Lehi was responsible for the assassination of the UK’s top official in Palestine.

4. United Resistance: In 1945 these three underground groups joined together with the aim of creating an independent homeland ASAP.

5. UN SCOP: United Nations special Committee on Palestine.

Britain and the post-war MEFollowing WWII UK had significant holdings in the ME but faced financial difficulties.

In Palestine the UK had to figure out what to do with the mandate. Key issues:

Growing US interest in Palestine Cold War: Soviet interests in Palestine. Actions of Arabs and Jews during the war = increased violence. Pro-Jewish support following the Holocaust Displaced Persons

Developments in Palestine 1945-46Arabs and Jews were unhappy to see the return of the British post WWII.

Arabs suffered from a lack of political structure and leadership and were in a poor position to represent their own interests.Jewish Agency—Jews were in a better political position. The agency led by David Ben Gurion continued to represent Jewish interests to the British.

Zionist Underground activity had begun to increase.

Diplomacy and the role of the United States

Committee of Enquiry was set up in November 1945 to resolve the Arab-Israeli situation.

Final recommendation= partition was rejected as unworkable and not in the best interest of the population.

Meanwhile, President Truman supported the Zionists and supported increased Jewish immigration into Palestine—this angered the British government.

King David Hotel

Hotel was the headquarters of the British Mandate government and military command center.

King David Hotel bombing 7/22/46The Causes:

After WWII the British decided to enforce tough measures to regain their authority—they were frustrated with the actions of sabotage and violence carried out by the underground resistance groups. The British launched a campaign to search for weapons and imprisoned Zionists.

The bombing: The King David Hotel bombing was an attack carried out by the militant Zionist group Irgun.

Telephoned warnings were sent to the switchboard by the hotel's main lobby, the Palestine Post newspaper, and the French consulate.

No evacuation was carried out. 91 people were killed and 46 were injured.

• Controversy has arisen over the timing and adequacy of these warnings and the reasons why the hotel was not evacuated.

The effects:Jewish Agency condemned the attackWorsened relations between the British and Palestinian JewsBritain desired to turn over the mandate to the UN.

Towards PartitionUNSCOP is established in May of 1947.

11 man committee toured Palestine.1. Palestinian Arabs refused to cooperate fully—believed the committee was

weighted against them.2. Jewish groups offered full cooperation and promoted their interests.

Event that influenced their decision Exodus

• A ship that carried Jewish emigrants, that left France on July 11, 1947, with the intent of taking its passengers to Palestine.

• Most of the emigrants were Holocaust survivor refugees, who had no legal immigration certificates to Palestine.

• Following wide media coverage, the British Navy seized the ship, and deported all its passengers back to Europe.

• Realizing that they were not bound for Cyprus, the emigrants conducted a 24-hour hunger strike, refusing to cooperate with the British authorities.

• But the British government had no intention of backing down or relaxing its policy. Were sent to Germany.

• During this time, media coverage of the human ordeal intensified and the British became pressed to find a solution.

• The matter came to the attention of UNSCOP and helped influence their final decision.

The Exodus

UNSCOP Report, August 1947End to the mandatePartition plan

Co-operate in an economic Union and share currency.Jerusalem would be governed under an international trusteeshipJewish state would be larger than the Arab state.

The UN vote for Partition, November 1947

2/3 vote was neededGA vote

33 supported13 against—ALL Islamic countries voted against the Partition.10 abstained

Final plan approved by the UN3 “cantons” each, connected at points

Day three: From partition to war 11/47-5/48

Key Terms:Fatah—a radical Palestinian organization founded in the 1950’s, including Yasser Arafat, to liberate Palestine.Arab League—Organization started in 1945 to promote Arab affairs and cooperation.

Partition of the Land

PartitionThe UN decision was met by outrage in the Arab world.

The Arabs had no clear political strategy to pursue—they were suspicious of each other and some Arab leaders had their own self interest in mind.The Arab League proclaimed jihad against the Jews which gave the League a bad reputation in much of the world.

The Jewish movement had superior leadership and organization. They also had experienced soldiers many who had fought during WWII.

Plan D Gain control of vital areas of the Hebrew State and defend its borders

from attack.

Deir YassinDeir Yassin

A month before the declaration of the state of Israel an number of Arabs were killed by Jewish paramilitaries in the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem—100-254 were killed.The event encouraged Arab states to unite and intervene in 1948, against the creation of the state of Israel.

Israel is Born!Israel is Born!May 14, 1948 in Tel Aviv, the state of Israel was declared.

President—Chaim WeizmannPM—David Ben GurionOn the same day, Arab forces from neighboring forces invaded.

The Arab-Israeli War (1948)The Arab-Israeli War (1948)On May 15, 1948, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria invaded the newly formed Israel—combined population equals 40 million (Jewish state 750,000).

Arab countries committed less than 30,000 men while the Jews had over 65,000 in the field.The Arabs were not prepared for conflict and often pursued their own political and territorial objectives.Israel was able to import heavy weaponry.

1948 Arab Israeli War

Armistice With support from the United States, Israel was able to not only defeat the Arabs, but expand their territory.Negotiations began in January 1949 on the Greek Island of Rhodes and an agreement was signed in February.

Israel after the Israel after the 1948 War1948 War

Israel occupied Israel occupied 20% more than 20% more than

she had been she had been promised in the promised in the Partition planPartition plan

Consequences of the war1948 Exodus

750,000 Palestinian Arabs were expelled or fled. Most have still not been able to return and are scattered in

neighboring countries.

Military defeat split the Arab LeagueJordan gained territoryGreat Britain lost all influence in the region

Replaced by the US

Day four:Demographic shifts: The Palestinian Diaspora, Jewish immigration and the economic development of the Israeli state

Key terms:Diaspora—dispersion, scattering or forced exile.Intifada—Arabic for “uprising”. Name given to the period of Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation from 1987.

The origins of the Palestinian Diaspora, 1947

Palestinians claim that the Israelis followed a conscious policy of expulsion that started under the British Mandate

The role of the UN in the refugee crisis

Majority of Palestinians fled to neighboring countries.UN passed a resolution calling for a return of Palestinians to their homes and compensation if they choose not to return. Israel would still have control of the land they gained in the 1948 war.Plan was rejected by the Arab states.

UN role continued:UN relief and Works agency (UNRWA) helped set up camps in neighboring countries.Irrigation projects, healthcare and schools were also established.Approximately 35% of Palestinian refugees are still under UN control—the remainder have become part of the population of other Arab countries.

Modern Problems in the Camps

Jewish immigration (Aliyah)Israel passed laws forbidding the return of Palestinian refugees to claim land and property—many new Israeli settlements were built in the West Bank.Law of return (1950)

Right of every Jew to settle in IsraelCitizenship Law (1952)

Immediate citizenship to immigrants. Ashkenazim—Jews from France, Germany and Eastern Europe. Sephardim—Jews from Spain and Portugal Oriental—Jews from Iran, Iraq and Morocco.

Economic developmentWithin 30 years Israel became an industrial economic power in the region.Initially, Israel had to import raw materials and relied on outside help via loans in order to advance transport, aid agriculture and build the basic infrastructure in order to sustain the new nation.

Introduction to Day 5: The Suez Canal Crisis

The Crisis BeginsPart 2

Day 5The Suez crisis of 1956

The Egyptian Revolution and the emergence of Nasser

Egyptian army officers (Free Officers Movement) during the War of Independence of Israel plotted to over through the monarch of Egypt because he was corrupt and incompetent. The Egyptian Revolution eventually resulted in Gamal Abdul Nasser as prime minister and president.

Land redistribution programAswan Dam project

Control flooding of the Nile Loans were initially scheduled to come from the US and UK through

the World Bank

Relations deteriorateNasser started to look for more sophisticated weaponry.

Chinese and Russians were willing to sell armsRussians offered to lend money for the dam.

Nasser aids Algerians against France.Nasser supported the dismissal of Jordan's pro-British head of Army.Egypt’s diplomatic recognition of Communist ChinaIn retaliation the US, UK and France refuse to loan money for Aswan Dam.

Crisis to warArab-Israeli conflict becomes intertwined with the Cold War.Nasser nationalizes Suez canal.

Cut off UK sea links

Tripartite talks—US, UK and France announced that that the Suez canal was to be an international waterway whose board would report to the UN.

Egypt rejected

Operation MuskateerSecretly military preparations were started by the UK and France.

The plan included an Israeli invasion of Egypt.UK and France would intervene, occupy the canal zone and remove Nasser.

October –November 1956War lasted one weekWar worsened Arab Israeli relations.1. Israel quickly captured most of Sinai and Gaza2. Anglo-France ultimatum to both sides to withdraw.3. Egypt rejected and appealed to the UN.British and France aircraft attack Egyptian airfields.America orders a ceasefireResultshandout

1956 Suez Crisis1956 Suez Crisis Israel withdrew fully within a year, and the original border was restored

The Suez Crisis part 3The Suez Crisis part 4

The Crisis Video

Day 6The development of Arabism and the emergence of the PLO

Arabism before 1948Identified with Arab nationalism and an awakening of consciousness among intellectuals in the Arab world.

Self-determinationIndependenceArab culturePolitically

Pan-Arab ideology that has not been very successful at uniting the Arabs in a a union of nation states.

• Arab League (1945) currently has 22 members

Continued…Began during WWI and continued after the defeat of the Ottoman empire.The mandate system frustrated the Arabs and resulted in the more radical development of Arabism in the 1930’s.

Ba’athism Founded by Michel Aflaq and attempted to combine

socialism with the vision of a pan-Arab nation.

Nasser and Arab SocialismThe Arab-Israeli war helped create a more radical strain of nationalism and Arabs found a common focal point of hatred towards Israel.In the 1950’s the Arab Nationalist movement became hostile towards the West and Israel while promoting a type of socialism that promoted social progress and the celebration of a shared history language and culture. The movement had difficulty unifying politically however found some success from Nasser in Egypt.

Nasser became the leader of the pan-Arab ideological movement which tried to unite the Arab cause and reached its height in the years after the Suez crisis of 1956.Nasser saw the potential of a united Arab world.

Nasser and Arab Socialism continued…

1958-1961—Egypt and Syria merge to become the United Arab Republic.After the Arab defeat in the war of 1967, support for Pan-Arabism declined, and Nasser simply focused on recovering lost territory.

The formation of the PLOIslamic fundamentalism offered an alternative path to Arabism.In frustration with the lack of progress made for the poor and Arab unity, some sought representation and action through the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

PLOA minority of Palestinians came to believe that the liberation of their homeland had to happen in order for Arab unity to become a reality.

1954-they took the name Fatah and were led by Yasser Arafat, Khali al-Wazir, and Salah Khalaf out of Damascus.

Used Guerilla warfare which would attract others to their cause and encouraged armed conflict as a means to recover Palestine

1964—at the Arab summit in Cairo the PLO was officially established and formed and umbrella under which other resistance groups would operate (first leader Ahmad Shuqeiri)1969—Yasser Arafat becomes the leader of the PLO.

Palestinian Activism, 1967-1969Group presentations

Karemeh, March 1968Black September, 1970Munich 1972Palestinian recognition of the UN, 1974The Entebbe raid, July 1976

1. Explain the causes of the event2. Explain the actual event3. What were the effects of the event4. How did the event tie into the larger Arab-Israeli crisis5. Visual—can include media coverage of the actual event.

Day 7: Six Day war and Yom Kippur war

After the 1956 war, Egypt agreed to the stationing of a UN peacekeeping force in the Sinai in order to keep that border region demilitarized.Nasser also agreed to reopen the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. As a result, the border between Egypt and Israel remained quiet for a while

Causes of the six day war 1967The creation of the PLOApril 1967 Israel shot down a Syrian MIG jet resulting in the unification of Arab states.In the spring of 1967, the USSR fed the Syrian government false information that Israel was planning to invade Syria. In response, Nasser closed the Straits to Israeli ships and demanded UN withdraw from Sinai—the buffer was removed.

The Six-Day War (1967)The Six-Day War (1967)Egypt and other Arab states, began a new plan to invade IsraelAfter it became clear that the attack was imminent, Israel attacked first.

During the first 24 hours Israeli jets destroyed the air forces of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria which ensured themselves victory in the war.

The resulting six day war ended with an overwhelming Israeli victory.Israel re-took the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and all of Jerusalem—tripled in size. UN sponsored cease-fire ended the conflict.

Effects of the war15,000 Arabs died and Nasser resigned.Decline in pan-arabism and growth in fundamentalist Palestinian and Islamic nationalism.More Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the region.

Effects of the Six Day War

Gains Jerusalem, Golan Heights, Gaza, and Sinai Peninsula (ensures access to Red Sea)

Developments between the wars: 1967-1973

Initially Israel declared herself ready to hand back territories in return for a guarantee of full and lasting peace and recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Events led to a change in policy.

1967-1970 War of attrition between Egypt and Israel. Palestinian activismAnwar Sadat takes control in Egypt.

Seeks détente with the USA Goes to war against Israel.

The Yom Kippur War (1973)The Yom Kippur War (1973)Egypt and Syria lead a surprise attack on Israel during the holy day of Yom Kippur in 1973At first, Israel has heavy losses, but the United States sent more than 2 Billion dollars in military aid, and Israel bounces backAfter several weeks, a truce was signed, but no official treaty; Israel actually gained more land as a result of the war

Consequences of the warIsrael claimed victory on the battlefield but realized they could be beaten.Politically, Sadat emerged as a world figure and hero to the Arabs.UN passed resolution 338 which called for a ceasefire.

Peace?Peace?No Arab countries recognized Israel as an independent state until Egypt (president Anwar Sadat) approached Israel with a proposal in 1977He would officially recognize Israel in exchange for the Sinai Peninsula being returned to Egypt

The Camp David Accords

US president Carter invited the two leaders (Sadat and Menachem Begin) to Camp David in Maryland.The Camp David accords were signed in September 1978.

As a result, Israel and Egypt became the two largest recipients of US military aid

End of IB unitBlood and Tears documentary.

Why no Palestine?Why no Palestine?The intifadas of 1987 and 2000!

Palestinians practice civil disobedience against Israel; boycotts, riots, attacks on Israeli soldiersNot successful (not much change), but it did bring attention to the situation from the rest of the worldLed to the Oslo accords

Peace?Peace?1993 – Oslo peace accords: Israel & PLO agree on a plan for autonomy in West Bank and Gaza for the Palestinians1994 – Gaza and Jericho given to Palestinian Authority (government for Palestinians)But no peace?

What Next?What Next?Arafat, leader of the Palestine Authority, denounces the violence, but says he cannot control it—he dies.Jan 9, 2005 Mahmoud Abbas elected President of the Palestinian National Authority.

Can there ever be peace?Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas were working towards peace but Sharon suffered a stroke and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, swept Palestinian elections.

Ariel view of security barrier