ArabIsraeli conflictFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia"Arab-Israeli War" redirects here. For other uses, seeArabIsraeli War (disambiguation).ArabIsraeli conflict

DateMay 1948presentMain phase: 19481973

LocationMiddle East

ResultOngoing EgyptIsrael Peace Treaty Oslo Accords IsraelJordan peace treaty UNSC 1701

TerritorialchangesIsraeli occupation of theSinai Peninsula(195657; 19671982),West Bank(1967present),Gaza Strip(19672005),Golan Heights(1967present) andSouth Lebanon(19822000)

Belligerents

IsraelPalestinians: AHW(19471949) Fedayeen(19491964) PLO(19642005) Gaza Strip(2005)Jordan(19481994)Egypt(19481978)Iraq(1948)Syria(1948)Lebanon(1948) Hezbollah(1982)

Suez Crisis:(1956) United Kingdom FranceSouth Lebanon Conflict: SLA(19782000)War of Attrition:(196770) Soviet Union

Supported by:[show]Supported by:[show]

Commanders and leaders

David Ben-Gurion Chaim Weizmann Yigael Yadin Yaakov Dori David Shaltiel Yitzhak Rabin Ariel Sharon Ehud Barak Isser Be'eri Moshe Dayan Yisrael Galili Yigal Allon Shimon Avidan Yitzhak Pundak Yisrael Amir John Bagot Glubb Habis al-Majali Abd al-Q. al-Husayni Hasan Salama Fawzi Al-Qawuqji Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi Haj Amin Al-Husseini King Farouk I Ahmad Ali al-Mwawi Muhammad Naguib Saad El Shazly

Casualties and losses

22,570 military deaths[5]1,723 civilian deaths[6]90,785 total Arab deaths[7]

Both sides:74,000 military deaths18,000 civilian deaths(19451995)[8]

TheArabIsraeli conflict(Arabic: Al-Sira'a Al'Arabi A'Israili;Hebrew: -Ha'Sikhsukh Ha'Yisraeli-Aravi) refers to the political tension and military conflicts between certainArab countriesandIsrael. The roots of the modern ArabIsraeli conflict are bound in the rise ofZionismandArab nationalismtowards the end of the 19th century. Territory regarded by theJewish peopleas theirhistorical homelandis also regarded by thePan-Arabmovement as historically and presently belonging to thePalestinian Arabs,[9]and in thePan-Islamiccontext, asMuslim lands. Thesectarian conflictbetween Palestinian Jews and Arabs emerged in the early 20th century, peaking into a full-scalecivil warin 1947 and transforming into theFirst Arab-Israeli Warin May 1948. This followed theDeclaration of the Establishment of the State of IsraelbyDavid Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of theWorld Zionist Organization, who declared the establishment of a Jewish state inEretz-Israelto be known as theState of Israel.[10]The conflict has shifted over the years from the large scale regional ArabIsraeli conflict to a more localIsraeliPalestinian conflict, as large-scale hostilities mostly ended with the cease-fire agreements, following the1973 Yom Kippur War. Subsequently, peace agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979, and Israel and Jordan in 1994. The interimOslo Accordsled to the creation of thePalestinian National Authorityin 1994, though a final peace agreement has yet to be reached. A cease-fire currently stands between Israel and Syria, as well as more recently with Lebanon (since 2006). The conflict between Israel andHamas-ruledGaza, which resulted in the 2009 cease fire (although fighting has continued since then) is usually also included as part of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and hence the ArabIsraeli conflict. Despite the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan and the generally existing cease fire, the Arab world and Israel generally remain at odds with each other over specific territory, besides other issues.Contents[hide] 1Background 1.1Religious aspects of the conflict 1.2National movements 1.3Sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine 1.3.1First mandate years and the Franco-Syrian war 1.3.21929 events 1.3.31930s and 1940s 1.4Civil War in Mandatory Palestine 2History 2.11948 ArabIsraeli War 2.2194967 2.3196773 2.419742000 2.4.1Egypt 2.4.2Jordan 2.4.3Iraq 2.4.4Lebanon 2.4.5Palestinians 2.5200009 2.62010present 3Notable wars and violent events 4Cost of conflict 5See also 6References 7Further reading 8External links 8.1Government and official sources 8.2Regional media 8.3Think tanks and strategic analysis 8.4Peace proposals 8.5Maps 8.6General sourcesBackgroundReligious aspects of the conflictSome groups opposed to the peace process invoke religious arguments for their uncompromising positions.[11]The contemporary history of the ArabIsraeli conflict is very much affected by the religious beliefs of the various sides and their views of the idea of thechosen peoplein their policies with regard to the "Promised Land" and the "Chosen City" ofJerusalem.[12]The Land ofCanaanorEretz Yisrael(Land of Israel) was, according to the Hebrew Bible,promisedby God to theChildren of Israel. This is also mentioned in the Qur'an. In his 1896 manifesto,The Jewish State,Theodor Herzlrepeatedly refers to the BiblicalPromised Landconcept.[13]Likudis currently the most prominent Israeli political party to include the Biblical claim to theLand of Israelin its platform.[14]Muslims also claim rights to that land in accordance with theQuran.[15]Contrary to the Jewish claim that this land was promised only to the descendants ofAbraham's younger sonIsaac, they argue that the Land of Canaan was promised to what they consider the elder son,Ishmael, from whom Arabs claim descent.[15]Additionally, Muslims also revere many sites holy for Biblical Israelites, such as theCave of the Patriarchsand theTemple Mount. In the past 1,400 years, Muslims have constructed Islamic landmarks on these ancient Israelite sites, such as theDome of the Rockand theAl-Aqsa Mosqueon theTemple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. This has brought the two groups into conflict over the rightful possession ofJerusalem. Muslim teaching is thatMuhammadpassed through Jerusalem on his first journey to heaven.Hamas, which governs theGaza Strip, claims that all of the land of Palestine (the current Israeli and Palestinian territories) is an Islamicwaqfthat must be governed by Muslims.[16]Christian Zionistsoften support the State of Israel because of the ancestral right of the Jews to the Holy Land, as suggested, for instance, byPaulinRomans 11. Christian Zionism teaches that the return of Jews in Israel is a prerequisite for theSecond Coming of Christ.[17][18]National movementsThe roots of the modern ArabIsraeli conflict lie in the rise ofZionismand the reactionaryArab nationalismthat arose in response toZionismtowards the end of the 19th century. Territory regarded by theJewish peopleas theirhistorical homelandis also regarded by thePan-Arabmovement as historically and presently belonging to thePalestinian Arabs. Before World War I, the Middle East, including Palestine (laterMandatory Palestine), had been under the control of theOttoman Empirefor nearly 400 years. During the closing years of their empire, the Ottomans began to espouse their Turkish ethnic identity, asserting the primacy of Turks within the empire, leading to discrimination against the Arabs.[19]The promise of liberation from the Ottomans led many Jews and Arabs to support the allied powers during World War I, leading to the emergence of widespread Arab nationalism. Both Arab nationalism and Zionism had their formulative beginning in Europe. The Zionist Congress was established in Basel in 1897, while the "Arab Club" was established in Paris in 1906.In the late 19th century European and Middle Eastern Jewish communities began to increasingly immigrate to Palestine and purchase land from the local Ottoman landlords. The population of the late 19th century in Palestine reached 600,000 mostly Muslim Arabs, but also significant minorities of Jews, Christians, Druze and someSamaritansandBahai's. At that time, Jerusalem did not extend beyond the walled area and had a population of only a few tens of thousands. Collective farms, known askibbutzim, were established, as was the first entirely Jewish city in modern times,Tel Aviv.During 191516, as World War I was underway, the British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon, secretly corresponded withHusayn ibn 'Ali, the patriarch of the Hashemite family and Ottoman governor of Mecca and Medina. McMahon convinced Husayn to lead an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire, which was aligned with Germany against Britain and France in the war. McMahon promised that if the Arabs supported Britain in the war, the British government would support the establishment of an independent Arab state under Hashemite rule in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire, including Palestine. The Arab revolt, led byT. E. Lawrence("Lawrence of Arabia") and Husayn's son Faysal, was successful in defeating the Ottomans, and Britain took control over much of this area.Sectarian conflict in Mandatory PalestineMain article:Sectarian conflict in Mandatory PalestineFirst mandate years and the Franco-Syrian warIn 1917, Palestine was conquered by the British forces (including theJewish Legion). The British government issued theBalfour Declaration, which stated that the government viewed favorably "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" but "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine". The Declaration was issued as a result of the belief of key members of the government, including Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George, that Jewish support was essential to winning the war; however, the declaration caused great disquiet in the Arab world.[20]After the war, the area came under British rule as theBritish Mandate of Palestine. The area mandated to the British in 1923 included what is today Israel, theWest BankandGaza Strip. Transjordan eventually was carved into a separate British protectorate the Emirate of Transjordan, which gained an autonomous status in 1928 and achieved complete independence in 1946 with the approval by the United Nations of the end of the British Mandate.A major crisis among the Arab nationalists took place with the failed establishment of theArab Kingdom of Syriain 1920. With the disastrous outcome of the Franco-Syrian War, the self-proclaimed Hashemite kingdom with its capital in Damascus was defeated and the Hashemite ruler took refuge in Mandatory Iraq. The crisis saw the first confrontation of nationalist Arab and Jewish forces, taking place in theBattle of Tel Haiin March 1920, but more importantly the collapse of the pan-Arabist kingdom led to the establishment of the local Palestinian version of Arab nationalism, with the return ofHaj Amin al-Husseinifrom Damascus to Jerusalem in late 1920.At this point in timeJewish immigrationto Mandatory Palestine continued, while to some opinions a similar, but less documented, immigration also took place in the Arab sector, bringing workers from Syria and other neighbouring areas. Palestinian Arabs saw this rapid influx of Jewish immigrants as a threat to their homeland and their identity as a people. Moreover, Jewish policies of purchasing land and prohibiting the employment of Arabs in Jewish-owned industries and farms greatly angered the Palestinian Arab communities.[21][verification needed]Demonstrations were held as early as 1920, protesting what the Arabs felt were unfair preferences for the Jewish immigrants set forth by the British mandate that governed Palestine at the time. This resentment led to outbreaks of violence later that year, as the al-Husseini incitedriotsbroke out in Jerusalem.Winston Churchill's1922 White Papertried to reassure the Arab population, denying that the creation of a Jewish state was the intention of the Balfour Declaration.1929 eventsIn 1929, after a demonstration byVladimir Jabotinsky's political groupBetarat theWestern Wall, riots started in Jerusalem and expanded throughout Mandatory Palestine; Arabs murdered 67 Jews in the city ofHebron, in what became known as theHebron massacre.

A Jewish bus equipped with wire screens to protect against rock, glass, and grenade throwing, late 1930sDuring the week of the 1929 riots, at least 116 Arabs and 133 Jews[22]were killed and 339 wounded.[23]1930s and 1940sBy 1931, 17 percent of the population of Mandatory Palestine were Jews, an increase of six percent since 1922.[24]Jewish immigration peaked soon after the Nazis came to power in Germany, causing the Jewish population in British Palestine to double.[25]In the mid-1930sIzz ad-Din al-Qassamarrived from Syria and established theBlack Hand, an anti-Zionist and anti-British militant organization. He recruited and arranged military training for peasants and by 1935 he had enlisted between 200 and 800 men. The cells were equipped with bombs and firearms, which they used to kill Jewish settlers in the area, as well as engaging in a campaign of vandalism of Jewish settler plantations.[26]By 1936, escalating tensions led to the193639 Arab revolt in Palestine.[27]In response to Arab pressure,[28]the British Mandate authorities greatly reduced the number of Jewish immigrants to Palestine (seeWhite Paper of 1939and theSSExodus). These restrictions remained in place until the end of the mandate, a period which coincided with the NaziHolocaustand the flight ofJewish refugeesfrom Europe. As a consequence, most Jewish entrants to Mandatory Palestine were considered illegal (seeAliyah Bet), causing further tensions in the region. Following several failed attempts to solve the problem diplomatically, the British asked the newly formed United Nations for help. On May 15, 1947, the General Assembly appointed a committee, theUNSCOP, composed of representatives from eleven states.[29]To make the committee more neutral, none of the Great Powers were represented.[30]After five weeks of in-country study, the Committee reported to the General Assembly on September 3, 1947.[31]The Report contained a majority and a minority plan. The majority proposed aPlan of Partition with Economic Union. The minority proposedThe Independent State of Palestine. With only slight modifications, thePlan of Partition with Economic Unionwas the one the adoption and implementation of which was recommended inresolution 181(II)of November 29, 1947.[32]The Resolution was adopted by 33 votes to 13 with 10 abstentions. All six Arab states who were UN-members voted against it. On the ground, Arab and Jewish Palestinians were fighting openly to control strategic positions in the region. Several major atrocities were committed by both sides.[33]Civil War in Mandatory PalestineMain article:194748 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine

Boundaries defined in the UN partition plan of 1947:Area assigned for a Jewish state;Area assigned for an Arab state;Corpus separatumof Jerusalem (neither Jewish nor Arab).

Armistice Demarcation Lines of 1949:Arab territory until 1967;IsraelIn the weeks prior to the end of the Mandate theHaganahlaunched a number ofoffensivesin which they gained control over all the territory allocated by the UN to the Jewish State, creating a large number of refugees and capturing the towns ofTiberias,Haifa,Safad,Beisanand, in effect,Jaffa.Early in 1948, the United Kingdom announced its firm intention to terminate its mandate in Palestine on May 14.[34]In response, U.S. PresidentHarry S. Trumanmadea statement on March 25 proposing UN trusteeship rather than partition, stating that "unfortunately, it has become clear that the partition plan cannot be carried out at this time by peaceful means. ... unless emergency action is taken, there will be no public authority in Palestine on that date capable of preserving law and order. Violence and bloodshed will descend upon the Holy Land. Large-scale fighting among the people of that country will be the inevitable result."[35]HistoryMain article:History of the ArabIsraeli conflict1948 ArabIsraeli WarMain article:1948 ArabIsraeli WarOn May 14, 1948, the day on which the British Mandate over Palestine expired, theJewish People's Councilgathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved a proclamation which declaredthe establishmentof aJewish stateinEretz Israel, to be known as theState of Israel.[36]There were no mention of the borders of the new state other than that it was in Eretz Israel. In an officialcablegram from the Secretary-General of the League of Arab Statesto the UN Secretary-General on May 15, 1948, the Arab stated publicly that Arab Governments found "themselves compelled to intervene for the sole purpose of restoring peace and security and establishing law and order in Palestine." (Clause 10(e)). Further in Clause 10(e) "The Governments of the Arab States hereby confirm at this stage the view that had been repeatedly declared by them on previous occasions, such as the London Conference and before the United Nations mainly, the only fair and just solution to the problem of Palestine is the creation of United State of Palestine based upon the democratic principles ..."That day, the armies ofEgypt, Lebanon,Syria, Jordan, andIraqinvaded/intervened in what had just ceased to be the British Mandate, marking the beginning of the1948 ArabIsraeli War. The nascentIsraeli Defense Forcerepulsed the Arab nations from part of the occupied territories, thus extending its borders beyond the original UNSCOP partition.[37]By December 1948, Israel controlled most of the portion of Mandate Palestine west of theJordan River. The remainder of the Mandate consisted of Jordan, the area that came to be called theWest Bank(controlled by Jordan), and theGaza Strip(controlled by Egypt). Prior to and during this conflict, 713,000[38]Palestinian Arabs fled their original lands to becomePalestinian refugees, in part, due to apromisefrom Arab leaders that they would be able to return when the war had been won, and also in part due to attacks on Palestinian villages and towns by Israeli forces and Jewish militant groups.[39]Many Palestinians fled from the areas that are now present-day Israel as a response to massacres of Arab towns by militant Jewish organizations like theIrgunand theStern Gang(SeeDeir Yassin massacre). The War came to an end with the signing of the1949 Armistice Agreementsbetween Israel and each of its Arab neighbours.Before the adoption by the United Nations ofResolution 181in November 1947 and thedeclaration of the State of Israelin May 1948, several Arab countries adopted discriminatory measures against their local Jewish populations. The status of Jewish citizens in Arab states worsened dramatically during the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Major anti-Jewish riots erupted throughout the Arab World in December 1947, and Jewish communities were hit particularly hard inSyriaandAden, with hundreds of dead and injured. By mid-1948, almost all Jewish communities in Arab states had suffered attacks and their status deteriorated. Jews under Islamic regimes were uprooted from their longtime residency or became political hostages of the ArabIsraeli conflict. As a result, a large number of Jewsfled or were forced to emigratefrom Arab countries and other Muslim countries as well. Anti-Jewish violence and persecution initiated the first waves of exodus, with many following. InLibya, Jews were deprived of citizenship, and in Iraq, their property was seized.[40]Egypt expelled most of its Jewish community in 1956, while Algeria denied its Jews of citizenship, upon its independence in 1962. The majority were fleeing due to worsening political conditions, although some emigrated for ideological reasons.[41]194967As a result of Israel's victory in the1948 ArabIsraeli War, any Arabs caught on the wrong side of the ceasefire line were unable to return to their homes in what became Israel. Likewise, any Jews on the West Bank or in Gaza were exiled from their property and homes to Israel. Today's Palestinian refugees are the descendants of those who left, the responsibility for their exodus being a matter of dispute between the Israeli and the Palestinian side.[42][43]Over 700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1952, with approximately 285,000 of them from Arab countries.[44][41]In 1956, Egypt closed theStraits of Tiranto Israeli shipping, and blockaded theGulf of Aqaba, in contravention of theConstantinople Convention of 1888. Many argued that this was also a violation of the1949 Armistice Agreements.[45][46]On July 26, 1956, Egypt nationalized theSuez Canal Company, and closed the canal to Israeli shipping.[47]Israel responded on October 29, 1956, by invading theSinai Peninsulawith British and French support. During theSuez Crisis, Israel captured theGaza Stripand Sinai Peninsula. The United States and the United Nations soon pressured it into a ceasefire.[47][48]Israel agreed to withdraw from Egyptian territory. Egypt agreed to freedom of navigation in the region and the demilitarization of the Sinai. TheUnited Nations Emergency Force(UNEF) was created and deployed to oversee the demilitarization.[49]The UNEF was only deployed on the Egyptian side of the border, as Israel refused to allow them on its territory.[50]Israel completed work on anational water carrier, a huge engineering project designed to transfer Israel's allocation of theJordan river's waters towards the south of the country in realization of Ben-Gurion's dream of mass Jewish settlement of theNegevdesert. The Arabs responded by trying to divert the headwaters of the Jordan, leading to growingconflictbetween Israel and Syria.[51]The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was first established in 1964, under a charter including a commitment to "[t]he liberation of Palestine [which] will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence..." (PLO Charter, Article 22, 1968).On May 19, 1967, Egypt expelled UNEF observers,[52]and deployed 100,000 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.[53]It again closed theStraits of Tiranto Israeli shipping,[54][55]returning the region to the way it was in 1956 when Israel was blockaded.On May 30, 1967, Jordan signed a mutual defense pact with Egypt. Egypt mobilized Sinai units, crossing UN lines (after having expelled the UN border monitors) and mobilized and massed on Israel's southern border. On June 5, Israel launched an attack on Egypt. TheIsraeli Air Force(IAF) destroyed most of theEgyptian Air Forcein a surprise attack, then turned east to destroy the Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces.[56]This strike was the crucial element in Israel's victory in theSix-Day War.[53][55]At the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (includingEast Jerusalem),Shebaa farms, and the Golan Heights. The results of the war affect the geopolitics of the region to this day.196773

Egyptian forces crossing the Suez Canal on October 7, 1973At the end of August 1967, Arab leadersmet in Khartoumin response to the war, to discuss the Arab position toward Israel. They reached consensus that there should be no recognition, no peace, and no negotiations with the State of Israel, the so-called "three no's".[57]In 1969, Egypt initiated theWar of Attrition, with the goal of exhausting Israel into surrendering the Sinai Peninsula.[58]The war ended followingGamal Abdel Nasser's death in 1970.On October 6, 1973, Syria and Egypt staged a surprise attack on Israel onYom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The Israeli military were caught off guard and unprepared, and took about three days to fully mobilize.[59][60]This led other Arab states to send troops to reinforce the Egyptians and Syrians. In addition, these Arab countries agreed to enforce an oil embargo on industrial nations including the U.S, Japan and Western European Countries. These OPEC countries increased the price of oil fourfold, and used it as a political weapon to gain support against Israel.[61]TheYom Kippur Waraccommodatedindirect confrontationbetween the US and the Soviet Union. When Israel had turned the tide of war, the USSR threatened military intervention. The United States, wary ofnuclear war, secured a ceasefire on October 25.[59][60]19742000EgyptFurther information:EgyptIsrael relations

Begin, Carter and Sadat at Camp DavidFollowing theCamp David Accordsof the late 1970s, Israel and Egypt signed apeace treatyin March 1979. Under its terms, theSinai Peninsulareturned to Egyptian hands, and the Gaza Strip remained under Israeli control, to be included in a futurePalestinian state. The agreement also provided for the free passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and recognition of theStraits of Tiranand theGulf of Aqabaas international waterways.JordanFurther information:IsraelJordan relationsIn October 1994, Israel and Jordan signed apeace agreement, which stipulated mutual cooperation, an end of hostilities, the fixing of the Israel-Jordan border, and a resolution of other issues. The conflict between them had cost roughly 18.3 billion dollars. Its signing is also closely linked with the efforts to create peace between Israel and thePalestine Liberation Organization(PLO) representing thePalestinian National Authority(PNA). It was signed at the southern border crossing of Arabah on October 26, 1994 and made Jordan only the second Arab country (after Egypt) to sign a peace accord with Israel.IraqFurther information:IraqIsrael relationsIsrael and Iraq have been implacable foes since 1948. Iraq sent its troops to participate in the1948 ArabIsraeli War, and later backed Egypt and Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.In June 1981, Israel attacked and destroyed newly built Iraqi nuclear facilities inOperation Opera.During theGulf Warin 1991, Iraq fired 39Scudmissiles into Israel, in the hopes of uniting the Arab world against the coalition which sought to liberateKuwait. At the behest of the United States, Israel did not respond to this attack in order to prevent a greater outbreak of war.LebanonFurther information:IsraeliLebanese conflict,IsraelLebanon relationsandPalestinian insurgency in South LebanonIn 1970, following an extendedcivil war, King Hussein expelled thePalestine Liberation Organizationfrom Jordan. September 1970 is known as the Black September in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events". It was a month when Hashemite King Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the autonomy of Palestinian organisations and restore his monarchy's rule over the country.[62]The violence resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the vast majority Palestinians.[63]Armed conflict lasted until July 1971 with the expulsion of the PLO and thousands of Palestinian fighters to Lebanon. The PLO resettled in Lebanon, from which it staged raids into Israel. In 1978, Israel launchedOperation Litani, in which it together with theSouth Lebanon Armyforced the PLO to retreat north of the Litani river. In 1981 another conflict between Israel and the PLO broke out, which ended with a ceasefire agreement that did not solve the core of the conflict. In June 1982,Israel invaded Lebanon. Within two months the PLO agreed to withdraw thence.In March 1983, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement. However, Syria pressured PresidentAmine Gemayelinto nullifying the truce in March 1984. By 1985, Israeli forces withdrew to a 15km wide southern strip of Lebanon, following which the conflict continued on a lower scale, with relatively low casualties on both sides. In 1993 and 1996, Israel launched major operations against the Shiite militia ofHezbollah, which had become an emergent threat. In May 2000, the newly elected government ofEhud Barakauthorized a withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, fulfilling an election promise to do so well ahead of a declared deadline. The hasty withdrawal lead to the immediate collapse of theSouth Lebanon Army, and many members either got arrested or fled to Israel.In 2006, as a response to aHezbollah cross-border raid, Israel launched air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Southern Lebanon, starting the2006 Lebanon War. The inconclusive war lasted for 34 days, and resulted in the creation of a buffer zone in Southern Lebanon and the deployment of Lebanese troops south of the Litani river for the first time since the 1960s. The Israeli government underEhud Olmertwas harshly criticized for its handling of the war in theWinograd Commission.PalestiniansFurther information:IsraeliPalestinian conflictThe 1970s were marked by a large number of major, international terrorist attacks, including theLod Airport massacreand theMunich Olympics Massacrein 1972, and theEntebbe Hostage Takingin 1976, with over 100 Jewish hostages of different nationalities kidnapped and held in Uganda.In December 1987, theFirst Intifadabegan. The First Intifada was a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in thePalestinian territories.[64]The rebellion began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinian actions ranged from civil disobedience to violence. In addition to general strikes, boycotts on Israeli products, graffiti and barricades, Palestinian demonstrations that included stone-throwing by youths against the Israel Defense Forces brought the Intifada international attention. The Israeli army's heavy handed response to the demonstrations, with live ammunition, beatings and mass arrests, brought international condemnation. The PLO, which until then had never been recognised as the leaders of the Palestinian people by Israel, was invited to peace negotiations the following year, after it recognized Israel and renounced terrorism.

Yitzhak Rabin,Bill Clinton, andYasser Arafatat the Oslo Accords signing ceremony on September 13, 1993In mid-1993, Israeli and Palestinian representatives engaged in peace talks in Oslo, Norway. As a result, in September 1993, Israel and the PLO signed theOslo Accords, known as theDeclaration of Principlesor Oslo I; inside letters, Israel recognized the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people while the PLO recognized the right of the state of Israel to exist and renounced terrorism, violence and its desire for the destruction of Israel.The Oslo II agreement was signed in 1995 and detailed the division of the West Bank intoAreas A, B, and C. Area A was land under full Palestinian civilian control. In Area A, Palestinians were also responsible for internal security. The Oslo agreements remain important documents in Israeli-Palestinian relations.200009TheSecond Intifadaforced Israel to rethink its relationship and policies towards the Palestinians. Following aseries of suicide bombingsand attacks, the Israeli army launchedOperation Defensive Shield. It was the largest military operation conducted by Israel since the Six-Day War.[65]As violence between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants intensified, Israel expanded its security apparatus around the West Bank by re-taking many parts of land in Area A. Israel established a complicated system of roadblocks andcheckpointsaround major Palestinian areas to deter violence and protect Israeli settlements. However, since 2008, the IDF has slowly transferred authority to Palestinian security forces.[66][67][68]Israel's then prime ministerAriel Sharonbegan a policy ofdisengagement from Gazafrom theGaza Stripin 2003. This policy was fully implemented in August 2005.[69]Sharon's announcement to disengage from Gaza came as a tremendous shock to his critics both on the left and on the right. A year previously, he had commented that the fate of the most far-flung settlements in Gaza, Netzararem and Kfar Darom, was regarded in the same light as that of Tel Aviv.[70]The formal announcements to evacuate seventeen Gaza settlements and another four in the West Bank in February 2004 represented the first reversal for the settler movement since 1968. It divided his party. It was strongly supported by Trade and Industry MinisterEhud OlmertandTzipi Livni, the Minister for Immigration and Absorption, but Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance MinisterBenjamin Netanyahustrongly condemned it. It was also uncertain whether this was simply the beginning of further evacuation.[71]

Aftermath of theSbarro pizza restaurant suicide bombing. 15 Israeli civilians were killed and more than 130 wounded in the attack.On March 16, 2003,Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist was crushed to death by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer inRafah, Gaza, during a non-violent protest of theIsraeli demolition of Palestinian homes.[72]Corrie stood in confrontation with the bulldozers for three hours wearing a bright orange jacket and carrying a megaphone.[72]Although the Israeli government has denied responsibility in the incident and ruled her death as an accident, several eye-witness reports say that the Israeli soldier operating the bulldozer deliberately ran her over.[72][73]In June 2006,Hamasmilitants infiltrated an army post near the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip and abducted Israeli soldierGilad Shalit. Two IDF soldiers were killed in the attack, while Shalit was wounded after his tank was hit with anRPG. Three days later Israel launchedOperation Summer Rainsto secure the release of Shalit.[74]He was held hostage byHamas, who barred theInternational Red Crossfrom seeing him, until October 18, 2011, when he was exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.[75][76]In July 2006,Hezbollahfighters crossed the border from Lebanon into Israel, attacked and killed eight Israeli soldiers, and abducted two others as hostages, setting off the2006 Lebanon Warwhich caused much destruction in Lebanon.[77]A UN-sponsored ceasefire went into effect on August 14, 2006, officially ending the conflict.[78]The conflict killed over a thousand Lebanese and over 150 Israelis,[79][80][81][82][83][84][85]severely damaged Lebanese civil infrastructure, and displaced approximately one million Lebanese[86]and 300,000500,000 Israelis, although most were able to return to their homes.[87][88][89]After the ceasefire, some parts ofSouthern Lebanonremained uninhabitable due toIsraeli unexploded cluster bomblets.[90]In the aftermath of theBattle of Gaza, where Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in a violent civil war with rival Fatah, Israel placed restrictions on its border with Gaza borders and ended economic cooperation with the Palestinian leadership based there. Israel and Egypt have imposed ablockade of the Gaza Stripsince 2007. Israel maintains the blockade is necessary to limitPalestinian rocket attacks from Gazaand to prevent Hamas from smuggling advanced rockets and weapons capable of hitting its cities.[72]On September 6, 2007, inOperation Orchard, Israel bombed an eastern Syrian complex which was allegedly a nuclear reactor being built with assistance fromNorth Korea.[91]Israel hadalso bombedSyria in 2003.In April 2008, Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assadtold aQatarinewspaper that Syria and Israel had been discussing a peace treaty for a year, withTurkeyas a go-between. This was confirmed in May 2008 by a spokesman for Prime MinisterEhud Olmert. As well as a peace treaty, the future of theGolan Heightsis being discussed. President Assad said "there would be no direct negotiations with Israel until a new US president takes office."[92]Speaking in Jerusalem on August 26, 2008, then United States Secretary of StateCondoleezza Ricecriticized Israel's increased settlement construction in the West Bank as detrimental to the peace process. Rice's comments came amid reports that Israeli construction in the disputed territory had increased by a factor of 1.8 over 2007 levels.[93]Afragile six-month truce between Hamas and Israelexpired on December 19, 2008;[94]attempts at extending the truce failed amid accusations of breaches from both sides.[95][96][97][98]Following the expiration, Israel launched a raid on a tunnel suspected of being used to kidnap Israeli soldiers which killed several Hamas fighters.[99]Following this, Hamas resumedrocket and mortar attackson Israeli cities, most notably firing over 60 rockets on December 24. On December 27, 2008, Israel launchedOperation Cast Leadagainst Hamas. Numerous human rights organizations accused Israel and Hamas of committingwar crimes.[100]In 2009 Israel placed a 10-month settlement freeze on the West Bank.Hillary Clintonpraised the freeze as an "unprecedented" gesture that could "help revive Middle East talks."[101][102]A raid was carried out byIsraeli naval forceson six ships of theGaza Freedom Flotillain May 2010.[103]after the ships refused to dock atPort Ashdod. On theMVMavi Marmara, activists clashed with the Israeli boarding party. During the fighting, nine activists were killed by Israeli special forces. Widespread international condemnation of and reaction to the raid followed, IsraelTurkey relations were strained, and Israel subsequently eased its blockade on the Gaza Strip.[104][105][106][107]Several dozen other passengers and seven Israeli soldiers were injured,[105]with some of the commandos suffering from gunshot wounds.[108][109]2010presentFollowingthe latest round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, 13 Palestinian militant movements led byHamasinitiated aterror campaigndesigned to derail and disrupt the negotiations.[110]Attacks on Israelis have increased since August 2010, after4 Israeli civilians were killedby Hamas militants. Palestinian militants have increased the frequency ofrocket attacks aimed at Israelis. On August 2, Hamas militantslaunched sevenKatyusha rocketsatEilatandAqaba, killing one Jordanian civilian and wounding 4 others.[111]Intermittent fighting continued since then, including 680 rocket attacks on Israel in 2011.[112]On November 14, 2012, Israel killedAhmed Jabari, a leader of Hamas's military wing, launchingOperation Pillar of Cloud.[113]Hamas and Israel agreed to an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire on November 21.[114]ThePalestinian Centre for Human Rightssaid that 158 Palestinians were killed during the operation, of which: 102 were civilians, 55 were militants and one was a policeman; 30 were children and 13 were women.[115][116]B'Tselemstated that according to its initial findings, which covered only the period between 14 and 19 November, 102 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, 40 of them civilians. According to Israeli figures, 120 combatants and 57 civilians were killed.[117]International outcry ensued, with many criticizing Israel for what much of the international community perceived as a disproportionately violent response.[118]Protests took place on hundreds of college campuses across the U.S., and in front of the Israeli consulate in New York.[119]Additional protests took place throughout the Middle East, throughout Europe, and in parts of South America.[119]However, the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Netherlands expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself, and/or condemned the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.[120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130]Notable wars and violent eventsTimeName

19481949First ArabIsraeli War

19511955Reprisal operations

1956Suez War

1967The Six-Day War

19671970War of Attrition

19711982Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon

1973Yom Kippur War

1978First South Lebanon conflict

1982First Lebanon War

19852000Second South Lebanon conflict

19871993First Intifada

20002004Second Intifada

2006Operation Summer Rains

Second Lebanon War

20082009Gaza War

2012Operation Pillar of Defense

20142014 IsraelGaza conflict

Cost of conflictSee also:Arab League boycott of IsraelA report byStrategic Foresight Grouphas estimated theopportunity costof conflict for the Middle East from 19912010 at $12 trillion. The report's opportunity cost calculates the peace GDP of countries in the Middle East by comparing the current GDP to the potential GDP in times of peace. Israel's share is almost $1 trillion, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia having approximately $2.2 and $4.5 trillion, respectively. In other words, had there been peace and cooperation between Israel and Arab League nations since 1991, the average Israeli citizen would be earning over $44,000 instead of $23,000 in 2010.[131]In terms of the human cost, it is estimated that the conflict has taken 92,000 lives (74,000 military and 18,000 civilian from 1945 to 1995).[8]