Conflict in the Middle East

                                                

    

Learning Objectives

Understand the historical roots of the Middle East Conflict.

Describe the outcome of each of the wars fought by Israel and her neighbors.

Describe the terms of the various peace accords signed by Israel and her opponents.

Background

Ground Zero for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.Judaism: Israel = Biblical “Promised Land” Occupied by Moses and Hebrews around 1000 B.C.

Invaded and occupied by Philistines Greeks and Romans call it “Land of Philistines”, which becomes

Palestine.

Region of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, and death.“Ownership” changes hands frequently.Muslims capture in 640 built Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in 691

Spot where Mohammed stopped on his way to heaven. Holiest site in Islam outside Saudi Arabia.

Ottoman Turks control from 1500’s-1900’s.

Balfour Declaration

European Jews face persecution in late 1800’s. Founded movement called Zionism to establish Jewish

homeland in Palestine. Begin establishing communities in Palestine prior to World War

One.

British Foreign Secretary Balfour supported the idea of a “national home” for the Jews. Hoped to gain Jewish support for World War One. Balfour Declaration endorses this homeland as well as an

independent state for Arabs. Arabs interpret the independent state clause to specify Palestine;

Brits say that isn’t what they had in mind.

The British Mandate

Ottoman Turks on losing side of WW I; British gain control of Palestine in 1920. 90k Jews

Palestinians and Jews begin arming themselves and conducting terrorist attacks against their counterparts.Rise of Nazism brings flood of new Jewish settlers to Palestine from Europe in 1930’s.UN votes to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, giving the Jews 55% of the land west of the Jordan River and designating Jerusalem as an international enclave.

Arab-Israeli War of 1948

14 May 1948: Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declares that Israel is an independent state.Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invade on 15 May.Fighting continues until Jan 1949.Israel prevails and gains territory in Galilee to the north and the Negev Desert to the south.Jerusalem is divided between Israel and Jordan.Fate of 700k Palestinian refugees is left undecided.

Arab-Israeli War of 1956

USSR signs arms agreement with Egypt in 1955.

Israelis feel threatened by arms build up and launch pre-emptive strike against Egypt. Attack and seize the Sinai and Gaza Strip.

Relinquished in 1957.

French and British retake Suez Canal which Egypt had seized several months earlier.

UN establishes peace keeping force in Sinai that is still in place today.

Arafat and the PLO

Arafat forms Al-Fatah (Palestinian National Liberation Front) in 1959. Goal was to liberate Palestine from Israel through guerilla

warfare.

Variety of Palestinian factions form the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964. Arafat becomes chairman in 1969. Charter calls for elimination of state of Israel.

Hussien feels threatened and expels PLO from Jordan in 1970. Arafat moves HQ to Lebanon. PLO driven out of Lebanon by Israel in 1982.

Six Day War

5-10 June 1967Egypt, Jordan, and Syria begin military mobilization.Israel launches surprise pre-emptive strike. Destroys most of Egyptian Air Force on the ground.

Knocked out 350 aircraft in first three hours. Armored forces supported by air and infantry quickly take

Sinai, Golan Heights, West Bank (including Arab portion of Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Destroyed over 200 Arab tanks in two days.

UN arranges cease-fire, but terms did not specify exactly what land Israel was required to give up.

Yom Kippur War

6 Oct 1973 Egypt and Syria launch surprise attack on holiest day of Jewish year.IDF not fully mobilized and is initially pushed back.Arab integrated air defenses and anti-tank missiles take heavy toll on IDF.10-14 Oct IDF pushed Syrians out of Golan and entered Syria.15-24 Oct IDF pushes Egyptians back across the Suez. Soviets threaten to intervene when Egyptians are surrounded. Kissinger/US convince Israel to accept truce.

Israeli invincibility brought into question; Arabs emboldened. OPEC doubles oil prices and embargoes Israeli supporters.

Lebanon

Israel launches air strikes against PLO positions in Lebanon in retaliation for terrorist attacks.Subsequently invades Lebanon and surrounds Beirut in 1982. US-led UN coalition establishes presence ashore to

keep the peace. Departs after bombing of barracks.

PLO agrees to leave Beirut.

Israel completes withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon in May 2000. Nearly 1k IDF soldiers killed during 22 year

occupation.

Peace Accords

Camp David 1979 Egypt recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Israel returns Sinai to Egypt. Leads to Sadat’s assassination in 1981.

Oslo Accords 1993 Israel and PLO accept each other’s right to exist. Allows limited Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho. Establishes framework for settlement of Gaza and West

Bank issues. Leads to Rabin’s assassination in 1995.

Peace Accords

Wye River Accords 1998 Arafat agrees to crack down on terrorists. Israeli will pull troops back from occupied

territories. 14.2 percent of the West Bank land will be

transferred to Palestinian control. Safe passage corridors will be established for

Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank. 750 Palestinians will be released from Israeli

prisons.

Where Do We Stand?

Israel has begun implementing its provisions from Wye.Many blame Arafat for terrorism; he argues it is beyond his control.Both sides constrained by hard-liners among their backers.Former Israeli Prime Minister Sharon visits Temple Mount in Jerusalem in Sept 2000, spurring a rash of riots and terrorism by Palestinians. Israel responds to riots with force.

Guns beat rocks… Status of Jerusalem and religious sites is the critical issue for both sides,

and the issue that is least open to compromise. Both sides claim as their capital.

Boundaries of Palestinian state also still at issue.

For Further Study

From Beirut to Jerusalem Friedman

A History of the Middle East Mansfield

Six Days in June Hammel

No Victor, No Vanquished: Yom Kippur War O’Balance

The Root Hammel

The Haj Uris