New Nations get IndependenceConflicts Rage

Enduring Understandings1. Long-standing cultural and religious differences and conflicts are still evident in the post-

colonial world.3. The end of World War II led to the ending of colonization, the creation of new countries and

conflict between the superpowers for influence.

1. Final exam essay – May 31 – Complete Graphic organizer2. Core assessment 2 due Friday3. Complete pages 8-10 in packets about the Arab-Israeli conflict as video and

lecture occur.4. How do the conflicts in the Middle East support the above understandings?

Origins of Conflict

The Mid-East – misnamed but very important

•The Middle East is actually the far Western part of Asia and parts of Northern Africa.•This area of the world is important for religious and energy reasons•But when there is reference to the Middle East conflict, the meaning is about conflict between Arabic countries and Iran versus Israel

History of Israel and Palestine

• After WWI, Britain and France gained control of the former Ottoman Empire regions on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea

• Britain’s “Mandate” was called Palestine

History of Israel and Palestine

• Even before the British Mandate, many European Jews become Zionists (ideologues who wanted to recreate a Jewish homeland around Jerusalem)

• Zionism was created in response to pogroms and anti-semitic violence by Europeans

History of Israel and Palestine

• To better manage the Mandate, to gain allies in the Arab world and address the principles of the Balfour Declaration, the British mandate was divided into two parts.

• Trans-Jordan was given to the Hashemite King Abdullah.

History of Israel and Palestine• After WWII, and after many

Arabs allied with Germany (to get rid of Britain and the Zionist Jews in Palestine) Britain had too much trouble managing the mandate.

• Britain gave the problem to the UN to solve

• The UN proposed to divided the mandate into a Jewish country and an Arab one.

• The Arabs voted against the plan and refused at the time to accept it.

History of Israel and Palestine• When David Ben-Gurion declared

Israeli independence on May 14, 1948, the surrounding Arab countries invaded. This is the first Arab-Israeli War

• Many of the Arabs living in the area partitioned as Israel left to avoid the fighting.

• Some left because Arab armies told them to get out of the way

• Some left because Israelis forced them to.

• Arabs who left Israel are now called Palestinians, along with those Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

• Somehow the Israelis won the war

History of Israel and Palestine• The 1956 war was caused by conflict between Egypt, France and

Britain over control of the Suez Canal as part of the Cold War.

•Israel is encouraged to go on the offensive by the British and French.•The US orders all three to stop the war and give the land back to Egypt

History of Israel and Palestine• Egypt and the other Arab

countries mass their troops on the Israeli border in preparation for an invasion.

• Their stated goal was to destroy Israel and “Throw the Jews into the Sea”

• Israel attacks instead and easily defeats all three armies in 6 days – hence the name of the war

History of Israel and Palestine

• The result of the 1967 war was that Israel conquered 4 areas of land:

1. Golan Heights from Syria2. Gaza Strip and3. Sinai Peninsula from Egypt4. West Bank and Jerusalem from

JordanIn 1973, Egypt and Syria launch a

surprise attack on Yom Kippur to recover the land lost in 1967. Israel is almost defeated, but it is able to fully defend itself

History of Israel and Palestine

• As a result of Anwar Sadat’s request for peace, Menachem Begin’s willingness to negotiate, and the skill of Jimmy Carter to broker the deal, Egypt recognizes Israel as a country

• Israel gives back the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt

• The US gives both countries lots of money

History of Israel and Palestine

• In 1993, the PLO leader Yasir Arafat met with Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin and signed a Declaration of Principles, usually referred to as the Oslo Accords

• This started a serious peace process it required:– Israel recognized PLO as legitimate

government of Palestinian people– PLO ended its goal of destroying Israel and – PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist within

secure borders– Removal of Israeli troops from West Bank

and Gaza territories– Palestinian Authority to be government of

Palestinian areas and to work to police terrorists

– PA is led by the Fatah faction of the old PLO

History of Israel and Palestine

• The current situation is that the red areas are now governed by two different groups of Palestinians

• Israel has maintained control of Jerusalem

• Israel completely left the Gaza Strip, even forcibly removing Israeli settlers from their homes

• Israel also builds settlements of Israelis in the West Bank – this is a key source of conflict

• Israel also maintains a military presence in the West Bank that makes travel, work and life difficult for Palestinians

Gaza Strip – governed by Hamas

West Bank– governed by Palestinian Authority

Gaza Strip – governed by Hamas

West Bank– governed by Palestinian Authority

History of Israel and Palestine

• Hamas, a US-designated terrorist group, and Fatah have made an agreement to work together to govern the West Bank and Gaza as of May 2011

• Hamas has not recognized Israel and still maintains that Israel is an occupier of all of Palestine. Its stated goal is to remove the Jews from Israel and take the entire land as a Palestinian state. (according to Hamas Charter see excerpted notes)

• Hamas-controlled Gaza is the source of 413 rocket and mortar shells exploding in Israel in the last 6 months

• Palestinians militants have also attacked in the Jerusalem area almost 100 times from January through April of 2011

• Palestinians killed by Israelis – 156• Israelis killed by Palestinians – 13• Palestinians killed by Israelis –6557• Israelis killed by Palestinians - 1085

Gaza Strip – governed by Hamas

West Bank– governed by Palestinian Authority

Since 2008Since 2000