The Arab Israeli ConflictRoots in a Common Belief

Background• Old Palestine (1948)

– Territory; region (not a country)– Today’s Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip

and Jordan– Turkish rule ended with the defeat of

the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI

• UN Partition Plan of 1947– Divide Old Palestine into 2 separate

states• Jewish• Arab

Occupied Territories•Refers to territory partitioned to the Arabs on the basis of the ’47 plan but have subsequently been conquered but not yet annexed by Israel•Arab territories occupied by the Israelis•West Bank (of the Jordan River), Gaza Strip, Golan Heights (Northeast border with Syria) and the Sinai Peninsula

What is a Palestinian?•Pre 1948: any person living in Old Palestine (not religiously, ethnically or racially distinguished but territorially distinguished)•With 1948 partition and declaration of state of Israel the definition changed

–Not Jordanian (part of Arab partition but declared its independence)–*Palestinian: ethnically Arabic (political subdivision)–Roughly 5 million Palestinians in the world today, most (half) are concentrated in Israel, the occupied territories and the Palestinian Authority

•Many live in refuge camps (homeless and stateless)

Palestinian Authority•Refers to the self-rule/self-administration by Palestinians over most/virtually all of the occupied territories

–Came from the Oslo Peace Accords (1993)–Israelis withdrew their military control of the occupied territories and allowed Palestinians there to elect their own governments–Israelis reserve the right to militarily intervene back into the occupied territories

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

• When the state of Israel was declared in 1948, many organizations were formed on behalf of the Palestinians who wanted to reclaim that territory

• In 1964 these groups united to form the PLO, to lobby internationally on behalf of the Palestinian cause

Hamas

•Arabic acronym which stands for “Islamic Resistance”•Emerged as a radical challenge to the PLO•Came out of the Intifada (Arabic for shivering or striking)

–Refers to the originally spontaneous rock-throwing and resistance by Palestinians in the occupied territories that started in 1988

What is an Israeli?• Mostly (overwhelmingly) Jewish (Israel is about 82% Jewish)• Officially Israel has 2 languages:

– Hebrew– Arabic

Raging Religions•Judaism and Islam•Deep divisions between the religions themselves•Claims to the same holy grounds

–Mainly Jerusalem “City of Peace”

•For Jews: Home to the Whaling Wall (believed to be the last surviving wall of Solomon’s Temple•For Islam: Location of the Dome of the Rock (place where Mohammed ascended to heaven)•For Christianity: Life and death of Jesus Christ

Judaism•3 basic divisions

–Orthodox•Most traditionalist and typically the most fervent in their defense and expansion of the Jewish state

–Conservative•Less literal but just about as fervent

–Reform•Newest stream and is a blend of some of the old school but also trying to be contemporary

Islam•Arabic for “surrender”•2 basic streams

–Sunni•Most are this and tend to be more moderate

–Shi’ia•The minority and more fundamentalist (Iran is Shi’ia)

There’s no place like home . . .• Anti-Semitism was rampant in Europe

throughout the ages• Towards the end of the 19th century, there

began a push for a Jewish homeland (not country)

• With the defeat of the Ottoman empire at the end of WWI, Great Britain decided to back the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine

• Balfour Declaration (1917): A mandate that formally charges Great Britain with preparing Palestine to be an independent nation and also prepare it to be a Jewish homeland– Great Britain put in the middle of an awkward

situation and pressure from both sides

So sorry• Following WWII, there was great

sympathy in the world for a Jewish homeland due to Hitler’s atrocities

• In November of 1947, the UN instates a partition plan– This if the first time we see a move

from a Jewish homeland to a Jewish state

– Britain is once again in charge• They give up and announce they’re

pulling out troops in May of 1948 and nobody steps up to replace them

1st Arab Israeli War•Anticipating the withdrawal of British troops, Jewish leaders proclaim the state of Israel, as defined by the UN partition plan, exists on May 14, 1948•The very next day, the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon attack

–The Israelis are well trained and coordinate their attack while the Arabs do not

•The Israelis easily win

Rough Start• The early years were marked by struggle for

a few reasons:– Israel exists in an extremely hostile environment

• Enormous resources and money must be spent on security and defense leaving very little for investment or infrastructure

– After achieving independence and creating the world’s first Jewish state, hundred of thousands of Jews emigrated to Israel

• By 1952, the population had doubled—the reason people came was not because jobs were there but because they were Jews

• Many lacked the occupational skills that the economy needed to develop

• Many did not speak Hebrew• Came to rely heavily on Western economic

assistance (primarily the US)– Israel today is the largest recipient of US economic aid—

about $4 billion annually from the US

2nd Arab Israeli War (1956) (Suez Crisis/War)

•Egypt refuses Israeli access to the Suez Canal•Israel attacks and is joined by British and French forces•Decisively defeats Egyptian forces and captures the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula (after the war they return the Suez to Egypt)•Makes the Arabs even more revengeful

3rd Arab Israeli War(1967) (6-Day War)

•Correctly sensing Egypt and Syria are about to attack, Israel attacked first•Launched assaults against Egypt, Syria and Jordan•Lasted 6 days (hence the name)•Very much of today’s problems stem from the 6-Day War and its consequences•ISREAL KEPT WHAT THEY WON

–From Egypt: The Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula–From Jordan: The West Bank and East Jerusalem–From Syria: The Golan Heights

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Can’t we all get along?•Consequences were two-fold and shifted the course of Middle Eastern history

–On one hand, Israeli action suggested the basis for negotiation (Arab neighbors would want the territories back and be willing to negotiate)–On the other hand, Israeli occupation led to more hatred of them and led to the PLO

The 4th Arab Israeli War (1973) (Yom Kippur War)

•Israelis caught off-guards and initially driven back

–Remember, it’s a Jewish holy holiday•Israel regrouped and reclaimed lost territory and the war fell into a tense stalemate•Since the Arabs kind-of won (or at least they thought they did), they were now more open to diplomacy

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to camp we go!•Camp David

Peace Accords–1979–Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat meet–Egypt becomes the first Arab country to recognize the existence of Israel and in exchange Israel returns the Sinai Peninsula

•Sadat is later assassinated

The situation in Israel continues to be volatile. While brief periods of peace occasionally exist, suicide

bombings are more the norm than not.

Will there ever be a lasting agreement?

The world anxiously awaits that answer.