The Middle East

Arab Israeli Conflict

I. Background

• A. Palestinians are Arabs

• B. Palestinians/Arabs are mostly Muslim

• C. 70 AD- Jews are kicked out of Jerusalem by Rome, they popululate Europe– 1. Hundreds of years of Jewish oppression of Jews

include; Pogroms, inquisitions, and the Holocaust– 2. Jews in Europe become tired of persecution and

anti-Semitism

• D. 1890’s the Zionism movement gains strength – 1. Zionism – the desire for a Jewish homeland – Theodore Hertzl – promoter of movement– European Jews began buying land in traditional

homeland (then, known as Palestine)

The result of a pogrom against Jews in Russia in 1905Many in Russia wrongly blamed the Jews for the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II.

Image from: wikipedia.org

Images from: wikipedia.org

A land auction in 1909 – the results of which were the beginningsof modern-day Tel-Aviv.

II. WWI

• A. Britain at war with Ottoman Empire (who control Palestine)

• B. To gain support, the British promise Palestinians independence and Jews a homeland– 1917 Balfour Declaration – Gave the Jewish

Zionists the support of the British Government• C. 1920 British Mandate – Britain controls all of

Palestine and grants no Jewish homeland or Arab independence

From:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BritishMandatePalestine1920.jpg

WWII

• A. Following the Holocaust, there is a push from the UN to grant the Jews a homeland

• B. 1947 UN Partition Plan- British turn over control of Palestine – 1. Areas are created for Arabs (Palestine) and Jews

(Israel)– May 14, 1948 – State of Israel Declared

Which side is not happy with this?

IV. Conflict Begins

• A. 1948 War– 1. May 15, 1948, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and

Lebanon attack Israel– 2. Israel wins; Israel gains more land and a million

Palestinian refugees are created• B. 1967 War/ Six Days war

– 1. Egypt and Syria prepare to invade Israel– 2. Israel strikes first and takes even more territory

• C. Yom Kippur War

• D. 1982 Lebanon War– 1. Israeli troops push into southern Lebanon – goal: to

push back Palestinian militants (PLO)– 2. PLO was forced to withdrawl from Lebanon

To Israelis: “The War of Independence”

To Palestinians: al Nakba (translation – “The Catastrophe”)

Result of 1948 WarNow who’s happy?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/1967_Six_Day_War_-_conquest_of_Sinai_7-8_June.jpg

From: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10619929

V. PLO and Others• A. Palestinian Liberation Organization - PLO• B. Created in 1964 – goal: destroy Israel and create

Palestinian homeland• C. Yasser Arafat – leader until 2005 death • D. PLO is considered a terrorist organization to Israel

and most Western countries– 1. Today called Palestinian National Authority – PNA, Led by

Mahmoud Abbas, governs West Bank– 2. Intifada – “the shaking” - uprising against Israeli, there have

been sevral of them• A. 1st: 1987-1993: 1,500 Palestinians; 400 Israelis killed• B. 2nd (aka Al Aqsa Intifada): 2000-present…

– 3. The PLO has been blamed for the Munich Olympics massacre

• E. Hamas – Arab extremist group, currently controls/governs Gaza Strip

2nd Intifada

Bus bombing in Jerusalem

Israeli troops vs. Palestinians

III. Attempts at Peace

• A. 1979: Camp David Accords– 1. Sadat(Egypt), Begin(Israel), Jimmy Carter (US)– 2. Sadat later assassinated by Muslim Extremists

• B. 1993: Oslo Accords– 1. Arafat(Palestinians), Rabin(Israel), Bill Clinton(US)– 2. PNA (Palestinian National Authority) was created to govern

areas under Palestinian control– 3. Israel had to withdrawal from Gaza and West Bank– 4. Rabin later assassinated

• C. 2003: Roadmap to Peace – Abbas(Palestine), Sharon(Israel) Bush(US)– Goal: A “Two State solution”: two independent states

1978 Camp David Accords

Sadat’s assassination

1993 Oslo Accords

After Rabin’s assassination

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red_Sea_Summit_in_Aqaba.jpg

IV. Now• A. Israel is in the process of building a giant wall

separating the West Bank from Israel– 1. Goal is to keep out suicide bombers– 2. Palestine is divided in half– 3. Drawn protest from both sides

• B. Israel continues to build settlements in disputed territory prompting violent reaction from the PNA, Hamas, Al Aqsa and others

• C. In 2006, Hamas was democratically elected to rule Gaza- makes foreign relations difficult