Arab-Israeli Conflict
Lebanon
Persian Gulf
Setting the Scene: Two Sides of the Conflict
To David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, the birth
of modern Israel in 1948 was the fulfillment of God’s
promise to the ancient Israelites. He quoted scripture:
“The land whereto we have returned to inherit it, it is the
inheritance of our fathers and within it no stranger has
part or parcel…We have taken unto us our father’s
inheritance.”- First book of Maccabees
But to the Arabs then living on the land called Palestine,
the creation of Israel was an illegal “invasion.” The land,
they felt, was rightfully theirs.
“Palestine is the homeland of the Arab Palestinian
people. It is an indivisible part of the Arab homeland, and
the Palestinian people are an integral part of the Arab
nation” – Palestinian National Charter, Article 1
4
The Cold War and the Middle East
During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union sought
access to the oil and waterways of the Middle East. Superpower rivalries
had a far-reaching impact on the region.
 In their global rivalry, each of the superpowers tried to line
up allies in the Middle East.
 The United States fought communist threats in (1) Turkey and
(2)Iran, while the Soviet Union found allies in the four Middle
Eastern countries of (3) Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Libya
 Each superpower sold arms to its ally in the region.
 In the Arab-Israeli conflict, the United States helped Israel,
while the Soviet Union gave aid to the Arabs.
 During and after the Cold War, the development of
weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East became a
global concern.
Origin of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
 Zionist Movement:
 Jewish quest to migrate
to and govern Palestine
 Balfour Declaration:
 British document which
stated that Jewish
people had a right to a
homeland in Palestine
 1947 UN proposed
Partition of Israel and
Palestine (Arab state)
 Rejected by Arabs
 1948 creation of
independent Israel
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
In 1967, Israel won the
(4)Golan Heights from Syria,
East Jerusalem and the West
Bank from (5)Jordan, and the
(6)Gaza Strip and the Sinai
Peninsula from (7)Egypt.
In 1973, Arabs
attacked Israel but failed to
regain these occupied
territories. Israel refused to
give up these territories until
Arab nations recognized
(8)Israel’s right to exist.
Many Israelis insisted on
the survival of Israeli
settlements that had been
built on these occupied
lands.

The (9) Palestine
Liberation Organization
(PLO) headed by Yasir
Arafat waged guerilla war
against Israelis both at
home and abroad.
Palestinians continue to
demand the right to return
to lands they fled during
the Arab Israeli wars.
Peace Efforts
When the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991, the peace
process was accelerated
because (10) with the end of
Soviet aid some other Arab
governments accepted the
need to negotiate with Israel.
In 1993 a historic
agreement was signed between
(11) Israel and the PLO called
the Oslo accord.
Do-Now: Perspectives on the Conflict
Intifadas (uprisings) continue against Israeli occupation: In December 2001 a
series of Palestinian suicide bombings increased Israeli military aggression

Directions: Pick one of the following quotes to respond to
 "He kills our children, women, men. He bulldozes
our lands. Why doesn't the world condemn it when
Palestinian people get killed?" (Palestinian mourner,
quoted in The New York Times)
 "We represent the youth who want war, because,
without war, this will never end." (17-year-old Israeli
girl, quoted in Financial Times)
 "A solution will only come through negotiations that
lead to the division of this land into two independent
states." (Israeli schoolteacher, quoted in Financial
Times)
Arab-Israeli
Continuing Issues
 After years of fighting and
negotiations, peace in Israel
remains an elusive goal. A
number of specific issues
continue to divide the sides.
 Conflict over the Gaza
strip, borders of certain
regions, and control of
Jerusalem continue to be
issues
The Conflict Rages on-Today

 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have
been given limited self-government under the
Palestinian Authority
 But-Palestinians remain dissatisfied because they still
do not have an independent homeland of their own
 Radical groups continue terrorist attacks on Israelis
 Some Israeli citizens were willing to give up
occupied territory in exchange for peace
 But- Others are determined to keep and settle lands
they won during the wars or simply continue to
distrust and fear their Arab neighbors

• Oslo Accords with
the Palestinians
lead to
establishment of
PNA in 1993.
• Peace treaty with
Jordan signed in
1994.
• Cease fire with
Palestinian
Authority since
2004.
• Cease fire with
Lebanon since 2006.
Cease fire with
Hamas (Gaza Strip)
since 2012.
Palestine Today

 Though the areas constituting the State of Palestine
have been occupied by Israel since 1967-as of
November 2012 the UN General Assembly has
upgraded Palestine from an "observer entity" to a
"non-member observer state" within the United
Nations system, and implicitly recognizing PLO's
sovereignty.
 The Palestinian Liberation Organization (Palestinian
National Authority) governing the Palestinian
Territories is now referred to as the state of Palestine
Other conflicts in the
Middle East

The Arab-Israeli conflict fueled tensions in nearby Lebanon….
Civil War in Lebanon
 In Lebanon, the government depended on a delicate
balance among (12) Maronites (a Christian sect) and
Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
 When Muslims began to outnumber Maronites , unrest
spread.
 Palestinian refugees entering Lebanon from occupied
territories strained resources.
 PLO guerrillas in refugee camps in Lebanon crossed
into Israel to attack civilian and military targets.
 Christian and Muslim militias battled for control of
Beirut, the capital city.
 Israel invaded the south, while Syria occupied eastern
Lebanon.
 In 1975, civil war broke out in Lebanon, not until (13) 1990
did Lebanese leaders finally restore some order
Iraq-Wars in the Persian Gulf
(14) Border disputes, oil wealth, foreign
intervention, and ambitious rulers fed tensions
along the Persian Gulf.
In 1980, Iraqi dictator, (15) Saddam Hussein
invaded Iran.
 The resulting war dragged on for eight
years, ending in a stalemate.
For both nations, the human and economic
toll was enormous.
In 1990, Iraqi troops invaded the oil-rich nation
of (16) Kuwait.
 In the Gulf War, the United States organized
a coalition of American, European, and Arab
powers to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
UN economic (17) sanctions stopped Iraq
from selling its oil abroad
The goal was to force Hussein to (18) stop
building chemical and nuclear weapons