The Arab-Israeli
Conflict
Ch. 10.1 and 15.2
I. The Problem of Palestine
A.
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B.
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Historical Roots
Jewish claim to Israel
dates back 3,000 years
Muslim Arab claim dates
to the exile of the Jews in
the 1st century AD
Modern Factors:
1890s pogroms against
Jews in E. Europe created
Zionist movement;
Zionists wanted to create
a homeland for Jews in
Palestine
20th century antiSemitism in Europe,
especially in the 1920s –
30s (Nazi Germany)
increased migration to
Palestine
Rising value of oil in
Middle East
C. The Balfour Declaration, 1917
1.
2.
3.
After WWI, Palestine
(freed from Ottoman
rule) became a mandate
of the British
British Foreign Minister,
Arthur Balfour issued a
declaration of support for
the creation of a Jewish
homeland in Palestine,
but without infringing on
the rights of the “existing
non-Jewish communities”
Tensions grew as more
Jews immigrated to
Palestine & after WWII,
the British turned over
the mandate to the UN
The Balfour Declaration
The British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, wrote to Jewish
leader Lord Rothshild, to assure him that his government supported the
ideal of providing a homeland for the Jews. The British hoped thereby to
win more Jewish support for the Allies in the First World War. The "Balfour
Declaration" became the basis for international support for the founding of
the modern state of Israel. The letter was published a week later in The
Times of London as reproduced here.
Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild:
I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of His Majesty's
Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist
aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:
His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine
of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors
to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that
nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of
existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political
status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge
of the Zionist Federation.
Yours,
Arthur James Balfour
1.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
D. Israel
UN recommended a partition
of Palestine into separate
Jewish & Palestinian states,
with Jerusalem as an
“international” city:
Arab countries rejected the
partition, which was
favorable to the Jews, a
minority of the population
May 14, 1948 David BenGurion becomes the 1st
Israeli Prime Minister
1948 War of
Independence: Six Arab
states (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon, Syria & Saudi
Arabia) invade the next day,
but lose the war & Israel
takes ½ Palestinian territory
Egypt took control of the
Gaza Strip, Jordan annexed
the West Bank
Palestine never came into
being
E. Suez Crisis, 1956
1.
2.
3.
Egyptian President Gamal
Abdel Nasser seized control
of the British-French
operated Suez Canal after
losing financial support of
the US & GB (to get
Nasser’s cooperation in
Arab-Israeli conflict) in
building the Aswan Dam
(due to Nasser’s recognition
of Communist China)
British-French-Israeli troops
attacked Egypt & re-took
the Canal, but joint USSoviet support of Nasser
forced them to withdraw
Nasser began to promote
Pan-Arabism, but wealthy
Arab nations were
distrustful of his motives &
did not wish to share
revenues w/ poor countries
F. 1967 Six-Day War
1.
2.
3.
4.
Nasser & Arab allies (with
Soviet arms) mobilized
against Israel at the Gulf
of Aqaba
Israel responded by
attacking airfields in
Egypt, Iran, Jordan &
Syria while ground forces
struck on three fronts
Within 6 days, Israeli
military occupied
Jerusalem, the Sinai
Peninsula, the Golan
Heights & the West Bank
Palestinians living in
Jerusalem could become
either Israeli or Jordanian
citizens, those in other
areas remain stateless
PM Golda Meir did not launch a pre-emptive
strike, not wanting to lose US support for
starting the war
G. Yom Kippur War, 1973
1.
2.
3.
4.
Egyptian soldiers
After the 1967 war, the UN
crossing the Suez Canal
adopted Resolution 242; a
proposal for Arab-Israeli
peace, which possibly
included Israeli withdrawal
from territory gained in the
6-Day war
Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat suggested he would
make peace w/ Israel if they
followed the UN resolution &
returned land; this did not
materialize
1973: Sadat launched a
joint Arab attack on the
holiest day for Jews; caught
by surprise, Israel initially
lost 1967 territory, but regained it in a counter-attack
UN Security Council forces
came in to rescue Egyptian President
forces & imposed a ceaseAnwar Alfire agreement in 1974:
Sadat, 1970Operation Nickel Grass: US
Resolution 338
1981
supplied the Israel Army
1.
2.
3.
4.
H.
OPEC Oil Embargo, 1973
OPEC (Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries)
announced an embargo of oil to
any nation that supported Israel
in the Yom Kippur War; in
addition this was used to
increase & control the price of
oil, rather than allow 65% of
profits to go to foreign owned
oil companies instead of the
countries that produced the oil
OPEC was founded in 1960 as a
cartel, but by 1973, gained
political and economic power as
a result of the oil embargo
launched by the Arab members
of OPEC (OAPEC) against the
US & the Netherlands
Effects: price of barrels of oil
quadrupled by 1974 (from $3 to
$12/barrel) while shortages
occurred as a result of the
embargo: in the US no gas was
sold on Sundays, people could
only buy 10 gallons & go on
designated days based on
license plates causing long lines
at the stations (Price of oil,
5/08: $135/barrel)
The embargo was lifted in May,
1974 but the dependency on
foreign oil has only increased
I. Camp David Accords, 1979
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1977: Sadat promised
peace, but Israel had to
recognize the rights of
Palestinians & withdraw
from 1967 territory
US President Carter met
w/ Sadat & Israeli PM
Menachem Begin at
Camp David to set terms
for peace
Egypt agreed to
recognize Israel (the 1st
Arab state to do so)
Israel returned the Sinai
Peninsula
Sadat was assassinated
in 1981 by Muslim
extremists, but new Pres.
Hosni Mubarak
maintained the peace
settlement
II. Palestinian Struggle for Peace
A. The Intifada
1.
2.
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Palestinians resented
Israeli rule as Jews began
building settlements in
the West Bank & Gaza
Strip
PLO (Palestinian
Liberation Organization)
led by Yasir Arafat began
an armed struggle in the
1987 – 1991 & again in
2000 known as “the
uprising” or intifada
Tactics included boycotts,
demonstrations, violent
attacks & suicide
bombings
B. Oslo Accords & the Palestinian Authority, 1993
1.
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Peace talks began b/w
Palestine & Israel in 1991 &
by 1993, Arafat & Israeli PM
Yitzhak Rabin met in Oslo,
Norway w/ US Pres. Clinton:
Israel agreed to grant
Palestinians self-rule in the
Gaza Strip & West Bank:
Declaration of Principles
created the Palestinian
Authority led by Arafat; in
return the PLO recognized
Israel
Rabin & Arafat won the
1994 Nobel Peace Prize for
their efforts
Despite these talks little
change occurred as people
on both sides refused to
cooperate
Rabin was assassinated by
Jewish extremists in 1995 &
Palestinians continued to
carry out attacks in Israel
Arafat, Shimon Peres,
Yitzhak Rabin accepting
Nobel Prize
C. 2nd Intifada, 2000 – 2005 & the Road Map to Peace?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Second intifada began as
Ariel Sharon (soon to be
elected PM – 2001) visited
the Temple Mount, but roots
of violence lie in failure of
the peace process
2003: Red Sea Summit
included the US, Egypt,
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the
Palestinian Authority &
Israel to discuss the “Road
Map to Peace” and
establishment of a
Palestinian State by 2005;
in return, Palestinians must
abandon use of terrorist
attacks & implement
democratic reforms
Arafat died in 2004,
Mahmoud Abbas was
elected as his successor
A mutual cease-fire was
signed in 2005 and Sharon
began withdrawing Israeli
troops from Gaza
D. Election of Hamas & Stall in Peace, 2006
1.
2.
Elections in the
Palestinian Authority in
Jan. 2006 led to a
majority victory for
Hamas, an Islamic
militant organization,
labeled a terrorist entity
by both the US, Israel &
the European Union – all
of whom refused to deal
w/ Hamas
In addition, Israel
continued to build Jewish
settlements in the West
Bank despite promises to
halt construction; and
building of a concrete
security fence to protect
Israelis from attacks in
Jerusalem