Arab-Israeli Conflict
Sykes-Picot Agreement 1916
• Secret
Agreement
between France
& Britain
• Defined the
spheres of
influence that
France & Britain
would have over
Ottoman land
after WWI
The Balfour Declaration
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
Post–WWI Reality
Inter-War Period
• Arabs felt betrayed by the West after
promised & denied independence
• Balfour Declaration led to a commitment by
Britain to a national homeland for Jews in
Palestine (but the Palestinians were there)
and furthered the Zionist movement begun in
the late 19th century
• At first, Arabs welcomed economic boost,
but when Jews began to clear the land of
Arab tenants & refused to hire Palestinian
workers  conflict
Post-WWII
• After the holocaust, Jewish migration to Israel,
conflict w/ Palestinians & world-wide sympathy
led to Britain referring the Palestinian issue it
created to the U.N.
• 1947 – U.N. called for a partition of Palestine
w/ Jerusalem as an international city (Jews got
55% land while only 34% of the population)
 Palestine & Islamic countries voted against,
but Jews voted for
• May 14, 1948 – Israel independent w/ David
Ben Gurion as P.M.
1948-1949
The day after
independence,
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon,
Saudi Arabia & Syria
invaded Israel
• Israel seized ½
Palestinian land
• Egypt  Gaza Strip
• Jordan  West Bank
• Palestinians  no
land (refugees)
1956 Suez Crisis
1956 Suez Crisis
Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian
President, nationalized the Suez
Canal  Britain, France & Israel
invaded Egypt & took the Canal
• Pressure by U.S. & U.S.S.R.
forced Israel to withdraw
 Egypt in charge of Canal
1967 Six-Day War
Nasser moved to close off
the Gulf
of Aqaba  Israel
attacked Egypt,
Iran, Jordan & Syria
•Israel  Sinai Peninsula
(incl. Gaza Strip), Golan
Heights, West Bank &
Old Jerusalem
After the 1973 War
1973
Anwar Sadat (Nasser’s successor) led surprise Arab
attack on Yom Kippur & Golda Meir (Israeli P.M.)
launched counterattack – truce signed, but no peace treaty
November 1977
P
E
A
C
E
?
In Jerusalem, Sadat offered peace
to Israel in exchange for withdrawal
from 1967 War territories
& recognize Palestinians’ rights
1970s & 1980s
Palestinian Liberation Organization
(PLO) formed under Yasir Arafat
Campaign of civil disobedience
(intifada) influenced world opinion
1993 Declaration of
Principles
(peace talks at Oslo, Norway)
•1978 U.S. Pres. Carter invited
Sadat & Menachem Begin (Israeli
P.M.) to Camp David
•1979 Camp David Accords
•World praised Sadat, but Muslim
extremists assassinated him 1981
•1982 Israel withdrew from Sinai
•October 1991, Israeli &
Palestinian delegates met for the
first time in peace talks
•Yitzak Rabin (Israeli P.M.)
agreed to give Palestinians
self-rule in the Gaza Strip &
West Bank
•1993 Rabin & Arafat signed at
the White House in D.C.
•1995 Rabin assassinated
Israeli Settlements
Will Recent Events Lead to Peace?
• 2000 - negotiations for a final settlement (at
Camp David) ended in deadlock – each side
blaming the other
• 2nd Intifada - violence resumed after Ariel
Sharon (then General) visited the temple mount
• 2002 – Saudi proposal for peace was adopted
by the Arab League & became a U.N.
Resolution (1st time Arab countries called for a
Palestine alongside Israel) – Israel rejected it
• Suicide bombings & resultant Israeli occupation
continues to hinder peace
Israel’s Security Barrier
(a.k.a. “Security Fence” or “Apartheid Wall”)
Recent Event  Peace? (cont.)
• 2004 – Syria tried to renew peace treaty talks w/ Israel
from 1967, but has met cool reception
• November 11, 2004 - Yasser Arafat died  Mahmoud
Abbas became Palestinian leader
• 2005 – Sharm El Sheikh Conference – both sides
agreed to end violence & Israel’s Knesset approved
Disengagement Plan (withdrawal of 24 settlements)
• Nevertheless violence continued
• 2006 – Hamas (organization w/ terrorist ties) won
election in Palestinian legislature (Abbas still
President)
• 2012 – the State of Palestine replaced the PLO in the
UN & upgraded its status as “non-member observer”
• Egypt is leading cease-fire efforts re: current flare-ups