Middle East since WWII

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Middle East since WWII
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Zionism

• 1897, Theodore Herzl, a journalist, founded
  Zionism, movement for Jewish homeland in
  Palestine because
• Jews lived in Palestine in ancient times
• Have attributes of nationality that require own
  state
• Needed refuge from anti-Semitism
• 1917, British government gave support to Zionism
  with the Balfour Declaration, in favor of
  creating a Jewish state in Palestine
• 1922, League of Nations gave Britain mandate over
  Palestine
• By 1938, 500,000 Jews had migrated to Palestine

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Arab Opposition

• Arab nationalists wanted Arab Palestine
• Arab ruling classes feared western Democratic
  ideas
• Peasants and nomads who feared loss of
  traditional ways
• Britain to appease Arabs before WWI, GB severely
  limited migration into Palestine

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WWII

• Many survivors of Holocaust sought refuge in
  Palestine, but GB still limited it
• 1947, GB turned problem over to UN
• Ended British mandate
• Put Jerusalem under international control
• Partitioned Palestine into separate Jewish
  (Israel) and Arab (Palestine) states
• 1948, Israel declared its independence

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Wars over Israel

• Within 24 hours, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and
  Jordan attacked Israel but in 9 months (with
  foreign aid) Israelis won war
• Israel held more territory
• Jerusalem divided Jordan annexed W. Jerusalem
  and West Bank
• Egypt held Gaza Strip
• 700,000 Palestinians homeless
• Egypt
• felt that it should have won war and held a coup
  to overthrow King Farouk, Gamal Abdel Nasser took
  over as President
• Nasser disliked Western influence, gained control
  of Suez canal from GB and set out to build up
  military to confront Israel

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Arab-Israeli War 1967

• 1964 PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization)
  formed goal to eliminate Israel and create
  Palestinian state, Led by Yasir Arafat
• Nasser joined with Syria and Jordan and moved
  armies toward border of Israel
• Six-Day War
• Israel won
• Took from Egypt
• Gaza Strip Sinai Peninsula
• From Jordan
• West Bank Jerusalem
• From Syria
• Golan Heights
• Tripled size of Israel
• UN helped resolve, Israel wanted peace, Egypt and
  Syria wanted more fighting

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More Conflict

• PLO used terrorist attacks against Israel
• bombings at airports, village raids, used
  extremist Japanese to massacre innocents at Tel
  Aviv airport, 11 Israeli Olympians murdered at
  Munich games
• 1970 Nasser died replaced by Anwar al-Sadat, led
  Arab forces in new attack on Israel
• 1973 Syrians and Egyptians attacked Israel on Yom
  Kippur
• day of atonement, Holiest and most solemn day of
  year fasting and prayer
• Israel fought back, three countries agreed to UN
  cease-fire
• US supported Israel, angered many Arab nations
  imposed embargo on oil sales to Israels allies
• OPEC (Org. of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
  cartel of Arab and non-Arab oil producers,
  quadrupled price of oil

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Camp David Accords

• 1977, Sadat visited Israel, called for Arab
  acceptance of Israel
• Jimmy Carter met at Camp David with Sadat and
  Israeli PM Menachem Begin
• Peace treaty signed in 1979
• 1981 Sadat assassinated by Muslim extremists
• Hosni Mubarak became President
• supported peace with Israel, but against Western
  intervention

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Palestinians Rise Up

• 1987, Palestinians carried out Intifada
  (uprising) against the Israelis strikes and
  protests in W. Bank and Gaza Strip
• 1988 Arafat announced that he would renounce
  terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist,
  Israel did not believe him and refused to hold
  talks

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Peace Process

• 1991, US pressed Middle East to begin Peace talks
• Begin replaced by Yitzak Rabin in 1992 as PM of
  Israel agreed in theory to exchanging occupied
  land for security guarantees
• 1993, Rabin and Arafat signed accord in D.C.
• Israeli withdrawal from W. Bank Gaza Strip
• Palestinian temporary government (until permanent
  one established)
• 1995 Rabin assassinated by militant Israeli
  nationalist Benjamin Netanyahu replaced Rabin as
  PM of Israel
• Critic of Arafat
• Same time, militant Palestinian group Hamas begin
  series of suicide bombings in Israel
• Closed off Palestinian areas from Israel
• Peace process at standstill
• May 1999, Ehud Baruk became PM of Israel, renewed
  efforts to reconcile