ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
HWH UNIT 13CHAPTERS 19.4 AND 20.3
ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT
Some terms to clarify Arab: one who speaks the Arabic language Muslim: a practitioner of Islam
Most Arabs are Muslim; many Arabs are Christian Jew: one who identifies with Jewish culture and
tradition Israel: the current nation-state, founded in 1948 Israeli: a citizen of Israel Palestine: the area now occupied by the state of
Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip Palestinian: generally Arabs who desire a nation of
Palestine Palestinians do not have formally recognized nation today
HISTORY
Jewish homeland, 2000 BC-135 AD
Various occupations (Romans, Ottomans, etc)
Arab controlled, 600s-1918 Zionism
Thedore Herzl The movement toward establishing a
Jewish state
Post-WWI British Mandate of Palestine
Balfour Declaration, 1917 Pledged British support for a Jewish
homeland
WWII AND THE HOLOCAUST
UN Partition, 1947 Palestinian state and Israeli
state Palestinians reject partition
THE REPUBLIC OF ISRAEL, 1948
David Ben Gurion War
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan vs. Israel
Israel gains land Jordan and Egypt take land
NO PALESTINIAN STATE
1956 SUEZ CRISIS
Gamal Abdel Nasser Leader of Egypt Leader of the Arab
anti-Israel movement Seized control of the
Suez Canal British, French, and
Israel intervene
THE SIX DAY WAR (1967) Israel vs. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan Golda Meir Israel gains Gaza Strip, Golan Heights,
the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Jerusalem
THE PLO
Palestinian Liberation Organization
Goal: establish a Palestinian state, drive out the Israelis Yasser Arafat
1972 MUNICH OLYMPICS
YOM KIPPUR WAR (1973)
Egypt and Syria attack Israel Anwar Sadat, leader
of Egypt Oil Embargo The Problem of
Settlements and Occupied Territories
SADAT VISITS ISRAEL, 1977
THE CAMP DAVID ACCORDS, 1978
First Arab recognition of Israel Sadat, Menachem Begin, and Jimmy
Carter
SADAT IS ASSASSINATED IN 1981
CONFLICT IN THE 1980S
1982: Israel invades Lebanon PLO attacking Israel from Lebanon
1987: The First Intifada Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
strip rise up Terrorism and Suicide bombings
PEACE IN THE 1990S?
The Oslo Accords (1993) Yitzhak Rabin and
Yasser Arafat Israel and Jordan
sign peace treaty (1994)
RENEWED CONFLICT
Rabin assassinated, 1995 The Second Intifada, 2000 Israel withdraws from Gaza, 2005-6 Hamas vs. Fatah
West Bank: Fatah Gaza Strip: Hamas
CURRENT ISSUES
Settlements Fatah vs. Hamas The question of Jerusalem The “Two State Solution”