modern history - stage 6 syllabus

Modern History - Stage 6 Syllabus

Survey Notes Date/Time/Place Historical Perspectives

- Origins of tension, including:

• Israeli and Palestinian perspectives on the 1948 Arab–

Israeli War,

Origins of the tension:

⁃ Israel was seen as the ‘Promised Land of the

Hebrew Bible’ for Jewish people

⁃ Land was occupied by Jews in 1350 BC

⁃ 135 AD Jews sold into slavery and forced out of

their homeland (Jewish diaspora)

⁃ Jewish kingdom Judea renamed Palestine

⁃ 1516 Palestine taken over by Ottoman Turks

⁃ 20th century, Ottoman Empire in decay, Arab

leaders ready to establish independent Arab

states

⁃ Arab nationalism and Jewish Zionism increased

Zionism // a movement established by Theodor Herzl.

Representing the Jewish diaspora and need to establish a

homeland. Anti-Semitism across Europe, discrimination,

persecution, and Pogroms (common in Russia),

contributed to this Jewish ‘nationalism’.

WWI // after the war, British gov made series of

conflicting agreements. Palestine, previously under

Ottoman rule, was taken by Arab fighters, in promise of

right to self-governing.

- McMahon-Hussein Correspondence 1915-16

stated the Brits would support Arab

independence (if they launched an attack on

Turks - they did).

- Sykes-Picot Agreement 1916, between Britain

and France, post-war division of Middle East.

Palestine would be jointly ruled by the two (and

Russia).

McMahon-

Hussein

Correspondence

1915-16

Sykes-Picot

Agreement 1916

Balfour

Declaration 1917



- Balfour Declaration 1917 contradicted other

agreements made between Arabs and Britain, as

Britain promised support for a Jewish

homeland. This set the scene for post-war

period. The Balfour Declaration is seen as the

key instigator of modern-day conflict in the

region.

Israeli & Palestinian Perspectives on 1948 War.

⁃ Boycott of Jewish products and business began;

black listed from trading with Arabs, prejudice

against Jewish companies.

⁃ ¾ million Palestinians left as refugees that settled

in Jordan, Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria.

⁃ Palestinians left with roughly ⅕ of land they

originally held.

⁃ Arab league developed internal conflict between

Jordan, Syria and Egypt.

⁃ Israel’s small and hostile government controlled

87% of Palestine.

Israel declares

independence as

a nation: 14 May

1948

First Arab-Israeli

War: 15 May

1948 – March

1949

• consequences of the war for Israel and the Palestinians to

1967,

Consequences of First Arab-Israeli War.

⁃ The independent Jewish state remained a

constant source of anger for Arab identifying

nations across region.

⁃ Disunity among Arab states during war (due to

personal ambitions), highlighted problems within

Arab objectives.

⁃ Failure to liberate Palestine, and Israeli

expansion of territory dealt ‘substantial blow’ to

movement.

⁃ Jewish population outweighed Arabs,

600,000:150,000. Doubling within two years.



• political and social issues in Arab–Israeli relations in 1967.

Political and Social Issues in Arab-Israeli Relation in

1967.

⁃ US provides funds to encourage Jewish

immigration to Israel

⁃ 1950 Law of Return: any Jewish person can

settle in Israel and receive Israeli citizenship

‘Right of Return’ demanded for refugees by both Arab

States and Palestinian leaders.

Law of return

1950


Focus of study Notes Date/Time/Place Historical Perspectives

- War and peace, including:

• causes, course and consequences

of the 1967 (Six Day) War,

The Six Day War:

- The Six Day War was the pivotal turning point

for Israel, establishing their dominance as a

power in the region by capturing:

1. East Jerusalem,

2. the West Bank,

3. the Gaza Strip,

4. the Golan Heights

5. and Sinai Peninsula

- Indisputable Israeli victory resulted in more than

15,000 Egyptian, 6,000 Jordanian and 1,000

Syrian casualties

Six Day War

5 Jun 1967 – 10

Jun 1967

• creation, aims, methods and role of the Palestinian Liberation

Organisation (PLO) 1964–1974,

The PLO:

- created in 1964, bringing together a number of

Palestinian nationalist groups

- Yasser Arafat took over as leader in 1969 and

remained in this position until his death in 2004

- Two major aims (initial):

1. Elimination of the state of Israel

2. Creation of a Palestinian national state

- Revision to initial aims:

o PLO accepted Israel’s right to exist but

continued to fight for Palestinian

autonomy

- Methods:

o In the 60s, the PLO was committed to

terrorism to achieve its aims.

o The PLO’s terrorist acts helped to draw

attention to the plight of the Palestinian

people

o By the end of the 70s, the PLO moved

toward a position where it would be

Creation of PLO

1964

Arafat becomes

leader

1969

Recognised as

official

representative

1974



prepared to compromise and use more

traditional diplomacy

- Role:

o When the PLO were able to move away

from terrorism and engage in a peace

process that had potential to benefit

Palestinian people, they were recognised

as the legitimate representatives of the

Palestinian people.

o In 1974, the PLO was recognised by Arab

nations as the official representative of

the Palestinian people

• causes, course and consequences of the 1973 (Yom Kippur) War,

including the Camp David Treaty,

Yom Kippur War:

- Background:

o Yom Kippur is the holiest of Jewish

holidays. It is a day of atonement, which

follows 10 days of repentance and

introspection following the Jewish New

Year.

o Yom Kippur is observed with a 25 hour

fast starting at sundown the day before

Yom Kippur, and services at the

synagogue. Observant Jews do not work

on this day.

- Causes:

o Following the Six Day War, Israel felt

confident and secure, as they had extra

land which would create a ‘buffer’ for

any future invasion by Egypt in

particular.

o In May 1973, Sadat (President of Egypt)

believed their reliance on the USSR was

Sadat expels

USSR officials

May 1973

Egypt invades

Israel

6 October 1973

Israel wins Yom

Kippur War

24 October 1973

Geneva

Conference

9 January 1974

Disengagement

agreement/ E+Is

18 January 1974



becoming a liability, so he expelled

15,000 Soviet advisors from Egypt.

o Defence Minister General Moshe Dayan

encouraged the establishment of Jewish

Settlements in military strategic places in

the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights,

Gaza and the Sinai

▪ The Egyptians referred to this as

“Creeping Annexation”.

o The Egyptian economy was in ruins (due

to the defeat in the Six Day War and the

nationalisation of the economy) which

made it difficult to afford weapons from

the USSR.

o Sadat had been willing to engage in

diplomacy with Israel, but PM Golda

Meir would not participate in such

negotiations.

o Sadat had support from the new Syrian

leader, Hafez al-Assad, so he began to

plan an attack on Israel.

- Course:

o Egyptian infantry crossed the Suez Canal

on 6 October 1973, and advanced across

the Sinai before being stopped by an

Israeli counterattack.

o Syria almost succeeded in regaining the

Golan Heights before being stopped in a

major tank battle.

o The USA supported Israel and assisted

them with arms

Disengagement

agreement/ S+Is

31 May 1974

Camp David

Accords signed

17 September

1978



o The USSR supported Egypt and Syria and

assisted them with arms

o 24 October: A Soviet-American brokered

ceasefire was finally accepted by both

parties, with Israel the obvious victor.

- Consequences:

o 2,800 Israeli casualties

o 11,000 Syrian and Egyptian casualties

o Made Arab states realise Israel could not

be defeated militarily, strengthening

peace movements and ending the old

Arab ambition of destroying Israel by

force.

o The USA and the USSR invited Egypt,

Jordan, Syria and Israel to a peace

conference in Geneva – the first-time

representatives of any of these states had

met together

o Syria refused to attend because the PLO

were not invited

o The meeting lasted one day, Israeli and

Arab delegates did not exchange a single

word

o Egypt and Israel signed a disengagement

agreement

o Syria and Israel signed a disengagement

agreement

Camp David Accords:

- Following President Sadat of Egypt’s appeal to

Israeli Knesset and Israel’s PM Begin for peace



negotiations, President Carter (USA) decided to

get involved

- The Camp David accords were signed after two

weeks of secret meetings primarily between

Israel and Egypt in America

- The accords were a framework for peace in the

Middle East

- The first accord:

o Called for negotiations among Egypt,

Jordan, Israel and Palestine to settle the

West Bank and Gaza questions

o Called for the establishment of a self-

governing Arab authority

- The second accord:

o A draft proposal for a peace agreement to

be negotiated and signed within three

months

o Called for a phased Israeli withdrawal

from the Sinai over three years and full

restoration of the area to Egypt (this was

indeed satisfied)

- Egypt’s reasons for signing:

o Economic factors

o Recovery of territory

- Israel’s reasons for signing:

o End result was NOT an independent

Palestine

o Sinai territory was not beneficial for

military development or defence

- Result of the Camp David Accords:

o The West regarded Sadat as a hero, the

Arab world regarded him as a traitor



o The PLO rejected the Accords because

they didn’t call for an independent

Palestine

o The Arab states continued in a state of

war with Israel

• role and objectives of the superpowers in relation to events

in the Middle East.

- US and the USSR provided arms to Israel and

Arab countries respectively.

- USSR wanted Arab countries on their side.

- US had containment policy: Keep communism

within USSR by influencing potential

Communist countries.

- The Occupied Territories and

Lebanon, including:

• attitudes and policies of the Israeli Labour and Likud parties towards

the Occupied Territories,

Government policies of settlement:

- 1967-77: The Labour government established

settlements in the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and

West Bank

o Designed for defensive purposes such as

hiding weapons. These settlements

avoided centres of the Arab population.

o Following the Yom Kippur war, the

numbers of settlers in the region

increased exponentially. In 1972, the total

number of settlers was 10,608 and by

1996 had reached 322,500.

- Change to Likud gov in 1977 saw change in the

nature of the settlements.

o Likud used the settlements to break up the

Arab population with pockets of Israeli

(Jewish) citizens, limiting the opportunity

for self-rule.

Labour

established

settlements:

1967-77

Yom Kippur

War: 6 Oct 1973

– 26 Oct 1973

“the return of the Golan to Syria

is pivotal to a solution of the

Israeli-Syrian conflict” -

Muhammad Muslih

“a centre-left camp wanted to

give the territories back for

peace, but a right-wing camp –

including an activist section of

the Labor Party… wanted to keep

the Territories” - Rafael Reuveny

“the Palestinians are not

recognised by the Israeli

Government as an independent

political factor and the very

existence of a Palestinian identity

is questioned” - Avi Shlaim



o Key policy was shlemut hamolet (the

integrity of the homeland) - claims West

Bank is part of Israel.

- Major Ariel Sharon was Minister of Agriculture

and Chairman of the Ministerial committee for

settlements until 1981.

o Supported expansion of settlements

despite his involvement in Camp David

Accords. Supported efforts to settle

adjacent to Arab lands.

o Oversaw land confiscation by military

and the doubling of the amount of

settlements in the WB and Gaza.

Pressure from religious and ideological Jewish groups to

create settlements mounted after 1967.

“Arab parties, which hold on 10

out of the Knesset’s 120 seats

have been consistently left out of

government coalitions” -

Gershom Gorenberg

“Palestinians do not have the

opportunity to participate in any

significant political or economic

decisions regarding the occupied

territories” – U.S Department of

State

• rise and significance of the Israeli settler movement in the Occupied

Territories,

- Following the 1973 war, the numbers of settlers

in the Occupied Territories increased

exponentially.

o In 1972, the total number of settlers was

10,608 and by 1996 had reached 322,500

“Natives lived in wretched

conditions and had few socio-

political rights” - Rafael

Reuveny

• reasons for the Israeli invasions of Lebanon in 1978 and 1982,

Lebanon before the war:

- By 1970, Palestinian refugees made up 10% of

the Lebanese population.

- The PLO relocated predominantly to Lebanon

with the refugees and continued to engage in

cross border attacks

- The Lebanese government gave the PLO

responsibility of controlling refugee camps

- Civil war in Lebanon broke out in 1975 due to

the tensions between the Christian Maronites and

Israel first

invades

Lebanon: 14

Mar 1978

Lebanon war:

June 1982



the PLO (allied with associated Muslim groups in

Lebanon).

o The Maronites refused to accept the

power of the PLO and formed their own

militia to combat them

o The civil war ended when the Syrian

army invaded Lebanon, sided with the

Christian militia and defeated the PLO.

The Syrians then turned on the Christians

Lebanon at war:

- In March 1978, Israeli troops invaded Lebanon to

establish a buffer zone to protect northern Israel,

in retaliation for a PLO bus hijack which resulted

in the deaths of Israeli civilians.

o The UN ordered a cease-fire in July 1981

o In 1978, ‘Operation Litani’ - Israel

created a 15km buffer zone between

Israel and Lebanon borders to provide

safety from PLO bombings, rocket

attacks, etc.

- Israel invaded Lebanon for a second time in 1982

following the attempted assassination of the

Israeli ambassador to Britain, Shlomo Argov.

o The Israeli Army trapped the PLO in

Beruit and placed them under siege for 11

weeks.

o Israeli troops allowed Chritian militias to

search the Sabre-Shatila refugee camp for

guerrilla fighters.

▪ This resulted in the massacre of

men, women and children. The



evidence is unclear about who was

truly responsible and the actual

death toll

▪ Defence Minister Ariel Sharon

and PM Begin both resigned as a

result of the massacre

o A result of the 1982 war, ‘Operation

Peace for Galilee’ - the PLO being

relocated to Tunisia.

- Both invasions were conducted by Israel in an

attempt to drive out the PLO from south

Lebanon.

- Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 1985

• the significance of the war for

Israel and the Palestinian.

Significance of the Lebanon war:

Israel:

- Major blow to the PLO, reduction in their ability

to attack Israel.

- Tainted with a ruthless reputation as a result of

the Sabre-Shatila massacre.

- Hezbollah emerged in Lebanon.

- Destruction caused by the war resulted in

widespread division in Israel.

- Perceptions that Israel had become the aggressor

Palestine:

- Suffered enormously, large number of civilian

casualties

- Palestinians received international sympathy -

especially after the Sabre-Shatila massacre.

- With the PLO removed, thousands of Palestinian

refugees were left unprotected, triggering the rise

of Islamic extremist groups such as Hezbollah,



who became an uncompromising enemy of

Israel.

- Isolation from PLO also lead to the first

Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation in

the Gaza Strip and WB.

- The peace process, including:

• the Intifada 1987–1994: Palestinian resistance and Israeli

response,

The Intifada 1987-1994:

⁃ The first Palestinian intifada spread rapidly

throughout the occupied territories.

o Violence in the territories had been

escalating from the beginning of 1987.

⁃ Ended in 1993, more than 1,300 Israelis and

Palestinians had died as a result of the conflict.

⁃ The intifada harnessed the anger and frustration

felt by the Palestinians and drew upon the

organisations and institutions that had developed

under occupation.

o Refugee camps, enduring overcrowding,

lack of running water and sewage flowing

openly in the street characterised the

conditions of the occupied territories.

o Civil disobedience, strikes, boycotts of

Israeli products, graffiti, barricades and

throwing rocks.

o Young people played a central role in the

intifada by engaging in street fighting,

throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails and

grenades.

o Stabbings of Israeli civilians in urban

areas also became more frequent.

⁃ Israeli settlements developed during the ‘70s and

‘80s served as a point of Palestinian anger and

The First

Intifada:

8 December

1987 – 13

September 1993



can be directly attributed to the causes of the

intifada.

o Palestinians feared that Israel might one

day permanently annex part, if not all, of

the territories.

⁃ PLO demonstrations traditionally came from

gunmen sent from outside however the intifada

saw violence in the territories initiated from

within.

⁃ The PLO attempted to take control and

responsibility for the Palestinian uprising by

increasing PLO presence in the territories.

o Palestinians came to reject the PLO as

their sole representative.

o Islamist groups predominantly led and

guided the intifada.

▪ Hamas (Islamic Resistance

Movement) and the Islamic Jihad

Movement were key players and

publicly active leaders of the

intifada.

Israel’s response:

⁃ Israel responded to the intifada by retaliating

with greater force, imposing curfews on the

territories, arresting Palestinians, restricting

travel (and thus employment), deporting

‘problematic’ Palestinians, closing schools and

reducing access to basic facilities (healthcare,

education etc.).



⁃ Israel attempted to crush the boycott with heavy

fines, seizing equipment and goods from local

stores, factories and homes.

• successes and setbacks in the peace process 1987–1996,

Successes in the peace process:

⁃ The Gulf war highlighted the need for a peace

conference in the Middle East.

⁃ Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the

PLO attended a meeting organised by US

President George Bush, to discuss UN Resolution

242, ‘land for peace’ resolution.

⁃ In June 1992, the Rabin Labour government was

elected on the policy of accelerating the peace

process.

⁃ On 13 September 1993, the Oslo Accords or

Declaration of Principles were signed in

Washington.

o The Oslo Accords called for limited self-

rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Israel and the PLO were forced to

recognise each other as a result.

⁃ On 4 May 1994, Arafat and Rabin signed a Gaza-

Jericho self-rule agreement in Cairo, to begin a

limited transfer of powers to the interim

Palestinian Authority.

o Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza and

Jericho.

o On 1 July, Arafat made a symbolic return

to Gaza and assumed the role of

Chairman of the Palestinian Authority.

Rabin

Government

elected: June

1992

Oslo Accords

Signed: 13

September 1993

Arafat and Rabin

sign self-rule

agreement: 4

May 1994

Arafat as

Chairman of the

Palestinian

Authority: 1 July

1994

Israel-Jordan

Peace Treaty: 26

October 1994

Oslo II

approved: 28

September 1995



o On 26 October, Israel and Jordan signed a

peace treaty, that recognised Jordan’s role

as keeper of the holy places in Jerusalem.

⁃ A trend was started for other Arab States to

recognise Israel and started a new era of Israeli-

Jordanian co-operation.

⁃ On 28 September 1995, Israeli Knesset voted to

approve Oslo II, which extended Palestinian self-

rule in the West Bank.

⁃ In 1996, the first Palestinian elections were held.

Setbacks in the Peace Process:

⁃ In February 1994, Baruch Goldstein opened fire

on Muslims praying at the Tomb of the

Patriarchs in Hebron, killing 29 people. He

became a hero to fundamentalist Jews.

⁃ When Israeli troops began withdrawing from the

Gaza Strip, right-wing Israeli’s denounced Rabin

as a traitor.

⁃ When the Intifada ended, the Hamas violence

increased, with several suicide bomb attacks on

Israel.

⁃ By 1995, Israeli redeployment from Arab towns

in the West Bank was behind schedule. The

borders between Israel and Gaza were shut.

⁃ In January 1995, Islamic Jihad claimed

responsibility for a car bomb detonated in Jewish

settlement south of Gaza city.

⁃ In November, Mossad (the Israeli Secret Service)

assassinated the leader of the Islamic Jihad

movement.



⁃ Israeli division over peace culminated in the

assassination of Prime Minister Rabin.

⁃ Rabin’s successor, Peres, tried to uphold the Oslo

Accords despite attempts by the Hamas and

Jewish extremists to derail the peace process.

⁃ Peres approved the bombardment of Lebanon in

an effort to control Hezbollah attacks, this is

known as the Grapes of Wrath.

• support and opposition for the

peace process among Israelis and

Palestinians,

Support and opposition for the peace process:

⁃ Within Israel, Rabin had strong support. The

majority of Israelis saw the need to deal with the

PLO and engage in a process that would trade

‘land for peace’.

o There was also a very significant minority

(including the religious right and settler

movement) that was committed to a

Greater Israel and opposed any return of

land to the Palestinians. Their influence

was decisive in the Knesset.

⁃ Ongoing Palestinian violence however

discouraged Israeli officials in engaging in the

peace process.

o If land were to be traded for peace,

Israeli’s expected a peace dividend.

⁃ The PLO became more diplomatic, renounced

terrorism and thus was opposed to Hamas and

Islamic Jihad.

o Israel recognised the PLO as a legitimate

representative of the Palestinian people

however the Palestinian people did not

view the PLO as their representative.



o Many ordinary Palestinians may have

supported the peace process however, the

deep-seated resentment against Israel

after decades of occupation and

indiscriminate reprisals created fertile

ground for extremism.

• significance of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the election of

Netanyahu in 1996.

Yitzhak Rabin:

- When Rabin came to power in 1992, he

announced that the new government would take

vigorous steps that would lead to the end of the

Arab-Israeli conflict

- Rabin helped establish a momentum that broke

barriers, such as when he shook hands with

Arafat in Washington in 1993

- Rabin’s assassination in 1995 was a sign of the

depth of division within Israeli society, evident

that the peace process was drastically faltering

Benjamin Netanyahu:

- Elected in 1996, seen as a turn to the right wing

and a return to hard-line Likud policies

- Netanyahu promised to focus on security and

rejected the land for peace formula

- Continued to isolate Arafat and the PLO

- Caused violence to flare up with a lack of

sensitivity to Muslim beliefs

- The government continued to approve the

construction of new settlements

Rabin comes to

power

1992

Rabin meets

Arafat

1993

Rabin

assassinated

1995

Netanyahu

elected

1996

modern history - stage 6 syllabus

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