conflict in the middle east. background ground zero for judaism, islam, and christianity. judaism:...

Conflict in the Middle East

Background

Ground Zero for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.Judaism: Israel = Biblical “Promised Land” Occupied by Moses and Hebrews around 1000 B.C.

Invaded and occupied by Philistines Greeks and Romans call it “Land of Philistines”, which becomes

Palestine.

Region of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, and death.“Ownership” changes hands frequently.Muslims capture in 640 built Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in 691

Spot where Mohammed stopped on his way to heaven. Holiest site in Islam outside Saudi Arabia.

Ottoman Turks control from 1500’s-1900’s.

Balfour Declaration

European Jews face persecution in late 1800’s. Founded movement called Zionism to establish Jewish

homeland in Palestine. Begin establishing communities in Palestine prior to World

War One.

British Foreign Secretary Balfour supported the idea of a “national home” for the Jews. Hoped to gain Jewish support for World War One. Balfour Declaration endorses this homeland as well as

an independent state for Arabs.

The British Mandate

Ottoman Turks Lose in WW I =British gain control of Palestine in 1920.

90k Jews move in

Palestinians and Jews begin arming themselves and conducting terrorist attacks against their counterparts.Rise of Nazism brings flood of new Jewish settlers to Palestine from Europe in 1930’s.UN votes to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, giving the Jews 55% of the land west of the Jordan River and designating Jerusalem as an international enclave.

Arab-Israeli War of 1948

14 May 1948: Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declares that Israel is an independent state.Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invade on 15 May.Fighting continues until Jan 1949.Israel prevails and gains territory in Galilee to the north and the Negev Desert to the south.Jerusalem is divided between Israel and Jordan.

Fate of 700k Palestinian refugees is left undecided.

Arab-Israeli War of 1956

USSR signs arms agreement with Egypt in 1955.

Israelis feel threatened by arms build up and launch pre-emptive strike against Egypt. Attack and seize the Sinai and Gaza Strip.

Relinquished in 1957.

French and British retake Suez Canal which Egypt had seized several months earlier.

UN establishes peace keeping force in Sinai that is still in place today.

Arafat and the PLO

Arafat forms Al-Fatah (Palestinian National Liberation Front) in 1959. Goal was to liberate Palestine from Israel through guerilla

warfare.

Variety of Palestinian factions form the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964. Arafat becomes chairman in 1969. Charter calls for elimination of state of Israel.

Hussein feels threatened and expels PLO from Jordan in 1970. Arafat moves HQ to Lebanon. PLO driven out of Lebanon by Israel in 1982.

Six Day War June 5-10 1967

Egypt, Jordan, and Syria begin military mobilization.Israel launches surprise pre-emptive strike. Destroys most of Egyptian Air Force on the ground.

Knocked out 350 aircraft in first three hours. Armored forces supported by air and infantry quickly

take Sinai, Golan Heights, West Bank (including Arab portion of Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Destroyed over 200 Arab tanks in two days.

UN arranges cease-fire, but terms did not specify exactly what land Israel was required to give up.

Yom Kippur War

6 Oct 1973 Egypt and Syria launch surprise attack on holiest day of Jewish year.IDF not fully mobilized and is initially pushed back.Arab integrated air defenses and anti-tank missiles take heavy toll on IDF.10-14 Oct IDF pushed Syrians out of Golan and entered Syria.15-24 Oct IDF pushes Egyptians back across the Suez. Soviets threaten to intervene when Egyptians are surrounded. Kissinger/US convince Israel to accept truce.

Israeli invincibility brought into question; Arabs emboldened. OPEC doubles oil prices and embargoes Israeli supporters.

Lebanon

Israel launches air strikes against PLO positions in Lebanon in retaliation for terrorist attacks.Subsequently invades Lebanon and surrounds Beirut in 1982. US-led UN coalition establishes presence ashore to

keep the peace. Departs after bombing of barracks.

PLO agrees to leave Beirut.

Israel completes withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon in May 2000. Nearly 1k IDF soldiers killed during 22 year

occupation.

Peace Accords

Camp David 1979 Egypt recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Israel returns Sinai to Egypt. Leads to Sadat’s assassination in 1981.

Oslo Accords 1993 Israel and PLO accept each other’s right to exist. Allows limited Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho. Establishes framework for settlement of Gaza and West

Bank issues. Leads to Rabin’s assassination in 1995.

Peace Accords

Wye River Accords 1998 Arafat agrees to crack down on terrorists. Israeli will pull troops back from occupied

territories. 14.2 percent of the West Bank land will be

transferred to Palestinian control. Safe passage corridors will be established for

Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank. 750 Palestinians will be released from Israeli

prisons.

Israel / Palestine: Arab / Jewish Population (1914-2000)

Palestinians2,300,000

Israeli Jews370,000*

*Includes 190,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 180,000 Jewish Settlers in East Jerusalem

West Bank (2004)86%

14%

Palestinians1,350,000Israeli Jews7,500

Gaza Strip (2004)

99%

1%

The Green Line marks the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip which were conquered from Jordan and Egypt during the 1967 war. These territories comprise 22% of pre-1948 Palestine.

LEGENDThe green line

Palestinian territoryIsraeli territory

Following the outbreak of the Intifada in 2000, more and more Israelis supported complete physical separation from the Palestinians. The majority of the Israeli public assumed that the Separation Wall would follow the Green Line and become the border between Israel and Palestine.

However, due to pressure from the extreme right wing in Israel, the route of the Separation Wallwas changed to include Israeli settlements.



Wall underconstruction

The government of Ariel Sharon claimed that the Separation Wall is a security project. Upon completion, the Separation Wall is projected to be 788 kilometers long, twice the length of the Green Line.




Approved pathof the wall

Suggested pathof the wall

The Eastern Barrier will be the last major phase of the Separation Wall. This part of the Wall will ensure that Israel will control all Palestinian contacts with the outside world, including entries and exits, as well as aerial and electromagnetic space.

1.5 million Palestinians will be inside the Wall. Another 500,000 Palestinians will be find themselves between the Wall and the Green Line.






The planned and suggested path of the Wall will leave some 500,000 Palestinians outside the Wall, but inside the Green Line. In order to prevent these Palestinians from moving freely outside the Wall, a sub-system of smaller enclaves will be constructed outside the main Wall.

Palestinians who live in these small enclaves will be allowed in or out of them only according to the instructions of the Israeli army.






Enclave underconstruction

Suggestedenclave

What does the wall look like? Here it is!

Israel Puts up a wall around Palestinian areas to prevent terrorist from moving into Israeli areas

Security Wall

Temporary security measure?

Route to further annexation of “Palestinian land”?

Justifiable? Just?

Hamas Victory in Palestinian Elections

Fundamentalist group that wants to establish an Islamic state on what it considers "historic Palestine," including modern-day Israel. Political wing won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliamentary electionsCharter calls for Israel’s destruction Should Hamas be recognized by the international community?

On-going violence since 2000

According to BBC: 3,300 Palestinians killed by

Israelis 1,000 Israelis killed by

Palestinians Most Pal. deaths by Israeli

military Most Israeli deaths by acts of

terrorism

Can peace be made while violence persists?

What will stop the violence?

Why Americans Should Care

$96,765,000,000

How Should the U.S. Effectively Use its Power?

Policeman? Enforcer of laws

Nation-builder? Democratization

Humanitarian?

Imperialist?

Peace Keeper? Disinterested 3rd Party

Stay out!

conflict in the middle east. background ground zero for judaism, islam, and christianity. judaism:...

Documents