1897 The World Zionist Organization was founded Zionists believed that Palestine was rightfully the homeland of the Jews

Arab-Israeli Conflict

1897 The World Zionist Organization was founded

Zionists believed that Palestine was rightfully the homeland of the Jews

Zionism

During World War I the British made three incompatible promises about the Middle East◦ Hussein-McMahon Correspondence: 1915-1916

Arabs were promised an independent state across the Middle East

◦ Sykes-Picot Agreement 1916: the British and French would divide the area of the Ottoman Empire and decide the boundaries of the states

◦ Balfour Declaration: Stated that the Jews could have a national home in Palestine provided they would not step of the rights of the existing inhabitants.

Origins

Balfour Continued: The British hoped◦ To gain the support of Jews within the Central

Powers◦ To gain the support of Jews in the U.S.

Origins

In 1919, the population of Palestine was 90% Arab.

British officially took control of Palestine under a League of Nations Mandate in 1920

Zionists turned toward immigration to try to change the demographics

Anti-Jew riots held in Jerusalem in 1920 in response to the Balfour Declaration◦ British introduced quotas on Jewish Immigration

stop the problem◦ Quotas were high and problem continued

Palestine under the British Mandate

In 1921, Palestinian protests continued◦ Failure of the British to honor the Sykes-Picot

Agreement◦ Continuing influx of Jews

In 1922, the British promised◦ There was no intention to hand over the whole

Palestine to the Jews◦ There would be no infringements of the rights of

native Palestinians


British tried to set up a legislative council containing both Arabs and Jews◦ Arabs would not give the Jews a guaranteed and

disproportionate voice in the government British set up a commission in 1929 to look at the

causes of Palestinian violence (Peel Commission) Found that Arabs

◦ Did not accept the British Mandate, wanted indep◦ Feared the loss of their land to the Jews◦ Desired the withdrawal of the Balfour Dec.◦ Wished to prohibit the sale of any more land to the Jews


As Hitler came to power, Jews began to flock to Palestine

In 1936, Arab Revolt began◦ Guerilla resistance against the British◦ Wanted independence, end of land sales to Jews,

and end to Jewish Immigration Peel Commission recommended that Palestine

be partitioned◦ 80% to the Arabs and 20% to the Jews◦ Arabs resisted because the Jews would be awarded

the best farmland and saw no reason to give up any part of their homeland


Sept 1937-Jan 1939◦ British lost control of Jerusalem, Nablus, and

Hebron◦ British now were the targets

British Tried to restore order◦ Civilians were used as hostages to provide cover◦ Demolished Arab homes

10% of the Palestinian population was killed◦ Jews 400 killed◦ British 200 killed

Arab Revolt

To gain Arab support in 1939, the British◦ Limited to Jewish Immigration to 10,000/year◦ Limited the land purchase of Jews◦ Promised to set up an Arab state of Palestine within

10 years Anti-Semitism of the Nazi’s appealed to the

Palestinians Zionists decided that British power was waning

and would seek the support of the USA in the future◦ Some appealed to Hitler to push the British out so

they could set up their own homeland

WWII

Arabs were assured by Roosevelt and Truman that no post-war settlement of Palestine would be made◦ Without full consultation with the Arabs◦ Against the interests of the Arabs

WWII

In January of 1944, the Jewish National Military Organization (Irgun Zvai Leumi) called upon Jews of Palestine to drive out the British and install a Jewish Government◦ British police stations were attacked◦ Nov. 1944 the British Minister in Cairo was murdered

With the end of the war, there were large numbers of European Jews seeking a new homeland◦ U.S. and Europe did not want them unless they were

wealthy, famous, or well qualified

Jewish Revolt

Arab League promised to prevent the formation of an exclusively Jewish state in Palestine (March 1945)

In April of 1946, David Ben-Gurion demanded the right of 1.2 million Jews to settle in Palestine

Hagganah had grown into a semi-professional army, together with Irgun; a terrorist campaign against the British and the indigenous Arab population began

Jewish Revolt

Most famous atrocity was the blowing up of the British Military HQ in the King David Hotel on July 22, 1946. Nearly 100 killed

July 30, 1946 the Morrison Plan was published◦ 40% Arab◦ 17% Jewish◦ 43% including Jerusalem under direct British

control Jews rejected the plan as offering too little

of Palestine

Jewish Revolt

Feb. 15, 1947 the British invited the United Nations to solve the problem◦ British Mandate was to expire in 1948

The United Nations appointed a special committee on Palestine which was not recognized by the Palestinians

August of 1947 the UN proposed◦ Partition of Palestine. Half to Jews

Jews made up one-third of the population and owned 6% of the land)

◦ Economically, Palestine would be a unit◦ British would administer for 2 more years under the UN◦ During that time 150,000 Jews were to be admitted

United Nations Intervention

Reasons for the UN Plan:◦ Feeling of guilt towards the Jews◦ Large numbers of dispossessed European Jews

seeking a new homeland Western countries did not want to take

◦ Zionists portrayed Palestine as the only refuge for Hitler’s victims

◦ Truman wanted the Jewish vote in New York and pressured the British to allow 100,000 Jews to immigrate

◦ U.S. pressured nations to vote for partition by withholding economic aid


Jews outwardly accepted the settlement, Arabs refused to accept the settlement◦ Arabs were blocked from taking the issue to

International Court UN voted in November of 1947. U.S. and

Soviets pressured smaller countries to support the plan

Plan passes 33-13◦ 10 abstain


Following UN intervention, Jews prepared for armed conflict◦ David Ben-Gurion instructed Hagganah to go on the

offensive and push Palestinians out of the territory proposed by the UN

Palestinians began to fight for their land in December 1947 –resented the impending loss of half of their homeland◦ Riots broke out across Arab lands against Jews◦ The Arab League proclaimed jihad against the Jews◦ Israelis began to import fighter aircraft from

Czechoslovakia

Origins of the First Arab-Israeli War

February , Jews drove out Arabs from part of Jerusalem and moved settlers in to take their place

In the Spring, Hagganah implements Plan Dalet◦ Occupy areas allocated to the Jews but also Jewish

settlements outside of that area April 15th, Irgun deliberately massacres 250 people

(mostly women and children) Dayr Yasin Massacre◦ Bodies were mutilated and disposed in wells

The Jews broadcast their actions to create an exodus of Arab inhabitants◦ Jews seized their land, houses, and possessions

Origins of the First Arab-Israeli War

May 15th, David Ben Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel◦ Promised equality of political rights to all

regardless of religion, race, or gender◦ Hagganah was transformed into the Israeli army◦ Unlimited Jewish immigration was announced

David Ben Gurion was Prime Minister and Minister of War

The U.S. recognized the new state of Israel 11 minutes into its existence

Creation of the State of Israel

On the same day, the Egyptian air force bombed Tel Aviv (no deaths) and Iraqi troops crossed the Jordan◦ Most of the fighting took place on territory that was to

be part of Palestine In May, after 4 weeks of fighting, the Swedish

proposed a truce◦ Neither side accepted the Swedish proposal◦ David Ben Gurion had to fight off challenges to his

power Truce ended because Syria and Egypt were

unwilling to extend it


Second war lasted from July 6-19 and led to a crushing Arab defeat◦ Israel took over much of western Galilee

Second truce was imposed by the United Nations In October, the Israelis invaded Negev

◦ Controlled by Egypt but awarded to Israel in the partition plan

October, The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was elected by the National Palestinian Council to be the head of the government of all of Palestine◦ All Arab nations recognized this action except King

Abdullah of Jordan (his enemy)


King Abdullah held his own conference announcing…◦ Palestine and Trans Jordan was a single entity- “Arab

Hashemite Kingdom”◦ Palestinians would be elected to the parliament in Amman

King Abdullah wanted control over the Palestinian lands◦ Israel was willing to work with him

October 21st- Israel prohibited non-Jewish Palestinians from visiting or living in certain areas of Israel without a permit◦ Allowed the Israeli military to expel Palestinians from

these areas


January of 1949, Israeli law stated that all meat coming into the country had to conform to the Jewish religious laws.◦ State was taking on a religious character


Arab armies were poorly equipped◦ British withheld spare parts◦ Jews were well supplied by the Czechs, Zionists in the

USA, and Europe Arab forces were inexperienced and poorly

coordinated Rivalries between Arab leaders Jews had their government and army in

existence and were prepared for war Palestinians were suffering from British

repression of 1936-1939 which had hurt their leadership

Reasons for Israeli Victory

Israel seized more land than had been awarded by the UN

Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan Israel held 78% of Palestine Nearly 1million Arabs fled to Egypt, Jordan, Syria,

and Lebanon where they lived in refugee camps Dec. 1948, UN passes a resolution that allows

refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace should be permitted to do so. ◦ Compensation should be paid for the property of those

choosing not to return◦ Israel ignored

Consequences of the First Arab-Israeli

United Nations Refugee and Works Administration for Palestinians was est.◦ It looked after

30,000 Arab refugees who had fled Israel and couldn’t return to their homes because they had been seized

Palestinian refugees who had fled to areas under Arab control

◦ It provided Relief Health care Social services Education

Consequences of the First Arab-Israeli

No Arab state recognized the legitimacy of the State of Israel

The British, Americans, and the French guaranteed the new borders of Israel and promised to sell limited arms in the region

Consequences of the First Arab-Israeli War

Passed laws designed to make it impossible for dispossess Palestinians to ever take back their homes and land

Deliberately and systematically bulldozed many Arab villages

Invited Jewish settlers from all over the world◦ Law of Return (1950): Jews everywhere had the

right to live in Israel Along the border areas, some 5,000

Palestinians were killed by Israelis between 1949-1956

Israel During the late 1940’s and 1950’s

Most Arabs lived in the border areas of Israel. These areas were ruled by martial law until 1966

Most of the land was placed under the ownership of the Jewish National Fund which prohibits it sale or lease to non-Jews forever

Government spending was spent on Jewish settlements, keeping Arab villages in a state of underdevelopment

Between 1948-1957 some 567,000 Jews were expelled from Arab states in reprisal for the expulsion of the Palestinians. Most settled in Israel

Israel During the late 1940’s and 1950’s

Egypt was under British control◦ Britain considered the use of the Suez Canal vital

Suez Canal Company was owned by mainly British and French

During WW II Britain took control of Egypt and made it into a British base◦ Egyptians began to resent British control and were

humiliated Most Egyptians were poor landless peasants

◦ Land was owned by a tiny number of rich◦ King Farouk was uninterested in the plight of his

countrymen

Suez Crisis

USA wanted to establish Middle East Defense Organization (MEDO) to resist communism◦ Egypt rejects MEDO and rejected British control.◦ Initiated Guerilla attacks in on the Canal Zone

1952 Gamal Abdul Nasser led a coup to over throw King Farouk◦ Nasser was part of a group that established the

Society of Free Soldiers in 194 Fight political corruption, depose the King, end

British domination Modernize Egypt, raise standard of living, Arab Unity

Suez Crisis

In 1953, the monarchy was abolished and a one party republic was established◦ Communists were suppressed as was the Muslim

Brotherhood Nasser will become prime minister after a

power struggle Nasser wants

◦ To end British colonial rule◦ End the existence of the state of Israel◦ To follow a policy of non-alignment◦ Arab Unity

Suez Crisis

1956, Nasser announces a socialist Arab state◦ One party, Islam was the official religion

U.S. and Great Britain agreed to finance the first part of the Aswan High Dam◦ Hoped to form ties to keep Communism out of

Egypt Nasser encouraged guerrilla bands of

fedayeen to attack Israel◦ Wanted to recover their homes from Jewish

settlers◦ Israel will retaliate by attacking groups of

refugees in Egypt

Suez Crisis

Nasser wanted to eradicate colonialism and create Arab Unity◦ Nasser opposed CENTO (only Pakistan and Iran joined)

Nasser decided to arm Egypt because Israel and France were working around arms agreements◦ Egypt concludes arms deal with Czechoslovakia and

officially recognized the People’s Republic of China◦ U.S. pulls funds for Aswan High Dam

Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal to finance the building of the dam

Suez Crisis

British believed that Egypt was trying to build a unified Arab kingdom under the influence of communism◦ This would threaten their oil supply

British, French, and Israelis discussed an attack on Egypt

October 29th 1956, Israel attacked Egypt◦ Captured the Sinai Peninsula within a week.

Suez Crisis

British and French issued an “ultimatum” for both sides to withdraw◦ Egypt refused the ultimatum

Britain and France then bombed Egyptian airfields and landed troops at the north end of the canal

Attack caused world outcry◦ America was afraid it would push Arab states to

communism, refused to support Br, Fr, and Is◦ U.S. joined U.S.S.R demanding withdrawal◦ Soviets were dealing with the Hungarian Revolt but

threatened to use ICBM’s on Britain and France

Suez Crisis

Consequences◦ Nasser remained in power, his prestige increased

among the Arab nations◦ Disruption of international trade◦ Reduced oil exports to the west◦ Br. And Fr. Influence in Middle East reduced◦ Eisenhower Doctrine (U.S. will use force to contain

communism in Mid East)◦ UN forces reopened the canal for shipping

Suez Crisis

Significance of the Suez War◦ It was part of the continuing struggle between

Israel and the Arab states◦ Demonstrated that Israel had established itself as

a state and had the ability to expand its territory◦ Entry of the Arab-Israeli conflict into the cold war

Suez Crisis

Causes◦ Egypt was encouraging guerillas to attack villages

across the border and Israel was retaliating◦ Israel was looking to expand into the West Bank◦ Egypt blocked the Straits of Tiran from Israeli

shipping◦ 1967 Nasser asked the UN to remove

peacekeeping troops from the Gaza Strip Nasser was under pressure from other Arab Nations

◦ Egypt, Jordan, and Syria began to concentrate troops on their borders with Israel

Six Day War

Course of the War◦ Israel pushed for American support of an attack

Israel appointed Moshe Dayan as Defense Minister (Symbol of the Suez Campaign)

◦ In an element of surprise, Israel attacked the air force of Egypt on June 4th, 1966 Obliterated the Egyptian Air force, ground troops

would have no air support◦ Jordanian troops attacked, Israel was able to gain

East Jerusalem and moved into the West Bank Jordan accepted the UN cease-fire on June 7th

◦ Egypt accepted the cease fire on June 8th

Six Day War

Syria accepted the cease fire on June 9th but Moshe Dayan wanted an opportunity to confront Syria◦ Dayan ordered an all out assault on Golan Heights◦ June 10th, the Six Day War ended

Results◦ Israel acquired the Gaza Strip and the Sinai

Peninsula from Egypt, Jerusalem and West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria

Six Day War

Results: ◦ UN Security Council Resolution 242

Demanded the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territory it recently occupied

Guaranteed freedom of navigation through all international waterways in the region

A just settlement of the Palestinian refugee problem Guarantees of territory for every state in the region

◦ Arab refugees of the Gaza Strip and West Bank found themselves under Israeli rule

◦ Communist block broke off diplomatic relations with Israel

◦ U.S. backed Israel

Six Day War

The Aftermath◦ Sporadic fighting continued along the borders◦ Palestinians formed the Popular Front for

Liberation of Palestine, Al Fatah, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization Hijacked aircraft in 1970 In 1972, attacked passengers at Lydda Airport in Tel

Aviv Attacked the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972

Acts were intended to bring attention to the plight of the Palestinians but much of the world opinion was outraged by the acts themselves

Six Day War

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Dawsonfieldcamels.jpg

Aftermath◦ Egyptian and Israeli forces engaged in sporadic

fighting across the border War of Attrition

◦ Jordanian Crisis (August –Sept 1970) Seeing the PLO as a threat, King Hussein of Jordan

attacked PLO refugee camps Prior to the attacks PLO supported groups challenged

Jordanian Law, took westerners hostage, and hijacked 4 planes

His attack led to the formation of Black September This group assumed responsibility for the attacks on the

Israeli Olympic team Syrians threatened a tank invasion

Six Day War

The Aftermath◦ Jordanian Crisis

Nasser played a large role in negotiating an end to the crisis The strain of the negotiation caused Nasser to collapse

and die on Sept. 28th 1970.

Six Day War

Arab League supported the establishment of an organization that would represent Palestinians and strive toward the liberation of Palestine◦ Nasser backed this idea to have a new group in

the League that would be under his control This would prevent Palestinians from taking action

against Israel that would drag Egypt into a confrontation

Al-Fatah and the PLO

Arab leaders chose Ahmad al-Shuqayri as leader of the PLO (1964)◦ King Hussein banned the PLO and Fatah from all

activities including recruitment in his country Al Shuqayri had stated the East and West Bank

Jordan and Israel all were part of Palestine Jordan had a population made up of 60% Palestinian

◦ Al Shuqayri seemed much too tame for Syria who wanted militant action against Israel. Syria’s support turned to a smaller Palestinian

organization…Al-Fatah Syria also wanted to oust King Hussein


Syria’s sponsorship of Fatah was an effort to reestablish itself as the main player in the Arab revolutionary struggle◦ Syria was controlled by the Baath Party

Baath party mixed Arab nationalism and Arab Socialism. It was opposed to “Western Imperialism” and called for unity in the Arab world under one state

◦ By 1965, 39 random bombings had taken place◦ Israel was concerned about its security◦ It wasn’t clear where the attacks were coming from◦ Jordan was concerned about an Israeli retaliation◦ Both Hussein and Nasser feared the outbreak of hostilities

Syria was trying to paint both Egypt and Jordan as soft on Israel


In Dec. of 1967 members of the PLO’s executive committee demanded that Al Shuqayri resign◦ He refused and asked for support from Nasser◦ Nasser refused to back him and he resigned

1968 PLO Charter stated that armed struggle would be the only way to liberate Palestine

Fatah and the PLO would merge in 1969 and Yassir Arafat was named the leader◦ Arafat was involved in the battle of Karameh which helped propel

him into the leadership position Karameh was a Palestinian refugee camp and Fatah Headquarters

that was attacked by Israel in 1968 after an attack on an Israeli Bus. Israel won the battle but suffered many casualties.

◦ Arafat wanted to shape the PLO into a unified political and military organization


In August of 1970, Hussein, Nasser, and Golda Meir agreed to bring the war of attrition to a temporary halt

PLO was shocked and felt betrayed by Egypt and Jordan◦ Felt the best way to end the cease-fire would be to

overthrow King Hussein◦ King Hussein attacked the PLO in Sept. of 1970

PLO was forced to flee Jordan and established itself in Lebanon

Nasser dies during negotiations and Anwar Sadat replaces him


Sadat wanted to regain the Sinai Peninsula and re-establish control over the Suez Canal◦ Also had far reaching economic goals. War of

Attrition had left Egypt bankrupt Wanted to move Egypt closer to the U.S.

◦ Proposed that Israel withdraw from the canal zone as a first step for Israel to fulfill Resolution 242

◦ Promised to restore diplomatic relations with the U.S. and sign a peace agreement with Israel

Israel rejected the proposal

Anwar Sadat

Sadat asked the Soviets to remove all of its advisors and technicians in July of 1971◦ This was done to satisfy the U.S.

Sadat and President Assad of Syria then began to plan for war against Israel◦ Felt this was the only way to get Israel to the

negotiating table.◦ Sadat wanted to take back the canal and the Sinai◦ Assad wanted to regain the Golan Heights

Israel didn’t recognize the warning signs until it was too late

Anwar Sadat

On Oct. 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched Operation Badr against Israel◦ This was the day of a Jewish religious celebration, Yom

Kippur Israel faced heavy losses since Egypt and Syria

were well equipped with Soviet weapons◦ Israel appealed to the U.S. for help and weapons◦ U.S. airlifted weapons after the Soviets resupplied Egypt

Israel counterattacked against Syria and was closing in on the Syrian capital of Damascus◦ Israel was also having success against Egypt in the

Sinai

1973 War

In response to the U.S. helping Israel, OPEC stopped shipping oil to the U.S. and any country that supported Israel◦ They dropped their Oil shipments by 25% causing

a world shortage During the 3rd week of October, the

superpowers got involved◦ U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Soviet

Leader Leonid Brezhnev met in Moscow to draft a plan to end the war

1973 War

All sides initially rejected calls for a cease fire but later changed their minds when the U.S. and Soviets threatened to intervene

Ceasefire was agreed on Oct. 22nd , 1973 Consequences of the 1973

◦ Arab armies were not defeated, first time since 1948◦ Arab states emerged more united than ever◦ Middle East countries will now use oil as a

bargaining tool. ◦ European Economic Community affirmed that the

rights of Palestinians must be considered in any settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict

1973 War

Consequences◦ Sadat emerged as an international statesman and

Egypt increased political status in the region◦ Israel technically won the war but public

confidence in the government was shaken Moshe Dayan (Defense Minister) and Golda Meir

(Prime Minister) were forced to resign in April of 1974◦ Yitzhak Rabin took over leadership of the Israeli

government

1973 War

International attempts to resolve tensions in the region generally failed

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger became a key figure◦ He knew that Sadat was willing to work with Israel◦ Kissinger was concerned about OPEC and decided

to take multiple visits to the Middle East◦ Kissinger also suggested to the Palestinians that

any partial withdrawal done by Israel might lead to a more comprehensive withdrawal in the future (shuttle diplomacy)

Role of the United States, the PLO and the United Nations

Kissinger would help convince Israel to withdraw from the Suez and Sinai Peninsula

In 1974 at the Arab League meeting the PLO was declared the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people◦ Yassir Arafat began to have hope that a separate

Palestinian state would happen It would be made up of the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Arafat was asked to address the UN General Assembly ◦ This was a change in direction for the UN which had

supported partition


On Nov. 22, 1974 the UN passes Resolution 3236◦ Reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian

people in Palestine to the right of self determination and the right to national independence

◦ Invited the PLO to participate in the UN as an observer

PLO had been legitimized by the United Nations


Rabin’s government was the first Likud Government since 1948◦ It’s Prime Minister was Menachem Begin◦ Begin was considered to be a hardliner among the Arab

states Ideological background of the party indicated that giving up

any land to the Palestinians would be a betrayal of Israel’s sovereignty

Jimmy Carter became president in the U.S. in 1976◦ He traveled to Syria to test the waters of a peace

agreement◦ He found out that Syria didn’t support the idea of an

independent Palestine only a Syrian controlled PLO

Camp David and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement

Carter’s hope for peace seemed to be shattered when Begin compared Arafat to Hitler

In 1977, Sadat announced that he was willing to go to Israel and address the Knesset◦ Sadat was denounced by some Arab states and

the PLO as a traitor◦ He traveled to Jerusalem in November of 1977

and addressed the Knesset No breakthrough took place but a groundbreaking

meeting took place.


In September of 1978, President Carter invited Begin and Sadat to Camp David for talks◦ It was a bad tempered affair between Begin and

Sadat◦ Sadat threatened to return to Egypt after days of

discussion Camp David Accords were signed on Sept. 17,

1978◦ Called for Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian

people to resolve issues in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip over a period of 5 years


Camp David Accords Continued◦ Israel would withdraw from the Sinai in exchange

for free passage through the Gulf of Suez and the Canal The territorial issues would not be settled. Sadat was considered a traitor and was assassinated

by his own army in October of 1981 Arab League and the PLO suspended diplomatic

relations with Egypt◦ Accords brought peace between Egypt and Israel

for over 30 years but key issues were unresolved Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, and East

Jerusalem remained under Israeli control


Following the defeat of the PLO in Lebanon, it was forced to move its headquarters to Tunis

On Dec. 8, 1987, an Israeli Army vehicle crashed into a truck in Gaza◦ Killed 4 Palestinian workers and wounded 7◦ Funerals turned into a protest against Israel◦ Israeli army fired upon the protesters, killing one

This began the first Intifada (shaking off) of Israeli presence◦ Despite military superiority, the Israeli’s were

unable to control the Intifada

Palestinians and Israelis 1979-2009

Radical Islamic groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad were formed Their aims included the establishment of an Islamic State in

Palestine through Jihad Norway 1993: A meeting between Israel and the PLO

resulted in the Declaration of Principles (Oslo Accord) This was the first step in allowing for Israel to withdraw from the

West Bank and the Gaza Strip Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yassir Arafat, and Israeli

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in 1994

Sept. 1995 peace accords were signed at the White House creating three zones in the West Bank and proposed how they would be controlled Also agreed that elections would be held to create the Palestinian

Authority


Radicals were furious on both sides◦ Rabin was assassinated on Nov. 4, 1995◦ Shimon Peres became the new Prime Minister and

began implementing the peace accord Jan. 1996 Palestinian elections were held and

Arafat was the clear winner, seemed as if a Palestinian state was in the process of being created◦ Israel assassinated Yahya Ayyaash a Hamas bomb

expert◦ Suicide bombings increased and Peres launched

Operation Grapes of Wrath in April of 1996. Attacked Hezbollah camps and Lebanese Roads


Peres was defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election, he condemned the Oslo agreements◦ Allowed Israeli settlers to occupy land in the West

Bank 1997 Hebron Agreement: Israel would

withdraw from the West Bank and Palestinians would reduce terrorist attacks

In 2000, Likud party leader Ariel Sharon insisted on visiting the Temple Mount, one of Islam’s holiest sites


Protesters tried to block his access and the Israeli army fired upon them, killing 4

The second Intifada broke out with extreme violence◦ Arafat’s decision to support the Intifada led to the rejection

of the Oslo process Ariel Sharon became prime minister in Feb. of 2001

and adopted a hardline approach Arafat was unable to control the extremist elements

◦ Was unable to move Israel out of the Gaza and the West Bank

◦ Arafat died in Nov. of 2004 and was succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas


Abbas was unable to provide sound leadership In the elections of 2006, Hamas gained control

of the Palestinian Authority◦ This strengthened Israel’s determination not to

surrender land◦ Fatah would not accept the result of the election

In 2007, the Hamas government collapsed◦ Hamas continued to fire rockets at Israel◦ Smuggled weapons from Egypt

Israel invaded Gaza in 2009 killing 1,000 Palestinians.


Looking at document 4.2, explain the reasoning behind the partition plan of 1947. Make sure you look at all 15 points

Discuss how the Israeli Information Service justifies the formation of Israel.

What are some of their appeals?

Documents

1897 The World Zionist Organization was founded Zionists believed that Palestine was rightfully the homeland of the Jews