Conflict in the Middle East

1. Conflict in the Middle East

2. Multiple conflicts in the Region • Arab-Israeli, Palestinians-Israelis • Wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, Intifadah (“Uprising”) 1987, 1999, 2000 • PLO-Lebanese conflict (1975-76) • Iran-Iraq: war in 1980-88 • Iraq-Kuwait-UN: Gulf War in 1991 • Iraq: 2nd Gulf war 2003-Present

3. Understanding the Historical Roots of Current Conflicts

5. ROOTS of Arab-Israeli conflict • Began with post-WWI dissolution of Ottoman Empire (1500-1918) • Jordan, Palestine (Israel), Iraq to Britain; • Syria, Lebanon to France (League of Nations mandates) • Both have legitimate claim to same land

6. 1920

7. Middle East Then & Now 2007 1920

8. Roots of Nationalism in Palestine • Ottoman Empire sided with Germany in World War I • Britain encouraged Arab Muslims in Ottoman territory to revolt • Brits promised independent Arab state • Brits also respected the Jewish Zionist movement.

9. An Arab speaking, Muslim people Trace their heritage back to the land of Palestine. Today, they are a nation without a state At the time of the formation of Israel in 1948, there were approximately 860,000 Palestinians Today 7,450,00 Palestinians 3,275,000 live in Israel and the occupied territories [1993] Of the remaining: 2,300,000 live in Jordan. 450,000 live in Lebanon 400,000 in Syria 300,000 in Saudi Arabia. Who are “Palestinians”?

10. Zionism • European Jews face persecution in late 1800’s. • Founded movement called Zionismto 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.

11. Balfour Declaration, 1917 “His Majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing, non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

12. Arabs in Palestine interpret the British “independent state” promise to mean ALL of Palestine; Brits say that isn’t what they had in mind. Therein lies the problem . . .

13. Demographics • 1917: 90% of population of Palestine were Arabs • Since the United States had tightened its immigration laws in 1923, Palestine became the default destination for many Jews. • Rise of Nazism brings a flood of new Jewish settlers to Palestine from Europe in 1930’s. • Angry reactions from Palestinian Arabs to immigration of European Jews surfaced immediately and worsened in the 1930s. • 1932: 80% Arabs; 20% jewish • 1936: 60% Arabs; 40% Jewish • Post WW II: Arabs 1 million; Jews 650,000 (60/40) • Today: Population of Israel is 6 million, 20% of which are Arabs

15. Modern Middle East

16. Aftermath of WWII • French & British are too weakened by war with Germany to control their colonies. • Breakup of the French colonial Empire begins • Syria & Lebanon (1946) • Vietnam (1956) • Algeria (1962) • Breakup of the British colonial Empire begins • Palestine, Jordan, Iraq (1946) • India, Pakistan 1947

17. EFFECTS OF THE HOLOCAUST • European Jews who survived the war wanted to leave Europe • The United States and Britain both refused to accept Jewish immigrants. • Because of U.S. and British refusals, Jews saw Palestine and Zionism as their only hope. • Some Zionists already in Palestine fought with the British army during the Second World War. • Zionist Radicals employed terrorism against the British after the war to persuade them to relinquish control of Palestine to the Zionists. Acts included an assassination of the chief U.N. official in Palestine. • The Radicals – called Revisionists - were expelled from the World Zionist Organization because of their violence.

18. The Creation of Israel • 1937: Arab riots kill 3000 people • Britain is unable to control the situation and recommends partition in to 3 states: • Arab • Jewish • British-administered territory • Arab League created (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen)

19. The Creation of Israel • Britain was economically exhausted by the war. • With no solution to the clash of Zionism and Arab nationalism it had initiated, Britain announced in 1947 that it would turn the Palestine problem over to the UN. • Interestingly, Arabs and Jews both remember Britain as favoring the other sideduring British control of Palestine.

20. ORIGINAL 1947 U.N. PROPOSAL • Purple = Arab • Orange = Jewish • UN recommends partition into two states (Arab & Jewish) with UN administration of Jerusalem • 55% to Jews, 45% to Arabs • Remember: • Arabs were 60% of the population • Arabs owned 90% of the land

21. The Creation of Israel • Jews accept plan; Arab League rejects it • April 9, 1948; Radical Zionist underground forces led by Menachem Begin massacred 254 Palestinians in the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem. • 14 May 1948: Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declares that “Israel” is an independent state. • U.S. President Harry Truman lends legitimacy to “Israel” by formally recognizing its status as an independent nation. • Jews establish state of Israel  WAR between Israel and Arab League (1948-49)

22. Arab-Israeli War of 1948 • Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invade on May 15. • Israel prevails and gains territory in the north and the south. • Jerusalem is divided between Israel & Jordan. • Fate of 700k Palestinian refugees is left undecided. • United Nations recognized the right of Palestinians who were expelled by the Israeli army or who fled during the 1948 war to return to their homes.

23. Arabs accidentally help Israelis • News of the unexpected Arab defeat kindled vicious riots against Jewish sections of Arab cities. • Approximately 300,000 Middle Eastern Jews fled these places for Israel. • Approximately 700,000–750,000 Palestinian Arabs fled Israel. • According to Israeli sources, motives for their flight ranged from casual choices to leave in prewar 1947, forced expulsions by the Israeli Defense Force, and Revisionist massacres in the Arab town of Dar Yassin. Israel refused to let departed Arabs return to their home. • Israel gained 300k+ Jews and lost 700k+ Arabs. • Migration legitimized Israel’s government from within.

24. Seeds of Hate take firm root • The Palestinian Arab losers of the war created a new Arab nationalism that blended resentment against their second-class status in the Arab world with a torrid sense of injustice at being displaced by European Jews of the victorious Israel. • From then on, Israelis would demand security from Arab states while Palestinians would demand justice. • These conflicting claims kept the UN from creating "a secure and just peace," intended to accommodate both sides. • For decades after 1949, Arab states technically remained at war with Israel. • On the Arab side there was no viable Palestinian leadership, and most Palestinians trusted Arab governments to destroy Israel and let Palestinians return home. • For their part, Arab governments kept this issue at the center of their rhetoric.

25. Arab-Israeli War of 1956 • USSR signs arms agreement with Egypt in ‘55. • Israelis feel threatened by arms build up and the closure of the Suez Canal to their ships. • Israel launches pre-emptive strike vs. 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.

27. Arafat and the PLO • Variety of Palestinian factions form the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964. • Goal was to liberate Palestine from Israel through guerilla warfare. • Charter calls for elimination of state of Israel. • Arafat becomes chairman in 1969.

28. The “Six-Day War” (1967) • Egyptian President Nasser closed the straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and dismissed the UN peacekeeping force there. • Negotiations with U.S.A. to reopen the Straits of Tiran fail. • Israeli “preemptive 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. • Overwhelming Israeli victory against Egypt, also Syria & Jordan. • Israelis capture West Bank from Jordan, Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and Golan Heights from Syria

31. Israel’s Situation changes • New expanded borders gives it unprecedented security • The shocking rout of Arab states persuaded Palestinians that they would have to rely on themselves. Palestinians took control of the PLO and, for the first time since World War II, had leadership of their own. Terrorism became a key tool of the PLO • Non-Jewish Population of Israel was growing from a low of 30% (1967) to 48% by 2000. • Religious zeal grew in both Jewish & Muslim communities. Extremists gain a foothold on both sides.

32. International Relations change • The 1967 war resulted in Israel losing two major suppliers of weapons. • France shifted to the Arab side. • Britain announced an embargo on arms sales to the region. • Within a year, the United States stepped in as Israel’s key source of armaments, a role it maintains today.

33. U.N.S.C. Resolution 242 • Israel should withdraw from occupied territories in exchange for peace and recognition • Ambiguity: resolution does not say “all” territories, just “territories” • Palestinians recognized as “refugees,” not as a “nation”

34. Israel cautiously waits • UN Resolution 242 called for a land-for-peace exchange. For years a stalemate ensued. • Israel’s general stance was that it would return captured territory for peace with Arab neighbors. • Israel waited for a phone call . . . . • Arab states meeting in Khartoum proclaimed they would not negotiate with Israel, leaving Palestinians in Limbo.

35. 1973 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. • Israeli Counterattack pushes 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. • OPEC doubles oil prices and embargoes Israeli supporters (including USA).

36. Hope Springs Eternal • Egyptian President Anwar Sadat traveled to Jerusalem in fall 1977. Sadat, a former terrorist, met with Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister and former Zionist Radical terrorist and. • The world was astonished as the 2 leaders stood together in Jerusalem.

37. CAMP DAVID • Nearly a year later, long after Egyptian-Israeli diplomacy bogged down, President Jimmy Carter invited Sadat and Begin to Camp David. • Egypt recognizes Israel’s right to exist. • In exchange, Israel returns Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. • Leads to Sadat’s assassination in 1981.

38. Turning a corner? • Those talks forged a peace between Israel and Egypt. • Substantial U.S. financial transfers to both states facilitated the treaty. • Much of the Arab world, many Israelis, and most Palestinians criticized the agreement for surrendering too much to the other side. • . . . . Such is the nature of peacemaking in the Middle East . . . few end up happy.

39. Terrorism grows • After the withdrawal of Egypt from the conflict, a different situation emerged. • The Egyptian government held the most powerful Arab military in the region. • With neither tanks nor an air force, the Palestinians posed a very different challenge to Israel than formal Arab states had. • They began to rely more heavily on terrorism against Israel.

40. HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH 1982 - Lebanon 1987 - Palestine

41. Roadblockson the path to peace • Arab terrorists held Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Berlin Olympics and executed a number of athletes. • Extremist movements would cost the region two leaders who sought peace: • an Islamist group killed Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981 • A fanatically religious Israeli (Jew) assassinated Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. • In both cases, the respective leader’s domestic position had weakened in part because of a compromise for peace. • With each assassination, mainstream religious leaderships condemned extremism.

42. Jihad • The Council on American-Islamic Relations, defines it this way: • “Jihad does not mean ‘holy war.’ • Literally, jihad means to strive, struggle and exert effort. • It is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defense (e.g. having a standing army for national defense), or fighting against tyranny or oppression.” • The Koran urges Muslims to “fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits” (Surah 2:190). Most Islamic scholars say that means warfare in self-defense is permissible, but initiating warfare is not. • Militant Islamic groups have incorporated the term into their rhetoric, frequently using it to inspire followers to violently engage those they perceive as enemies.

43. Jihad perverted • The PLO uses “Jihad” to inspire Palestinian riots & attacks on Israelis. • 1987 - December 9, The Palestinian Intifada (uprising) began in Gaza and spread to the West Bank. • The Intifada is intended to re-establish a Palestinian Homeland in Israel • Other Palestinian terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, adopt the term “Jihad” as well.

44. Independence for Palestine? • 1988 - November 24, the Palestinian National Council proclaimed an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza; • 55 countries including China and the Soviet Union recognized the Palestinian state. • In a political leap, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat declared in Stockholm that the PLO accepted Israel's right to exist and denounced terrorism.  • The United States authorized its ambassador to open a diplomatic dialogue with the PLO.

45. U.N. Recognition for Palestine • 1989 - January 12, the UN Security Council granted the PLO the right to speak directly to the Council as "Palestine" with the same status as any UN member nation. The PLO appointed Yasser Arafat the first President of Palestine. April 20, the UN General Assembly condemned Israeli practices in the Occupied Territories and called on the UN Security Council to protect Palestinian civilians.

46. Peace Accords • 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. • Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank at first cheered the agreement as did many Israelis. Many other Israelis criticized the agreement because it might lead to a Palestinian state and Israel compromising its control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

47. PROBLEMSCONTINUE

48. Problems continue • Religious Palestinian groups opposed Arafat and opposed settling with Israel. • Arafat’s leadership made the Palestinian Authority a corrupt and wasteful organization, discouraging foreign aid to Gaza and the West Bank. • Residents of those areas watched living standards drop instead of rise, despite previously unthinkable events such as Israeli prime minister Rabin campaigning in Europe for European economic support for the Palestinians. • After Rabin’s assassination by an Israeli, Israel’s 1996 election was won by Benjamin Netanyahu of the Conservative Likud party, who were opponents of the Oslo agreements • Arab sources spread the false rumor that a gate opened in an underground tunnel by the Israeli government endangered the foundations of the Al-Aqsa mosque. This caused several days of rioting and numerous casualties. • The Likud party benefited from Palestinian terrorism -and the refusal of many Israeli Arabs to vote in the election.

49. Peace Accords • Wye River Accords 1998 • Arafat agrees to crack down on terrorists. • Israeli would 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 would be released from Israeli prisons.

50. Still the 2 sides face problems • Time kept slipping away. . . . • Arafat kept postponing the date for proclamation of a Palestinian state. In September, 2000, the situation exploded in another Intifada & riots. • Two extremist politicians were assassinated in the fall of 2001: • Israel assassinated Abu Ali Mustafa, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which opposes a peace with Israel. • Militants of the PFLP retaliated by assassinating Israeli minister of tourism Rehavam Ze’evi, leader of Israel’s Molodet Party, which has long favored ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine.