The Middle East

The Middle East

1800 B.C. to 1500 B.C.

Abraham, the father of the Jews, lived in a land called Ur, in S W Mesopotamia. Yahweh, the God of Abraham, told him to leave Ur and settle in Canaan, which is now Israel.

66 A.D. to 132 A. D.The Jews stage a revolt against Roman rule and are told to leave Canaan. This scattering is known as the diaspora.The area then became known as Palestine

600’s A.D.

Muslim Arab armies moved north from Arabia and conquered most of the Middle

East including Palestine. From this time, most of the people living in Palestine

were Arab and Muslim. Muslims controlled this region until the end of the Ottoman

Empire in the early 1900’s.

1096 A.D.

The Crusades began in 1096 A.D. The Crusades were a series of military

expeditions by Western European Christians to reclaim control of the holy lands from the

Muslims.

1517A.D.Palestine became part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans now controlled

Turkey, parts of N. Africa, Southwest Asia, and Southeast Europe

LATE 1800’S

Zionist movement began.

Zionism – A Jewish movement that encouraged Jews to return to the homeland,

which is also known as Zion.

1914-1918World War One

1914-1918World War One

The Ottoman empire sided with Germany.

Britain wanted Arab support so it agreed to back Arab demands for possession of

Palestine.

1914-1918

World War One

Britain also issued the “Belfour Declaration” pledging support for Jewish control of Palestine.

After the war, the Ottomans lost control of Palestine and Arabs and Jews claimed the land

of Palestine

1930’s to 1940’s

Nazis began to persecute Jews in Germany.Many Jews fled to Palestine which

infuriated the Palestine Arabs.

1947-1948The world learned of the Holocaust

The United Nations divided Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state (1947).

May 14,1948- Israel declared its independence

May 15,1948-Israel was attacked by Arabs who refused to recognize its independence

1947-1948

Suez Canal Crisis

On July 26, 1956 President Nasser of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. The British and

the French were furious because they controlled the company which ran the Canal. They attempted to start a war between Egypt

and Israel. They did not succeed

1956

1967Six-Day War

In early 1967 there were repeated confrontations between Israel and Syria. On

6/5/67, the Israeli air force launched a surprise attack on Jordan ,Syria, and Egypt. Israeli

ground units captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. The West Bank

and East Jerusalem was captured from Jordan and, the Golan Heights from Syria.

1978Palestinian Intifada begins.

1993

Oslo AccordsThe first direct, face-to-face agreement between the

government of Israel and the Palestine government known as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It was intended to be the one framework for future negotiations and relations

between the Israeli government and Palestinians,

1995 Oslo II Agreement signed in Washington

Israeli and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) officials finalized agreement on the second stage of

Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands.

1995 Israeli Prime Minister assassinated

 In Nov.4 , Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated in Tel

Aviv, Israel by an extremist citizen of Israel who considered Rabin's crusade for peace a betrayal of the nation of Israel.

1996-2012

Still searching for peace after all these years!

     JERUSALEM—Israeli and Palestinian

negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlocked peacemaking. Their aim is to reach a common ground to resume

direct talks between the two sides and to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord . . .

by the end of 2012,”