The Struggle for Palestine

The Struggle for PalestineA place for Jews

and Arabs

I. Forming the Israeli State

Knesset: Israel’s parliament system Prime Minister: head of government

First was David Ben-Gurion. Current Prime Minister is Benjamin Netanyahu

Citizenship: any Jew could become a full citizen Palestinians: over 80% fled the territory that

became Israel and became refugees Most that remained received Israeli citizenship but

were not treated equally Only Jordan offered its Palestinian refugees

citizenship

Conscription: every Jewish citizen must serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) including both men (3 years) and women (2 years) Some exceptions including for religious reasons Optional for Arab citizens

Military Aid: Israel dependent upon foreign aid France was the first major supplier of arms

Helped Israel build its first nuclear power plant in 1950s

U.S. is giving over $3 billion in aid in 2012

II. Egypt Egyptian king was overthrown in

1952 Gamal Abdel Nasser became the

president in 1954 Britain agreed to withdraw from

Suez Canal in June 1956 and turn control over to Egypt British could intervene if Egypt were

attacked by a third party U.S. tried to influence Egypt by

offering to help finance the building of the Aswan Dam on Nile River US revoked its offer after Egypt

recognized Communist China Soviets became the primary

arms supplier to Nasser

III. Suez Crisis1956

Egypt took the Suez Canal in June 1956 Blocked Israeli shipping and closed Gulf

of Aqaba Britain wanted to keep Nasser in

check Britain formed a coalition with France

and Israel in August 1956 France was angered at Nasser’s support

of rebels in Algeria (French colony) Israel agreed to invade Sinai, then

Britain and France would intervene to secure Suez Canal Assault planned during the U.S.

presidential race

Israeli paratroopers landed in Sinai in late October 1956 Small contingent at first to test British/French

commitment Britain and France announced their forces

would intervene in Egypt Nasser refused to move his troops from the

Canal Israeli tanks advanced in Sinai;

British/French bombed Egypt’s airbases Nov. 5 – British/French landed in Egypt Nov. 6 – British and French signed

ceasefires because of intense U.S. and international pressure U.S. feared that Soviets would intervene with

rocket attacks

War

Results France and Britain lost their reputation in

Middle East and their standing as world powers

British Prime Minister forced to resign UN peacekeeping forces were placed

along Egypt-Israel border Israel demonstrated its military ability and

strength Soviets continued to support Egypt U.S. became the big financer of Israel

U.S. pressured Israel to withdraw from Gaza and Sinai in 1957

Nasser became the hero of the Arabs and main Arab leader

IV. Six Day War1967

Israel repeatedly retaliated against Jordan and, primarily, Syria for Palestinian cross-border raids

Egypt and Syria signed a joint-defense pact (will aid each other if one of them is attacked)

May 1967 – Nasser demanded UN troops evacuate Sinai and Gaza Egyptian troops mobilized into Sinai

May 22 – Nasser closed Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping at Straits of Tiran In addition, his “destroy Israel” rhetoric

was seen as another act of aggression

Preemptive Strike! June 5 (7:45 AM)- Israel

launched a preemptive strike against Egyptian air force Egyptian air force virtually

destroyed Israeli tanks invade Sinai later

that afternoon Hearing falsely that Egypt

had destroyed Israeli forces, Jordan and Syria began to bombard Israeli positions

Afternoon – Israeli jets attack Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian air bases Israel announced losing 26

aircraft, while destroying 416 Arab aircraft

IDF jets

War with Jordan: Jerusalem

and the West Bank June 6 - Israelis captured all

of Jerusalem and dug in Including Western Wall and

Temple Mount June 7 - King Hussein of

Jordan (fearing Israeli air superiority) moved his troops across Jordan River IDF seized all of the West

Bank That evening UN initiates

cease-fire between the two nations

“First, the Israeli government had no intention of capturing the West Bank. On the contrary, it was opposed to it. Second, there was not any provocation on the part of the IDF. Third, the rein was only loosened when a real threat to Jerusalem's security emerged. This is truly how things happened on June 5, although it is difficult to believe. The end result was something that no one had planned.”

- Intelligence Officer Narkis

War with Egypt: Sinai

IDF tanks raced across Sinai with total air support Ariel Sharon (future

PM) commanded IDF armored division

Israeli navy secured Gulf of Aqaba

June 8 – Israel captured Suez Canal IDF halts their

advance

IDF in Sinai

War with Syria:

Golan Heights June 9 – Israeli

troops assault Golan Heights Most intense

fighting June 10 – Israel-

Syria cease-fire signed ending fighting

Results Casualties:

800 Israelis killed 6,000-10,000 Arabs killed

Israel’s borders increased by nearly 4 times! Occupied West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza

Strip, and Sinai Peninsula Launched a Jewish settlement program in the

West Bank and Gaza Strip to solidify their hold on the territories

Over 1 million Arabs in the territories Arab states are humbled by the loss

Nasser lost popularity New wave of Palestinian refugees

Over 300,000 Palestinians flee into Jordan from West Bank

V. Palestinian Liberation Arab countries created Palestinian Liberation

Organization (PLO) in 1964 1967 – Jordan’s population almost had more

Palestinians than Jordanians 1968 – Yasser Arafat rises as leader of the PLO

Tries to create a “state” within Jordan In September 1970, the PLO tried but failed to

assassinate King Hussein Hussein militarily expelled the PLO and thousands of

Palestinians Palestinians called this Black September

PLO will settle in Lebanon In 1975 a civil war is triggered because of the influx of Sunni

Palestinians

King Hussein Yasser Arafat

1972 – Palestinian terrorists take hostage 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics All hostages were killed

plus 5 of the terrorists

1976 – 2 Palestinians and 2 Germans hijacked a flight originating from Tel Aviv Uganda offered safety for

hijacked jet 4 more Palestinians joined

hijackers Non-Jewish hostages were

released Operation Entebbe:

Israeli commandos rescued hostages and killed hijackers in secret raid on airport (July 4, 1976) 3 hostages killed

“When I was a kid, my father used to say 'Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.' Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They’ve now said that there were eleven hostages. Two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone.”

- Jim McKay ABC News

Idi Amin addresses the United Nations

VI. Yom Kippur War 1973 War

Anwar Sadat became Egypt’s president after Nasser died in 1970

Israel became overconfident and ignored Arab strength after Six Day War Syria and Egypt wanted to regain land lost in 1967

An Arab surprise attack began on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur when most Jews are fasting and on holiday

October 6, 1973 – Egyptian forces attack IDF across Suez Canal Egyptians pushed through Israel’s defenses

Syrian tanks push into the Golan Heights Largest tank battles since WWII

Soviet Union airdropped supplies to Egypt IDF ran low on ammunition in Sinai

U.S. aircraft carrier offloaded supplies

In Mid-October, IDF turned the course of the battle and retook Suez Canal and Golan Heights IDF tanks were 40 km from Damascus

and 100 km from Cairo Soviets threatened to intervene if

U.S. did not stop Israeli offensive Nuclear alert! Threat of nuclear

weapons by both sides October 24 – ceasefire was declared

Results Israel won the war, but was in dismay!

2,838 Israelis killed Realized that Israel was not invincible

Arabs proved they had the will to fight and could coordinate an attack with multiple states

Golda Meir - Israel’s “Iron Lady” in 1973

Anwar Sadat - Egypt’s President

in 1973

VII. Camp David Accords(1978)

President Jimmy Carter mediated peace between Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin at Camp David Begin had planned Irgun’s attack on

King David Hotel Egypt became first Arab state to

make peace with Israel Sinai Peninsula returned to Egypt

This establishes an Israeli “land for peace” precedent

Israel was guaranteed safe passage of its ships through Suez Canal

U.S. promised aid to both countries Egypt continues to receive around

$1.3 billion per year in aid to keep the accords

Sadat assassinated in 1981 by Muslim Brotherhood

Prime Minister Begin

Begin. Carter, Sadat

VIII. Lebanon(1982-1985)

1975 – Civil war erupted in Lebanon Druze (Arab sect) and Christian militias clash Anger over the “status quo” under the

Christian-led government Israelis viewed PLO and Syrian presence

in Lebanon as a threat 1982 - IDF invaded southern Lebanon

Goal: secure a 25 mile security zone Israelis pushed all the way to Beirut PLO was forced to evacuate Beirut

Sabra and Shatila massacres enraged Muslims worldwide IDF surrounded the Sabra

and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps while the Christian Lebanese Phalangist militia went in and killed hundreds in retaliation for the killing of the Lebanese president

Israelis accepted indirect responsibility

Future Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was Defense Minister and helped organize the massacres

Sabra and Shatila Massacre

1983 - 220 U.S. Marines killed by a car bomb at their barracks in Beirut

1985 – Israel withdrew and held small “security zone” in southern Lebanon

Shiite militant groups formed to fight the Israeli occupation Iran sponsored Hezbollah

War was unpopular in Israel Expensive and over 600

killed Lebanese government

remained weak and unstable Menachem Begin forced to

resign

IX. First Intifada(1987 – 1991)

Intifada means “shaking off” or “uprising”

1985 - Israel launches its “Iron Fist” policy at Palestinians Israelis were increasingly

encouraged to “settle” the West Bank and Gaza Strip

1987 - Palestinians rise up against Israel This was not led by PLO, it

was a spontaneous movement

Palestinian youths challenged Israel through stones and boycotts

1988 - Arafat renounced terrorism

Intifada “shaking off”

Israel responded with brutal suppression Over 800 Palestinians killed

by mid-1990 (25% were under 16 yrs.)

Around 1100 Palestinians killed by other Palestinians for collaborating with Israel

Palestinians gained worldwide attention and sympathy UN voted to condemn

Israel’s actions 130-2 (Israel and U.S. voted against)

30,000 Israelis protested Israel’s methods in Tel Aviv

Hamas, a political and militant Palestinian Islamic liberation group, began during the First Intifada

Intifada “shaking off”

X. Peace ProcessMadrid Peace Conference

The First Intifada brought about a need to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

1991 - Madrid Peace Conference First time Israel met

with Palestinians But Israel refused to

meet with PLO leadership

This brought an end to the First Intifada

Representatives at Madrid

Oslo Accords 1993 - Oslo Accords First time Israel met with

PLO Israel agreed to evacuate

from some of the Gaza Strip and West Bank and begin to give some autonomy to the Palestinian Authority (created to administer those areas)

President Clinton oversaw the signing

Yitzhak Rabin (Israeli PM) and Yasser Arafat (PLO Chairman) won the Nobel Peace Prize

Both Israelis and Palestinians were divided on the accords Some believed Arafat “sold

out” to Israel Hamas refused to recognize

accords Knesset passed accords by a

small majority

The Future Looks Peaceful 1994 – Arafat

arrives in Gaza to become the president of the Palestinian Authority

1994 – Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty Jordan becomes

Israel’s second neighbor to make peace

Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a Zionist

A handshake between King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin, accompanied by

Bill Clinton, during the Israel-Jordan peace negotiations, October

26, 1994

XI. Second Intifada(Sep. 2000 – Feb. 2005)

July 2000 – Middle East Peace Summit fails Arafat and Prime Minister

Ehud Barak fail to reach agreement over Jerusalem and Temple Mount

September 2000 - Ariel Sharon (then a PM candidate) visits Temple Mount Palestinian riot breaks out

Sharon’s visit was 10 days after the memorial of Sabra and Shatila (Sharon was defense minister then)

Violence spreads with suicide attacks in Israeli neighborhoods and Israeli airstrikes against Palestinians

Sharon visits Temple Mount September

28, 2000

Confiscated weapons from an Iranian vessel (intended for Palestinians)

In 2001, Sharon was elected Prime Minister Sharon is a hardliner on

Palestinians Sharon takes security power from

the Palestinian Authority Suicide bombings inside Israel

increased in 2002 and 2003 Palestinian Authority was

divided over Israeli occupation Arafat sought peaceful solution Hamas sought violent means

One of the lynchers of two Israeli soldiers, waves his blood-stained hands from

the window

Palestinians youths take cover in a

crossfire

2004 – Israel began building a wall to secure its territory from Palestinian attacks This barrier separates Palestinians in the West

Bank from Israel Nov. 11, 2004 – Yasser Arafat died

Mahmoud Abbas replaced Arafat as president of Palestinian Authority

February 2005 - Sharon began initiative to unilaterally withdraw Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip

This will “end” the Second Intifada

The barrier between Abu Dis and Jerusalem

Mahmoud Abbas

Results Positive impact for

Palestinians:1. Israel withdrew from

the Gaza Strip2. Ruined Israeli dream

of a “Greater Israel” Negative impact for

Palestinians:1. Murdered the peace

process2. Pushed both Israelis

and Palestinians to elect hardliner governments (Hamas(Palestinian), Likud (Israel))

Abbas meets with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime

Minister Ehud Olmert.

Mahmoud Abbas meets with President George Bush and Ariel Sharon.

XII. Gaza Withdrawal(2005)

By September 2005, Israel had disengaged from the Gaza Strip Approximately 7000

Jewish settlers were forced to leave

Settlements were destroyed

Many Israelis protested the disengagement Benjamin Netanyahu

resigned as Finance Minister in protest

Children distribute orange ribbons, representative of the

anti-disengagement movement, to cars passing by on Monday, 27

June 2005, at the entrance to Jerusalem.

XIII. Second Lebanon War(July 2006)

July 12 – Hezbollah launched diversionary rocket attacks and sent ground troops across border 2 Israeli soldiers were captured to

be used for a prisoner exchange Israel said it was an “act of war”

because Hezbollah had two members in Lebanon’s parliament Israel responded with air strikes

Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into Israel Around 4,000 total rockets fired

Israeli ground troops entered Southern Lebanon

August 13, 2006 - ceasefire signed U.S. accused of delaying a ceasefire IDF lost 121 soldiers, Hezbollah lost

around 500 Hezbollah remains in Lebanon and is

a threat to Israel’s north

Israeli cities hit by Hezbollah rockets

Areas in Lebanon targeted by Israeli

bombing, 12 July to 13 August 2006.

XIV. Gaza Conflict (Dec. 2008 – Jan. 2009)

Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006

December 19, 2008 – six month truce with Israel expired Israel and Hamas could not

agree to extend truce Hamas began firing rockets

into Israel Israeli airstrikes in Gaza

commenced IDF ground troops entered

Gaza on January 3 January 18 – Israel begins

ceasefire Israeli troops pulled out of Gaza

Hamas rocket attacks continued throughout February Israel responded with airstrikes

Damage in Gaza City (above)

Damage in Beersheba kindergarten (below)

Results Gaza Strip suffered nearly $2

billion in damages Over 1000 civilian

Palestinians were killed Rocket attacks have continued

but at much lower rates 2009 Israeli elections resulted

in Benjamin Netanyahu elected as Prime Minister

International pressure has mounted on Israel to find a solution to the conflict with the Palestinians

President Obama has called for an end to the growth of settlements in the West Bank and a resumption of the peace process