OCTOBER 7, 2023
OVERVIEW
- Hamas is considered a terrorist organization that is the governing body in Gaza
- Launched a surprise attack into Israel killing 1400+ Israelis
- Over 260 of those casualties occurred at the Supernova Music Festival
- They kidnapped over 200 civilians specifically targeting women, children, and the elderly
- They massacred civilians in ISIS style killings (shooting, stabbing, burning alive, and beheading)
- Israel has had a history of extremely harsh responses to terrorist attacks (zero tolerance)
6.2 - ORIGINS OF THE CONFLICT
THE BROKEN PROMISES
- The conditions of WWI helped create the conflict
- British need help in breaking the stalemate of trench warfare
- Promise the Arabs their own empire if they help defeat Ottoman Empire
- Promise the Jews their own homeland in hopes of drawing United States into WWI
- Both groups do their parts and expect the British to fulfill their promise
- The British have promised the same land to two different groups of people
MANDATE SYSTEM
- League of Nations determined newly created Middle Eastern countries were not ready to rule themselves
- Created Mandates (Territories governed by other countries until they are prepared to govern themselves)
- British Mandates - Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine
- French Mandates - Lebanon, Syria
- GREATLY angered the Arab world
- During this time, there was a massive influx of Jews into the region because of the rise of Adolf Hitler
- Palestinians protested this influx of Jews into their country
- Opposition turned violent over time
- WWII broke out soon after this, and people put the regional issue on the "back burner" to focus on the war
TWO STATE SOLUTION
- Following WWII, the United Nations was created
- Britain turned this issue over the the UN
- UN proposed creating two independent states in the region
- Much of the world supported the creation of a Jewish state in response to the horrors of the Holocaust
- The Jews accepted this plan, the Palestinians did not
- Regardless, Israel was created on May 14, 1948
- The United States and Soviet Union immediately recognized Israel as an independent state
- The Arab world did not
Arab-Israeli War of 1948
- May 15, 1948
- Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan immediately declared war on Israel
- Israel - supported by West, better organized, superior military
- Defeated Arab nations in 9 months
RESULTS
- Israel controlled most of Palestine
- Jordan controlled the eastern portion of Jerusalem and the West Bank of the Jordan River
- Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip
- 700,000 Palestinian refugees fled (most to Gaza or West Bank)
6.3 - WARS OF OCCUPATION
LEBANON AND THE INTIFADA
PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO)
- Formed in 1964
- Mission was to destroy Israel and create a Palestinian state
YASSER ARAFAT
- Political leader of PLO
- Head of al-Fatah (terrorist organization)
- Launched terrorist attacks on Israel
- Hijackings and bombings on countries that sympathized with Israel
1972 Olympic Games
- Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered
- Terrorists carried out attack to bring attention to the plight of the Palestinians
6.4 - ATTEMPTS AT PEACE
CAMP DAVID ACCORDS (1978)
- Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had seen enough violence
- Sadat was first Arab leader to go to Israel
- He called for the Arabs to accept Israel and for a solution to the "Palestinian problem"
- US President Jimmy Carter hosted Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Camp David (presidential retreat)
- Worked out a peace treaty
- Egypt became the first Arab country to formally recognize Israel's right to exist
- Egypt got Sinai Peninsula back
- Sadat and Begin were awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1978
- Sadat was assassinated by Muslim extremists in 1981 because he made a compromise with Israel
THE INTIFADA
- 1987-1993
- Traffic accident sparked an uprising among Palestinians
- Palestinians were very frustrated with Israeli occupation
- Most of Palestine was made up of teenagers
- Israeli troops tried to secure area around traffic accident
- Surrounded by hundreds of Palestinians
- One Israeli troop fires and killed a 17 year old boy
- Set off a huge revolt know as the Intifada (the uprising)
- Palestinians went on strike and boycotted Israeli products
- Demonstrators threw rocks at soldiers
- Teens vs. Tanks
- PR nightmare for the Israelis
- Images on news nightly
- Swayed world sympathy toward Palestinians
ISRAEL'S RESPONSE
- Thousands of Palestinians were killed and injured
- Closed down Palestinian schools
- Invaded Palestinian towns
- Extended curfews
- Clashes occurred regularly
- Obvious that steps toward peace were very necessary
THE OSLO ACCORDS
OVERVIEW
- As Cold War was ending, world was entering an era of optimism and peace
- Arab nations started to push for peace in their region
September 19, 1993
- PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and the new Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met at the White House
- Signed the Oslo Accords with the endorsement of President Bill Clinton
TERMS OF OSLO ACCORDS
- A new government known as the Palestinian National Authority was created
- The West Bank and the Gaza Strip were to eventually be turned over to PNA control
- The PNA would recognize Israel as a country
- The Palestinians agreed to stop the armed fight against Israel
RESULTS
- Step in the right direction
- Ultimately failed - did not address control of Jerusalem, the refugee problem, or timeline for creation of Palestinian state
- Jordan did make immediate peace with Israel however
6.5 - RISE OF EXTREMISTS
RISE OF EXTREMISTS
- Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli opponent of the peace process
- During Intifada, Islamic fundamentalist groups began to emerge (Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah)
- Israel initially supported the creation of these groups as a possible rival to the PLO
- In the 1990’s, these groups started carrying out suicide bombings in order to disrupt the peace process
