The Middle East Unit 8 Notes

I. Unrest in the Middle East A. Over the last few decades, major conflicts have erupted in the Middle East. Issues that have contributed to the conflicts include the presence of huge oil reserves, the growth of Islamism, and the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.

II. Oil in the Middle East A. About two-thirds of world’s known oil reserves are located in Middle East B. Reserves have been a great source of wealth for Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, other countries C. Most are members of OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

II. Oil in the Middle East OPEC attempts to regulate the production of oil exports to maximize revenues. a. Law of Supply and Demand: The demand is high and they control the supply. Therefore we pay for it at the pump. D. Oil revenues allowed Middle East governments to modernize countries, promote industrialization, economic, social development. E. However, oil has also been a huge source of conflict in the Middle East.

III. Conflicts Over Oil Some governments have used oil revenues to build up military, maintain power, threaten neighbors. Examples: Iran Iraq Egypt B. Oil wealth has caused internal clashes within countries C. The Middle East’s strategic importance as a source of oil has led outside nations such as the U.S., Great Britain, and Russia to become involved in Middle Eastern affairs and politics

III. Conflicts Over Oil D. The Persian Gulf War – Code Name: Operation Desert Storm took place when Iraq invaded the oil rich country of Kuwait in August of 1989. 1. A U.N. coalition, led predominately by U.S. forces entered Kuwait on January 17, 1990 and quickly liberated the country of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation and secured rich oil reserves the U.S. was dependent on.

IV. Growth of Islamism A. Islamism 1. Movement to reorder government and society according to Islamic laws 2. Islamists believe Muslim countries have strayed from true Islam and have wrongly followed Western models of political and economic development

IV. Growth of Islamism B. Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan have seen a growth in Islamism; this has led to conflicts within society and government 1. Many changes were seen in Afghanistan when the Taliban, a group of fundamental Islamists, took over the government in the early 1990’s. Among them: a. Men were required to wear beards b. Women were required to be covered from head to toe. c. Girls were no longer allowed to attend school

IV. Growth of Islamism C. Some extremists have used violence to bring about changes, they have attacked regional governments, their enemies, their allies, and innocent civilians 1. Between 1970 and 2000 their were just over 50 known major acts of terrorism. 2. Since September 11, 2001 there have been over 200 known major acts of terrorism. 3. Over half of all known terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2007 were against Israel.

V. Creation of Israel Nationalism and the Holocaust led to the creation of Israel In the late 1800s a Jewish nationalist movement known as Zionism started to grow rapidly. 1. Zionism: a movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland of Ancient Israel.

V. Creation of Israel C. The British Mandate : 1. After World War I the League of Nations gave Britain control over Palestine and required Britain to make preparations for a Jewish homeland 2. After World War II, and the Holocaust, Jewish leaders in Palestine pressed the British to create a Jewish state

V. Creation of Israel 3. In 1947, Britain announced it was giving up control of the mandate and turning the matter over to the United Nations. 4. The UN proposed to partition, or divide, Palestine into a Jewish state and Arab state with Jerusalem under international control 5. Jewish leaders accepted the proposal, but Arabs did not. Despite Arab objections, the UN passed a resolution supporting the partition as valid.

V. Creation of Israel D. On May 14, 1948 as the British pulled out of Palestine David Ben-Gurion and other Jewish leaders declared the independence of democratic State of Israel. 1. David Ben-Gurion would later became Israel’s first prime minister 2. The day after Israel declared their independence, armies from Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq all invaded Israel, launching the first Arab-Israeli war

V. Creation of Israel E. Arab/Israeli War: 1. War lasted from May to December; Arab armies were soundly defeated 2. Arab states negotiated cease-fire agreements, but would not sign permanent peace treaties 3. Biggest result: Arab state proposed by UN did not come into existence

V. Creation of Israel F. Since its creation most Middle Eastern countries have refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist 1. Some countries have repeatedly attacked Israel and or funded militant groups that conduct terrorist attacks against Israelis. 2. a series of wars between Israel and its neighbors has led to an expansion of Israel

V. Creation of Israel 3. Today Israel controls more land now than it did in 1948 when created 4. The Result: many Palestinian Arabs live under Israeli control; this is another source of tension and conflict in region

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict A. The Arab-Israeli conflict that began in 1948 has continued throughout the years. In 1967 and again in 1973, war erupted. Six years after the 1973 war, Egypt and Israel signed a peace agreement, but unrest among Palestinian Arabs in Israel remained a major problem today.

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict B. In 1967, Egypt demanded the UN remove troops from Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula 1. Egyptian troops moved into Sinai to close off the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel’s route to Red Sea

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict 2. Israel, expecting large-scale Arab attacks decided to strike first 3. Israel launched air strikes against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan; destroying most of airplanes on ground 4. Ground troops moved in and quickly defeated the Arabs

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict C. The Six Day War: Fought in June of 1967, Israel took control of the Golan Heights, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem 1. The West Bank and Gaza Strip are known for having a large Palestinian population

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict D. Yom Kippur War: 1. Egypt and Syria determined to win territory back, launched Yom Kippur War, a surprise attack against Israel in 1973 2. Took its name from Jewish holy day on which the attack began

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict E. U.S. Support 1. At first Arab troops made gains in the war; Israeli’s government, led by Golda Meir, was not prepared for the attack; they needed military support from U.S. 2. Behind U.S. support Israeli forces regrouped and pushed back both the Egyptian and Syrian armies 3. Both sides agreed to cease-fire after weeks of fighting

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict F. Oil Embargo 1. During war, Arab members of OPEC declared oil embargo against countries supporting Israel 2. Because of this embargo the price of oil rose dramatically around the world. 3. Countries impacted by the embargo suffered serious gas shortages.

People all over the country waited in line for hours for gasoline.

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict G. A Peace Treaty 1. In 1977 American President Jimmy Carter invited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Began to his presidential retreat in Maryland known as Camp David. 2. This treaty known as the Camp David Accords would end 30 years of hostility between the two sides, at least temporarily. 3. Although Israel and Egypt were at peace, Palestinians still wanted their land back.

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict H. Oslo Accords 1. In 1993 all sides reached an agreement for Palestinians to gradually gain control over governing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 2. Israel and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) were to sign a permanent peace agreement by 1998

VI. The Arab-Israeli Conflict I. A Tenuous Peace: extremist on both sides have worked hard to cause unrest in the region. 1. In 1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a disgruntled Jew upset over the Oslo Accords. 2. In 1987, Hamas, a Palestinian sponsored terrorist organization, was formed. Hamas has been responsible for numerous acts of violence throughout the region. 3. In 2004 Israel gave up control of the Gaza Strip. 4. In 2006 Hamas gained control of the Palestinian Parliament. 5. Unrest continues in the region to this day.