Modern Middle East

Israel The modern country of Israel was established in 1948. Many beliefs and events led to its creation including: Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.

Zionism is a Jewish movement that began in Europe in the late 19th century. Its goal was to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Theodor Herzl started the movement and also led the first Zionist Congress in 1897. After World War I, the movement grew in popularity. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, which stated that Britain would work toward the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

The term Arab refers to a person who speaks Arabic The term Arab refers to a person who speaks Arabic. Arabs live in many different countries, but mainly in the Middle East and North Africa. Many Arabs did not support Zionism. Nevertheless, the Jewish population in Palestine continued to grow. In just 30 years, from 1903 to 1933, the Jewish population grew from 25,000 to 238,000 as Jews moved to the region. In 1948, Zionism achieved its goal with the creation of Israel, the Jewish state.

European Anti-Semitism Anti-Semitism is hostility toward or prejudice against Jews or Judaism. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, anti-Semitism began to spread throughout Europe.

World War II The events that led to the Holocaust began in 1933. From the time Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, the treatment of Jews in Germany, and Europe grew worse. The policies of Hitler’s Nazi Party slowly took away the rights of Jews. The government declared that Jews were no longer German citizens and removed them from their jobs, businesses, schools, and homes.

By the end of the war, Hitler’s “final solution” to rid the earth of Jews resulted in the murder of six million Jews and the deaths of millions of other Europeans. Often the Jews that could flee Europe moved to Palestine during this time. The Holocaust ended with Germany’s defeat in World War II in 1945.

The Creation of Israel The history of the Jews is traced back to the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers, along other early civilizations. In more recent times, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, until World War I. After World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire, Britain ruled Palestine. As more Jewish people moved into Palestine, tensions with the Arabs increased. Clashes became violent and more frequent.

In 1937, the British created a plan to divide up the land between the Arabs and Jews, but both groups rejected it. Although the US was not directly involved at this time, they did believe that Jewish people should be allowed to move to the area. The United Nations supported the creation of Israel after World War II. Around 1936, one-third of the total population of Palestine was made up of Jewish immigrants. The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews continued to get worse. In May of 1948, British rule of Palestine ended and the state of Israel was officially established.

Israeli and Arab Conflict May 15, 1948 That is the day when the state of Israel was declared and the last of the British troops left. The very next day, five Arab armies from surrounding countries invaded the new country. These forces were then defeated by the Israeli army. Over the next several years, the Arab countries surrounding Israel competed to lead Arab forces against the new Israel.

The Conflict Continues In 1964, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed. The PLO was made up of several Palestinian government groups from different countries. Their goal was to take Palestine back from the Israelis (Jews).

For the next several years, and still today, Israeli and Arab forces have attacked and counter-attacked one another. Attempts at peace agreements have been made, with the help of other nations, including the US. So far, no treaty or agreement has been successful in brining peace to the region.

On a piece of paper draw a line down the middle of it On a piece of paper draw a line down the middle of it. Label one side Jews (Israelis) and the other side Arabs (Palestinians). Write an argument on each side as to why you think your people should have the rights to Israel. Support it with facts and details. Each side should be a paragraph long.

The Impact of Oil and Middle East Wars Countries in North Africa and the Middle East (Persian Gulf area) export more oil than most other countries in the world. The control of oil reserves has been an issue in many of the wars fought in the Middle East during the late 20th century (late 1900’s). Many countries have been involved in wars in the Middle East.

Iran – Iraq War in 1980, the Iran-Iraq war broke out because the two governments did not like each other, and wanted each others oil supplies each country suffered a million casualties the US had to send warships in the area to protect their oil tankers from being attacked by one of the two sides in 1988, the war ended with a tie

Persian Gulf War The Persian Gulf War was a war between Iraq and a group of about thirty other nations. Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing oil by drilling under the border between the two countries, which was not true. Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, under the direction of Iraqi President/Dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi army took control of Kuwait in a very short amount of time.

The United Nations (UN) responded to the Iraqi invasion by demanding that Iraq withdraw its troops from Kuwait. The UN used the Iraqi economy to try to convince the country to withdraw. They did this by cutting off trade to the country. Iraq did not withdraw. Many citizens of Kuwait fled the country during the Iraq/Iran War.

The US and other countries began sending troops to Saudi Arabia over the next few months. The UN set a date for Iraq to leave Kuwait. Iraq rejected this date and refused to back down. The Iraqis remained in Kuwait after the date. The US and other nations attacked the Iraqi forces in January of 1991. The Iraqi army was defeated in less than two months. Iraq was then directed to recognize Kuwait’s freedom and destroy all weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Later, the claims of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction were disproven.

US Invasion of Afghanistan On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacked two targets in the US. Al-Qaeda is a group of extreme Islamic terrorists based mostly in Afghanistan. They Hijacked four airplanes and crashed two of then into the World Trade Center in New York. The third airplane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania, before reaching its intended target of the White House or US Capital. These terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

Investigations into the attack have named Osama bin Laden as its organizer. US President Bush called on other countries to help wage war on terrorism. The first goal of those nations that joined the US was to find bin Laden, whom they believed to be in Afghanistan, even though most of the people carrying out the attacks were from Saudi Arabia or the UAE. So far bin Laden has not been captured

In October 2001, US and British troops invaded Afghanistan in search of bin Laden. They bombed places where bin Laden was known to be. Millions of people from Afghanistan were homeless because of the many wars that have taken place in their country. After the invasion, more than 3 million refugees returned to their homes. The US-led forces still struggle to control portions of the country.

Iraq War Saddam Hussein was still the president/dictator of Iraq at the time of the invasion of Afghanistan. Officials in the US government feared connections between the Hussein regime and al-Qaeda. They were afraid that Iraq was building weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical or biological weapons. The UN sent inspectors to Iraq to check for WMD’s. In 2002, the US Congress passed an Iraq War resolution that authorized the president to go forward with a war in Iraq.

In March 2003, the US bombed targets in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. This effort was know as operation Iraqi Freedom. Saddam Hussein was captured after many months and his rule ended. He was sentenced to death and died in 2006, after being tried for killing 148 people. He was also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people, most of them Kurds.

Literacy and Development Education is free in many countries in Southwest Asia. Many students are required to attend school through high school. However, fighting often keeps students from showing up at school. Many students also live so far from the schools that getting to school is difficult. The literacy rates for people over fifteen years of age are: 77% in Syria, 79% in Iran, 95% in Israel, and 79% in Saudi Arabia.

The literacy rates in Israel are higher than in other Southwest Asian countries. In all of these countries, more men tend to be able to read and write than women. This is especially true in Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Overall in some countries women’s education is not valued as much as men’s education. Furthermore, women receive a different education than men in some areas. Literacy has a large impact on a county’s development. For example, an increase in the literacy rate often leads to an increase in individual rights. Literacy rates also have an impact on a county’s economy.

Examples of Governments in southwest Asia Saudi Arabia is currently in the process of change in their government. The government is currently a monarchy governed by the Islamic beliefs, but in 2004 Saudi Arabia began allowing men who were 21 and older to vote for some of their officials.

Israel- Israel has a parliamentary democracy Israel- Israel has a parliamentary democracy. The head of the state (President) does not have much power- In fact much of the power lies in the hands of the Israeli legislature or the Knesset and their prime minister Iran-Currently has a theocratic republic. Government is based on religious principles and the wishes of its people- The head of the state or the supreme leader is known as the ayatollah