By: Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY The Roots of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (1890s-1947) By: Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY

The Dreyfus Case, 1894 Capt. Alfred Dreyfus Emile Zola

Zionism GOALS: The spiritual and political renewal of the Jewish people in its ancestral homeland of Palestine. Freedom from Western anti-Semitism. Theodore Herzl 1860-1904

British Promise to the Jews: Balfour Declaration, 1917 His Majesty’s Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine… Sir Arthur James Balfour Br. Foreign Secretary

Prince Faisal at Versailles, 1918 Arab Disappointment as B. and F. treat Middle East like territory open to colonial rule

The League of Nations Mandates Middle East (Ottoman) Class C Mandates: B: took over area of Palestine, Jordan, Iraq F: took Syria and Lebanon

“New” Countries & Ruling Families Emerge! Prince Faisal  “ruler” of Trans-Jordan. Prince Abdullah  “ruler” of a newly-created Iraq [pasted together from three distinct geographic regions]. The House of Saud  put on the throne of the newly-created Saudi Arabia. The Pahlavi Family  put on the throne of a new Iran. Mustafa Kemal  leads a military/nationalist movement in Turkey.

Oil Discovered - Becomes the New International “Coin of the Realm!” American oil companies [Texaco & Chevron], gain oil concessions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Now countries have a real interest in the area and Middle East has a bargaining chip!

Jews & Arabs in Palestine, 1920 In 1920, there was 1 Jew to every 10 Arabs in Palestine. By 1947, the ratio was 2 Arabs for every Jew. The Arabs felt that they were loosing control of their “country!”

British Mandate in Palestine Created July, 1922

Jewish Settlements: The Kibbutz System First one founded in 1908. Communal living. “Make the Desert Bloom!”

IZBAH AL-YAHUD! [“Slaughter All the Jews!”] 1929 Arab Riots IZBAH AL-YAHUD! [“Slaughter All the Jews!”] Jewish 1919 1,806 1920 8,223 1921 8,294 1922 8,685 1923 8,175 1924 13,892 1925 34,386 1926 13,855 1927 3,034 1928 2,178 1929 5,249 1930 4,944 Immigration 1931 4,075 1932 12,533 1933 37,337 1934 45,267 1935 66,472 1936 29,595 1937 10,629 1938 14,675 1939 31,195 1940 10,643 1941 4,592

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Hussani, with Adolf Hitler. Palestine Arab Revolt: 1936-1939 Their Goals: An end to Jewish immigration to Palestine. An end to the transfer of lands to Jewish owners. A new “general representative government.” The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Hussani, with Adolf Hitler.

British White Paper of 1939 Limited Jewish immigration to Palestine to 75,000 over the next five years. It ended Jewish land purchases. Independence for Palestine within 10 years. It is NOT British policy that Palestine become a Jewish state.

Hitler’s “Final Solution” The Jewish population in each country in 1942.

Nazi Concentration & Extermination Camps

The Nazi Holocaust 6,000,00 Jews killed by the Nazis [1/2 in the concentration camps.]

ARABS & JEWS 1936 – Arab and Jew uprisings with riots and killings Arabs (Palestinians) angry at Britain over mass immigration by Jews and evictions due to new settlers British tries to limit immigration – now Jews angry! Britain cannot handle the problem any longer! UN partition

U. N. Partition Plan of 1947

Israel Becomes a Nation: May 14, 1948 Chaim Weizmann, 1st President David Ben-Gurion, 1st Prime Minister

War Begins!: May 15, 1948 Palestinians thought land division UNFAIR WAR – Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan all attack Israel Israel wins – 700,000 Palestinians become refugees New Wars!

The Palestinian Diaspora begins! Arab Refugees, 1948 The Palestinian Diaspora begins!

1948 – Syria, Egypt and Jordan rose together to take down Israel 1948 – Syria, Egypt and Jordan rose together to take down Israel. With US help and arms, Israel wins and extends territory – 800,000 Palestinians displaced 1967 – Israel suspects Syria, Egypt and Jordan are plotting and strike first in “Six-Day War”. Israel takes much of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Syria’s Golan Heights.

Many consider these illegally-held territories and the UN tries to get Israel to move out with limited success. However, in 2005, the Israeli’s move out of Gaza and the Palestinian Fatah and Hamas groups fight it out for control of the Palestinian Authority

For much of their history, Palestinians have no organized government or army. 70% live in poverty and the average family earns just over $1,000 a year Thus, they are often left to vent their frustration in guerrilla fashion – rock throwing, car bombs and suicide bombings. Now Hamas and Fatah duke it out

The Israeli government is organized and well-armed (due to US money) and the per capita income is over $25,000. Many attempts at peace and today both Israeli and Palestinians seem to support a two-state solution. However, neither side trusts the other and they can’t seem to agree on the specifics.

MIDDLE EAST IN 1970’s - 2000

IRAN – Shi’ite Reza Pahlavi was Shah of Iran (monarchy) enjoyed “special privileges” as he was a friend of the US (military help, wealth, corruption) Ayatollah Khomeini (Shi’ite leader) 1979 ENDED monarchy – Shah flees Iran NOT a friend to US, universities closed, less rights for women, religion first

IRANIAN HOSTAGES President Carter upset at the overthrow of their long-standing ally Iraq was now anti-Israeli, anti-American Khomeini saw the US as “Great Satan” Iranian radicals seized US embassy in Tehran: 52 hostages for 444 days

IRAQ & IRAN Saddam Husain leader of Iraq – tried to topple Iran – afraid of Shi’ite takeover Iran had Amerian weapons (Shah days) ag. Iraq Soviet weapons US sent Saddam weapons SECRETLY to fund the Contra war against Sandinista government in Nicaragua

IRAQ WAR Saddam Husain invades Kuwait Kuwait is an ally of US and oil producer US gets into conflict in 1991 – wins Saddam stays…2003 US goes to war again: terror groups, defiance of UN, WMD

AFGHANISTAN Soviets vs.Afghanistan in 1979…a communist regime needs support US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan is paying, supplying and training ANTI-communist forces in Afghanistan…early TALIBAN

Afghanistan