The Middle East and the World 22-4 FW

Setting the Scene To David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, the birth of modern Israel in 1948 was the fulfillment of God’s promise to the ancient Israelites. But to the Arabs then living on the land called Palestine, the creation of Israel was an illegal “invasion.” The felt the land was rightfully theirs. These conflicting claims to the same land touched off repeated violence. The Arab-Israeli struggle was one of many issues that focused worldwide attention on the Middle East.

The Cold War and After The Middle East is a strategic region. It commands vital oil resources as well as key waterways such as the Bosporus, the Suez Canal, and the Persian Gulf. During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union were anxious to have access to the oil and the waterways.

Superpower Rivalries and weapons pile up In their global rivalry, each of the superpowers tried to line up allies in the Middle East. All of these Arab nations mistrusted their former colonial rulers in the west and condemned western support for Israel. Each superpower sold arms to its allies in the region. In the Arab/Israeli War, the United States helped Israel, while the Soviet Union gave aid to Arabs. During and after the Cold War, the Development of weapons of mass destruction became a global concern. Both Israel and Iraq where thought to be building chemical and nuclear weapons.

The Arab-Israeli Conflict After the 1948 war, Israel and its Arab neighbors fought again in 1956, 1967, and In these conflicts, Israel defeated Arab attacks and gained territory. In between the wars, Israel faced guerilla warfare and terrorist activity. In the 1967 war, Israeli forces won the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. Israel refused to give up the territories until Arab nations recognized Israel’s right to exist.

Palestinian Resistance The number of Palestinians in refugee camps had grown since Many supported the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by Yasir Arafat. Its stated goal was the destruction of Israel, which the PLO claimed had no right to exist on the land they called Palestine. For years, the PLO waged guerrilla warfare against Israelis at and abroad. Bombings, airplane hijackings, and the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic games brought demands to the attention of the world. Israel responded to the attacks with force.

Peace Efforts Despite the fighting, some steps toward peace were taken. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and Jordan and Israel reached a peace agreement. Israel and the PLO agreed on giving the Palestinians limited rule on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The promise was to end terrorism which did not end. Terrorists groups such as Hamas and Hizbullah kept up their terrorist attacks, vowing to continue till all the Jews were destroyed and killed.

Peace Efforts Con. As suicide bombings and other attacks increased, more Israelis came to distrust and fear there Arab neighbors. Peace efforts stalled, the violence quickly escalated. Under intense pressure to reform, Yasir Arafat agreed to the election of Mahmoud Abbas as the new leader of the PLO. The U.S. pushed the restart peace talks. Still the level of distrust on both sides remained high.

Divisive Issues Several issues blocked a peace settlement. Many Palestinians wanted go back to there homeland in Israel after fleeing to get away from the wars. Israel wanted any peace talks to guarantee right of Israeli settlers living in Palestinian areas. Jerusalem was another disagreement. It was the home to major religions such as Christians, Jews, and Muslims and they can’t agree on splitting it evenly.

Civil War in Lebanon The government of Lebanon depended on the delicate balance among Maronites (Christians), Sunni, Shiite, and Druze Muslims, and others. For a while the Maronites held control, until many Palestinians refugees entered Lebanon. Soon the Muslims outnumbered the Christians and stirred unrest Tensions increased as PLO guerillas crossed the border to attack Israelis.

Civil War By 1975, Lebanon plunged into a civil war. Christian and Muslim militias battled across the land. Israel invaded southern Lebanon to destroy PLO, and Syria occupied eastern Lebanon. Massacres were committed by all sides. By 1990, Lebanese leaders finally restored order and the PLO was forced out of southern Lebanon. Beirut, the ruined capital was slowly rebuilt and the economy slowly recovered.

Three Wars in the Persian Gulf Border disputes, oil wealth, and ambitious rulers fed tensions in the Persian Gulf region. Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, sent his forces into Iran to seize a disputed border region. Iraq used its superior weapons and poison gas to stop waves of Iranian soldiers. The war dragged on for eight years and ending in a stalemate. For both Iraq and Iran the human and economic goal was enormous.

The 1991 Gulf War In 1990, Iraqi troops invaded the oil-rich nation of Kuwait. The U.S. saw the invasion as a threat to its ally, Saudi Arabia, as well as to oil flow from the Persian Gulf. President George H. Bush therefore put together an army of American, European, and Arab powers to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. Less than a month, Iraq was brutally defeated and Kuwait was liberated from Iraq.

Saddam remains defiant Despite the defeat, Saddam remained in power in Iraq. He brutally crushed revolts, at times using chemical weapons. Individuals who opposed him were often jailed, tortured, or executed. The UN took action. To protect minorities in Iraq, the UN set up no-fly zones and economic sanctions.

The Third Gulf War By 2003, the United States and Britain were convinced that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and supported terrorists. Without the UN backing, President Bush and British Prime Minister, Tony Blair decided to invade Iraq. The U.S. led coalition quickly toppled Hussein and occupied Iraq. In December of 03, American forces captured Saddam.

Uncertainties continue The Middle East remained a focus of many conflicting forces. Nationalist conflicts, clashes between religious and secular goals, and competition for limited water resources were among the issues that might spark future violence. Terrorism, too, posed a challenges for the region, especially after The U.S. pressed nations in the Middle East to move more strongly against terrorist groups.

Vocabulary PLO-Goals where to have a home country and for Jews to cease from existence. Yasir Arafat-former leader of the PLO. Yitzahk Rabin-former prime minister of Israel who gave the Palestinians the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was assassinated. Ariel Sharon-former prime minister of Israel, violence escalated quickly when he took office. Saddam Husain-dictator who brutally oppressed his people. Militia-bands of citizen soldiers No-fly zones-areas which aircrafts are not allowed to fly.