1. Arab-Israeli Conflict
The Arab-Israeli conflict is a long-running conflict in the Middle East regarding the existence of the state of Israel and its relations with Arab states
Some uses of the term Middle East conflict refer to this matter, but the region has been host to other disputes and wars not involving Israel
Despite the relatively small land area, number of casualties, and total size of populations involved, the conflict has been the focus of worldwide media and diplomatic attention for decades.
Some groups fear that the Arab-Israeli conflict is a part of (or precursor to) a wider clash of civilizations between the Western World and the Arab or Muslim world.
Animosity from this conflict has caused numerous attacks on supporters of one side by supporters of the other side around the world.

2. Jewish Origins
In order to analyze the conflict you have to go back 3000 years
According to the Old Testament, God gave Palestine to the Hebrews (Jews)
1025 BC the Jews organized the kingdom of Israel in Palestine
In 722 BC the Assyrians attacked & destroyed Israel
Romans would destroy the Jewish state, enslave the Jews and spread them out throughout the Roman Empire
This is known as the Diaspora which refers to any situation in which a group is forced to leave its homeland

3. Zionism
After the Jews scattered throughout the Middle East & Europe the area previously known as Israel was occupied by Christians
In the 600s the religion of Islam was introduced by Muhammad & Muslims took root in the area & defended it against Christian attack
In the early 1900s a Theodore Herzl helps spread a Zionist movement
Zionism= Belief that Jews should have own nation
Many Zionists migrated to the former Israel which was controlled by Islamic Turks (Ottoman Empire)
In 1918 Britain gained control of territory previously held by the Ottoman Empire
The term Palestine was used to refer to the area formerly known as Israel as well as the West Bank & Gaza Strip
In 1948 after WWII, Britain had to decide how to divide Palestine

4. Israel Established
Palestinians (Muslims) feared that increasing Jewish immigrants would create hardship
Britain called for partition (division) of the land
Unable to find a compromise Britain turned the issue over to the U.N.
The UN called for a partition of Palestine into a Palestinian & Jewish state
Jerusalem a holy city for both religions would remain neutral
Islamic countries & Palestinians voted against
The Jews supported it partly because it gave them 55% of the land (only made up 34% of population)
The U.S. & other European nations felt bad for the Jews b/c of the Holocaust
They voted in approval & in 1948 Israel a separate Jewish state was created

5. Creation leads to Conflict
The new nation of Israel got a hostile greeting from its neighbors
The day after its creation six Arab states (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia & Syria) invaded Israel
Arabic is a language, but many Arab countries are Muslim
This was the first of many Arab-Israeli wars, this one ending with an Israeli victory
Israel depended on strong American support in this & the other wars
The Palestinian state set aside by the UN never came about
Israel seized half the land in the fighting , Egypt took the Gaza Strip & Jordan took the West Bank
Many Palestinians (Muslims) fled & went to UN sponsored refugee camps surrounding their homeland

6. Suez Canal Crisis
The 2nd Arab-Israeli conflict followed Egypt’s seizure of the Suez Canal in 1956
The Suez canal was built to connect the Mediterranean & Red Seas
It was extremely valuable for trade
The British & French provided air support to the Israelis as they invaded Egypt
They quickly gained the Suez Canal back
However, the world community, including the U.S & Soviet Union pressured Israel & its European allies to leave
The left Egypt in control of the canal & ended the Suez crisis

7. Six-Day War
Tensions between Israel & the Arab states began to build again in the years following the Suez crisis
In 1967 Egypt & its Arab allies equipped by the Soviets were prepared to invade Israel
They moved to cut off the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel’s outlet to the Red Sea
Convinced the Arabs were about to attack, the Israelis attacked airfields in Egypt, Iran, Jordan & Syria
Safe from air attack, Israeli ground forces attacked on three fronts
The war was over in six days, Israel lost 800 troops, Arab losses were over 15,000
As a consequence of the Six-Day War Israel militarily occupied Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula & the West Bank
This was meant to create a buffer zone
Palestinians who lived in Jerusalem were given a choice of Israeli or Jordanian citizenship
Palestinians living in other areas were not given the choice & were stateless

8. Attack on Yom Kippur
A fourth Arab-Israeli conflict erupted in Oct. 1973
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat planned a join Arab attack on the holiest Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur
The Israelis were caught by surprise
Arab forces inflicted heavy casualties & recaptured territory lost in 1967
The Israelis, under their prime minister Golda Meir launched a counterattack & regained most territory
An uneasy truce was agreed to after several weeks, ending the October war

9. Camp David Accords
Since no treaty was signed ending Yom Kippur War, may people feared another one would start
However, in 1977 Anwar Sadat (Egypt) stunned the world by offering peace to Israel
No Arab country to that point had recognized Israel’s right to exist
Sadat said that in exchange for peace, Israel would have to recognize the rights of Palestinians
It would also have to return territory seized in the Six-Day war in 1967
In 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter invited Sadat & Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to Camp David, the Presidential retreat in Maryland
For 13 days they negotiated & in 1979, signed the Camp David Accords
The first agreement between Israel and an Arab country, ended 30 years of hostility between Egypt & Israel

10. Terror Continues
While world leaders praised Sadat, his peace initiative enraged many Arab countries
In 1981, a group of Muslim extremists assassinated him
Egypt’s new leader, Hosni Murbarak maintained peace with Israel
Peace agreements between Israelis & Palestinians were harder to achieve
Unwilling to give up territory they had seized for security, the Israelis began to build settlements on the West Bank & the Gaza Strip
Palestinians in Israel resented Israeli rule

11. Conflict Causes Terrorism
As Palestinian anger mounted, they turned increasingly to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasir Arafat
During the 1970s & 1980s, the military wing of the PLO conducted an armed struggle against Israel
Israel turned to strong measures, bombing suspected bases in Palestinian towns
In 1982, the Israeli army invaded Lebanon in an attempt to destroy strongholds in Palestinian villages
Israelis became involved in Lebanon’s civil war & were forced to withdraw
In 1987, Palestinians began voicing their frustration in campaigns of civil disobedience called intifada or “uprising”
The intifada took the form of boycotts, demonstrations & attack on Israeli soldiers
The Intifada continued into the 1990s, finally in Oct Israeli & Palestinian delegates met for the first peace talks

12. Where does it go from here?
Status of the Israeli-occupied territories proved to be a bitter issue
However, in 1993, secret talks held in Oslo, Norway produced a surprise agreement
Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin agreed to grant Palestinian self rule in the Gaza Strip & West Bank beginning with the town of Jericho
PLO leader Arafat agreed, but the assassination of Rabin showed just how difficult it would be to work out
Rabin was killed by Jewish extremists who opposed concessions to the Palestinians
Rabin was succeeded by Benjamin Netanyahu who opposed the plan, but tried to stick to it
Peace plans continued, but the election of Ariel Sharon, a former military leader, to Israeli prime minister complicated the process
U.S. support of Israel has created conflict with Islamic countries and extreme groups who promote terror
In Nov. 2004, Yasser Arafat, PLO leader died
Some saw him as a strong leader, while other saw him as a terrorist
It is yet to be seen as to how Arafat’s death will effect the conflict