Chapter 4 The Palestine Question and al Qaeda

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Chapter 4The Palestine Question and al Qaeda

• CHAPTER OUTLINE
• History of the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Extremist groups the PLO
• The Palestine Question al Qaeda
• The Zionist Movement
• Escalation of terrorism in democracies
• Nature of terrorism in 21st century

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Chapter 4The Palestine Question and al Qaeda

• Chapter 4 - in digestible bites
• Day 1 of 3
• History of Palestine Israel
• Occupation, Land, Settlements
• Zionist Movement
• Arab Nationalism
• Creation of Israel
• Expulsion of Arab Palestinians

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The Palestine Question Post 9/11 Question

• Why do they hate us? Complex Ans.
• Clash of civilizations - Envy - Distaste
• Poverty amid oil wealth
• Oppressive corrupt Arab govts.
• Crisis within Islamic faith
• Presence of U.S. forces in Middle East
• U.S. support for Israel
• Anti-American feelings fueled by the
  Palestinian/Israeli conflict

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The Palestine Question Palestine Resistance
Movement

• Palestinian extremist factions are the most
  inventive, successful, ruthless non-state
  terrorists ever
• Ignored for 20 yrs, in 1968, they grabbed media
  world attention
• Model for worldwide terrorist activity
• Spectacular hostage-taking incidents, outrageous
  bombings, barbaric assassinations
• PLO poster-child for wars of liberation
• First, some history...

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The Palestine Question A Brief History

• Judea - home to Jews in ancient times (1000 B.C.)
• Conquered by Assyrians, then Babylonians  
• Babylonia conquered by Persian king, Cyrus
• Alexander the Great defeats Persia
• Jewish revolt - Roman protection
• Roman rule Jewish revolts (200 years)
• In A.D. 135, Rome drove Jews out of Judea
  renamed the area Palestine

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The Palestine Question A Brief History

• Rome governed Palestine until A.D. (300's) -then
  Byzantines
• Conquered (A.D. 600's) by Arabs - held over 1000
  years
• Crusaders captured Jerusalem (1099) - slaughtered
  Jewish and Muslim defenders - Crusaders forbade
  Jews in Jerusalem
• Muslim Saladin (1187) conquered Jerusalem
  Multiple crusades to recapture Jerusalem.
• Crusaders left Palestine in 1291

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The Palestine Question A Brief History

• Muslim powers controlled the region until the
  early 1900's - Christians Jews allowed to keep
  their religions
• Most gradually accepted Islam and the
  Arab-Islamic culture of their rulers.
• Jerusalem became holy to Muslims - according to
  tradition, Muhammed ascended to heaven there
• Ottoman Empire (1517)
• Jews never stopped coming to "the Holy Land

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• Late 1800s Zionism Arab nationalism emerge in
  Palestine
• Zionism objective - Jewish political and
  religious self-determination in the Promised
  Land - Jewish State
• Arab Nationalism - Similar desire for
  self-determination state

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• WW I Ottoman Empire dissolves
• British given mandate for Palestine
• Balfour Declaration - Promise of Jewish state
• Verbal commitment to Arabs of same thing in same
  basic area
• Inconsistent British policy permitted
• Growth of Zionist/Jewish economic/social
  infrastructure
• Existence of Arab national movement

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• Brits conflicting promises to both sides
• Led to continuing strife between Jew Arab and
  problems for Brits
• British political indecision
• Impatience of the Zionists
• Political immaturity of Arabs
• WW II Holocaust increase pressure

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• Zionist gangs Palestinian terrorism
• Irgun - undermine Brits rule, create climate of
  fear panic media attention
• Stern Gang - highlight grievances claim right
  to Jewish state
• Chain of events - Palestinian Question
• UN votes for Partition of Palestine
• Jews enthusiastic - Arabs adamant NO

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• Attack at Dier Yassin (Irgun Stern)
• Arab village overlooking Jerusalem
• 250 people randomly slaughtered
• Precipitated flight of Arab villagers from
  Palestine
• Symbol of Zionist cruelty (cycle of assault
  retaliation on both sides)

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The Palestine QuestionZionism Arab Nationalism

• UN proclaims state of Israel
• 5 Arab countries invade
• Israel wins - consolidates its independence
• Creates more than 700,000 Arab refugees
• UN refugee camps of despair - terrorism
  recruiting depots
• Legacy of hate - humiliation - dispersion
  -oppression - hopelessness
• First of 6 major Arab-Israeli wars
• Led directly to problem of Palestinian terrorism
  and the rise of the PLO