The Middle East Conflict

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The Middle East Conflict

• Palestine and Israel

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Ancient Israel

• Around 1500 BC, Jewish tribes fled from
  persecution in Egypt and settled in their new
  homeland which they called Israel. (Moses, the
  Exodus in the Old Testament)
• Their kings included David and Solomon who ruled
  from Jerusalem
• In AD 135 the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and
  expelled the Jews in the DIASPORA

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Jerusalem

• Jerusalem is a holy city for three religions
• The Jews worship at the wall of Solomons Temple
• Muslims pray at the Dome of the Rock
• Christianity was centred around events in
  Jerusalem

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The Diaspora

• After the Jews were exiled from Israel they
  drifted to many countries.
• They were expelled from Western Europe in the
  Middle Ages.
• The largest group settled in Russia and Poland
• They were often persecuted

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Jewish groups

• SEPHARDIC JEWS. The exiled Jews who lived in the
  Iberian Peninsula until the Spanish Inquisition.
  They were expelled from Western Europe in the
  Middle Ages.
• ASHEKENAZI JEWS
• The name Ashkenaz was applied in the Middle Ages
  to Jews living along the Rhine River in northern
  France and western Germany. The center of
  Ashkenazi Jews later spread to Poland-Lithuania
  and now there are Ashkenazi settlements all over
  the world. The term "Ashkenaz" became identified
  primarily with German customs and descendants of
  German Jews. Today, they make up approximately
  83-85 percent of Jews worldwidehttp//www.jewishvi
  rtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Ashkenazim.html

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The Arabs in Palestine

• After the Jews vacated Israel their place was
  taken by the Arabs and their homeland was called
  Palestine.
• In the 7th century they were converted to Islam.
• For 400 years they were ruled by the Ottoman
  Turks, until the First World War

The Turkish Empire
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Zionism

• In the 19th century a world wide movement of Jews
  called for a national homeland for the Jews, a
  return to the Promised Land. This was the
  Zionist movement (Zion means Jerusalem) led by
  Theodore HERZL.
• Between 1880 and 1914 60,000 Zionists settled in
  Palestine and bought land.

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British Mandate

• Palestine became a British mandate after World
  War I.
• The British promised Palestine to the Jews and to
  the Arabs.
• By 1939 there were 450,000 Jews in Palestine and
  the Arabs were in rebellion.
• After World War II the British tried to prevent
  thousands of Jews arriving. In 1947 the British
  handed over Palestine to the UN.

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Israels Independence 1948

• In 1947 the United Nations voted to partition
  Palestine and create two states Israel and
  Palestine

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Israels Prime Ministers
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The first Arab-Israeli War 1948

• In May 1948 five Arab countries attacked Israel
• Israel captured Arab territory which it has held
  ever since
• Palestine disappeared and 700,000 Palestinian
  refugees fled from Israel and settled in
  neighboring countries

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The Suez War 1956

• Colonel Nasser seized power in Egypt in 1952.
• In 1956 Nasser seized the Suez Canal from the
  British
• Israel joined Britain and France in a war against
  Egypt. They advanced towards Suez.
• They were condemned by the US and UN. They
  withdrew.
• Nasser was a hero

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Arafat and the PLO
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was
created in 1964, aiming to destroy Israel and
form an independent Palestinian state. Arafat
became their leader in 1968. The PLOs army of
freedom fighters was called Fatah.
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The Six Day War June 1967

• Israel was under pressure from Nasser and the
  Syrians
• In 1967 Israel launched a surprise attack
• Israel seized more Arab land Sinai, Gaza, West
  Bank and Golan Heights known as The Occupied
  Territories

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Palestinian Terrorism
In the 1970s, to bring the worlds attention to
their cause, a number of Palestinian
groups resorted to terrorism airplane
hijackings and taking hostages at the
Munich Olympics
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The Yom Kippur War 1973

• In 1973 Egypt and Syria launched another war on
  Israel, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur
• The Arabs did not succeed in driving Israel from
  the occupied territories, but they did discover a
  new weapon OIL

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Lebanon Explodes

• In the 1970s thousands of PLO Fatah fighters
  moved into southern Lebanon and launched attacks
  on Israel.
• In 1975 the Lebanese army attacked the PLO. A
  civil war erupted between Christians and Muslims.
• The Syrian army invaded.
• Israel entered the war and remained there for 10
  years.
• Beirut was left in ruins

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Camp David Peace Agreement 1979

• In 1979 President Carter brought the Israeli and
  Egyptian leaders together to make peace.
• Israel handed back Sinai to Egypt and both
  countries exchanged ambassadors

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The Peace Process

• Beginning in 1991 the peace process reached its
  climax in 1993 when President Clinton brought
  Arafat and Rabin together to sign a peace
  agreement.
• Israel accepted the Palestinian right to govern
  West Bank and Gaza and Arafat agreed to recognize
  Israels right to exist.

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The Palestinian Authority

• The agreement of 1993 established the Palestinian
  Authority with Arafat as president
• The PA is centred on the West Bank and Gaza

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Jewish Settlements

• Since the 6 Day War Jews have been moving into
  the occupied territories and building
  settlements.
• Palestinians have protested and attacked the
  settlers
• Israeli governments have supported the settlers.
• Today there are dozens of Jewish settlements in
  the West Bank and Gaza

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Barak-Arafat Talks Fail 2001

• In his final month as president, January 2001,
  Bill Clinton brought Israeli PM Barak and
  Palestinian Authority president, Arafat together
  for one last attempt to reach a settlement.
• Clinton blamed Arafat for the failure of these
  talks

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9/11/01

• Al Quedas attacks on Sept 11, 2001 were, in
  part, an attack on US support of Israel
• President Bush declared war on Terrorism.
• Arafat and the Palestinian fighters were classed
  as terrorists

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Sharon Walks on the Temple Mount

• When Ariel Sharon walked on the Temple Mount on
  28 September 2001 the Palestinians rioted.
• Soon after Sharon beat Barak in the general
  election
• Sharon claimed he would be tough on terrorism

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The Second Intifada

• A full scale Palestinian uprising, the Intifada,
  has been underway since 2001
• Sharon has labeled the Palestinian fighters
  terrorists
• He refused to talk to Arafat and came close to
  bombing his HQ
• Sharon built a fence along the Israel-West Bank
  border to keep the terrorists out

Whe
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Hamas
Hamas has split from Arafats Palestinian
Authority and wants to destroy Israel. Hamas
fighters are the suicide bombers
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Since the Death of Arafat

• Since Arafat died in December 2004 the
  Palestinian situation looks more hopeful
• Both Sharon and Bush are talking to the new
  Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
• Sharon has recently forced Jewish settlements out
  of Gaza

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Summary

• 1948-1976 War and terrorism
• 1977-2001 Negotiation and peace
• 2001-now War and terrorism
• Why did the peace process break down?
• Arafats failure to compromise
• Sharons reluctance to make peace
• Bushs lack of involvement
• Extremist Arabs fed up with everyone