The Israeli / Palestine conflict

Introduction

Ever since the early 1900's, the Palestinians have been fighting for their land. In 1915, Britain promised to create an Arab Kingdom in exchange for war support during World War 1. The next year Britain and France agreed to divide the Middle East among them. Therefore, Britain lied behind the backs of the Arabs and used them to win the war. (Smith, 15)

The Israeli / Palestine conflict

From 1922-1948, Britain ruled Palestine, Jordan and Iraq under the League of Nations mandates. France controlled Syria and Lebanon. Some Jews moved to Palestine to escape the horrors of the Holocaust in Germany from 1939-1945. This was the start of a conflict that still has not yet concluded. In 1947, there was a Jewish-Britain War and Jewish rebel groups fought Britain soldiers. In 1947, (Smith, 15) Britain took their struggle to keep the peace in the Middle East to the United Nations. The United Nations voted to create a Palestine state with international enclave around Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Arab leaders refused this agreement and insisted that a united Palestine with a secular government. The struggle for the land officially starts.

In 1948, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon refused to acknowledge the new Israeli state and attacked Jews but eventually lost. The United Nations retaliated by dividing the Arab State even more. Egypt received the Gaza Strip, the West Bank went to Jordan and Israel incorporated a new state. The dismantling of the Arab State was humiliating for the Arab world the governments of Egypt and Syria were swept away in military coups and the King of Jordan was assassinated.

During the year of 1956, the Suez war was fought. It was Britain, France and Israel against Egypt. The United States and the USSR demanded that all three countries leave Egypt and not soon later, Egypt was freed. (Smith, 15)

In 1964, both the Fatah under Yasir Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) were formed. The PLO called for a unification of Palestine under Arab control. They also pushed to have a law that stated only Jews that lived in Palestine before 1946 could remain. During June 5-10 of 1967, the Six Day war was fought. It was Israel versus Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Again, Israel came out victorious and took the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, Golan Province from Syria, and West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. Another humiliating defeat to the hands of the Arabs forced the Arabs to make a change and the change was the promotion of Yasir Arafat to the leader of the PLO. (Smith, 15)

On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in what is called the Yom Kippur War. The war ironically began on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religion and it was also the 10th day of the Ramadan in Islam when the prophet Muhammad fought in a holy war. The death rate for the Israelis was very high and on October 24 of the same year, a ...