THE ARAB ISRAELI CONFLICT

WHERE WE ARE The 1948 War was bloody and horrific After the 1948 War:  Israel controlled 75% of the land and shared a border with Jerusalem  Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip and Jordan occupied the West Bank  Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees had fled their homes and were unable to return  These refugees were not welcomed by the Arab countries they fled to-no education, jobs, civil rights, etc.

1956 SUEZ CRISIS The Suez Canal connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea (and the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean) The Canal was controlled by British and French investors and used heavily by Israel In 1956, Egypt “nationalized” the canal- claimed it for Egypt and ban Israeli ships Britain, France, and Israel all attack Egypt and force the canal to reopen

1964 PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORGANIZATION FORMS Founded with the goal of “liberating Palestine through armed struggle” Rejected Zionism Called for the right of Palestinian refugees to return home Eventually began to call for a Palestinian state headed by Yasser Arafat

1967 THE SIX DAY WAR Tensions were high between Israel and its Arab neighbors; both sides were building up their militaries On June 5, 1967, Israel attacked Egypt and destroyed the Egyptian air force, then defeats Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq Israel wins; occupies Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), Golan Heights (Syria), and West Bank and Gaza Strip (Palestinians)- including complete control of Jerusalem

1973 YOM KIPPUR WAR/RAMADAN WAR On Yom Kippur and during Ramadan, Syria and Egypt attack Israel Egypt experiences early successes, but Syria struggles, forcing Egypt to take major risks to help Syria The risks fail, and Israel wins again

CAMP DAVID ACCORDS Negotiations between Egypt, Israel, and the USA Israel agrees to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt guarantees use of the Suez Canal for Israel and reduces its number of troops on Israel’s border The sides come up with a framework for Palestinian autonomy, but it is rejected by the UN Both sides began to get billions of dollars in US aid every year

1970S-TERRORISM 1970 Avivim School Bus Bombing-Israeli school bus is attacked, killing 12, wounding Lod Airport Massacre-Terrorists kill 26 in an airport attack 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre-11 members of the Israeli Olympic team taken hostage and murdered

1982 LEBANON WAR Israel invades Lebanon to stop PLO attacks from refugee camps in that country The resulting conflict leads to the development of Hezbollah, a Shia political party and militant group opposed to Israel Israel continues to skirmish with militant groups in Southern Lebanon until 2000

THE FIRST INTIFADA Intifada means “uprising” Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank began refusing to pay taxes, do work for Israelis, started vandalizing property, and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers Israel responded with 80,000 soldiers, killing over 1000 Palestinians (many children) Major setback for Israel  Condemned for brutality  Legitimized the PLO  The world saw Israel as an occupying force

1993 OSLO ACCORDS The PLO recognizes Israel’s existence Israel recognized the PLO as its negotiating partner Created a Palestinian Authority to begin governing the West Bank and Gaza Did not address many major issues of the conflict or create a Palestinian state

2000 CAMP DAVID TALKS Talks between President Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Palestinians were offered a state with all of Gaza and 86% of the West Bank, but no agreement was made on a number of other issues Talks broke down