Depth Study 2: Arab-Israeli Conflict 1948-56

when did the zionist government declare the creation of israel according to the UN partition plan

14 may 1948

when did egytian, syrian, iraqi, lebanese and transjordanian forces invade palestine

15 may 1948

what did arabs call the 1948 war

the naqba (the catastrophe)

what did the israelis call the 1948 war

the war of independence

when was phase 1 of the 1948 arab-israeli war

15 may - 10 june 1948

when was phase 2 of the 1948 arab-israeli war 1948

9 july - 18 july 1948

when was phase 3 of the arab-israelli war 1948

15 october - 7 january

impact of arab-israeli war 1948 on israelis

lost 6000 lives (1% of entire population of jewish people)

now controlled 79% of palestine

gained national liberation

impact of arab-israeli war 1948 on palestinians

over 700,000 arabs became refugees (most in gaza or westbank)

when was israel's armistice with egypt

24 february 1949

when was israel's armistice with jordan

3 april 1949

when was israel's armistice with syria

20 july 1949

zionist interpretation as to why israel won the war

self-sacrifice, determination of people

David and Goliath struggle

israel had fewer weapons, soldiers were poorly equipped - won against all odds

what did king abdullah see the war as

way to gain control but not destory israel

abdullah had secretly met with jewish leaders before

only had aims on Arab land not israeli

revisionist interpretation as to why israel won the war

forces rapidly built faster than arabs

jews known for years this would happen - unified

arabs only started planning invasion in april 1948

david ben gurion - determind leadership

king abdullahs aims

palestinian arab population before november 1947

900,000

number of arabs who fled during the civil war of november 1947-may 1948

300,000

number of palestinian arabs who fled during the war may 1948-january 1949

400,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to israel

48,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to lebanon

100,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to syria

75,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to jordan

70,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to west bank

280,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to the gaza strip

190,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to egypt

7,000

how many palestinian arabs fled to iraq

4,000

palestinian arguements for their right to return to israel

they did not leave voluntarily nor because they were told to by their leaders

the israelis achieved their goals by using violence, intimidation and causing panis

the israelis goal was an israel without any arabs - had started expelling arabs before war began

israeli argument against arabs right to return to israel

they left voluntarily

would be a security risk

they were the ones who started the war by attacking israel the day after its creation

what happened to middle-class palestinian refugees

about 100,000 of them - many left before war even began

how many palestinian refugee camps were there in jordan

4

how many palestinian refugee camps were there in west bank

19

how many palestinian refugee camps were there in lebanon

15

how many palestinian refugee camps were there in gaza

8

how many palestinian refugee camps were there in syria

9

what did the UN national relief and works agency provided the palestinian refugees

emergency relief

what was the Arab league

It is the organization of Arab countries which promoted closer relations between Arabs

set up in 1945

originally only had 6 members (those who invaded israel in 1948 and saudi arabia)

why did the arab league deny citizenship to palestinian arab refugees

so it would allow them to keep their identity and protect their right to return to their homeland

only jordan ignored this

what were the conditions in gaza due to the refugee crisis

overcrowding

water shortages

poor sanitation

collapse of the local economy

what were fedayeen

arabic word meaning those who sacrifice themselves

they were palestinian freedom fighters or terrorists depending of persepective

what happened in quibya in october 1953

israeli troops attacked it (killing 69 villagers and destroying 45 houses) as a reprisal for the death of 3 israelis

what did the jordanian authorities do in 1954 to stop the cycle of violence after the attack on qibya

clamped down on infiltrations from the west bank

what was the US aid to Israel

provided food for new jewish immigrants (with an $100 miilion grant in 1949 and a further $200 million by 1960)

however they refused to sell arms until 1960s and withheld aid worth $75 million following the attack on qibya (oct 1953) in 1959

how was economic collapse of israel avoided by ben-gurion in 1952

signed the reparations agreement with west germany which agreed to pay israel $845 million in instalments over 14 years as compensation for treatment of jews

this money funded electrical system, roads, railways, ports, navy, fuel and equipment

what did egypt start doing from 1951

stopping foreign ships that were heading up the gulf of aqaba toawrds israels southern port of eliat

impact of 1948 war on israelis

access to jerusalem

defense was main priority

kept land from UN partition plan

captured 50% of Arab land from UN partition plan

6,000 killed

key characteristics of israreli defense forces

received largest share of government's budget

small core of soldiers

transformed from the haganah by ben-gurion

conscripted for every 18yr old male for 30 months

what was the IDF's share of the government's budget in 1952

23%

what was the IDF's share of the government's budget in 1956

35%

what was israels armistice with egypt

confirmed their pre-war borders

gaza came under egyptian rule

what was israel's armistice with jordan

abdullah wanted to keep control of the westbank

much of arab palestince including jerusalem became part of the kingdom of jordan

israelis were keen to make peace so they could keep control of west jerusalem

when did the UN negotiate that syrians would withdraw from the ceasefire lines if the vacated area became a demilitarised area (armistice with syria)

july 1948

left israel free of syrian troops on its territory while providing a buffer zone

why was the 1948 war a perpetual war

armistices were supposde to lead to permanent peace treaties but no such between israel and arabs for 30 years

peace with arabs were not worth the price of giving up land - other priorities other than permanent peace with arabs

what were 3 points of contention concerning the palestinian refugee problem

dispute over how many left

circumstances surrounding the exodus

attributing responsibility for the problem

3 interpretations of why peace was so difficult to achieve after 1948 war

israel wanted peace but since the arabs were unwilling to recognise the jewish state, no one to negotiate with

israel was transigent and unwilling to compromise

both arab and israel states had only just become independent so nation and state building was more important

impact of 1948 defeat on arabs

instability due to domestic challenges to the leadership

rivalry between arab states in pursuit of regional hegemony

rise of arab nationalism

emerging tendancy towards more revolutionary ideology

when did israel and syria agree to a demilitarised buffer zone in the golan heights

1949

how did tensions erupt between israel and syria before the suez crisis

israel tried to force out arabs living in villages in buffer zone -syrians objected

also disputes over israeli attempts to divert the waters of the river jordan to irrigate dry parts of new israeli state

When was Abdullah assassinated by a palestinian who was scared he would make a separated peace treaty with israel

1951

when did abdullah''s son hussein become king of jordan

1953

how did tensions erupt between jordan and israel

anytime palestinians would cross border into israel there were israeli reprisals - targeted arab villages

how did tensions erupt between israel and egypt

300,000 palestinians in gaza - came under egyptian military control

when had britain 'granted' independence to their protectorate egypt

1922 - but britain retained control of the suez

when was egypt given further recognition of sovereignty

1936 - new king due to a new treaty

When was the Suez Canal built?

1859- november 1869 using egyptian forced labour

When was the Suez Crisis?

July - october 1956

by 1955, how much of europes oil passed through the canal

2/3

what percentage of ships that used the canal were british

80%

when did some british troops withdraw from the suez

1947

when was the egyptian rebellion relating to the british control of the suez

1952

when was egypt declared a republic

1953

when was there mass destructions by students and workers in cairo

1946

why was there a situation in egypt after the 1948 war

growing discontent wihtin the armed forces

mass destructions by students and workers in cairo in 1946

humiliated by defeat in 1948 war

rise of muslim brotherhood

what did the muslim brotherhood in egypt believe in

the promotion of sharia law and arab liberation from the foreign imperialism

who were the free officers

-group of junior military officers known each other since the late 1930's -originally only 9 - expended to 14 the central figure was NAsser harbored grivences to the British and the elite senior officer. General Mohammed Neguib -they were pragmatic nationalists -diligent bureocrats no definite views on political organization or political orientation reactive rather tan proactive.

what were the motivations of the free officers

patriotic

desire to end british occupation

vague notions of reform and social justice

prepared a 6 point plan in 1952 to guide government after coup revolution.

when did the free officers seize power

1952

2 key aims of nasser

remove kings government and independence for egypt

when did nasser persuade british troops to withdraw from the canal zone

1954

why did britain and the us want the be on good terms with nasser

cold war - egypt to not be an ally to the soviet union

when did nasser become president

September 1956

when did british troops withdraw from the canal zone

june 1956 - but did not withdraw control nor administration

when was the israeli attack on gaza

February 1955

why did israel want to attack nasser

they wanted to hit back for encouraging palestinian raids into israel

what was the impact of the israeli attack on nasser

humiliated him

began to arm and train the fedayeen

approached americans to be rebuffed

what was the czech arms deal

nassers attempt to secure soviet arms as czechoslovakia was their communist ally - shock to israel and the west

what was the purpose of the aswan dam

create hydroelectric power for egyptian industry and allow vast areas of dry land to be irrigated

why did britain and the us cancel loans for the aswan dam project

hoped to persuade nasser to be more cooperative or thought they could force the egyptians to replace him

when was the czech arms deal

September 1955

when did the us and britain decide to cancel their loans for the aswan dam

july 1956

when did china go communist

1949

why was israel worried about the czech arms deal

worried egypt would attack israel

why was the west worried about the czech arms deal

worried egypt would link up with the communist world (cold war)

why did nasser nationalise the suez

Regain Egyptian sovereignty

Show of force against bullying imperial powers

Funding for Aswan Dam

what reasons did nasser give for the nationalisation of the suez canal

freedom of shipping in the canal

maintain independence and sovereignty

right to control as egyptian people

why did the nationalisation of the suez cause problems for britain in 1954

contradicts deal made with britain in 1954

britain to withdraw troops, control and adminstration tolerated

what was anthony eden's response to the nationalisation of the suez

believed it was nassers attempt to expel al western influence and that if nasser succeeds, the western countries would all be at his mercy

may replace western in fluence with soviet

stop supplying britain with oil

how did the french view nasser

hitler on the nile

how many military resources did france agree to sell to israel during the suez crisis

70 fighter planes and 200 tanks

why did the french agree to sell military resources to israel

nasser was accused of sending military id to the algerians for their fight for their independence from france

3 reasons ben-gurion was concerned about egypt during the suez crisis

increasing egyptian military strength

armies of egypt, syria and jordan were under same command

wanted to break egyptian blockade of the tiran straits which prevented israeli ships from reaching port of eilat