Israel Exam 1948-2000

What happened after the UN took over Palestine?

UN forms the Special Committee on Palestine

What did the UNSCOP decide to do?

partition Palestine (was not accurate to population ratio of Arabs and Jews)

What was the reaction to the partition?

• Israelis gained land and zionism was legitimized

• Arabs rejected this

What happened as a result of the partition a year later?

1948, a civil war erupts with just local militias on both sides

How did British react to this?

British left Israel and ended their colonization

How does Israel react?

They declare independence in 1948

Results of Israeli independence

Israelis form an army, start mandatory inscription, and officially declare war

What happened to Palestinians during the 1948 War after Israel declared independence?

• Direct expulsions of Palestinians

• Many fled out of fear or were encouraged to leave

What were the long-term implications of this?

Palestinians could not return and became permanently displaced

How was Jordan important in this?

Jordan annexed the West Bank and absorbed those Palestinians

What happened as a result of Israeli Independence (population wise)?

Mass migration of Jews from 1948-1960

How did Israel handle the immigration?

Israel struggled to handle the incoming Jews and many just remained in immigrant camps and were looked down upon by Ashkenazi Jews

What marks the period of 1948-1953

mass migration of Jews into Israel

1953 Major Event?

A Jewish woman is killed and in response 60 Palestinians are massacred in the West Bank

Who had control of the Suez Canal in 1953

Nasser (Egypt ruler) took it from British and French

Why did this cause tension between Egypt and Israel

in 1955 Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran, blocking Israel

How did Israel respond?

1956 they invaded Egypt and withdrew in 1957

What was Sinai Peninsula intended to be before 1956?

A demilitarized zone

What changed that?

After 1957, Nasser stationed troops there and closed the Straights of Tehran (major source of oil for Israel from Iran)

What was the reaction from Israel?

Israel ended up launching a surprise attack on Egypt in 1967

What is this often called and why?

6 day war: within 6 days Israel took control of the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and The Gaza Strip

What did this mark?

The start of Israeli occupation of Palestinian regions

What was the legal status of those in the West bank and Gaza?

They were not considered Israeli citizens and were under military occupation

What happened with Arah States in 1967?

Khartoum Conference of Arab States and decide

• no peace with Israel

• no recognition of Israel

• no negotiations with Israel

UN reaction to 1967 war?

Israel should withdraw from territories they just occupied —> Israelis saw this as a suggestion

What does Israel do in 1973 to start Greater Israel?

Israel established military outposts along Suez Canal —> Egypt bombs them and ends the 1970 peace treaty

What was the idea of conception?

• The Israeli belief that the Arab States would not attack

• An Arab attack would be easily defeated

Was this accurate?

Not at all

What happened on Yom Kippur in 1973?

Yom Kippur War starts:

• Israel achieved a military victory by reversing initial losses and pushing deep into enemy territory

• the surprise attack shattered Israel's sense of invincibility and restored a sense of pride and strategic initiative to Egypt

Did Israel or Egypt see this as a success?

Egypt saw it as a success even though militarily they lost

Israel saw it as an embarrassment because they didn’t prepare but did win

What was the peace process between Israel and Egypt called and who initiated it?

President Jimmy Carter initiated the Camp David Accords

Outcome of Camp David Accords:

Israel and Egypt sign a peace agreement in 1979

Implication of Camp David Accords?

Egypt recognizes Israel and they become allies

How long did peace for Israel last?

3 years—> 1982

What happened with Palestine in the meantime?

PLO formed in 1964 and was kicked out of Jordan in 1970

What was Black September?

PLO gets kicked out of Jordan by attack of Hussein’s army

Where does the PLO move?

Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon

What did Begin and Sharon want to do about this?

They were determined to attack Lebanon’s PLO alongside Lebanon’s christian leadership

What did Israel want out of invading Lebanon?

• attack Beirut and kill/push out PLO

• restructure Lebanon’s government and leadership

Outcome of 1982 War

PLO is kicked out and moved to Tunisia

What came of Gamayel’s assassination after the war?

Palestinians were blamed and Lebanese christians massacre thousands of Palestinians in refugee camps in Beirut

What was the next major conflict?

1st Antifida and rise of Islam 1887-1991

What was the Gulf War and why was Israel relevant

Saddam Hussein (Iraq) incades Kuwait and in the process often bombs Israel but US pressures them not to respond

First Major conflict resolution of 1990s and did anything come of it?

Madrid 1991 Talks, no

What came after this and why was it important?

Camp David Accords created Oslo Peace Process establishes the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles (DOP) 1993

• Israel recognizes PLO as representative of the Palestinian people

What was the movement that came from this?

Gradualism

What was the extremist religious response?

Din Rodef: rhabbis make new rule that every Jew must save the pursued and may kill the pursuer

What was the Four Mother’s Movement?

mothers wanted IDF withdrawal from South Lebanon

What really harms the Oslo Peace Process?

Extremist Amir assassinates Yitzhak Rabin

What did the end of the Oslo Peace Process lead to?

Camp David Summit in 2000 —> 2nd Antifada

What did Israel do in 2005 in response and why?

withdrew from Gaza

• Lifted international pressure

• Unilateral step that didn’t require any negotiation; they chose to do this without permission from anyone

What was unilateralism?

A political view of taking steps not because of negotiations + came from belief after Oslo Accords that Palestinians couldn’t be negotiated with

Reactions from Israeli settlers?

Framed their evacuation as a part of the history of Jewish tragedy and pattern of expulsion

• “A Jew does not expel a Jew”