GCSE Edexcel Conflict in the Middle East K1

Zionist Conference

August 1945

Haganah to collaborate with Irgun and Stern gang to target British military bases, railway lines and bridges

King David Hotel Bombing

July 1946

Result of a British attack on a Jewish agency June 1946

Killed 91 and injured 46

Reasons for British Withdrawal

Difficulty in policing area- 100,000 soldiers used by 1947

Jewish terrorist activity- 2 British hanged for the murder of 3 Irgun members

Economic and Military Strains- reduce oversea commitments under Clement Attlee, Labour government

Exodus return- international sentiment for Jews

Consequences of British Withdrawal

UN Partition Plan

State of Israel created

Arab-Israeli war

UN Partition Plan

Suggested by UN commission from May 1947

56% for Jews & 43% for Arabs, Jerusalem and Bethlehem would become international zones

Resolution 181

Consequence of Resolution 181

Creation of the State of Israel 14th May 1948 with David Ben Gurion being it’s first Prime Minister

Massacre of Deir Yassin by Irgun in April 1948

Battle of Jerusalem Roads

Mobilisation for War

Arab-Israeli War Events

May-June 1948- West Jerusalem gained by Israelis & Arab forces cross into the land to attack isolated Israeli settlements

31st May - Etzel & Lehi disband into the IDF

July- Haganah captured land allotted for Palestinians

September- Assassination of Count Bernadotte from Sweden by Stern Gang

October-January 1949- Israelis repel further Arab advances

February-July - Armistice between Arabs and Israelis

24th February- Egyptian ceasefire

20th July- Syrian ceasefire

Reasons for Israeli Success

Motivation for a homeland

Well disciplined troops and experience

Money from abroad like USA

Reasons for Arab failure

Lack of unification

Acted in all self-interests

Underestimation of Israelis

Poorly trained troops and disorganised

Changes in Territory

75% to Israel

Now controlled the corridor between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Upper Galilee and Beersheba.

Israel controlled West Jerusalem

Al-Nakba

750,000 (out of 1.2 million Palestinians) fled the country

400 Arab villages lost their populations

Refugees forced to live in unsanitary, overcrowded camps with water-shortages

100,000 middle class Palestinians started new lives abroad in USA or neighbouring Arab Countries

None were allowed to return and 3000-5000 were shot dead 1949-56

1949- UNRWA was set up

Arab League denied citizenship to Palestinians to maintain their right to their land but this meant they could not travel freely or apply for local jobs.

Quibya Attack

Israeli troops killed 69 villagers and destroyed 45 houses as a reprisal for 3 Israeli deaths

USA withheld $75 million in aid to Israel

UNRWA

Set up to provide relief for Palestinians living in Israel as well as provide jobs for those who had been forced to leave Palestine.

Law of Return

5th July 1950

Gave Jews the right to return to live in Israel and gain citizenship, leading to 700,000 Jews settling in Israel

136,000 displaced Jews from WW2

270,000 Jews from Eastern Europe

Jewish Agency set up immigrant camps, which turned into permanent settlements, later into cities.

Kibbutzim (communal farms) set up to encourage everyone to work together & Hebrew made official language.

US Aid to Israel

$50 million donation for Jewish settlements

$65 million aid for Israeli immigrants

$845 million reparation from West Germany for roads and electricity schemes etc.

Many Americans fought in International Brigade for Israel.

Money came from rich Jews like Rothschilds in the UK.

IDF

1949- 100,000 full-time male and female soldiers

Yadin, Chief of General Staff, organised reserves and streamlined the command structure.

Conscription for all 18 year olds

30 months for males & 18 months for females

1952- 23% budget spent on defence

Unit 101

1953

Designed to respond to Fedayeen attacks

King Farouk of Egypt

Reputation as a play-boy and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle

Unpopular from defeat in Arab-Israeli War

Did nothing to remove 80,000 British troops guarding Suez Canal even though there was no Nazi threat and Egypt was and independent country.

Abdicated in 1952

Nasser

Instated as President of Egypt 1954

Wanted Independence from British influence

Wanted Pride to become leader of Arab world

Loved Pan-Arabism

Wanted Prosperity for ordinary Egyptians

Israel’s attack on Gaza

25th February 1955- Arab infiltrators killed an Israeli in Rehovot, but one was captured to be an Egyptian.

28th February- Operation Black Arrow by Ariel Sharon with 150 paratroopers attacking an Egyptian army base in Gaza, leading to 38 Egyptians killed and 8 Israelis killed.

Suez Canal Treaty

October 1954

British troops to be withdrawn from Suez Canal by June 1956

Egypt agreed to respect the freedom of navigation through the canal, and if threatened, British troops would be allowed to return.

Anthony Eden

Prime Minister of Britain, who suspected Nasser as posing the same threat as Hitler.

Aswan Dam

Built to provide hydro-electric power and water for irrigation for ordinary Egyptians

Lead up to Suez Crisis

October 1954- Suez Canal Treaty

February 1955- Eden decided to deprive Nasser of promised British arms leading to Nasser purchasing Soviet-made aircraft and tanks from Czechoslovakia.

January 1956- Britain & USA agreed to finance Aswan Dam construction

July 1956- Britain & USA withdrew their offer to finance the construction and the World Bank refused to give Nasser s further $200 million.

26th July 1956- Nasser nationalises Suez Canal

October 1956- Sevres meeting between Eden, Mollet and Ben Gurion to take control of Suez Canal.

Sevres Meeting

Meeting between Britain, France and Israel to militarily intervene in Egypt to take control of Suez Canal

Suez Crisis Events

29th October 1956- Israeli three-pronged attack on Sinai

30th October- Britain & France call for ceasefire

1st November- Britain & France bomb Nasser’s airforce

2nd November- UN call for ceasefire 64 to 5 on the day

5th November- Britain & France drop paratroopers onto Port Said claiming to restore peace to region.

6th November- 200 British & French warships bombard Port Said with 22,000 troops landing through helicopters, the canal is taken so Nasser orders for ships to be sunk.

7th November- Britain & France announce a ceasefire

Consequences of Suez Crisis

3000 Egyptians killed with 26 British & French killed

United Arab Republic 1958

Superpowers USA & USSR are key players in region

End to British influence and greater opposition to West

Nasser seen as a hero of Arab World

UN buffer zone in Sinai

Eden resigns as PM