Arab-Israeli Conflict Post WWII

Following World War II, there was increased public support for Jews due to guilt among Western allies regarding pre-war anti-Jewish sentiments.
The story of the St. Louis ship, which was rejected by New York, Montreal, and South America, was referenced as an example of pre-war anti-Jewish attitudes.
After the war, Canada accepted 40,000 Jewish refugees.
The US accepted an estimated 110,000 to 400,000 Jewish refugees, leading to the expansion of Jewish communities in cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, as well as Montreal.

Many surviving Jews were in displacement camps, primarily in Austria, which was under US control.
The US supported the resettlement of these individuals to Canada, the US, South America, and British-mandated Palestine.
Approximately half a million Jews resettled outside of Israel.

By 1945, the concept of a Jewish homeland gained traction among Holocaust survivors.
The idea of "Ersatz Israel" (a Jewish homeland) had been discussed publicly since the late 19th century.
The Balfour Agreement in 1917, negotiated by the British, addressed the creation of a Jewish homeland.
Around 700,000 European Jews successfully emigrated to Israel, despite British attempts to restrict immigration.

Significant differences existed between Jews who were already in Israel before World War II and those who arrived after 1945.
Pre-war Jewish residents were more inclined towards peaceful coexistence with their neighbors or a two-state solution.
Post-1945 Jewish immigrants, many of whom had fought in resistance movements, were less willing to compromise and more determined to fight for a Jewish homeland.
This division persists and is reflected in the ultra-right Jewish political factions composed of descendants of post-World War II European immigrants.

Israeli politicians began using the phrase "never again" in the early 1960s as a commitment to prevent any future extermination of Jews.
This became a founding principle for the state of Israel.

The British created a Jewish mandate in the early 1930s, which became the new state of Israel.
David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, secretly convened the ruling council, and on May 14, 1948, they declared the independent state of Israel.
The US recognized the state of Israel on the same day, followed by many other nations.
Arab neighbors were caught off guard by the declaration and opposed it.

On May 14, 1948, Arab residents in Palestine declared war against the newly formed state of Israel, initiating a civil war.
Initially, there was no external aid from Arab nations outside of Palestine.
The Arab League, established in 1940, felt betrayed by the international community and the US for not establishing an Arab homeland in Palestine as previously assured.
The civil war escalated into the first Arab-Israeli War (Israeli War of Independence) in late 1948.
Lebanon, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia launched attacks on Israel.
Fighting continued intermittently until mid-1949, when the British brokered a permanent ceasefire.
Israel gained control over a significant portion of land, known as the West Bank, which remains a point of contention.

European settlers began moving into the West Bank, establishing illegal settlements and displacing Arab residents without compensation.
This action fueled the conflict and has been a key point of contention since.
Israelis proved to be effective fighters, with many having experience in European resistance movements.
Israel emerged victorious, expanding its territory beyond what it held at the start of the conflict.

The book "Exodus" presents a romanticized version of the war of independence, celebrating Jewish victories and criticizing Arab forces.
The film adaptation won five Academy Awards and was politically charged.
The story of victorious Israelis angered many of Israel’s Arab neighbors.

The Soviet Union sought opportunities in the Middle East, which was previously dominated by France and Britain.
Egypt began negotiations with the Soviet Union for arms and development support.

Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser aimed to build the Aswan High Dam to industrialize Egypt.
When British and American backers withdrew funding, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal to use its revenue for the dam project.
British and French forces launched paratrooper attacks into Suez, capturing the canal.
International reactions were negative, especially from the US, which criticized the lack of consultation.
UN forces negotiated a ceasefire, leading to the withdrawal of British and French forces and Egyptian control of the Suez Canal.
The Soviet Union offered Nasser funding for the Aswan High Dam and began supplying the Egyptian army and air force with modern weapons, including Soviet tanks and MiG fighters.

In June 1967, Israel faced the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
Israel destroyed most of the mechanized equipment of the other forces.
Israeli pilots, trained by the US, were superior to the Egyptians.
Israel seized the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank from Jordan.
Israeli forces crossed the Suez Canal and advanced toward Alexandria, Egypt.
The UN brokered a ceasefire, and Israel withdrew from the Red Sea area but retained control of the Sinai (until the 1980s), the Golan Heights, and the West Bank.
Gaza was returned to the Palestinians in the mid-1980s.

In 1973, on Yom Kippur, a coalition of Arab nations (including Syria, Jordan, Cuba, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq) launched a surprise attack on Israel.
Israel was caught off guard and initially overwhelmed.
Syrian tanks advanced, but the Israelis on the Golan Heights countered.
Israel went to DEFCON 3 and then DEFCON 2, preparing to use nuclear weapons.
Israel managed to turn back the offensive, destroying over a thousand Syrian tanks and stopping the Egyptians in the Sinai.
They advanced across the Suez Canal into Egypt.
The UN intervened, brokering a ceasefire in October 1973.

As a consequence of the Yom Kippur War, Arab nations announced an oil embargo on the US and other Western countries.
OPEC, which supplied about 50% of the oil to the US, stopped shipments.
The price of oil quadrupled overnight from 3 to $11 a barrel.
Gasoline prices rose, leading to shortages and long lines at gas stations.
The American auto industry suffered as consumers stopped buying big, gas-guzzling cars.
Unemployment rose, reaching a maximum of $14$ % in 1980.
Inflation increased and mortgage prices in Canada hit $21$ % in 1981.

The Alberta oil sands, specifically Suncor and Syncrude, expanded significantly due to the increased oil prices.
This made Canada (primarily Alberta) the number four oil producer in the world, after America, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.