MME Final Terms

Yasir Arafat (d.2004)

A founder of Al-Fatah and chairman of the PLO executive committee from 1969 to 2004. He demonstrated a remarkable ability to survive as the leader of a factionalized resistance organization. Main goal was to recover Palestine.

V. Jabotinsky

Leader of a "Radical Jewish Group" Irgun. Called on all Jews to emmigrate to Palestine. Formulated the idea of "Greater Israel:" after reading Genesis carefully, he saw that Abraham was guaranteed territory to the Euphrates. He is still revered by fringe groups today.

OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC is an intergovernmental organization that was created at the Baghdad Conference in September 1960, by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They believed oil exporting countries had the right to exercise sovereignty over their natural resources. OPEC gained influence during the 1973 oil embargo.

Dayr Yassin massacre

Part of the 1974-'78 Civil War in Palestine. Jewish terrorist organization Irgun massacred 250 Arabs in Dar Yassin. The Arabs respond by massacring a group of Jewish doctors

Ba'th Party

Aflaq/Bitar founded. Basic ideology: unity (Single Arab Nation. Def. by language/history/"mystical dream"(like the American dream but Arab), freedom, socialism. Anti-communism. Ironic that Iran/Syria ba'th parties hate each other

Iraq Coup (1968)

Al-Bakr ( Ba'th Party) overthrows Iraqi government and Sadam Husayn is made his vice president. The Revolutionary Command Council (R.C.C.) is put into place, Pan-Arab ideals,until 1979.

C. Weizmann

Key member of Mapai (Labor) Party in Israel. He held a prominent position in the Zionist movement due to his influence over the British government (which Arab jews did not). He was the first president of Israel.

Anwar Sadat (d. 1981)

Successor of Nasser in Egypt who endeavored to break the diplomatic stalemate with Israel and to chart a new direction for the Egyptian economy in 1970. His policies marked a sharp break from Nasser's goals. Sadat relied greatly on aid of the West and encouraged capitalism. He was seen as weak and had controversial policies.

King Husayn

Takes power in Jordan in 1953 after King Abdullah was assassinated. Defying all the odds, he stayed in power until his natural death in 1999. Under his rule, Jordan was heavily dependent on US support and continually sided with the US, much to the dissatisfaction of Syria or Egypt.

"War of Independence"

The first Arab-Israeli War (May-Dec 1948). Immediately after the British leave, Israel declared Independence and as a result, a series of Arab countries (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Iraq declared war on Israel. The Arab refer to this war as "Nakba" or disaster in Arabic. Israel had a much larger and well trained army, and they fought to survive. They won the war and Palestine was partitioned between Israel, Transjordan, and Egypt.

"Nakba"

The term used by Arabs to describe the first Arab-Israeli War (1948). This term means "disaster" in Arabic. After Israel won this war, they had established themselves in the region, which greatly concerned the Arabs.

"The Crossing"

This refers to Sadat's political triumph of the October War for Egypt. He promised the Egyptian people that the "spirit of the crossing" would be transferred to the task of restructuring the economy and would benefit the nation as a whole. He argued that the public sector and social welfare needed to be improved, and that it was not successful under Nasser. He saw the new opening or "al-Infitah" for foreign investment, which helped private sectors which in would then benefit the public sector (aka economy).

Ashkenazi

a Jewish ethnic division whose ethnogenesis and emergence as a distinct community of Jews traces back to immigrants originating in the Israelite tribes of the Middle East who coalesced in the Holy Roman Empire around the turn of the first millennium.

Yitzhak Shamir

a PM of Israel who initially started the group Irgun (1933) with M. Begin

Druze

religious and social community in parts of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel- generally very loyal to their country. Before and during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90), the Druze were in favor of Pan-Arabism and Palestinian resistance represented by the PLO. Most of the community supported the Progressive Socialist Party formed by their leader Kamal Jumblatt and they fought alongside other leftist and Palestinian parties against the Lebanese Front that was mainly constituted of Christians. After the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt on 16 March 1977, his son Walid Jumblatt took the leadership of the party and played an important role in preserving his father's legacy and sustained the existence of the Druze community during the sectarian bloodshed that lasted until 1990.

Shatt al-Arab

river, at Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. In March 1975, Iraq signed the Algiers Accord Iraq/Iran divide borders with waterfront if it received support of the Iraqi Kurds. In 1980, Hussein had Iraq invaded Iran. Big Source because it is a port for Iraq and Iran. At the end of the Iran-Iraq War both sides agreed to once again treat the Algiers Accord as binding.

Occupied Territories

territories occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. They consist of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; much of the Golan Heights; the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula.

Iraq Coup (1963)

following internal party divisions, pro-Nasserist Iraqi officers, led a military coup within the Ba'ath Party. on November 11, 1963, armed Iraqi Army military officer seized the Ba'ath left nationalist faction leaders and flew them to Madrid. As a result, the first Ba'th regime was overthrown and a new, pro-Nasserist regime was established with Abdul Salam Arif as Head of State.

Michel Aoun

former Lebanese Army Commander and now a politician and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement. Aoun's Rebellion (1989-90) was a Maronite, one of the most destructive fights in Lebanese War. Defeated Syrian forces. Escapes and goes to France from 1990-2005, now on parliament in Lebanon.

Dawa Party

founded by Baqir al-Sadr and other Shi'ite leaders in Iraq in 1957 Purpose: Their aim was to create a party and a movement which would promote Islamic values and ethics, political awareness, combat secularism, and create an Islamic state in Iraq. insurgency against the Iraqi government which initiated a crackdown on Shi'a political activism, driven in part by the secular nature of the Ba'thist ideology and in part by their view of a politicized Shi'a as a threat to the stability of the regime. Target by Husayn and Ba'thist.

Alawite

minority community in Syria that split from Sh'ia Islam (in 11th century Shi'a Islam, like gnostics; say God interacted through 3 people (Ali, Mohammad, and some other Iranian). Alawites feel Sunnis aren't real Muslims. Important because Hafiz al-Asad ( prominent military officer from Alawites overthrew Syria in 1963)

Hama Massacre

occurred in February 1982, when the Syrian Arab Army and the Defense Companies, under the orders of the country's then-president, Hafez al-Assad, besieged the town of Hama for 27 days in order to quell an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood against al-Assad's government. At least 10,000 Syrians killed.

Michel Aflaq

one founder of the Ba'th Party in Syria. He is Christian. 1963 coup has him and Bitar ousted.

East Jerusalem

refers to the eastern sector of Jerusalem, though Israeli and Palestinian definitions of it differ. On being captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, East Jerusalem, with expanded borders, came under Israeli rule. It includes Jerusalem's Old City and some of the holiest sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Munich Olympics

1972 Olympics held in Munich, Germany where eleven Israeli athletes and coaches, a West German police officer, and five Black September terrorists were killed. It was 8 Palestinians who held the victims captive for 18 hours and attempted to fly them to an unspecified Arab country, but by the time German forces got there for their rescue attempt, the hostages had all been killed, along with most of the terrorists.

Muhammad Reza Shah

(1919-1980): Son of the prominent Iranian leader Reza Shah, he came to complete power in 1953 after the CIA staged a coup that took down Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh. He led an oppressive regime, which eventually drew the ire of many Iranians. In 1979 the Iranians had enough of his rule and the Islamic Revolution swept over the country.

Entebbe

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King Faruq

10th ruler from Muhammad Ali dynasty. Loved luxurious lifestyle, and many found it offensive during WW2. He was overthrown in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and forced to abdicate in favor of his infant son Ahmed Fuad, who succeeded him as Fuad II of Egypt.

Peel Commision

1937 Commission sent by Britain to investigate the cause of the riots and general strike amongst the Palestinians in 1936. The commission recommended the partition of the mandate. After this, another violent outbreak occurred among the Arabs, and the British sent 20 thousand troops to restore order.

Suez Crisis (1956)

1954 treaty between Nassar and Brits. leads to withdrawal of Brits forces from Suez in 1956.

United Arab Republic (1958-61)

1956-61. A short union between Egypt and Syria. The Syrians ask Egyptian President Nasser to do this in order to undercut Communists and other Muslim groups.

King Faysal II

A Hashemite who took power in Iraq after his father Faysal I died. He was anti-Communist (as evidenced by his agreement on the Baghdad pact. By 1958 he is overthrown in a military coup. This coup pushes Iraqis to be anti-monarchical.

George Habash

A Palestinian Orthodox Christian physician who was the head of a pro-Nasser organization that was active in Beruit in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Was committed to linking the Palestinian movement to the cause of social revolution in the Arab world at large. Founded the PFLP.

Knesset

A parliamentary democracy with a unicameral legislature in Israel that composed of 120 elected representatives. Candidates ran on a national slate rather than as representatives from particular districts and were elected by the nation at large, and all citizens could vote at 18. This system gave party leaders extensive powers which they exercised in closed doors with little accountability. No single party received absolute majority in Knesset.

Khartoum Agreement

A resolution given by the Arab League after Six-Day War in Sudan. The resolution called for: a continued state of belligerency with Israel, ending the Arab oil boycott declared during the Six-Day War, an end to the North Yemen Civil War, and economic assistance for Egypt and Jordan. It is famous for containing (in the third paragraph) what became known as the "Three No's": "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it..."

Ariel Sharon

A successful Israeli general who sent his forces to the west bank and Suez canal to pierce the Egyptians during Yom Kippur war. His role in the June war made Israel an object of study that was envious of militaries worldwide.

Jewish National Fund

An investment group devoted to purchasing land for Jews in Palestine. It was the "economic arm" of the Zionist movement. Big chunks of land were owned by absentee owners and often the people working land did not own it. The national fund would find the absentee owners, purchase the land, and displace the Palestinians legally from their land. This created a huge number of unemployed peasants and fueled anti Israel sentiment amongst the Palestinians.

Oil Embargo (1973)

An oil embargo was placed on the United States by OPEC in response to their role in the Yom Kippur war. The US had provided Israel with a resupply of arms, and so their way of retaliating was putting a restriction on countries that supported Israel. Because of losing one of their biggest customers, the US, Arab countries suffered a recession. The Nixon Administration attempted to lift the embargo by negotiating that Egypt, Syria, and Israel pull back from the Sinai Penninsula and Golan Heights. The Israeli troop withdrawal in parts of Sinai ended the embargo in 1974.

Al-Fatah

An organization led by Yasir Arafat, formed by a group of young Palestinian university graduates working in Kuwait in the late 1950s. Recruited, trained, and deployed the flood of Palestinian youths who were attracted to guerilla groups. Ideology emphasized Palestinian nationalism above all else.

Golan Heights

Another area obtained by Israel during 6 Day War. Snatched it from Syria, is where the cease fire took place of the war.

"Plan D"

April 1948- David Ben-Gurion "encourages" Habannah to kick out Arabs who are in New Israel. Associated with 'Arab Flight' In Israel

Hashimite Kingdom

Arab kingdom of Jordan. The kingdom emerged from the post-World War I division of West Asia by Britain and France. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan and Palestine. The name of the state was changed to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 1 December 1948. It is a constitutional monarchy.

"Judea & Samaria"

Biblical names for what is now the West Bank, corresponds to ancient kingdom of Israel.

Irgun

Created in 1933. It was created as a Jewish terrorist organization in 1933 under M. Begin and Y. Shamir.

D.F.L.P.

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Palestinian-Marxis, secular, and political military organization, part of the PLO. Was a more ideologically focused organization that formed out of the PFLP which many believed had become too military based. Their goal was to create a people's democratic Palestine where Arabs and Jews could live without discrimination and natural oppression.

Labor (Mapai) Party

Established in 1968. Ben-Gurion's party that held 47 of the 120 seats of Knesset at the very most. Associated with promoting the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Maronites

Ethnoreligious group in Lebanon- one of two competing governments in Lebanon (Sunni vs Maronite Christian) that causes a lot of division in the country. Taif accord established Syrian overlordship in the country, though many disagreed.

Nabih Beri

Head of Shi'a Amal Movement in Lebanon.

Tudeh Party

Iran's Communist Party. Despite indications otherwise during the Cold War, this organization was created and funded by the USSR. Part of a leftist movement in response to the power of the Shah.

Baqir al-Sadr

Iraqi Shia founder of the Islamic Dawa Party( supposedly in family line of Muhammad) , set out his view of a modern day Islamic state, Al-Sadr was executed in 1980 secretly by Saddam Husayn.

Al-Azhar

Islamic education school in Cairo, Nassar attended.

Stern Gang

Israeli terrorist organization formed during the British mandate of Palestine. They sought to convince the British to leave so that they would be able to have unrestricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. Active in assassinating British officials.

Arab Legion

Jordan's army in the 20th century. The Arab Legion actively participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. With a total strength of just over 6,000, the Arab Legion's military contingent consisted of 4,500 men in four single battalion-sized regiments, each with their own armored car squadrons, and seven independent companies plus support troops.

Phalange

Right-wing political party in Lebanon, mainly composed by Maronites- played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90).

Amal

Lebanese political party associated with Lebanon's Shia community. It was founded as the "Movement of the Dispossessed" in 1974. The Amal Movement is, by a small margin, the largest Shi'a party in parliament.

"Peace for Galilee" (1982)

Lebanon War (1982) an intervention from Israel called" Peace for Galilee", was the longest war in Israel's history, lasted three months, Sharon-Begin Plan:1in Lebanon) fight Lebanon 2) establish alliance with Maronite's, 3) withdrawal Syrian troops. By June, Israel had ½ of Lebanon occupied.

Likud Bloc

Major center-right party in Israel, marked the first time the left lost power.

Camp David Accords

Meeting between Israel and Egypt for peace with the US acting as a third party in 1977. Sadat wanted to agree on a comprehensive plan for the Middle East that would solve the Palestinian issue, but Begin had no intention of relinquishing Israel's hold on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In an attempt to find middle ground, the Camp David Accords were signed by all three countries. Consisted of 2 major documents- one set up conditions for an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, and the other endorsed UN resolution 242 as basis for settlement of the Middle Eastern conflict.

Aswan Dam

Nassar's project that the U.S financially supports in 1955.

West Bank

Obtained by Israel in June War; the West Bank was not annexed by Israel but has remained under Israeli military control and is referred to as Judea and Samaria Area by Israel.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

Organization founded in 1964 in a way to establish a separate Palestinian state, was considered a terrorist organization by the United States until 1991 at the Madrid Conference. Represented liberation and freedom for Palestinians. Held bases in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria. Refused to recognize Israel's right to exist until 1993, and Israel then recognized it as official representative of the Palestinian people.

Moshe Dayan

Political and military leader of Israel. Fighting symbol for Israel- took part in 6 Day War and was blamed for the lack of preparation of the Yom Kippur war. He worked hard to ensure peace between Israel and Egypt in the political sphere.

P.F.L.P.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Founded by George Habash. Was a group of the PLO whose goal was to increase the influence of Palestine, once hijacked four civilian airliners and landed three of them in a portion of Jordan that was defined as "liberated territory." As Jordanian army stood by helplessly they threatened to blow up planes and kill hostages if anyone interfered. They were well known for hijkackings like this during the 1960-70s.

Husni Mubarak

President of Egypt after Sadat's assassination in 1981. His goal was to ensure the survival of the regime by introducing a minimum of structural adjustments while appearing to liberalize political and economic practices. His reluctance brought stagnation to all areas of Egyptian life.

Saddam Husayn

President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.[3][4] A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party - Iraq Region—which espoused ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism—Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup (later referred to as the 17 July Revolution) that brought the party to power in Iraq. Saddam formally rose to power in 1979.

Hafiz al Asad

President of Syria from 1971 to 2000, Prime Minister from 1970 to 1971, Regional secretary of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch and Secretary General of the National Command of the Ba'ath Party from 1971 to 2000. He participated in the 1963 Syrian coup d'état which brought the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party to power. In 1966, Assad participated in a second coup, which toppled the traditional leaders of the Ba'ath Party, and brought a radical military faction headed by Salah Jadid to power. Assad was appointed defense minister by the new government. In 1970 Assad seized power by toppling Jadid, and appointed himself the undisputed leader of Syria in the period 1970-71.

Muhammad Mosaddiq

Prime minister of Iran from 1951-53. He was strongly anti-British, and pro Iranian nationalism. He believed strongly in the rule of law. He was forced out in a coup in '53 orchestrated by the CIA and the blessing of Muhammad Reza Shah.

Gemayel family

Prominent Maronite Christian family in Lebanon. Pierre Gemayel formed the Phalange party in the 1930s as a youth movement. After the 1968-69 clashes between the Lebanese Army and the PLO, Bachir gathered a group of Christian students, and started training them in the Kataeb-runTabrieh training camp, located near Bsharri in the Keserwan District mountains. This was the start of what would later become the Lebanese Forces.

June 1967 War (Six-Day war)

Referred to in Arabic as "al-naksah" or the setback. Israel feared the potential of Pan-Arab unity. During this time, there were 120 Palestinian sabotage attempts, and 11 people were killed. In Nov 1966, Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol ordered operation "shredder" and attack on a Transjordan village by IDF. The Soviets and Syrians wrongly assume that Israel was about to attack Syria. In response, Nasser moves troops into the Sinai Peninsula. On June 5, 1967 Israel launched a surprise attack on Egypt and destroyed 90% of their air force on the ground. A ceasefire is signed and Israel occupies the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Arab League

Regional organization of Arab countries, started with Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Capital of the Arab League is in Cairo. Main goal was to draw the relations between member States closer and organize collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries. They have played a role in advancing the role of women in the Arab societies, promoting child welfare, encouraging youth and sports programs, preserving Arab cultural heritage, and fostering cultural exchanges between the member states.

UN Resolution 242

Resolution passed by British ambassador Lord Caradon after Six Day War. The resolution deals with five principles; withdrawal of Israeli forces, 'peace within secure and recognized boundaries', freedom of navigation, a just settlement of the refugee problem and security measures including demilitarized zones. It also provided for the appointment of a Special Representative to proceed to the Middle East in order to promote agreement on a peaceful and accepted settlement in accordance with the principles outlined in the resolution.

Algiers Accord (1975)

Saddam meets with Shah of Iran. Agreement in which Iraq gives up control to "Shatt al-Arab" waterway access for Iran to east bay of the waterway in exchange that Iran closes border to Kurds in Northern Iran.

Gamal Abd al-Nasser (d. 1970)

Second president of Egypt, served from 1956 to 1970. Had neutralist powers during the Cold War which caused tensions in Western countries. He turned a lot around for Egypt economically and introduced ideas of socialism and a new constitution.

SAVAK

Secret police in Iran established during the reign of Muhammad Reza Shah. The group was assisted in its formation by the CIA. The group tortured and executed opponents of the Pahlavi regime, which made them one of the most feared and hated organizations in Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution.

Jumblatt Family

Strong political influence in the Druze community. Kamal Jumblatt got together a group of Muslims and formed the Lebanese National Movement, which ended up being a major factor in the civil war. Fought with PLO against Maronites.

Golda Meir

The 4th prime minister of Israel, and the first woman one for Israel. She was seen as the grandmother of the Jewish people. Resigned after Yom Kippur war.

King Abdullah

The King of Saudi Arabia; a country that contributes to the production of 18% of the earth's oil. Pushed for women's rights and wanted them to participate in the Olympics. Also maintained the status quo during the Arab Spring.

Hizballah/Hezbollah

The Lebanese "Party of God" represented by Shi'a community. Called for the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon. Caused problem because they did not want to rework their constitution to fit the Muslim majority. This would eliminate the political party of the Maronites, which would require a separate Maronite homeland.

Baghdad Pact (1955)

Treaty orchestrated by Britain in which Britain, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran form a defensive pact. The purpose of this pact was to prevent the spread of Communism into the Middle East. This was seen by the USSR as an attempt to encircle them.

UNSCOP

UN Special Committee on Palestine. Proposes a partition of the mandate, with Jerusalem as an international city. Zionists endorse this idea, but the Arabs reject it.

L. Brandeis

US Supreme court judge. Key supporter of Ben Gurion's Mapai Party. Also known for the Brandeis brief, which he gave during the Muller vs. Oregon trial (it used evidence collected by sociologists rather than just legal evidence)

Truman Doctrine (1947)

US policy aimed at the "Containment" of Communism across the world. It is based on the idea of Communism spreading using the domino effect: if one countries fall, more countries will fall. In order to circumvent this domino effect, the US would support anti-Communist leaders across the world.

Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)

Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a country could request American economic assistance and/or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state. Eisenhower singled out the Soviet threat in his doctrine by authorizing the commitment of U.S. forces "to secure and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nations, requesting such aid against overt armed aggression from any nation controlled by international communism."

Black September (1970)

War began in September of 1970 and ended July of 1971. The conflict was fought between the two major components of the Jordanian population, the Palestinians represented by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) under the leadership of Yasser Arafat and the native Jordanians represented by the Jordanian Armed Forces under the leadership of King Hussein. At its core the civil war sought to determine if Jordan would be ruled by the Palestine Liberation Organisation or the Hashemite Monarchy. The war resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the vast majority Palestinian. Armed conflict ended with the expulsion of the PLO leadership and thousands of Palestinian fighters to Lebanon.

October 1973 War (Yom Kippur War)

War of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel. Began with a surprise attack from the Arab coalition onto Israeli-occupied territories on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in Judaism. Egyptian and Syrian forces crossed ceasefire lines to enter the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights respectively, which had been captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Both the United States and the Soviet Union initiated massive resupply efforts to their respective allies during the war, and this led to a near-confrontation between the two nuclear superpowers. Israel retaliated and had the advantage over Syria and Egypt, so the US and the Soviet Union presented a ceasefire that everyone accepted.

Law of Return (1950)

Was a foundational principle of the new state, which gave every Jew in the world the right to immigrate to Israel. Caused difficult questions to rise up such as: Who is a Jew? Which institution within the state is to authenticate an individual's Jewishness? Is religious law to regulate all of public life? Religious courts as part of the judicial system decided who qualified as a Jew. Strict interpretations of Jewish law in regards to public life and religious law were applied when seeing who made the cut.

1939 White Paper

With WWII approaching, the British wanted to ally with Arabs (for oil). The White Paper clarifies the British position on the Palestine issue. First, the British are not seeking a Jewish state. Second, they would support the creation of an independent Palestine (ruled by Arabs) in 10 years. This also put a cap on immigration to Israel.

Lebanese Civil War (1975)

after France left Lebanon there was tension between the ethnic/religious groups ( Maronites, Sunni, Shi'a, Druze) PLO comes in during 1970s, causing tension for Shi'a, Christians and Druze. During war a lot of messy brutal warfare, Beirut completely obliterated. Syria had to intervene in May 1976 against the Druze and Sunnis on behalf of Christians. Lebanon was in mindless warfare until 89/90.

Muslim Brotherhood

al-Banna the founder/leader. initially an Egyptian "salvation army" like organization, Wahabis, against European and western influence, departed slowly from the humanitarian movement when they killed Egyptian P.M and then killed al-Banna. Anti-Nassar.

Ayatollah Khomeini (d.1989)

an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Was put into exile for 15 years because of his disagreement with the shah. Many of his preachings expand on including theocratic political rule by the Islamic jurists.

Menachem Begin

an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Israel, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944, against the British mandatory government, which was opposed by the Jewish Agency.

Sephardi

are a Jewish ethnic division whose ethnogenesis and emergence as a distinct community of Jews traces back to immigrants originating in the Israelite tribes of the Middle East who coalesced in the Iberian Peninsula around the turn of the first millennium. They established communities throughout Spain and Portugal, where they traditionally resided evolving what would become their distinctive characteristics and diasporic identity. Basically Latino influenced Jews.

Sabra & Shatila Massacres

as the slaughter of between 762 and 3,500 civilians, mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites, by a Lebanese Christian militia in the Sabra neighborhood and the adjacent Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon from approximately 6:00 pm 16 September to 8:00 am 18 September 1982. The massacre was presented as retaliation for the assassination of newly elected Lebanese president Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Kataeb Party.

Takrit

city in Iraq, north of Baghdad where Salah ad Din Government operated.

Salah al Din Bitar

co-founded the Syrian Ba'th Party. He is Arab. Bitar later served as prime minister in several early Ba'athist governments in Syria but became alienated from the party as it grew more radical. In 1966 he fled the country, lived mostly in Europe and remained politically active until he was assassinated in 1980.

Free Officers

coup in July 1952, Col. Nassar and other young officers overthrew Iran government. Nassar is anti-british. and they put in the Revolutionary Command Council. Both U.S and Israel saw this coup as a good move. Nassar calls this a people's revolution, NOT a coup.

Kahan Commission

the Commission of Inquiry into the Events at the Refugee Camps in Beirut, was established by the Israeli government on 28 September 1982, to investigate the Sabra and Shatila massacre (16-18 September 1982). Following a four-month investigation, on 8 February 1983, the Kahan Commission submitted its report, which was released to the public by spokesman Bezalel Gordon simultaneously in Hebrew and English. It concluded that direct responsibility rested with the Gemayel Phalangists led by Fadi Frem, and that no Israelis were deemed directly responsible, although Israel was held to be indirectly responsible. The Defence minister Ariel Sharon was found to bear personal responsibility

"Shuttle Diplomacy"

the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between (or among) principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact. Kissinger (US Sec. of State) continued to participate in shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East during the Nixon and Ford administrations (1969-1977); it resulted in the Sinai Interim Agreement (1975) and arrangements between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights (1974).

Taif Accords(1989)

town in Saudi Arabia where Iran and Lebanon talked. Sponsored to Salem to end violence in Lebanon for last decade.

White Revolution (1963)

trying to get the Iranian Shah to notice his people, Shah put emphasis on Persian/Pre-Islamic era and Shia are upset by this-devout muslims get upset.