Middle East

Camp David Accords

Agreement in which Egypt recognized Israel as a nation and Israel gave Sinai peninsula back to Egypt

Islamic Fuamentalism

Beginning in the 1970's increasing numbers of Muslims opposed westernization. They simply wanted to apply Islamic principles to problems in their nations. This movement for reform, called Islamic fundamentalism by many westerners, has played a key role in the middle east.

Creation of Israel

In 1947, the United Nations drew up a plan to divide Palestine, which was under British rule, into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Jews accepted the plan, but Arabs did not. In 1948, Great Britain withdrew, and Jews proclaimed the independent state of Israel, which was recognized by both the U.S and S.U.

Iranian Revolution

In 1953, Great Britain and the US helped Muhammad Reze Pahlavi gain control of the Iranian government. He proclaimed himself the Shah. He westernized and modernized the country; also he ruled as a dictator.

Iran-Iraq WAr

In 1980, Hussein's forces seized control of a disputed border area between Iraq and Iran. War broke out between the two nations. When both sides attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, The USN began to protect shipping lanes in the region. The war continued until 1988 and created extreme hardship in both nations.

Persian Gulf War

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and seized its oil fields. The US saw the Iraqi action as a threat to Saudi Arabia and to the flow of oil. The first response of the Us was to organize a trade embargo of Iraq. The US continued to view the Iraqi dictator as a very dangerous force.

Oslo Peace accords

In 1993, direct talks were held for the first time between Israel and PLO. Arafat renounced the use of terrorism which opened the door for Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to sign an agreement giving Palestinians the Gaza Strip and West Bank limited to self-rule. A year later, Jordan, led by king Hussein, also made a peace agreement with Israel. In year 1996 Rabin was assassinated by right wing- Jewish extremists, opposed to making concessions to Palestinians.

A Jewish State among Arab Nations

Large numbers of Jews had begun migrating to Palestine from Europe in the late 1800's as part of the Zionist movement. During WWI, the British made conflicting promises to the Jews and Palestinians about creating a Jews homeland in the area, After WWII and the Holocaust, there were entitled to claimed a right to the land of the Palestine, Jews claimed that they were entitled to return to a land they had once ruled 3,000 years ago. The Palestinian Arabs claimed they were entitled to the land they had been living in since the Roman times. Many violent clashes between these two groups have occurred since 1947.

Yasir Arafat

Leader of the PLO

intifada

sustained rebellion by the Palestinians

Anwar Sadat

Egyptian leader who signed a piece agreement with Israel

Golda Meir

Israeli prime minister at the time of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war

PLO

Palestinian Liberation Organization

1948-1949

Palestinians rejected U.N. plan to divide land

War of Independence

The first Arab-Israeli war occurred in 1948 when six Arab states Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia invaded Israel. Israel defeated the invaders and gained control of land which doubled its size. Over several 700,000 Arabs became refugees. Most were refused entry by neighboring Arab countries and were placed in temporary refugee camps, which became permanent over time. The poverty and discrimination experienced by these Palestinian Arabs fueled anger. Many dreamed of and Arab Palestine state. Resistance took many forms.

Palestinians and Arab-Israeli Wars

When the state of Israel was created, Arab nations vowed to drive the Jews out and restore Palestine as an Arab nation. Since 1948 there have been 4 full scale wars and several smaller conflicts between Israel and Arab states.