Israeli Arab Conflict Can We Blame it on the

Israeli/Arab Conflict Can We Blame it on the Brits? (For a change) n

Current Situation n n n West Bank Gaza Strip Golan Heights Hamas Fatah Ben Gurion Quote

The Israeli-Palestinian Dispute n n n n n The Ottoman Empire, The “Sick Man of Europe” Theodor Herzl and the Zionist Congress Hussein-Mc. Mahon Correspondence 1915 -16 Sykes-Picot Agreement 1916 Lawrence of Arabia & The Arab Revolt 1917 -18 Balfour Declaration 1917 Churchill White Paper 1922 British Mandate 1919 -1948 The Israeli War for Independence 1948 Implications for Today

Genesis 15: 18 -21 The Lands of Israel promised to the descendants of Abraham

The Ottoman Empire

The “Sick Man of Europe”

Theodor Herzl & Zionism

The Zionist Movement n n Theodor Binyamin Herzl, a journalist & Hungarian Jew who lived in Vienna, wrote a book called, Judenstadt, “The Jewish State” Virulent anti-Semitism in Russia & France (Evidenced by Dreyfuss Affair) 1896, 1 st World Zionist Congress. British offer land in East Africa

Palestine in the 19 th Century n n There was no Palestinian nationalsim. Region divided into Sanjaks 500 k Arab Fellahin Tenant Farmers on land of absentee landlords 25 K Sephardim, Jews of Spanish Descent

Hussein-Mc. Mahon Correspondence n n 1915 -1916 exchange of letters between the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali, and Sir Henry Mc. Mahon, British High Commissioner in Egypt, concerning the future political status of the Arab lands of the Middle East. The United Kingdom was seeking to bring about an armed revolt against the Ottoman Empire, a German ally during WWI. The letters indicated independence for all Arab land south of the 37 th parallel would be the reward for Arab assistance.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement n Secret understanding between the governments of Britain, Czarist Russia and France defining their respective spheres of post-WWI influence and control in the Middle East, after the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire, The boundaries of this agreement still remain in much of the common border between Syria, Jordan and Iraq.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement

T. E. Lawrence – The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

British Victory in WWI n n n General Allenby takes Jerusalem in 1918 The Arab armies under Lawrence & Prince Feisel take Damascus first League of Nations give British Mandate in Palestine

The Balfour Declaration Foreign Office November 2 nd, 1917. n Dear Lord Rothschild, I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet: "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country". I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely Arthur James Balfour

The Churchill White Paper n n n Winston Churchill, then colonial secretary, warned against establishing a Jewish State in 1922 The Balfour Declaration established a Jewish Homeland, not state The Balfour Declaration stated not a homeland “OF” Palestine, but “IN” Palestine

The Churchill White Paper n stated that the Balfour Declaration could not be amended and that the Jews were in Palestine by right, but it partitioned the area of the Mandate by excluding the area east of the Jordan River from Jewish settlement. That land, 76% of the original Palestine Mandate by area but mostly very sparsely populated desert, was renamed Trans. Jordan and was given to the Hashemite Emir Abdullah, son of King Hussein of Hejaz, a reward by the British for the Hashemite family's help in the fight against the Ottomans. Today it is the Kingdom of Jordan ruled by Abdullah's greatgrandson, Abdullah II.

Sixty five years later, in 2002, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw observed "A lot of the problems we are having to deal with now, I have to deal with now, are a consequence of our colonial past. . . The Balfour Declaration and the contradictory assurances which were being given to Palestinians in private at the same time as they were being given to the Israelis - again, an interesting history for us but not an entirely honourable one. "

The British Mandate n n n 80 K Jews in Palestine at the end of WWI (10% of population) World Zionist org established Jewish Agency in Palestine, David Ben Gurion, 1 st leader British High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel, an English Jew

The British Mandate n n n 1920 -1932 100 k Jewish immigrants Histadrut, Jewish Labor Front, begins to buy land from Turkish, Armenian & Greek absentee landlords Hitler elected in Germany 1933 -35 over 145 K Jewish immigrants Arabs demand democracy

The Arab Insurgency n n n 1929 Wailing Wall incidents 1936 Arab High Committee demands British stop immigration and land transfer, call for democracy During the Arab Insurgency, 10% of adult male Arab population either killed, wounded or imprisoned Wingate “night squads” (including Moshe Dayan) 36 -38 successful rural insurgency forces House of Commons to end Jewish immigration - Peel Report

The Jewish Insurgency n n n Jewish Defense Agency “Haganah” & splinter group “Irgun” (led by Menachim Begin) WWII brought about tough urban insurgency & terrorist campaign against the British Jewish agency secretly continues immigration Nov 44, British High Commissioner in Egypt assassinated by Irgun July 46, Begin bombs King David Hotel in Jerusalem, 90 Brits killed, half were Jews British refer problem to UN and leave in May of 48

The Jewish Insurgency

UN Partition Plan for Palestine n UN General Assembly Res. 181, was to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in the British Mandate of Palestine. The plan would have partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with the greater Jerusalem area, under international control.

The 1948 Israeli War for Independence n n n November 29 th 1948, the day after the UN general Assembly passed Res. 181. , Arabs riot throughout Palestine, 7 Jews are killed Jews are now about 30% of all Palestine population (about 600 K) Newly established Arab league calls for military assistance for Palestinians

The 1948 Israeli War for Independence n n n The British Mandate ends on May 15 th, David Ben -Gurion declares independence for Israel The next day, the new Jewish state is attacked by the armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen & Iraq with the help of Saudi Arabia By summer of 1949, Israel has signed armistices with Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan, & Syria. In victory, Israel’s new borders comprise 78% of Mandatory Palestine, 50% more than the UN partition proposal allotted it. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank were occupied by Egypt and Transjordan respectively.

The 1948 Israeli War for Independence n n Israel lost about 1% of its population in the war: 6, 373 of its people. About 4, 000 were soldiers and the rest were civilians. 600 k Jews vs. 40 million arabs

Palestinian Refugee Problem n n The UN estimates 700, 000 Palestinian refugees leave the expanded territory of the Israeli state Where are they Now?

56 Suez Crisis

The 6 -Day War

Sinking of the USS Liberty 1967

The 6 -Day & Yom Kippur Wars

The Lebanese Civil War n n n The French Mandate The National Pact Refugees from 48 and 67 Wars

The Lebanese Civil War • Black September • The Syrian Incursion • The Israeli Invasion

The 1983 Beirut Bombing Did President Reagan understand the Lebanese Civil War?

Lebanon/Waltz with Bashir https: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=ylz. O 9 vb. Ep. Pg https: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=q 0 zlql. C 4 svk The Sabra and Shatilla massacres

Yasser Arafat and the PLO n n n 1982: Israel invades southern Lebanon 1987: The first Palestinian Intifada 1993 Oslo Accords

The Oslo Accords 93 1994 – Nobel Peace Prize July 94 – Peace with King Hussein and Jordan Feb 95 – Ibrahimi Mosque massacre Summer 95 – Palestinian violence and West Bank demonstrations continue • Nov 95 – Oslo II or Taba Accords signed • Nov 95 Yitzak Rabin assassinated • •

Last Chance for Peace? • Wye River Memorandum • Ehud Barak • South Lebanon Army (SLA) and Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon • Camp David II • Al Aqsa Intifada and Ariel Sharon

Temple Mount

Western Wall Dome of the Rock Al-Aqsa Mosque Ariel Sharon’s Visit

Sharon and Gaza • 2 nd Intifada returns Israel to Likud control and war hero Ariel Sharon • Israel works to marginalize Arafat and kill Hamas leaders • Post 9/11 The Bush administration supports Likud policies against Hamas, but supports a Palestinian state. • Arafat’s mysterious death • Gaza Withdrawal • The Saudi Peace Plan • Sharon Suffers a stroke • Hamas election victory

The Saudi Peace Plan

Israeli Domestic Politics n n “In Israel there are 3 million prime ministers” Golda Meir Parliamentary system with a 2% cutoff was changed to 3. 25% in 2014 (Upheld by the Supreme Court) Currently 12 parties in the Knesset of the 19 that were on the 2013 Ballot Currently Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu rule with only 31 seats in the 120 -seat Knesset (Plus Yesh Atid in coalition)

2013 Israeli Parliament Elections

Israeli Domestic Politics

Isreali Domestic Politics • Winning Party has 42 days to form a coalition from the 34 parties on the ballot

Israeli Domestic Politics Political Parties (minus the three Arab Parties)

Polls for Mar 17 th 2015 Election

Israeli Domestic Politics n n Three Arab parties have joined together to avoid exclusion under the new electoral threshold. They have said that they will not join any coalition Ayman Odeh, the leader of this “Joint List”, may be the power broker of the next coalition. Polls show the Arab block may come in with the 3 rd most seats.

2015 Election Results Zionist Union: Labor (Isaac Herzog with Hatnuah (Tzipi Livni) OR Likud: Benjamin Netanyahu – “I think that anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state today and evacuate lands is giving attack grounds to radical Islam against the state of Israel. ” March 15, 2015

Who is David and who is Goliath?

Obstacles to Peace • Right of Return • Settlements in the West Bank & East Jerusalem • Jerusalem Capital • Jordon River Water • Hamas

How do Palestinians See it?

Wall of Apartheid