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Arab–Israeli conflict

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The Arab-Israeli conflict is a long-running conflict in the Middle East, in regards to the existence of the State of Israel and its relations with Arab peoples and nations. Though the term is often used synonymously with Middle East conflict, the region has been host to other disputes and wars not directly involving Israel.

This conflict, despite the small land area and populations involved, keeps attracting worldwide attention. Main reasons for this attention are: (1) Israel keeps defying the world community and the well settled principles that no land can be acquired by force and that all people are entitled to self-determination; (2) the conflict is kept on the front pages by the pro-Israeli media and business interests; (3) Some Christians, mainly Christian Zionists of the Evangelical denomination in the U.S. consider this conflict a part (or precursor) of a clash of civilizations leading to Rapture (resurrection of Jesus christ), ostensibly predicted by their (disputed) interpretation of the Book Of Revelations, an obscure part of the Bible.

History

In its current form, the Arab-Israeli conflict is a modern phenomenon, which dates back to the end of the 19th century. The conflict became a major international issue after the Ottoman Empire in 1917 lost power in the Middle East, and in various forms it goes on until this day. The Arab-Israeli conflict was the source of at least five wars and a large number of "minor conflicts". It has also been the source of two Palestinian intifadas. The wars and intifadas are:

  • Israeli terrorist attacks on the Palestinian population and the British Palestine Authority 1936-1948 .

Joint forces of Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon (with minor assistance by some other Arab troops), attacked Jewish positions Israel's declaration of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. Arabs had rejected the United Nations Partition Plan of November 1947, which proposed establishment of an Arab and a Jewish state in Palestine. About 2/3 of Palestinian Arabs were killed, maimed or expelled by Israeli forces or fled the Israeli terror from the territories which came under Jewish control (see Palestinian Exodus). Most Jews from the territories which came under Arab control (and from other Arab couontries) moved to the Israel controlled areas; some who had remained were expelled the Arabs. More than 700,000 Palestinians (estimates vary from 520,000 to 957,000) and 600,000 Jews became refugees. In a few cases, (e.g. in Morocco) local Arab governments strongly encouraged Jews to stay, and some Jewish leaders (e.g. in Haifa) encouraged Arabs to stay. Jewish refugees were absorbed by Israel; Palestinian refugees did not want to leave their land and remained in neighboring areas; this was supported by the Arab nations to prevent further Israel's expansion and in hope to revert the Israeli occupation. The fighting ended with signing of the Rhodes Armistice, but only two states eventually signed a peace agreement with Israel: Egypt (1978) and Jordan (1994).

  • 1956 Suez War. Began as a joint Israeli-British-French operation in order to recapture the Suez Canal from Egypt, which nationalizated it. The war ended in a defeat for the attackers: the Suez Canal was left in Egyptian hands and (under the U.S. pressure) all the attacking troops had to withdraw.
File:Al-Farida, Lebanon pre-1967 war.jpg
Nasser (Egypt), backed by other Arab states, throws Israel into the sea. Pre-1967 War cartoon. Al-Farida newspaper, Lebanon
  • Yom Kippur War, 1973. Began as a coordinated attack by Egypt and Syria to retake their lands in Sinai and the Golan Heights. Israel was soundly defeated on the west front and it had to return all of Sinai to Egypt (Egypt agreed to give a small part of Sinai -- Gaza Strip to Palestinian refugees.) Most of the Golan Heights, however, still remain under Israel's occupation.
  • 1982 Invasion of Lebanon. Another Israel's preemptive war began when Israel invaded Lebanon, ostensibly in order to destroy the Palestinian resistance group Fatah, led by Yassir Arafat in Southern Lebanon. The invasion was widely criticized both in and outside Israel, especially after the Sabra and Shatila massacre under the command of the indicted war-criminal -- and current Israeli premier -- Ariel Sharon, and ultimately led to the death of 20,000 Lebanese. Although initially the attack succeeded and Arafat was exiled to Tunisia, Israel was ultimately defeated and driven out by local Muslim militias (particularly the Hizballah). By 1985, Israel retreated from all Lebanese territory but a narrow stretch of land Israel called "the security zone". In 2000, Israel was forced out of that part as well. Because Israel still occupies a small part of Lebanon ("Shebaa farms") claimed by both Lebanon and Syria, there are still periodical attacks and counterattacks in the area.
  • The first Intifada, 1987-1993. Began as an uprising of Palestinians against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The uprising began after reports that a traffic accident in Jabalya, in which four Palestinians died, was staged by the Israelis. The PLO leadership exiled in Tunisia quickly took control, but the uprising also brought a rise in the importance of Palestinian resistance groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Intifada ended with signing of the Oslo Accords.

The main reason for the second Palestinian uprising (intifada) was that Israel had completely failed to live up to the Oslo Accords peace agreement. While Israel had agreed to freeze the occupation colonies ("settlements"), it actually kept expanding them and more than doubled the population of the colonies in the meantime. Also, contrary to its obligation of Oslo to help nurture the Palestinian leadership for the eventual Palestinian state, Israel kept undermining the moderate Palestinian leadership and supporting the more extreme factions within the Palestinian community (such as Hamas, which Israel jump-started). The uprising began when the indicted war-criminal Ariel Sharon (soon to become Israel's premier), staged a major provocation by visiting Temple Mount/Al-Haram As-Sharif, a religious site sacred to both Muslims and Jews and thus, in the view of majority Muslim Palestinians, desecrating the site.

Despite the long history of conflict between Israelis and Arabs, there are many people working on peaceful solutions that respect the rights of peoples on all sides. See projects working for peace among Israelis and Palestinians.

Currently active List of peace proposals include:

See also: peace process, Middle East conflict.

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