Arab - israeli conflict

Arab-Israeli Conflict
Palestine – till 1948 – David Ben Guerin first President of free Palestine – renamed Israel.
Democratic nation, surrounded by other under-developed country, Israel developed.
Surrounded by enemy states, had conflicts since long back. Backed by USA.
Major languages spoken, Hebrew and Arabic, capital – Tel Aviv.
3 Arab Israel Wars.
How were the Jews successful incarving out a Jewish state in spite of being surrounded by Arabic nations? – Had sympathy cause of holocaust, western countries wanted a sphere of influence – rich in oil? Palestinian Arabs not responsible for Hitler’s treatment of Jews so why do the Arabs have to suffer?
Some historians not pro-Israel but thinking in general: Ilan Pappe (Israeli Jew, lives in UK, belongs to ‘New Historians ofIsrael’ – question Israeli govt. policy), Tom Segev (1967 Arab – Israel War, Israeli Journalist, recreated old state and condition), Edward Said (Palestinian American theorist, critic of American foreign policy), Noam Chomsky (American, controversial critic of US foreign policy, comments on stubborn nature for creation of Palestinian refugees)
Establishment of Britain Mandate in Palestine and itsimpact.
Both Arabs and Jews lived in Palestine for over 3000 years.
Palestine ruled by Romans and Byzantines, Arabs – 640 – 1517 AD
Ottoman Turks – 1517 – 1917 AD
Britain – 1917 – 1948 AD
Britain ruled Palestine not as colony but as a mandate.
Late 19th century, movement began to establish a Jewish national home in Palestine, the “Chosen Land” or “Political Zionism” for the Jews immigratedall over the world. Jews spread all over the world have to go back to Palestine as this is the chosen land for the Jews. Religious Zionism in which the holy book stated that some time or the other all Jews will come back to stay in one state Palestine – turned into the political too.
Arabs also claimed in Palestine, followed Islam. Two movements happening, Palestinian and now Arab. Towards 19thcentury world was seeing Pan – Arab movement, new western educated people were thinking of uniting Arab world and being independent of Ottoman Turkish Empire. Ottoman Turks weren’t Arab but ruled over all Arab states. Woodrow Wilson’s self-determination theory gave Arabs good hope of breaking away from Ottoman Turkish Empire. By 1914, 85,000 Jews and 650,000 Arabs claimed Palestine was theirhomeland.

Husayn-McMahon Agreement (1915)
McMahon convinced Husayn to lead an Arab revolt against Ottoman Empire. McMahon promised that if Arabs supported Britain in war, British govt. would help them get independence from Ottoman Turkish Empire. Arab revolt lead by T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) defeated Ottomans, and Britain took control over much of this area during WW1.
1916 Britain andFrance had a secret agreement (Sykes-Picot Agreement) to share Turkish Empire between them.
1917 Balfour Declaration announcing Britain’s support for the establishment of a “Jewish home in Palestine.” Declaration baffled Arabs; letter was not legally binding as was not official. British defeated Ottoman Turks in 1917 and occupied Palestine and Syria (land remained under British militaryadministration for the remainder of the war and beyond). April 1920 San Remo Conf. assigned the mandate for the Palestine to Britain under Article 22 of the LON. The Allies also decided to make it responsible for putting into effect its own Balfour Declaration of 197. In June 1922, the LON approved terms of mandate which came into effect from September 1923.
Why did Britain choose to have Palestine as amandate? – Close to Mediterranean Sea and direct access to Suez Canal. 1956 Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal which led to war between Britain, Egypt and Israel. Post 1923, the number of European Jews immigrating to Palestine was rising. In 1920 and 1921, clashes broke out between Arabs and Jews in which roughly equal numbers of both groups were killed.
In the 1920’s when the Jewish National...