[SAJC] Conflict and Cooperation Arab Israeli Conflict (1948-1979) Final (2024)

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 1 Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) Topic 2: Arab-Israeli Conflict (1948-1979) SAJC History Unit, 2024 Learning Outcomes (from the Examination Syllabus) 5 Essential Questions for this topic: 5 Guiding Questions for this topic: 5 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict 7 1.2 Context for the Conflict: Land of Palestine 8 2. Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 9 2.1 Long Term Origins: Clash in Nationalisms 9 2.1.1 Jewish Nationalism (Zionism) 10 2.1.2 Arab Nationalismin Palestine 11 2.2 Long Term Origins: Economic Division 13 2.3 Long Term Origins: Competing identities and Religion 15 2.3.1 Arab vs Jewish Culture/Values 15 2.3.2 Judaic vs Islamic Claims over Palestine 16 2.4 Short Term Origins: Superpower Interests 16

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 2 2.4.1 The British 17 2.4.2 UN Partition Plan 17 2.4.3 UN Resolution 181 17 2.4.4 Soviet Support for Partition 18 2.4.5 American Support for Partition 18 3. Outbreak of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Combatant States) 19 4. Protracted Regional Conflict: the Arab-Israeli Wars 21 4.1 The War of Independence/Al-Naqba (1948) 21 4.1.1 How the War began 21 4.1.2 Consequences 22 4.2 The Suez Crisis (1956) 23 4.2.1 How the Crisis began 23 4.2.2 Consequences 24 4.3 The Six-Day Crisis (1967) 25 4.3.1 How the Crisis began 25 4.3.2 Consequences 26 4.4 The Yom-Kippur War (1973) 28 4.4.1 How the War began 28 4.4.2 Consequences 29 5. Expansion of Superpower influence 30 5.1 Role of the USA 31 5.2 Role of USSR 33

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 3 6. Rise and Impact of Extremism 34 6.1 Jewish Fundamentalism 34 6.2 Impact of Jewish Fundamentalism 36 6.3 Secular Palestinian Extremism 37 6.3.1 Rise and Impact of Palestinian Extremism 37 6.4 Islamic Fundamentalism 38 6.4.1 Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism 38 6.4.2 Impact of Islamic Fundamentalism 39 6.5 Rise of the Israeli Hardliners 40 7. The search for an Elusive Peace (Effectiveness of Peacekeeping) 42 7.1 A slow and difficult Peace Process 42 7.2 Role of UN 42 7.3 UN Peacekeeping Operations 43 7.3.1 UNTSO (1979-Present) 43 7.3.2 UNEF I (1956-1967) 44 7.3.3 UNEF II (1973-1979) 45 7.3.4 UNDOF (1974-Present) 45 7.3.5 UNILIF (1978-Present) 46 8. UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338 47 8.1 Resolution 242 48 8.2 Resolution 338 49 9. American involvement in the search for an Arab-Israeli Peace 50

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 4 9.1 Kissinger’s Shuttle Diplomacy 52 9.2 Camp David Accords 52 9.2.1 Egypt’s Motivations for Peace 52 9.2.2 Israeli’s Motivations for Peace 53 9.2.3 The Camp David Summit 53 10. Effectiveness of Conflict Management (Diplomacy) 56 10.1 Diplomatic Efforts during the War of Independence/Al-Naqba (1948) 57 10.2 Diplomatic Efforts during the 1956 Suez Crisis 57 10.3 Diplomatic Efforts during the 1967 Six-Day Crisis 59 10.3 Diplomatic Efforts during the 1973 Yom-Kippur War 59 11. Conclusion and Food for Thought 60

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 5 Learning Outcomes (from the Examination Syllabus) Students are able to: ● evaluate causes of conflicts ● evaluate the roles of different actors in the development of conflicts over time ● evaluate the effectiveness of conflict management Essential Questions for this topic: • Why did conflicts occur and how did they affect the international order? • Why do countries/ethnic groups engage in war and conflict with one another? • Why do wars and conflicts usually remain protracted and difficult to resolve? • What are the consequences of war and conflict for affected countries and the region at large? • How effective were the attempts to manage these conflicts? Guiding Questions for this topic: • Who or what were responsible for the Arab-Israeli conflict? • ‘Territorial concerns were the main source of contention between the Palestinians and the Israelis’. Assess the validity of this statement in the period 1945-2000. • ‘It was Cold War interests that caused the Arab-Israeli conflict.’ How far do you agree? • How far were the Arab states responsible for the Arab-Israeli conflict? • ‘The refusal of the Palestinians to accept Jewish rights to Palestine has led to the intractability of the Arab -Israeli conflict between 1948-2000’. How far do you agree? • ‘The root cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict is the dispossession and dispersal of the Palestinian Arabs’. Discuss with reference to the period 1948-2000. • Evaluate the importance of religion in the development of the Arab -Israeli conflict between 1945-2000. • Why has the Arab-Israeli conflict been so resistant to attempts at resolution?

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 6 • To what extent did the Camp David Accords of 1978-1979 mark a turning point in the Arab-Israeli conflict? • Assess the consequences of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 1. Introduction • The Arab-Israeli conflict, a protracted and intricate struggle, finds its origins rooted in a century -long quest for national identity and sovereignty. This geopolitical crisis, which emerged prominently in 1948 and evolved considerably through 1979, encapsulates a fi erce clash between Zionist aspirations for a Jewish homeland and the Palestinian Arab quest for self - determination. Over these decades, an amalgamation of political, cultural, and territorial disputes continually reshaped the Middle Eastern landscape, entangling regional and international powers in its wake. • The genesis of the conflict can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, marked by the rise of nationalist movements among both Jews and Arabs under Ottoman rule. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 further intensified the situation, as British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine fueled Arab resentment. Following World War II, the Holocaust underscored the exigent need for a Jewish homeland, leading to the United Nations' 1947 partition plan, which proposed separate Jewish and Arab states. • In 1948, the declaration of the State of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli War galvanized the conflict, resulting in significant territorial gains for Israel and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs. The armistice agreements of 1949 established the contours of a tense standoff, setting the stage for future confrontations. • Throughout the 1950s, regional dynamics were defined by border skirmishes, socio-political upheavals, and the influence of Cold War politics. The 1956 Suez Crisis exemplified the intersection of regional and global interests, with Israel allying with British and French forces against Egypt. The Six-Day War in 1967 was another pivotal moment, as Israel ca ptured the West Bank, Gaza Strip,

Saint Andrew’s Junior College (2024) 9174/01 H2 History Paper 1 Theme III: Conflict and Cooperation (1945-2000) 7 Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights, transforming the conflict's territorial dimensions. • The ensuing years saw attempts at diplomacy and peace, most notably with the Camp David Accords of 1978 between Israel and Egypt, brok ered by the United States. This agreement, culminating in the 1979 Egypt -Israel Peace Treaty, marked the first formal peace between Israel and an Arab state, signaling a shift towards potential conflict resolution. • However, the fundamental disputes over la nd, refugees, and mutual recognition remained deeply ingrained, perpetuating a