Middle East Flashcards
Theodor Herzl
Austrian who founded the political movement of Zionism
Yasir Arafat
Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization since 1969. Along with Israeli leaders, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994
Yitzhak Rabin
Was prime minister of Israel from 1974-77.
Oversaw the defense of Jerusalem in Israel’s struggle for independence 1948-49.
Was chief of staff of Israeli military during the Six Day War.
During his second term as prime minister he halted Jewish settlements in occupied territories and sent a negotiator to Oslo to work towards peace with the PLO.
Was assassinated by a Jewish settler opposed to the peace process in 1995
Menachem Begin
Prime minister of Israel from 1977-1983
Zionist leader
1979 signed peace treaty with Anwar Sadat of Egypt ending fighting between the 2 countries
Anwar Sadat
Egyptian army officer and president (1970-81)
1979 signed peace treaty with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin
Was the first peace treaty between Israel and any Arab nation
Was assassinated by Muslim extremists
Golda Meir
1969-81 was prime minister of the state of Israel
1948 was a signatory of Israel’s independence declaration
Lebanon
An Arabic country directly north of Israel
Didn’t take part in the Arab- Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973
When Jordan ousted the PLO in 1970 the organization and many other Palestinians moved to Lebanon
1975 Civil war broke out over the PLO’s role in Lebanese politics
1982 Israel invaded Lebanon to oust the PLO and secure its border
1983 Israel leaves having forced out the PLO
Golan Heights
A strategic plateau overlooking the Jordan River
1967 Israel captured it from Syria during the Six Day War
Now there are over 30 Jewish settlements here
Syria wants the land returned
West Bank
Territory West of the Jordan River
Claimed by Jordan from 1949-88
Israel captured it in 1967
Is the center of land disputes between Arabs and Israelis
Area is similar to land provided by an earlier UN agreement for Arab settlement
Who was Reza Khan?
Army officer who took control of Iran and set up his own dynasty post WW1
Jerusalem
Holiest place for Muslims, Jews and Christians
Israel captured it during the six day war
Gaza Strip
A territory along the Mediterranean Sea and northeast of the Sinai Peninsula
Israel and Egypt have fought each other for it
Western Wall
A wall in Jerusalem that is a place of prayer and pilgrimage for Jews
Is the only remaining part of the Second Temple of Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
It is a mosque built over a large Boulder that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews
Muslims believe that this is the sight where the founder of Islam Prophet Mohammad ascended into heaven
Jews believe this is the site where Abraham, the first patriarch of the Hebrew people, prepared to sacrifice his son
Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif
This is believed by Jews to be the site of solomans temple the 2 ms temple of Jerusalem and the site of the dome of the rock
Balfour Declaration
It established Britain’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine
Was validated by the UN as part of a peace treaty in 1922
Oslo Accords
A series of secret negotiations between Israel and the PLO held in Oslo
1947 partition of Palestine
When a large number of Jewish refugees flooded into Palestine after the Holocaust the UN voted in 1947 to divide Palestine into Arab and Jewish states
Israel declares statehood
May 14,1948 Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declared Israel to be an independent state
Six Day War
June 1967 Egypt, Syria and Jordan formed an alliance against Israel and began to mobilize
UN security force established a cease fire agreement six days later
Yom Kippur War
October 6, 1973 Egypt and Syria launched an attack against Israel on Yom Kippur
Israelis were caught off guard but ended up gaining more land in the process
Camp David Accords
March 26,1978 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty that ended the state of war that had existed between the 2 nations since 1948
In return for Egypt’s recognition of Israel’s right to exist, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula
Intifada
Began in 1987
Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem rioted against Israel
Pan- Arabism
A nationalist movement built on the shared heritage of the Arabs who lived in lands from the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa
Zionists
Established in 1917 by Theodore Herzl
Was a Jewish nationalist political movement
Goal: to rebuild a Jewish state in Palestine
OPEC- Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Created in 1960
Includes 12 countries: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Nigeria, Kuwait, Angola, Ecuador
Supplies 45% of worlds oil supply
Examples of oil being used as a weapon
1973- US supported Israel in Yom Kippur war. OPEC placed an embargo. Production was cut back & oil prices quadrupled
Other results:
- long lines at gas stations
- assigned days to buy gas
- national max speed limit of 55 mph implemented in 1974
1979- Iranian hostage crisis- US froze Iran’s assets so Iran embargoes its oil
Muhammad Reza Pahlavi
Leader of the nationalists
White Revolution: program of land reform and social & economic modernization. Dependent on secret police in controlling opposition critical of his reforms
Reformers wanted to put in place Islamic Fundamentalism- a movement for strict observance of religious law
Iranian Revolution 1979
-conservative Shiite Muslims wanted the nation governed by Islamic law
- directed by exiled Khomeini
- violence forced the shah (Reza Khan) to leave Iran
- a new Islamic republic (a theocracy) was established
- major shift toward conservatism
^revived Islamic traditions
^Western influence and music were banned
^ women forced to return to traditional veiled dress
Atatürk political reforms
-est. Turkeys sovereignty
- democracy
- est peaceful diplomatic ties w/ other nations
^signed peace pacts w/ nations- Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia
^ joined League of Nations 1932
^ never pursued territorial expansion
- civil law, penal codes, business law were based on Swiss, Italian, and German models respectively
-adopted SECULARISM- religious considerations are not part of civil affairs
Atatürk Economic Reforms
- focused on Turkey’s industrial growth, agricultural expansion and tech advancement
- transportation, banking etc
- emphasized exporting goods to create trade surplus
Atatürk Social Reforms
- equal treatment of all classes, particularly peasants
- equal rights for women–right to vote, divorce, own property
^outlawed polygamy - Latin Alphabet (29 letters) replaced Arabic script
- growth of education
^ literacy campaigns
^ provided free, secular, co-ed education from grade to graduate school - culture- “foundation of the Turkish Republic”
^ enforced Western dress–women forbidden to wear hijab, men couldn’t wear fez
^ replaced Islamic calendar w/ Western one
^ arts (painting, music, etc) flourished - made people adopt surnames (last names)
Turkey political after WW1
- replaced Islamic law w/ European model
- closed religious schools
- opened state schools
Turkey economic after WW1
- Gov encouraged industrial expansion
- built railroads
- set up factories
Egypt political after WWII
- Gamal Abdel Nasser leader
- 1956 Suez Canal nationalized
- Ended Western domination
- 1970 new president Anwar Sadat
- made peace with Israel
- 1981 new president Hosani Mubarak
Egypt economic after WWII
- Land reforms broke up large estates and gave land to peasants
- Nationalized banks and businesses
- Economy couldn’t keep up with the growing population
Egypt social after WWII
- Muslim groups provided schools and social services that gov couldn’t give to the poor
