Outbreak of AIC Flashcards
Unjust colonisation experience pitted the Jews and Arabs against each other, creating points of contention which led to the outbreak of the AIC
1915 Hussein McMahon exchange
- Arab leaders and UK agreed to temporary holding of Arab land which was to be returned to them later which didn’t include Palestine
- UK argued that it included Palestine
1917 Balfour declaration
- Favoured the establishment of a national home for Jews in Palestine but it should not prejudice the civil and religious rights of non-Jews in the Palestine
1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement
- Britain supported Zionism internationally, domestically favoured the Arabs
Arab pov: UK holding onto Palestine to create a Jewish state via majority jews
Jewish pov: UK secretly aiding the arabs and restricting Jewish immigration to prevent creation of a Jewish state
Hasty decolonisation in Palestine sparked immediate conflict as Arabs lost their land unjustly
1947 UNSCOP
Arabs lost Tel Aviv, Haifa, Negev and the Jezreel and Hule valleys (56% of mandatory Palestine despite constituting only ⅓ of the population)
May 1948
British withdrawal amidst conflict and did not maintain order in Palestine leading to Civil war occurring which led to the further outbreak of war
Role of the conflicting security interests of Arabs and Israel in Palestine that marked each other as a direct threat in sparking immediate conflict
Arab POV
Safeguard their territorial integrity and national sovereignty as they are concerned with Israeli expansionism in the Golan Heights and other disputed areas
Israel was a regional military threat with their alliances with the west
Israeli POV
Safeguard their territorial integrity and national sovereignty as they are concerned with Arab aggression via historical animosities
Role of Arab-Israeli territorial sovereignty motivations in sparking immediate conflict
May 1948
- Israel declared independence with the territory allocated to Israel under the partition plan as the new state of Israel
- Arabs banded together to drive out Israelis from Palestinian territory
- Egypt, Jordan and several others invaded Israel
- IDF expanded to protect themselves, Plan Dalet launched to have buffer borders and removing as many Palestinians as possible
Role of conflicting nationalistic motivations in sustaining LT conflict
Arab Nationalism
Self-determination from Ottomans, Europeans and Zionism
Not unified and had differing views on autonomy, territorial unit and political system
Pan-Arab Nationalism
Political, cultural and socioeconomic unity of all Arabs in the Mashreq and Maghreb under one state
Palestinian Nationalism
Self-determination and sovereignty over Palestine in opposition to Zionism
Jewish Nationalism
Jewish state was the solution for the Jewish problem in europe + physical separation from Europe which was anti-semitic
Theodore Herzl; promotion of Jewish immigration to Palestine and acquisition of land
Role of clashing religions and cultures in sustaining LT conflict
1929 Wailing Wall Incident
Jews and Arabs clash at the Western Wall of the Jerusalem complex
Jews violated mutually accepted regulations of religious practices at the holy site
Protests broke out which later resulted in a small civil war.
1939 White Paper
blamed the Jews for the issue which made the Jewish leader quit.
They then sent out an explanation to rectify the blames which infuriated the Arabs and alienated them which showed them that
Significance of Jerusalem
Judaism: promised land in the old testament, holiest city. Temple mount and the western wall is also amongst the holiest cities which ties jews around the world to this place.
Islam: The first kiblat, Muhammad PBUH isra’ mi’raj, third holiest site, waqaf of Salahuddin the great which was charitable and religious purposes (other claimants was a direct threat of this)
Christianity: Place of life and ministry of Jesus, Church of the Holy Sepulchre is where Jesus was crucified
Role of economic disparities as a point of tension which contributed to the outbreak of war
Illegal Land grabs
Absentee Property Law and Land Acquisition Law
Expropriated palestinian land resulting in loss of livelihoods and economic resources
Jewish govt backed this and cultivated the land leading to concentration of land ownership and agricultural production in Jewish hands
Inequality in access to resources
Jewish settlements had preferential access to necessities like water, fertile land and infrastructure
Arabs faced restrictions instead by the Jewish government
Inequality in economic policies
Favouring the development of Jewish communities in investment incentives, infrastructure development projects and preferential treatment for Jewish businesses
Arabs faced barriers to employment, education and were not given fair wages
