The Middle East: Chapter 5 [The Attempts to find a Lasting Peace, 1987 - 2012] Flashcards
1
Q
LIFE IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
A
- crowded, basic and unhygienic
- had to work in Israel to make money [unskilled jobs even if educated], pay Israeli taxes without any say in the gov and live under military occupation
- PLO suspects underwent beatings and trial-less detentions
- houses searched and land confiscayed
- some feared Israel would evict them completely for new Jewish settlers [1984: 35,000 to 1988: 64,000]
2
Q
THE FIRST PALESTINIAN INTIFADA [DEC 1987 - 1993]
A
- Israeli market trader stabbed in Gaza
- IDF truck crashed into vans killed 4 Palestinians and wounding 7
- riots and Israeli guard stoned at their funeral
- another Palestinian killed and protests grew, spreading to West Bank 2 weeks later
- At first, leaderless and spontaneous with mass demonstrations, barricades, burning cars, making anti-Israeli graffiti, throwing stones, petrol bombing IDF and flying flag
- then, lead by UNLU [United National Leadership of Uprising] who distributed leaflets, told people what and where, informed about strikes and boycotts and co-ordinated underground schools, medical care and food supplies
- refused to buy and sell Israeli goods, to work in Israel, to pay taxes or carry identification or use Israeli taxis
3
Q
ISRAELI RESPONSE
A
- IDF reported 42,000 acts of hostility in first half of 1988
- severe response and Prime Minister adopted ‘Iron Fist’ policy whereby reservists called up, security intensified, schools closed down, curfew and censorship put in places, thousands arrested, suspect leaders detained, houses bulldozed and blown up, arms and fingers of child stone throwers broken and crowds dispersed with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition
4
Q
IMPACT ON PALESTINIANS
A
- 1,200 killed and 120,000 wounded
- some accused of traitorism so killed by Palestinians
- schools closed for long periods, water usage restricted, curfews put in place and houses knocked down without warning
- strikes and curfews caused businesses to collapse
- olive groves destroyed and agriculture collapsed
- unemployment rose to 50%
- ordinary Palestinians felt empowered
5
Q
IMPACT ON ISRAELIS
A
- 160 died
- increased security costs, damaged businesses [closed borders and boycotts] and collapsed tourism
- society grew divided with right wanting stronger measures and left shocked by IDF brutality and wanting peace negotiations
6
Q
CONSEQUENCES
A
- Israeli reputation suffered due to media coverage
- Americans shocked by IDF tactics
- UN condemned ‘Iron Fist’
- sympathy and strong desire to seek solution for Palestinians
- PLO no longer wanted Israeli destruction but rather a 2 state solution with Palestinian independence
- 5 years later, Israeli gov began rethinking occupation because ‘Iron Fist’ was too expensive
7
Q
ARAFAT RENOUNCES TERRORISM
A
- Arafat needed to seize back spotlight after it was stolen by UNLU, Hamas and Islamic Jihad
- 30 years in, knew that PLO could not destroy Israel and that ordinary Palestinians only needed peace and not permanent struggle
- July 1988: King Hussein’s surrender of Jordanian claims to West Bank made Arafat believe it could be heart of new state
- international sympathy meant time was right for peace initiative
- Nov 1988: change in PLO policy with 2 state solution adopted whereby Jerusalem was Palestinian capital
- Dec 1988: on USA’s insistence, condemned all terrorism to UN and called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and Israeli involvement in negotiations
8
Q
IMPACT OF ARAFAT’S SPEECH
A
- USA agreed to open negotiations with PLO and pressured Israel to negotiate too
- but Israel still viewed PLO as terrorists and found Arafat’s 2 state solution unacceptable
- new PLO objective also rejected by Hamas and Islamic Jihad
9
Q
IMPACT OF GULF WAR [JAN 1991]
A
- summer 1990: Iraq invaded Kuwait and condemned worldwide
- January 1991: Operation Desert Storm launched by US-led UN-approved coalition of 34 countries
- first time Middle East openly collaborated with USA
- viewed with less hostility and better peace negotiator for Palestine
- Sadam Hussein fired missiles destroying 4,000 Israeli homes
- Israel did not retaliate so as to not split coalition and so its reputation improved [at least in West]
- but Arafat supported Hussein [because he backed PLO] and so reputation suffered with Saudi and Kuwaiti financial support for PLO withdrawn and 200,000 Palestinians expelled from Kuwait
- PLO discredited and bankrupt
10
Q
IMPACT OF COLD WAR
A
- Dec 1991: USSR dissolved
- PLO lost main arms and finance source
- migration of 200,000 Soviet Jews to Israel meant peace agreement needed immediately
- Israel began building new settlements in West Bank
- Palestinian jobs at risk by new migrants
- USA now the only superpower in the Middle East so needed Israel less than Israel needed it
- knowing Israel needed food, housing and schools for new migrants, USA threatened withholding financial aid until negotiation with PLO
11
Q
PEACE TALKS
A
- Nov 1991: USA and USSR jointly sponsored peace conference in Madrid
- BUT Israel refused to talk to Palestinians living outside of West Bank and Gaza and therefore refused to talk to Arafat and PLO
- Lebanon and Syria refused to talk to Israel unless it talk to Palestine
- deadlock
- BUT deadlock broken
- in April 1992, Arafat presumed dead for 12 hours after plane crash in Libya and relief of Palestinians at his survival restored his image as leader of nation’s cause
- June 1992: new Israeli leader agreed to compromise with PLO if Intifada ended
- April 1993: Hamas suicide bombing in Israel and Hamas; refusal to negotiate made new leader see Arafat as relatively moderate
- BUT if leader gave away West Bank, settlers would be furious and if Arafat accepted less than entire West Bank, Palestine would be furious
12
Q
ARAFAT, RABIN AND THE OSLO PEACE ACCORDS [SEP 1993]
A
- top secret talks between representatives in Oslo
- even USA unaware
- host = Holst [Norwegian Foreign Minister]
- talks in friendly atmosphere in remote farmhouses and Holst’s home with his 4-year old son
- agreed to joint commitment to find solution over next 5 years
- Israeli acceptance of PLO as representative of Palestinians
- Arafat permitted return from Tunisia
- PLO renounced violence and accepted Israel’s right to exist
- both sides agreed to set up of Palestinian National Authority [first run by PLO but then members eventually democratically elected]
- Israel to gradually withdraw from parts of West Bank and hand over governing authority to PNA over next 5 years
- negotiations on borders, Israeli settlers, Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem
- permanent peace treaty to be signed after 5 years
- signe in Washington
- 1994: received Nobel Peace Prize
13
Q
OSLO II [1995]
A
- to clear up confusion over land division
- Gaza to be fully Palestinian eventually
- West Bank to be divided into 3
- Area A: totally under PNA, 3% of West Bank, Israelis not allowed and terrorist attacks on Israel prevented by PNA
- Area B: under joint Palestinian civil and Israeli military control, 25% of West Bank, no Israeli settlements and Israeli forces would gradually withdraw after resolving security issues
- Area C: totally controlled by Israel, 72% and parts to be gradually put under Palestinian control
14
Q
REACTIONS TO OSLO PEACE ACCORDS
A
- optimistic moderate Palestinians objected to how much of West Bank was Israeli, how most of natural resources were in Area C and how hard movement between Areas A and B would be
- PFLP, Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused anything less than total destruction
- Israelis mostly delighted
- but settlers objected to surrender any part of ‘Biblical Israel’ and saw Rabin as traitor
- Rabin assassinated by Israeli-Jewish extremist Yigal Amir
- funeral attended by American President, King Hussein and Egyptian President
15
Q
FAILURE OF THE OSLO ACCORDS
A
- things began well
- enthusiasm at Arafat’s return
- PNA set up, police force set up, elections held, Arafat to President in 1996 and beginning of Israeli withdrawal
- BUT Israelis didn’t trust Arafat and Palestinians didn’t trust new Israeli PM
