The Middle East: Conflict, Crisis and Change (Chapters 4 and 5) Flashcards
What were the main reasons for USA wanting peace following the Yom Kippur War?
- OPEC (a group consisting of the major oil exporters with many of them being in the middle east) refused to sell any oil to the USA during and after the Yom Kippur War, causing oil prices to skyrocket and an economic downturn in the USA
- This meant it had incentive to negotiate for peace in the region to ensure a constant supply of oil
- The Yom Kippur War had also brought them dangerously close into a confrontation with the USSR which they wanted to avoid, especially as if they acted as the peacemakers Egypt and Syria may become less Soviet-inclined
What was Henry Kissingers shuttle diplomacy of 1974 and what did it achieve?
- He flew back and forth between Israel, Egypt and Syria to try and negotiate peace
- Egypt wanted peace to reopen the canal and Israel were reliant on US aid so negotiations were easy with them, but Syria held strong their claim to the Golan Heights
- However, at this point Israel was not intent on withdrawing troops and Syria or Egypt were not intent on recognition
- That being said in January 1974, Egypt and Israel agreed to pull back from the canal in place of a UN force so it could be cleared and reopened which it did in 1975 to Egypt’s delight
- In addition, OPEC started selling oil to the USA again and a DMZ was set up in the Golan Heights
What was Arafat’s speech to the UN (1974)?
- The Arab League recognised the PLO, with Arafat at its head, as the representative voice of Palestinians
- Due to growing concerns about Palestinian terroism, he was invited to speak at the UN
- He explained that they were freedom fighters, not terroists and that they overall wanted peace if they could achieve their aims
- Palestine was consequentially granted the observer status in the UN (though it could not vote, the recognition was significant)
What did Sadat initially do in 1977 to try and achieve peace, why, and what were the effects?
- Due to the very poor state of the Egyptian economy, Sadat knew he needed to achieve permanent peace with Israel to cut military spending - especially as the US promised aid if they did this
- He therefore ambitiously visited the Knesset, where the Israeli Prime-minister, Begin, also wanted peace so they could focus on the PLO threat from Lebanon
- Sadat knew he would be branded as a traitor, so wanted to make a Palestinian deal as well but Israel had no intention of returning territories or allowing Palestine to self-govern
- While these talks did not get very far, President Carter stepped in as he saw progress
What was agreed at the Camp David Accords (1978) regarding Egypt-Israeli peace?
- The Framework for an Egypt and Israeli Peace was drawn up and agreed to (though it was not to be implemented until a year later)
- Egypt would recognise Israel and be at peace with them in exchange for Sinai
- Egypt would ensure the Straits of Tiran were open for Israel and allow them to use the Suez Canal
- Israel would be compensated for the cost of dismantling their bases in Sinai, while the Egyptians would be paid $1 billion a year for 10 years as promised to help their economy
What was agreed at the Camp David Accords (1978) regarding Palestinians?
- The Framework for an Egypt and Israeli Peace was drawn up and agreed to
- Israel accepted the legitimate rights of Palestinians (though did nto say what they were)
- West Bank and Gaza could elect a ‘council’ after 5 years
- Israeli troops would ‘gradually’ withdraw after this happened
- After 5 years a final decision would be made
- It does not mention refugee camps, Jerusalem or the Golan Heights and was very vague and didn’t actually mean much for Israel or the Palestinians
- As a result, none of these things really ever happened
What was agreed upon in the Treaty of Washington (1979) and what were the consequences/reactions?
- Sadat and Begin signed a peace treaty in Washington finalising what they had agreed in Maryland
- Sadat and Begin both got what they wanted - peace so they could focus on their own issues
- As with the Camp David accords, it was met with international approval, however the Arab states condemned Egypt for it and threw them out of the Arab league
- The Palestinian issue was not even mentioned here, and they were still unhappy about the vagueness of what was said at Camp David and how they had not been consulted
What were the effects of the PLO’s presence in Lebanon?
- Funded by other Arab states, they injected hope into the Palestinian cause by building hospitals, schools ect.
- However for the Lebanese government they were a nightmare as they essentially controlled southern Lebanon, undermined Lebanese-Israeli peace efforts and had their attacks always met with reprisals
- The Christians in Lebanon (about 40%) organised armed groups of phalange militants determined to destroy the PLO, while the Lebanese Muslims and Druze joined the PLO in their defense
- The country descended into civil war by 1975 where 70000 died, with Israel supplying the Christians with weapons and Syria eventually invading the northern half to try and defeat the PLO, though by 1976 they still controlled most of the south
- The different religious groups in Lebanon all took part in one government equally, but ideological differences led to tension which resulted in eventual violence
- Syria invaded as they felt threatened by the PLO
What were the causes and events of operation Litani (1978)?
- The Coastal Road Massacre of 1978 in Tel Aviv where 13 PLO militants (who were members of Fatah) hijacked a bus and shot at passing cars, killing 40 innocent civilians
- In a swift reprisal, 26000 Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon to destroy PLO bases and killing many innocent civilians
- They were eventually stopped by the UN who ordered a ceasefire and installed peacekeepers, they these peacekeepers soon withdrew after facing PLO attacks
- The PLO was able to carry out its attacks as it still controlled the southern part of Lebanon and Beirut
- Despite Arafat wishing to seem more moderate, they still carried out attacks and many rejected even the idea of being moderate
What were the causes of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon (1982)?
- The PLO grew stronger with Soviet help, and cross border attacks between the two countries increased in frequency to an unbearable degree, so Israel did something about it
- In June 1982, three Palestinians tried to assasinate the Israeli ambassador in London and Israel finally got the excuse it needed (even though they were not PLO)
What were the events of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon (1982)?
- On 6 June, they launched Operation Galilee, invading Lebanon with 70000 troops with their intended aim of establishing a buffer zone
- However they went further into Lebanon, killing 12000 civilians and surrounding Beirut where the PLO HQ was with a new aim to expel the PLO and help the Christian Phalange party come to power
- They beseiged the city, killing 20000 civilians while constantly bombing it until eventually an international force evacuated PLO members, including Arafat to Tunis where they set up HQ
- Israel, still concerned about PLO militants left in Beirut, surrounded the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and allowed Phalange militants to search them for militants, seeing brutal atrocities occuring and 3500 civilians dying (which Israel would have known of)
What were the impacts of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon (1982)?
- The PLO had been evicted far away where they could not do much harm, meaning Israel was free from PLO missiles
- However Israel received much negative publicity for their brutal methods and disregard for civilian life
- This was especially because of what happened at Sabra and Shatila, and after an investigation Ariel Sharon resigned
- In Lebanon Israel now faced a new threat with formed in 1982 called Hezbollah who were Islamist extremists funded by Iran
Israel remained in Lebanon until 2000 when they withdrew
What were the long term causes of the first Intifada?
- Israel’s long term occupation of the territories and their resentment over Israel owning any land at all in the area
- Very crowded, basic and unhygenic living conditions in the occupied territories with harsh Israeli military rule (beatings, interrogations etc.)
- Many Palestinians had to work in Israel to pay a living and pay Israeli taxes yet they had no say in the government
- There was an incursion of Jewish settlers on the edges of the occupied territories and many were scared they would lose their land completely
What were the short term causes of the first Intifada?
- In December 1987, an Israeli trader was stabbed, and the following day a truck crashed into two vans carrying innocent Palestinians, killing 4
- Rumours that the crash had been a deliberate reprisal disseminated fast, and protests began to occur at the funerals and Israeli guards were stoned
- After another Palestinian was killed 3 days later, widespread rioting broke out which continued for 5 years
What were the events of the first Intifada excluding the Israeli response?
- It lasted for 5 years from 1987 to 1992
- At first there was rioting, burning cars, graffiti and throwing stones in a leaderless and spontaneous way
- Then there was the refusal to buy Israeli goods, pay Israeli taxes and work in Israel which was organised by a new group which had formed called the United National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU)
What was the Israeli reponse to the first Intifada?
- PM Shamir introduced the Iron Fist policy
- Reserves were called up and security was increased, with large numbers of schools being shut down
- Thousands were arrested, with ringleaders being interrogated and their homes being bulldozed
- Brutalities such as the hands of children who threw rocks being broken occured, and hostile crowds were dispersed with rubber or sometimes live ammunition