Level 1
After a few weeks of fighting between the Jews and Arabs, the UN called for a ceasefire. Before this ceasefire, the Arabs were quite close to victory. However, the 4-week ceasefire ordered by the UN turned the tide. This ceasefire allowed the Jews to regroup and import weapons and resources from Czechoslovakia. These two things combined helped the Jews win the war.
What allowed the Jewish army to turn the tide and win the 1948 war?
After the 1948 war, Egypt took control of Gaza while Israel took control of the Negev Desert. Jordan took control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Israel took West Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Syria and Israel decided to create a demilitarised buffer zone between them. However, the tide turned after the 1967 war. Israel took control of the East Bank of the Suez Canal by taking the Sinai desert from Egypt. They also took West Jerusalem from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria. In total, Israel tripled in size, which upset the Arab states.
Compare and contrast the territorial changes of the 1948 war and the 1967 war.
Although there were no victors in this war, Israel still managed to “win” militarily as it was succeeding before the ceasefire. However, this did not mean that there were no losses to take into account. Many soldiers died fighting this war, which makes any country fighting this war a loser. Besides this Egypt succeeded in receiving an audience about the fate of the captured Egyptian territories in the hands of Israel.
Discuss the victory or lack of victory of the Yom Kippur War.
In historical documents, Israel’s attack was a pre-emptive attack as they attacked without warning on the assumption that Egypt was planning something. In the attack, they destroyed 90% of Egyptian air force without proof that Egypt was to fight them, but on a hunch. In reality, Egypt was planning on attacking Israel before they launched the pre-emptive strike. Nasser refused to open the Straits of Tiran for Israel and moved his own soldiers to the Israeli border. Although technically, Israel did launch a preemptive strike, it was in defense as Egypt was getting ready to attack Israel.
To what extent did Nasser provoke the Israeli army to lead a preemptive strike against Egypt?
The 1967 war occurred after the growing confidence of Egypt. Nasser casually sent Egyptian planes to fly over Israel, moved Egyptian soldiers to the Israeli border, and refused to open the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships. In the eyes of the Israeli, this was a threat of war. The Jews launched a pre-emptive strike against the Egyptians and went on to destroy 90% of the Egyptian air force on the first day. The war lasted 6 days and resulted in Israeli victory. After this war, Anwar Sadat, who succeeded Nasser launched an attack in 1973 solely to reclaim Egyptian land taken in previous years. The war began in Yom Kippur when the Jews did not expect an attack and were succeeding greatly until a ceasefire was called. This was exactly what Sadat wanted as he did not want war but believed it was the only option left to regain Egyptian land.
What was the significance of the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars?
Al Nakba (the Catastrophe in english) was when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes and made into refugees to escape the wrath of war. The majority of the refugees traveled beyond Palestine and fled to countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and other Arab countries. Conditions for the Palestinian refugees were and still are very poor as in many states they cannot become citizens or get jobs. Nearly 750,000 Palestinians were evicted from their homes.
What was the significance of “Al Nakba”.
There were many causes of the Lebanese Civil War(s). The tensions between the two main religious groups were quite high and definitely led to conflicts. The Christian population of Lebanon felt undermined by the Arab society around them, however, they had more representation in politics. This upset the Muslims as they were the majority but lacked representation and power in the country. Another thing that increased tension int he state was the Arab-Israeli conflicts occurring outside of Lebanon, especially the 1967 and 1973 wars, which resulted in a Palestinian refugee migration into Lebanon, putting stress on the country.
Discuss the causes of the Civil War in Lebanon.
By nationalizing the Suez Canal, Nasser angered the British government who benefitted from controlling it. Before this Nasser was also receiving funding from Britain and the United States for the Aswan Dam, however secretly he also dealt arms with the Soviet Union. This angered the Western Powers and they cut funding. In response, Nasser nationalized the Canal to make money, which again angered Britain and caused the Suez Crisis. Of course, it was wrong of Nasser to be making secret deals with the enemy of his financial supporters and he brought the Suez Crisis upon Egypt himself.
Evaluate the extent to which Nasser influenced the Suez Crisis.
There was no victor at the end of the Yom Kippur War as it ended with a ceasefire. However, there were lasting consequences, such as an ego-boost in Arab countries as this war proved that Arabs still stood a chance, and it damaged the psyche of Israel and made them realize that they are not as invincible as they thought. The Egyptians did not succeed in a military defeat and the Jews’ morale was slightly crushed.
Analyze how the outcome of the Yom Kippur War could be seen as a “lose-lose”?
Egypt suffered many consequences such as a crushing defeat. They were also expelled from the Arab League due to their constant conflict with Israel and dragging other Arab countries into their conflicts. However, along with Jordan, they’re the only countries that have normalized relations with Israel. Of course, they also suffered militarily as they lost 7,700 soldiers. Buffer zones were also established between Egypt and Israel. But they proved that Israel was not invincible and restored some Egyptian honor.
What were the consequences for Egypt after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War?
The Yom Kippur War differed from the conflicts in that it ended in a ceasefire and attempted at peace. The Yom Kippur War was majorly about retrieving lost land from the 1967 Six-Day War, rather than fighting for Palestine. The war also originated from the increased tensions between both sides. Because the war’s goal was not to simply have war, it ended quicker than most wars and with a ceasefire. This war then led to the Camp David Accords which helped peace be established between the Arab countries and Israel.
How was the Yom Kippur War of 1973 different from the other Arab-Israeli Wars?
The Arab League invaded Israel immediately after Israel was established as a state by the UN in 1948. This was the first time the Arab League was actually organized together. The Arabs were upset because the British promised the land of Palestine to the Palestinians and then swiftly changed their minds and granted the land to the Jews. However, the Jews solely wanted the British promise to be fulfilled. Because of WWII many Jews had been dislocated and were in dire need of a home. The Arab League attacked the Jews who were mostly without fault as they did not choose the location of where Britain would put their homeland, even though they wanted Palestinian land.
To what extent was the Arab League justified in invading Israel?
After the Six-Day War, Israel had won much more territory than it had before the war. Many Arabs felt that these territories belonged to the Arab people and not the Israelis. This caused more conflict between the two people. Many Arabs participated in guerrilla tactics to fight against Israel for their land back. Both countries were responsible for the tension that continued as this war proved that Egypt was in fact planning an attack on Israel and if Israel had not first launched an attack the war may have taken a different turn. The fact that Egypt was secretly plotting and preparing to destroy Israel created an unsafe feeling for the Jewish citizens.
Discuss the tension between the Jews and Arabs after the 1967 war.
Sadat’s goal was not to destroy Israel but take back the occupied territories. Sadat said this himself and mentioned that he knew of Israel’s strength and especially her allies. He was also aware that the United States would never allow this to happen and that Egypt could never win with a global superpower. The only reason this war occurred was that Sadat found no other way to regain Egyptian land back as the diplomatic route he tried failed.
Did Egypt have pure intentions when invading Israel during the Yom Kippur War?
Resolution 242 was a UN resolution that called for Israel to withdraw from the territories and for the Arabs to recognize Israel as a state however both sides rejected it. This led the Arab states to determine that there should be “no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiation with it.”. Because this resolution was rejected, no peace was achieved at the time and led to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This war occurred so Arab states could regain their land and ended in a ceasefire which was also known as UN resolution 338.
What was Resolution 242 and what were its consequences?
The 1948 war occurred as a response to Israel becoming a state. This declaration triggered the Arab countries to protest with war. They would not recognize Israel as its own country as it took the place of Palestine. This war lasted almost a year and resulted in an Israeli victory, proving that the Jews were not to be messed with. In response to the result of the war, the new leader of Egypt, Nasser, took control of the Suez Canal, blocking Israel from using it and nationalized it. This angered Britain and France greatly who then made a pact with Israel to take it back. This ended with an embarrassing defeat for the Western Powers and Israel and caused Egypt to gain confidence in their political place.
What was the significance of the 1948 war and the 1956 Suez Crisis?
No. The introduction of Palestinian refugees into Lebanon put great stress on the state. Lebanon already had issues between the Christians and Muslims and with a large number of refugees coming in from Al Nakba, economic tensions ensued. The refugees could not become citizens and could not contribute to the economy causing it to spiral and crash. The refugees lived in refugee camps with very poor conditions and with the Civil War occurring, they were often targets for many of the fighting groups. This brought even more pressure onto Lebanon, especially from the international community.
Was the introduction of Palestinian refugees beneficial for the sate of Lebanon?
The Camp David Accords established peace between Israel and Egypt, which also led to most Arab countries being at peace with Israel. This meant some peace between the Jews and Palestinians as well as the Jews did not have to worry about Palestinian allies attacking their country. Technically, this would also mean that the Palestinians had nothing to worry about when it came to violence from the Jews as well. However, the Accord did very little for the Palestinians directly as they did not involve them at all. The Camp David Accords and other agreements were between the other Arab countries and Israeli rather than the Palestinians and did not solve any of the issues regarding Palestinian self-determinism.
To what extent did the Camp David Accords successful?
The 1978 first Israeli invasion Southern Lebanon accomplished a few things. It kicked out PLO from Lebanon, which resulted in less violence in Lebanon. It also established Bachir Gemayel as President. Because of this Lebanon was ruled by the Christians. In 1982, the Second Israel Invasion established the Green-line which divided Muslims in the west and Christians in the east. After this, the UN began moving in to attempt something like peace. The invasion dealt with great damage to the Palestinian cause. After Gemayel became the president with the help of the Jews, he was assassinated with Syrian help. In response, Christians killed 3,500+ Palestinians and Shiites.
Evaluate the significance of the 1978 and 1982 Israeli invasion into Lebanon.
The British promised Palestine first to the Palestinians and then a year later completely changed their plan to give the same land to the Jews. They were unfair to both parties and this caused increasing tension (causing multiple wars) between the two groups that still happens today, nearly 75 years later. Instead of trying to deal with the consequences of their actions and trying to help out the situation, Britain also decided to pass their mandate to the UN.
How can the Arab-Israeli conflicts be blamed on Great Britain?
Each country (Britain, France, and Israel) had issues with Egypt and made a secret pact to overthrow Nasser and get the Canal back into the hands of the British. This was known as the Sevres Protocol. The plan was to have Israel attack Egypt by invading the Sinai Peninsula. Then both Britain and France would invade Egypt to “mediate” the situation. This plan failed to include the United States and when the US did find out about it, President Eisenhower was incredibly angry and threatened the Western Powers to remove themselves.
What was the Sevres Protocol?
The National Pact of 1943 created the system of government in a confessional manner. The Census of 1932, one of the most important aspects of the pact, determined the six to five ratio that organized the government in the National Pact of 1943. This census was the cause of the tension between the Muslims and Christians in Lebanon. The 1989 Taif Accord was created to fix the issues from the National Pact. It was organized by Saudi Arabia and acknowledges all the religions in Lebanon based on population. It was much fairer than before under the national pact and reversed some tension between religions and sects. However, it was also seen as a quick plan written up to end the conflict between the Muslims and Christians rather than a plan to solve all issues.
Compare and contrast the National Pact and Taif Accords in Lebanon.
Lebanon differs from its other Arab neighbors as its economy is tourism based instead of relying on oil like other states. The tourist-based economy, as well as favoritism from the Christian government, leads to inequality and poverty, usually in Muslim sectors. Christians were usually successful capitalists and the government directly supported their goals where in many cases, rural Muslim sects had extreme rates of poverty and illiteracy. Socially, the Muslim- Christian tensions are the most impactful and lead to two civil wars that overall succeeded only in creating a smaller group in power and settling tensions with the Palestinians. Although the economic tensions contributed to the cause of the Lebanese Civil War, the social factors were more impactful.
To what extent were economic tensions reasoning for the 1958 Lebanese Civil War?
The tension between religious groups was great as it was one of the causes for the Lebanese Civil Wars. The Christians felt undermined in the Arab state but they had the majority representation in politics and held most of the power. This upset the Muslim community as they could not be seen or represented well in a state they believed to be theirs. These issues led to violent conflicts like Christians bombing a bus full of Palestinian refugees or the PLO shooting up a church. These conflicts continued until a war ensued.
Evaluate the extent to which religious tensions affected peace in Lebanon.
The Green Line separated the Muslims and Christian in Beirut, Lebanon. The Muslims would be in the west while the Christians would stick to the East of Beirut. This was established in the second Israeli invasion in Lebanon. It was seen as a line of demarcation during the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990.
What was the significance of the Green Line in Lebanon?