History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict and its Impact on their Relations Today
After the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD with the dispersal that followed, the Jews desired to return to what they consider their rightful homeland. It was not until the late 19th century that Zionist leaders (lead by Theodore Herzl) made practical steps to securing international sanction for large-scale Jewish settlement in Palestine (then a part of the Ottoman Empire).
The Balfour declaration in 1917 asserted the British Government's support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This declaration was supported by a number of other countries, including the US, and became more important following World War I, when the United Kingdom was assigned the Palestine mandate by the League of Nations.
Jewish immigration grew slowly in the 1920s; it increased substantially in the 1930s, due to political turmoil in Europe and Nazi persecution, until the United Kingdom imposed restrictions in 1939. After the end of World War II, and the near-extermination of European Jewry by the Nazis, international support for Jews seeking to settle in Palestine overcame British efforts to restrict immigration.
November 1947, the UN came up with the Partition Plan. This divided Palestine into two states, a Jewish state and an Arab state and called for establishing Jerusalem separately as an international city under UN administration. May 15, 1948 Israel declared its independence. This prompted Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Transjordan to send in military forces to crush the new state. Despite the large resources of the Arabs they were defeated after an on and off eight month battle. The war was ended with a series of bilateral UN-brokered armistices (signed at Rhodes, Greece) between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The 1948-49 war of independence resulted in a 50% increase in Israeli territory, including western Jerusalem.
A true and lasting peace was not reached, because of the refusal of Israel�s Arab neighbors to recognize their statehood and the problem of Palestinian Arab refugees. The most refugees (three-fifths) came to Jordan, with one-fifth to the Gaza Strip, and another one-fifth to Lebanon and Syria. The Arabs boycotted Israel and blacklisted enterprises that did business with them. Shipping was barred from the Gulf of Aqaba and the Suez Canal. In 1951 the UN demanded it to be opened to Israel.
In the years following the 1948 war, Israel's border with Lebanon was quiet, compared to its borders with other neighbors. After the expulsion of the Palestinian fedayeen (fighters) from Jordan in 1970--and their influx into southern Lebanon, however, hostilities on Israel's northern border increased. In March 1978, after a series of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon, Israeli forces crossed into Lebanon. After passage of Security Council Resolution 425, calling for Israeli withdrawal and the creation of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), Israel withdrew its troops.
July 1956 (President of Egypt) Nasser seized the Suez Canal (from the Anglo-French firm that operated it). The British and the French then struck a deal with Israel. Israel was to attack and they would intervene. October 29, the attack began and in less than 100 hours the Israelis reached the canal. November 6, the French and British, and November 8, the Israelis agreed to withdrawal after (US Secretary of State) John Foster Dulles opposed the aggression before the UN. Israel was separated from Egypt by demarcation lines drawn and enforced by the UNEF (UN Emergency Force) and was forced to return territory it gained (in the Sinai Peninsula). All was not lost; Israel did regain access to the Gulf of Aqaba. In 1966-67, terrorist incidents and retaliatory acts across the armistice demarcation lines increased.
In May 1967, after tension had developed between Syria and Israel, Nasser moved armaments and about 80,000 troops into the Sinai and ordered a withdrawal of UNEF troops from the armistice line and Sharm El Sheikh. Nasser then closed the Strait of Tiran to Israeli ships, blockading the Israeli port of Eilat (at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba). On May 30, Jordan and Egypt signed a mutual defense treaty.
In response to these events, Israeli forces struck targets in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria on June 5. After 6 days of fighting, by the time all parties had accepted the cease-fire called for by UN Security Council Resolutions 235 and 236, Israel controlled the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the formerly Jordanian-controlled West Bank (of the Jordan River), including East Jerusalem. On November 22, 1967, the Security Council adopted Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula, which called for the establishment of a just and lasting peace based on Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 in return for the end of all states of belligerency, respect for the sovereignty of all states in the area, and the right to live in peace within secure, recognized boundaries.
In early 1969, fighting broke out between Egypt and Israel along the Suez Canal. In the 1969-70 war of attrition, Israeli planes made deep strikes into Egypt in retaliation for repeated Egyptian shelling of Israeli positions along the Suez Canal. In August 1970 the US helped end these hostilities, but subsequent US efforts to negotiate an interim agreement to open the Suez Canal and achieve disengagement of forces were unsuccessful.
On October 6, 1973 (Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement) Syrian and Egyptian forces attacked Israeli positions in Golan and along the Suez Canal. Initially, Syria and Egypt made significant advances against Israeli forces. However, Israel recovered on both fronts, pushed the Syrians back beyond the 1967 cease-fire lines, and recrossed the Suez Canal to take a salient on its west bank, isolating Egyptian troops, who eventually surrendered. The US and the USSR helped bring about a cease-fire between the combatants. In the UN Security Council, the US supported Resolution 338, which reaffirmed Resolution 242 as the framework for peace and called for peace negotiations between the parties.
The cease-fire did not end the sporadic clashes along the cease-fire lines nor did it dissipate military tensions. The US tried to help the parties reach agreement on cease-fire stabilization and military disengagement. On March 5, 1974, Israeli forces withdrew from the canal, and Egypt assumed control. Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement on May 31, 1974, and UNDOF (the UN Disengagement and Observer Force) was established as a peacekeeping force in the Golan.
Further U.S. efforts resulted in an interim agreement between Egypt and Israel in September 1975, which provided for another Israeli withdrawal in the Sinai, a limitation of forces, and three observation stations staffed by U.S. civilians in a UN-maintained buffer zone between Egyptian and Israeli forces.
In November 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Jerusalem at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (braking 30 years of hostility). During a 2-day visit, which included a speech before the Knesset, the Sadat created a new psychological climate in the Middle East in which peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors seemed a realistic possibility. Sadat recognized Israel's right to exist and established the basis for direct negotiations between Egypt and Israel.
In September 1978, (US President) Jimmy Carter invited President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin to meet with him at Camp David, where they agreed on a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Begin and Sadat, (with Carter signing as witness) signed the treaty on March 26, 1979. Under the treaty, Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in April 1982.
In July 1981, after additional fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in Lebanon, President Reagan's special envoy, Philip C. Habib, helped secure a cease-fire between the parties. However, in June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to fight the forces of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization).
In August 1982, the PLO withdrew its forces from Lebanon. With U.S. assistance, Israel and Lebanon reached an accord in May 1983 that set the stage to withdraw Israeli forces from Lebanon. The instruments of ratification were never exchanged, however, and in March 1984, under pressure from Syria, Lebanon canceled the agreement. In June 1985, Israel withdrew most of its troops from Lebanon, leaving a small residual Israeli force and an Israeli-supported militia in southern Lebanon in a "security zone," which Israel considers a necessary buffer against attacks on its northern territory.
In 1989, the Governments of Israel and Egypt concluded an agreement that resolved the status of Taba (a resort area on the Gulf of Aqaba).
By the late 1980s, the spread of non-conventional weaponry (including missile technology) in the Middle East began to pose security problems for Israel from further afield. (This was evident during the Gulf crisis that began with Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.)
When allied coalition forces moved to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait in January 1991, Iraq launched a series of missile attacks against Israel. Despite the provocation, Israel refrained from entering the Gulf war directly, accepting U.S. assistance to deflect continued Iraqi missile attacks.
The coalition's victory in the Gulf war opened new possibilities for regional peace. October 1991, the Presidents of the US and the USSR jointly convened an historic meeting in Madrid of Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, and Palestinian leaders which became the foundation for ongoing bilateral and multilateral negotiations designed to bring lasting peace and economic development to the region. This also prompted renewed ties with 56 other countries.
On September 9, 1993 PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sent a letter to Prime Minister Rabin stating �unequivocally that the PLO recognizes Israel�s right to exist in peace and security, renouncing terrorism and committing itself to a peaceful resolution of the conflict�. On September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO signed a Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (DOP) on the South Lawn of the White House. The arrangements include immediate Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho, early empowerment for the Palestinians in the West Bank and the election of a Palestinian council with May 1999 as the date by which a permanent status agreement for the West Bank and Gaza Strip would take effect. This also prompted renewed ties with 21 other countries. September 14, 1993 Israel and Jordan sign a Common Agenda (in D.C.) which is a blueprint for a peace treaty between the two countries.
December 31, 1993 the Fundamental Agreement is signed by the Vatican and Israel, which provides the basis for establishing diplomatic ties.
February 9, 1994 Israel and PLO sign the Cairo Agreement, resolving key security issues in the implantation of the first stage of the Gaza-Jericho arrangements. February 25, 1994 Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Palestinians suspend their talks with Israel after (terrorist) Baruch Goldstein kills 29 Palestinian worshippers at Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. March 7, 1994 a delegation of 57 Israeli Arabs travel to Syria to extend condolences to President Hafez al-Assad on the death of his son, Basil (marking the first visit of an official delegation from Israel).
March 31, 1994 Israel and the PLO agree to establish a three-month Temporary International Presence in Hebron. April 5, 1994 the IDF begins evacuating from its headquarters in Gaza City. April 8, 1994 Hamas uses car bomb, which killed eight Israelis and wounded 33 in Afula. April 13, 1994 another 6 Israelis are killed and 25 wounded by terrorist attack in Hadera.
April 17-19, 1994 Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin leads an Israeli delegation on trip to Oman to participate in multilateral talks on water. April 29, 1994 Israel and PLO sign an economic agreement in Paris; which two weeks later becomes part of the Gaza-Jericho agreement. Israel and the PLO subsequently signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement on May 4, 1994.
May 10, 1994 President Ezer Weizman and Yasser Arafat meet in Johannesburg with South Africa�s newly-inaugurated president, Nelson Mandela. In addition, the first detachment of 150 members of the Palestinian police force enters the Gaza Strip.
May 13, 1994 IDF withdraws from Jericho. May 18,1994 the IDF completes withdrawal and redeployment in the Gaza Strip.
June 5, 1994 the Vatican and Israel establish formal diplomatic ties and exchange ambassadors.
July 25, 1994 Israel and Jordan sign The Washington Declaration. The accord broadens Palestinian self-government by means of a popularly elected legislative council. It provides for election and establishment of that body, transfer of civil authority, Israeli redeployment from major population centers in the West Bank, security arrangements, and cooperation in a variety of areas. Negotiations on permanent status began on May 5, 1996 in Taba, Egypt. As agreed in the 1993 DOP, those talks addressed the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, final security arrangements, borders, relations and cooperation with neighboring states, and other issues of common interest.
August 29, 1994 Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities (Early Empowerment Agreement) signed. This gives the Palestinian Authority jurisdiction over education, health, welfare, taxation, and tourism throughout the West Bank.
September 1, 1994 Morocco and Israel establish diplomatic relations and agree to open liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat.
In Washington Rabin and Arafat signed the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on September 28, 1995. The agreement witnessed by the President on behalf of the US and by Russia, Egypt, Norway, and the EU (European Union) incorporates and supersedes the previous agreements and marked the conclusion of the first stage of negotiations between Israel and the PLO.
November 4, 1995 Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish radical. Rabin's death left Israel profoundly shaken, ushered in a period of national self-examination, and produced a new level of national consensus favoring the peace process.
February 1996 Rabin's successor, Shimon Peres, called early elections. Those elections, held in May 1996 and the first featuring direct election of the prime minister, resulted in a narrow election victory for Likud Party leader Binyamin Netanyahu and his center-right National Coalition and the defeat of Peres and his left-of-center Labor/Meretz government.
Despite his stated differences with the Oslo Accords, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued its implementation, signing the Hebron Protocol with the Palestinians on January 15, 1997. The Protocol resulted in the redeployment of Israeli forces in Hebron and the turnover of civilian authority in much of the area to the Palestinian Authority. Since that agreement, there has been little progress in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations due to a lack of confidence between the parties in each other's concerns. Israel and the Palestinians did agree, however, in September 1997, to a four-part agenda to guide further negotiations: security cooperation in the fight against terror; further redeployments of Israeli forces; a "time-out" on unilateral actions that may prejudge the outcome of the permanent status talks; and acceleration of these talks.
The US wanting to implement the 1995 Interim Agreement with the start of the accelerated permanent status talks, President Clinton presented US ideas for getting the peace process back on track to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat in Washington in January 1998. Those ideas included all aspects of the September 1997 four-part agenda and would allow for the start of accelerated permanent status negotiations. The Palestinians agreed in principle to the US ideas.
The US continued working intensively with the parties to reach agreement on the basis of US ideas. After a 9-day session at the Wye River Conference Center in Maryland, agreement was reached on October 23, 1998. The Wye agreement is based on the principle of reciprocity and meets the essential requirements of both the parties, including unprecedented security measures on the part of the Palestinians and the further redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank. �The two sides will immediately resume permanent status negotiations on an accelerated basis and will make a determined effort to achieve the mutual goal of reaching an agreement by May 4, 1999.�
In January of this year President Clinton held talks between Israel and Syria in Shephardstown West Virginia. After seven days of negotiation they recessed and I have not heard any updates.
Today the major impediment to peaceful and close diplomatic ties between Israel and the Arab world are radical extremists and terrorists. Example: January 21, 2000 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to send experts to Washington to work on the document connected to the Syrian-Israeli negotiations. Thus far, these talks have focused on the Golan Heights (a nine-mile-wide Israeli occupied strip of Southern Lebanon). As of January 22, 2000 Lebanon was not even part of these talks. Israel vowed to withdraw its 1,500 troops from Lebanon by July 2000 regardless of any peace agreement with Syria. However many were skepticalal because the Hizbullah refuses to say whether it will give up its long-term vow to �liberate� Jerusalem. (Sayed Hassan Nasrallah leader of the Hizbullah prefers a policy of ambiguity, thereby reserving the right to derail any accord.)
