Arab-Israeli Conflict

Arab-Israeli Conflict

1. 1967:6 day war

   • UN's reaction
     • NOTHING! kicked off egyption land where they had been stationed since the Suez Crisis in '56
   • what started it?
     • the Suez crisis in 1956 was the major cause of the war.
       • Suez Crisis
         • Egyptian President Nasser nationalises the Suez Cannal
           • European countries use the canal as quick access to the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia.
             • were not happy :(
             • France, England and Israel plan OPERATION MUSKATEER
               • The plan is to march Israeli troops to the Suez Canal. Then England and France will act as if they don't know whats happening and offer an ultimatum. The Ultimatum is that both armies will move back 5 miles and negotiations will start between the countries. England, France and Israel knew that Egpyt wouldn't accept the ultimatum and their subsequent retaliation resulted in Engalnd and France legally invading Egypt to stop the threat of war.
           • essentially land locks Israel... not good when the countries surrounding it are opposed to its existance
           • The canal was nationalised to fund a dam that would economically benifit Egypt
             • All other countries cut funding for the dam leaving a half built dam
             • Aswen Dam on the Nile
         • international waters used for trade
         • UNITED NATIONS
           • vetos from both England and France ensured that the security council couldn't do anything.
             • instead it was sent to the general assembly
               • The first ever peace keeping force was created to supervise the removal of foreign troops from the country.
                 • troops stayed on to act as a buffer between Egypt and Israel untill 1967
     • Border clashes between Israel and bordeing countries like Syria leads Israel to threaten Millitary action.
       • the Egyptian/ Syrian mutual defense pact causes Nasser to expel the UN peace keeping force.
         • Isreal attacks and takes out the Egyptian air force

2. Suez Crisis

3. "War of Independance" 1948 war that resulted of the creation of the state of Israel

   • born from the Zionist movement. Pro-Zionist feelings were strong in the Allied countries after the Holocaust
     • the Zionist movement gained momentum after WWII
   • The Jewish people felt that Palestine was their home as they had lived there in biblical times.
     • Palestinians that had lived there just as long are opposed to the creation of a Jewish state
   • Palestine had been an English mandate since World War One. In May 1948, the British withdrew from Palestine and with the support of the USA, Zionists created the state of Israel.
   • 15/5/1948 English trusteeship of Palestine ends

4. UNSCOP: United Nations Commitee on Palestine

   • Created to solve the problems between Zionists and Palestinians
     • guilt over the holocaust results in illegal settlements Palestine are overlooked
   • August 1947, Commitee suggested a Partition Plan
     • Jewish (1/3 of population) gets 56% of land
     • Jeruselam would be international land
     • They also reccomended that a Arab state and a Israeli state be made under a central power for situations like national defense
   • Zionists welcomed UNSCOP but Arabs refused to talk to them
     • people think that this reaction influenced the final partition statistics
   • UN's reaction

5. the Cold War

   • America supported Israel
   • USSR supported the Arab countries
     • both supplied large amounts of weapons to the area

6. THE UN

   • Created after WWII
   • Critical evaluation of the effectiveness of the United Nations in solving Disputes
   • International Court of Justice
     • may only try states but not individuals
       • really has no power to enforce the punishments they decide
   • THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE
     • Definition of genocide: " Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethical or religious group as such: killing member of the group ; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Creating living conditions of the group with the intent to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures to prevent births within the groups; Forcibly transferring measures to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group----- Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article 2 Geneva Convention
     • Hutus
     • Tutsis
       • 1994, the Hutu's attack the Tutsis on mass killing thousands and starting the Genocide
         • pre 1994 Tutsi-Hate Propaganda was being spread by Hutus in schools, newspapers and over the radio
         • April 6th 1994 - Hutu President is killed in plane crash.
           • Violence erupts and prepared Hutu militants begin the genocide.
           • Violence lead to the UN to remove peace keeping troops and foreign civilians from Rwanda. Leaving the Tutsis defensless
       • originally considered superior to the Hutus and the Twas by the Belgians
         • the majority Hutus took power in 1959 and continued with the European racial classification but made it so the Tutsi were discriminated against