Objective 10: Summarize the conflict between Arabs and Israel
By Tatum Brown
Muslim Revival and Arab Unity
Pan Arab Unity
-Nasser promoted Arab Nationalism -The hopes for a completely Arab region failed -They shared a common language and religion (shared Islam), but there was a difference in alliances which led to frequent divisions -Cold War split the Arab States where some allied with the US and others allied with the Soviet Union -The Arab lands had many different types of leadership including military dictatorships, monarchies, and Islamist revolutionary regimes -Though the Arab states all practiced Islam, there was frequent conflicts between the Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims because of different foreign policies and theologies |
Israel and the Arab States
-Israel was a Jewish country in the midst of Arab-Islamic States -If that wasn't enough conflict as is, Israel was allies with the U.S. and most of the Islamic states were allies with the Soviet Union -Israel defeated Egypt and Syria in the Arab-Israeli War in 1967 and then again in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. -These wars led to more and more conflict within the region, but overall led to a long series of peace negotiations -Anwar Sadat, who replaced Nasser organized an attack on Israel, but since it failed he later leads the negotiations to end the war -The assassination of Sadat led again to conflict between the Arab States together with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) -Peace was finally established between the Israelis and Palestinians in the 1990's -Peace treaties were signed between the PLO leader, Yasser Arafat and the Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin in 1993 & 1995, that established limited Palestinian self rule in Israeli occupied territories -Multiple hurdles blocked the peace process, especially the assassination of Rabin by a Jewish extremist |
The Iranian Revolution
-The CIA helped bring Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to power in Iran in 1953
-There was a heavy U.S. influence on Iran and the U.S. helped Iran use their money from their oil industry to help finance industrialization
-The U.S. provided military equipment to Iran to become a bastion of anticommunism in the region
-In the late 1970's the Shi'ite Muslims had problems with the Shah regime and eventually they rebelled
-The Shah fled the country in early 1979 as the revolution strengthened, and power was captured by the Islamist movement under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
-The revolution was strongly against the U.S.
-The Shah went to the U.S. To seek medical treatment and because of this, the Islamist movement captured 69 hostages at the U.S. embassy
-Iranian leaders shut down U.S. military bases and confiscated us owned economic ventures
-Iranian Islam became was the minority's of Shi'ite Islam and inspired other Muslims to complete terrorist actions
-Iraq, one of Iran's neighbors wanted to take advantage of the country while they were weak and attempt to invade and gain new territory
-There was a heavy U.S. influence on Iran and the U.S. helped Iran use their money from their oil industry to help finance industrialization
-The U.S. provided military equipment to Iran to become a bastion of anticommunism in the region
-In the late 1970's the Shi'ite Muslims had problems with the Shah regime and eventually they rebelled
-The Shah fled the country in early 1979 as the revolution strengthened, and power was captured by the Islamist movement under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
-The revolution was strongly against the U.S.
-The Shah went to the U.S. To seek medical treatment and because of this, the Islamist movement captured 69 hostages at the U.S. embassy
-Iranian leaders shut down U.S. military bases and confiscated us owned economic ventures
-Iranian Islam became was the minority's of Shi'ite Islam and inspired other Muslims to complete terrorist actions
-Iraq, one of Iran's neighbors wanted to take advantage of the country while they were weak and attempt to invade and gain new territory
The Iran-Iraq War
-Iraq had built up a very strong military due to recent oil revenues and the efforts of Saddam Hussein
-In 1980 Hussein launched an attack on Iran, thinking it would be an easy victory and he would become the new leader of a new pan-Arab nationalism movement -Initially they were successful, but Iran didn't give up without serious counterattacks that led to a huge war that didn't end until 1988 -As many as one million soldiers died in this war -People in Iran are still very upset about this war and continue to show discontent -During the 1990's things got better, but the devastation from the war was still visible -Iran continued to invade Kuwait which led to the Gulf-War, again putting Muslims and Arab nations against each other -Hussein again suffered defeat, making Iraq suffer more great hardship and further divide southwest Asia |