The Arab Israeli Conflict

Welcome to part two of the Arab Israeli Conflict.

In this part we are going to figure out the wars between Arabs and Israelis for the Levant lands. We will explore the role of the new powers in forming the new map of the Middle East.

In lecture five, we look at the demise of the Ottoman Empire and how the Zionist Jews benefited from the end of the Ottomans to found Israel State.

You will learn about the new powers’, particularly Britain, role in founding Israel. You will also know France and UK role in dividing the Middle Eastern collapsed Ottoman empire into small occupied states.

In lecture two we continue demonstrating the decisive steps that contributed to founding Israel State in Palestine and, later on, igniting wars between Arabs and Israelis.

We focus closely in this lecture on the British help to the Jews. More specifically we discuss Belfour’s declaration and British withdrawal in addition to studying the philosophy of Israel State through The Jewish State of Herzel.

This is the first war between Arabs and Jews in modern history. You will figure out how the Israel won its independence war against five Arab countries in 1948.

In this lecture you will know the result of the defeat on the Arabs and Palestinians in particular.

After the lecture, please watch the video about the catastrophe war “independence war.” It will enrich your information about the entire topic.

It is also recommended to read the Arab-Israeli war articles from Jewish and US viewpoints. For advanced Arabic students, there is also an Arabic article from Arabic viewpoint. Find them in the resources.

This is the second important war in the Arab-Israeli conflict. After the six-day war, a new relation was formed between the Palestinians and Arabs regarding the Palestinian cause.

You will learn about the Arab’s and Israelis’ predicaments that motivated both of them to seek for a war.

Were Arabs, specifically Egypt, ready for war? You will know the answer in detail in this lecture.

It is recommended to read the BBC article about the war. It is not necessary to read the entire article.

For advanced Arabic student, a short Arabic video for the Egyptian president Gamal AbdelNasser few days before the war.

Like Egyptians, the Israelis were reluctant to wage a new war, but new geopolitical developments forced the war to break out.

It is recommended to read The Six-Day War Background & Overview article. The article is from a Jewish viewpoint.

For advanced Arabic student, a short Arabic video of the situation in Israel shortly before the war.

In this lecture you will find out how the Israeli succeeded in causing a massive defeat to the Arab neighboring countries. After this war, Israel dominated the city of Jerusalem completely for the first time. In addition, Israel also occupied Golan Heights in Syria to the moment.

Israel extended greatly its territories, and a new Arab refugee crisis emerged after the war.

At the end of the lecture, it is strongly recommended to watch the 1967 war video.

The aftermath of 1967 marked a watershed for the Palestinians. They started to take the responsibility of their own cause and usual Arab actors started to withdraw gradually.

In this lecture you will learn about the newly-emerged Palestinian military resistance organizations. You will know also the clash that happened between Arabs, and how the “land for peace” notion started to become popular, and later, a UN resolution 242 to end the conflict.

The historic importance of Resolution 242 cannot be overstated. Given the language of the resolution, its acceptance by the Arab states meant their implicit recognition of the right of the state of Israel to exist. Egypt and Jordan accepted the resolution almost immediately. Syria, however, did not accept it until after the 1973 War, and the PLO also initially rejected it.

These developments opened a new chapter in the Middle East history, and drew a new map with a new state that all older Middle East States had to accept.

In this lecture you will learn about the necessity of a new war for Arabs, specifically Egyptians and Syrians.

The war did not only start in October 1973, but it had started earlier shortly after the defeat of 1967 in a form of minor war called “war of attrition.”

For Arabs, what was at stake was no longer the liberation of the Palestinians and the abstract righting of a historical wrong but the reclaiming of their own territories, the instinctive desire to avenge loss and to strike back.

It is recommended to read “The 1973 Arab-Israeli War” to know about the war outcomes and particularly peace negotiations. The article is from an American viewpoint.

You can also read the CIA report “PRESIDENT NIXON AND THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE IN THE 1973 ARAB-ISRAELI WAR” to know the details of October war.

You can also know about the Jewish viewpoint of 1973 war through “The Yom Kippur War: Background & Overview.”

Lecture 13:

Welcome to the Impossible Compromise, the last part of the Arab-Israeli conflict course.

In this lecture we are going to discuss the minor military battles, clashes, and many long peace negotiations between both sides.

We demonstrate in this lecture the Palestinian resistance and efforts to establish Palestine state beside Israel, and the efforts of the Palestinian organizations, mainly Hamas, to achieve that goal. On the other hand, we look at the Israeli reaction about Hamas and the military Palestinian organization.

It is recommended to enrich your knowledge after the lecture through reading “What Israel's Right to Exist Means to Palestinians” and “Is Israel an Apartheid Country” articles. Both of the articles support the Palestinian point of view.

To know more about Hamas and Arab clashes, watch the “Hamas – terrorists or freedom fighters?” video.

In this last lecture we discuss the war between Israel and the military Lebanese party Hizbullah and also the Palestinian schism in which the main Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas fought each other.

At last you will know facts about the current situation in the Middle East, like victims from both sides, stereotypes, and the United States support.

It is recommended to read “A Synopsis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” which gives brief facts of the entire conflict.

You can also read “Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace” which demonstrates the American role in the peace negotiations.

In addition you can read “Israel-Palestinian Negotiations: History & Overview” that describes the current negotiations from a Jewish point of view.