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Form Four History

Chapter Six: Conflict in the Middle East

Introduction
The area known as the Middle East geographically consist of the countries Egypt, Sudan,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, The
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Palestine and the small Jewish state of Israel. Most of
these countries except Turkey and Iran are Arabs.
The Middle East is one of the troubled regions in the world, especially since 1948, after the
creation of the small Jewish state of Israel. This problem is due to three main reasons: -
1. The Arab desire to destroy Israel.
2. The desire of Arabs to achieve political and economic unity.
3. The desire of Arabs to put end foreign intervention.
The Arabs have several things in common: -
• They all speak Arabic language.
• They are all nearly Muslims except half of the population of Lebanon who are
Christians.
• Most of them wanted the destruction of Israel.
Several attempts were made to increase unity among the Arab states: -
1. The Arab League was formed in 1945. The original members of this organization
were Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Membership later
expanded to include 20 states in 1980.
2. In the mid 1950 Arab unity received boost with leadership of Gamal Abdi Nasir of
Egypt who gained enormous prestige in Arab World after he nationalized the Suez
Canal.
3. After Nasir death in 1970 his successor president Anwar Sadat organized a union
between Egypt, Libya and Syria known as the Federation of the Arab Republics.
However, these attempts were not achieved mainly because of interference in the Middle East
by other foreign countries.
Reasons for the interference in the Middle East are: -
1. Strategic position.
2. It produces over a third of world’s oil supplies. The main producers are Iran, Iraq,
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
3. The lack of unity among the Arabs encouraged other powers.

The Creation of Israel and the Arab – Israel War

The origins of this problem went back almost 2000 years to the year AD 71, when most of the
Jewish were driven out of Palestine by the Romans.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
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The Jewish people were not able to establish their own state and lived in different countries
throughout the world. The global dispersal of Jews is known as the Diaspora. Only small
communities of the Jewish people stayed behind in Palestine and over the following 1700
years, there was a gradual returning of Jews from exile.
In 1879, some Jews living in Europe founded the World Zionist Organization at Bastle, in
Switzerland. These believed that Jews had to be able to go back to Palestine to create there a
Jewish state. The Jewish people had suffered persecution in Russia, France and Germany.
Furthermore, Palestine was inhabited by Arabs who were alarmed of losing their land to the
Jews refuge. At this time, Palestine was still part of the Ottoman Empire ruled by the Islamic
Turks. After the defeat of the Ottomans in World War I, Palestine became a British mandate
and a large number of Israels began to arrive in Palestine. The Arabs protested bitterly to the
British that they wanted: -
1. An independent Palestine for the Arabs.
2. To an end to the immigration of Jews from Europe.
The Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany after 1933 caused a flood of refugees and by 1940
about half of the population in Palestine became Jewish and there were violent protests and
uprisings made by Arabs. The Second World War made the situation much worse. There were
hundreds of thousands of Jews refugees into Palestine.
In 1945, the USA pressed Britain to allow 100,000 extra Jews into Palestine. After they had
suffered at the Holocaust, the Jews determined to fight for settling in Palestine. They began a
terrorist campaign against both Arabs and Britain. The British weakened by the strain of the
Second World War felt unable to cope with this matter; therefore, they asked the UNO to
dealt with the problem.
Finally, the date was set for the formation of Israel to be on May 14, 1948. On that date,
David Ben Gurion, long-time leader of the Jews residing in Palestine, announced to the
creation of an independent Israel with the help of the UNO and the USA. It was immediately
attacked by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
The First Arab – Israel War and it’s Outcomes
Most of the people expected the Arabs to win the war easily, but on the contrary, the Israels
defeated them and even captured more land than the UNO had given them in Palestine.
The Israel won because of the reasons: -
1. They fought desperately and many of their troops had previously fought with British
troops in the Second World War.
2. The Arab states were divided themselves and were poorly equipped.
3. The Palestinians themselves were demoralized and their military organizations had
been destroyed earlier by the British.
The most tragic event of the war was that the Palestinian Arabs became the innocent victims,
they fled into Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria where they had to live in miserable refugee
camps.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
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The Suez Canal War of 1956
Who was to blame for the war?
1. Arabs blamed the Israelis who invaded Egypt.
2. The communist block blamed Britain and France, accusing them of trying to control
the Middle East.
3. The British, French and Israelis blamed colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt for
being anti-western.
Events before the war.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was greatly in favour of Arab unity and independence. Therefore;
1. He organized Guerrilla fighters known as Fedayen (self – sacrifices) to carry out
sabotage and murders in Israel.
2. Egyptian ships blocked the Gulf of Aqaba leading to the port of Eilat, which the
Israelis had taken form Egypt 1949.
3. He nationalized Suez Canal inn1956.
4. He signed an arms deal with Czechoslovakia (1955) to get Russian fighters, bombers,
tanks and military experts.
5. The Americans felt great anger and considered Egypt just a communist country.
6. Britain believed that Nasser was going to unite all Arabs under the communist
influence.
7. Secret talks took place between the Britain, France and Israel, and a plan was hatched;
Israel would invade Egypt, where upon Britain and France would occupy the Suez
Canal zone on the pretext that they were protecting it from damage in the fighting.
Events in the war
The war began on with the planned Israel invasion on 29th Oct, 1956. The Jews soon captured
Sinai Peninsula, whereas British and French troops bombed Egyptian airfields and landed
troops at the northern end of the Suez Canal. The attack caused an outcry from the rest of the
world. USA, USSR and UNO, all denounced the war demanding an immediate cease fire.
They all prepared to send a UN force to police the frontier between Egypt and Israel.
What were the outcomes of the war?
1. The war failed to overthrow Gamal Abdel Nasser and his prestige in the Arab world
increased.
2. The Egyptians blocked the Suez Canal. This reduced the oil supplies to western
nations.
3. Britain lost their ally in Iraq.
4. The British became weak and unable to follow a foreign policy independent from
USA.
5. Algerians increased their struggle for independence from France which they achieved
in 1962.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
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The Six Days War
The Arab states had not signed a peace treaty at the end of 1948 – 49 war; therefore, in 1967
they joined together again to destroy Israel.
The build up to war
• In Iraq, a new government which was influenced by the ideas of Ba’ath party in the
neighbouring Syria came to power in 1963. They announced that their goal was to
wipe Israel off the globe.
• In Syria, the Ba’ath party came to power in 1966 after political upheavals. They
supported Al-Fatah, and also bombed Jewish settlements from the Golan Heights.
• In Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser made several attempts of improving conditions in
Egypt with his socialist policies. Then he decided to attack Israel, moving troops to
frontiers.
• The Russians encouraged Egypt and Syria and promised to help them if war broke
out.
• Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon massed troops along their frontiers with Israel, while
military units from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Algeria joined. Israel’s situation seemed
hopeless.
• The Israels decided to attack rather than wait to be defeated. They launched series of
devastating airstrikes that destroyed nearly all the Arab air force. Also Israel troops
moved with speed capturing more lands such as Gaza Strip, Sinai, all of Jerusalem,
West Bank and also Golan Heights.
Reasons for the Israel success
1. The slow and ponderous Arab troop building up which gave Israelis plenty of warning
and time.
2. Israel’s superiority in the air.
3. Inadequate Arab preparations and communication.
Results of the war
1. For Israelis it was a spectacular success: so, they now ignored the UN order to return
the captured territory.
2. It was another humiliation for the Arab states.
3. Russia didn’t support the Arab states in the war.
The Yom Kippur War of 1973
• The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) under its leadership Yasser Arafat,
pressured Arab states to take some further actions. They also launched a series of
terrorist attacks against Israel.
• Anwar Sadat of Egypt was becoming convinced of the need for a negotiated peace
settlement with Israel. He wanted either to destroy Israel or to make an agreement
with them.
• Sadat together with Syria decided to attack Israel. He was hoping that this would
force the Americans to act as a mediator.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
The war and its outcomes
The war began on 6th October 1973, after the Egyptian and Syrian forces attacked early in the
feast of Yom Kippur, a Jewish festival. The Arabs got a brilliant victory at first. But the
Israels won back the war later and even crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt.
• Both the USA and USSR decided to intervene to try to bring about a peace settlement.
• Egyptian and Israel leaders later came together at Geneva to negotiate.
• The Arab oil producing states reduced oil supplies.
The Palestine Liberation Organization
As Israel and its Arab neighbours battled each other, Arab Palestinians struggled for
recognition while the United Nations had granted the Palestinians their homeland, the Jews
had seized much of that land, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip during its various
wars. Israel insisted that such a move was vital to its national security.
In 1964, Palestinians officials formed the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to push
for the formation of an Arab Palestinian state that would include land claimed by Israel.
Originally, the PLO was an umbrella organization made up of different groups – laborers,
teachers, lawyers and guerrilla fighters. Soon, guerrilla groups came to dominate the
organization and insisted that the only way to achieve their goal was through armed struggle.
In 1969 Yasir Arafat became the chairman of the PLO. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the
group carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Jewish people. Some of Israel’s Arab
neighbours supported the PLO’s goals by allowing PLO guerrillas to operate from their lands.

The Arab Israeli Peace Treaties

The Egyptian – Israeli Peace at Camp David, 1978 – 79
In 1978, the two sides of Egypt and Israel began to talk with each other with the president
Jimmy Carter of USA acting as mediator.
Reasons that forced the two sides to talk each other were: -
1. President Sadat was convinced that Israel could not be destroyed by force and that it
was foolish to continue wasting resources on fruitless wars.
2. The Israelis were suffering economic problems because of their enormous defence
expenses.
3. The USA leader, Carter, played a vital part in setting up formal negotiations between
these two sides.
Terms of the treaty and its aftermath
1. The state of war that had existed between Egypt and Israel since 1948 was ended.
2. Israel promised to withdraw its troops from Sinai.
3. Egypt promised not to attack Israel again and guaranteed to supply Israel with oil
from its wells in Sinai.
4. Israeli ships will use the Suez Canal.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
The Camp David Treaty was condemned by the PLO and other Arab states except Sudan,
Morocco and Egypt was withdrawal from Arab League. While world leaders praised Sadat,
his peace initiative enraged many Arab countries. In 1981, a group of Muslim extremists
assassinated Sadat. However, Egypt’s new leader, Hosni Mubarak, has worked to maintain
peace with Israel.
Peace between Israel and the PLO
In 1992, a new aggressive government came to power in Israel. This raised hopes for better
relations with the Palestinians. This finally took place at a conference in Oslo and became
known as Oslo accords.
It was agreed that: -
1. Israel formally recognized the PLO.
2. The PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist and promised to give up terrorism.
3. The Palestinians were given limited self-rule in some areas such as Gaza Strip and
West Bank. Israel troops would be withdrawn from these areas which Palestinians
control.
The Palestinian Rebellion – Intifada
• In 1987, Palestinians began to express their frustrations in a widespread campaign of a
civil disobedience called the Intifada or “uprising”. The Intifada took the form of
boycott, demonstrations, attacks on Israel soldiers and rock throwing by unarmed
teenagers.
• Finally, in October 1991, Israel and Palestinian delegates met a serious of peace talks.
Second Intifada
• In 2000, Israel political leader Ariel Sharon visited Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The
next day, riots broke out in Jerusalem and West Bank, and a Second Intifada,
sometimes called the Al-Aqsa intifada, was launched.
• The Second Intifada began much like the first but this time the Palestinian militant
groups began to suicide bombers. This continued through 2007, thousands of Israelis
and Palestinians had died in the conflict.

Conflict in Lebanon
Lebanon became fully independent from the French mandates in 1945. It soon became
prosperous state making money from banking and from serving as an outlet of different
exports. However, in 1975, civil war broke out which brought chaos and disorder in all over
the country.
What caused the Lebanon’s civil war?
1. Religious difference.
There are four Christian groups in Lebanon. These are: -
• Maronite’s (wealthiest).

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
• Greek Orthodox
• Armenians.
• Roman Catholic
There are also three Muslim groups:
• Shai’ (the largest group but mainly poor class).
• Sunni (smaller group but wealthy).
• Druze (small group, mainly peasant).
2. The presence of Palestinian refugees from Israel – they always involved incidents
in the frontiers with Israel.
3. The Israelis hit back the Palestinians in southern Lebanon.
4. A dispute between Muslims and the Christians over fishing limits.
They disputed over fishing areas and they blamed one another of trying to displace them from
the fishing ground. Each side began to attack the other and the Palestinians in Lebanon sided
with the Muslims.
Over the next ten years the struggle and violence between Muslims and Christians continued.
In reprisal for a Palestinian attack on Israel, Jewish troops invaded in Lebanon and captured
Beirut in 1982.
Peace at last
In 1990, important changes were introduced into the country’s constitution giving the
Muslims fair representation the government. With the help of Syria, the Lebanon’s
government restored its authority and disbanded most of militia men.
The Iran – Iraq War (1980 – 1988)
The Middle East and the Arab world were thrown into fresh confusion in September 1980
when Iraq troops invaded Iran.
Sadam Hussein the president of Iraq attacked Iran due to several motives: -
1. Sadam was afraid the spreading of Shi’ite militant groups from Iran that supported
Ayatollah Khomeini because there is a large number of Shi’ites population in Iraq
who welcomed these groups.
2. Sadam claimed that the border province Khuzestan (Iran) was historically belonged to
them.
3. There was long standing conflict between Iran and Iraq over Shatt-El-Arab water
way, it is a main route of trade which both countries used for a long time.
4. Sadam assumed that the Iran forces would be easily defeated by Iraqi forces. He
expected a quick victory.
The War Drags on
The Iraqi troops soon captured the disputed waterway, but the Iranians organized themselves
and replied with a mass military attack. Both sides got modern equipment from other powers;
the Iraqis were well supplied with Soviet tanks, helicopter gunships and missiles and some

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
British and American weapons. Iran also got modern equipment (anti-aircraft and anti-tank
missiles) from China and North Korea.
However, the dragged on and in 1987, the Iranians were only ten miles from Basra, the Iraqis
second most important city. This warned the non – religious Arab governments who were
afraid of what might happen if Iraq was defeated. The war interred a new and even more
terrible phase towards the end of 1987 when both sides bombed each other’s capital cities
causing thousands of deaths.
Effects of the war
1. The stability of entire Arab world was threatened.
2. The war caused oil shortages in the world.
3. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began to raise oil prices.
4. The cost of the war was heavy on both sides.
The end of the war
Although neither side had achieved its aims, the cost of the war was heavy. Both sides began
to look for a way to end the fighting. The UNO became involved and peace negotiations
opened in 1988 and terms were finally agreed in 1990.
The First Gulf War, 1990 – 1991
After the war with Iran, Sadam Hussein’s forces invaded and quickly occupied the small
neighbouring state of Kuwait in August 1990.
The Sadam motives were: -
1. To get his hands on the wealth of Kuwait.
2. He claimed that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq.
3. He didn’t expect any action from the outside world.
The world unites against Sadam
President George W. Bush of USA took the lead and pressed for an action to remove Iraqis
from Kuwait. The UNO placed sanctions on Iraq by cutting of her oil exports. Sadam
Hussein was ordered to remove his troops by 15 January 1991, but Sadam refused all these.
More than 30 nations contributed with troops, armaments or cash. For example, USA,
Britain, Egypt, Italy, Syria and Saudi Arabia provided troops. Germany and Japan donated
cash.
The campaign was into two folds: -
1. Series bombing attacks on Baghdad: unfortunately, many citizens suffered heavy
casualties.
2. Attack on Iraq army itself: within four days the Iraqis were driven out of Kuwait
and Sadam accepted defeat.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
The aftermath of the war
• Sadam Hussein survived. He wasn’t overthrown.
• There were Kurdish and Shia’ uprisings in Iraq.
• The allies left Sadam enough troops to deal with his country’s situation.
The Second Gulf War (2003); The Iraqi Invasion
This invasion was really based on Iraqi’s development of weapons of mass destruction
(WMD). Iraq used chemical weapons in conflicts during 1980s. many westerns suspected that
Iraqi leader Sadam Hussein had plans to develop biological and chemical weapons too.
0n 20 March 2003 USA and Britain and other countries launched a series of air attack in Iraq
and ground invasion followed. Iraqi military were rapidly defeated.
On 9 April USA forces took control the capital of Baghdad and British forces occupied the
southern city of Basra in same day. After four weeks of fighting, Hussein’s government fell,
he was captured and later sentenced to death by hanging in 2005.
The Aftermath of the Second Gulf War
• Sadam Hussein was overthrown from the rule.
• Violence in Iraq is still going on.
• Religious and political factions battled one another for the power.
• Thousands of Iraqi civilians had been killed.
• No weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq

The Arab Spring

The Arab Spring was a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protest, riots and civil wars
in the Arab that began on 18 Dec – 2010 in Tunisia and spread throughout the countries of the
Arab League and its surroundings. While the initial wave of revolutions and protests faded by
the mid-2012, some changed into large scale conflicts and civil wars that are still ongoing.
A major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world is Asha’b yurid isqat an-nizam (the
people want to bring down the regime).

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi
 NORAIN SECONDARY SCHOOL
063-4297836/ 063-4406027/ 063-4256267
Causes of the uprising or revolts
1. Dissatisfaction with the rule of local governments, particularly by youth and unions.
2. Wide gaps income levels.
3. Dictatorship or absolute monarchy.
4. Rights violation and political corruption.
5. Economic decline, unemployment and extreme poverty.
6. Increasing food prices and famine rates.
7. Oppressive and harsh rule.
8. Concentration of wealth in the hands of autocrats in power for decades.
Outcomes of the Arab spring
1. Most of the governments were changed with a new interim or elected one.
2. Prolonged civil wars and unrests.
3. Demonstrators did not get their willingness.
4. Democratic elections were held.
5. Detention of the previous leaders.
6. some dictators such as Qadhafi were executed.
7. Prime ministers dismissed their cabinets.
8. System/form of governments dramatically changed.

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Instructor: Hamse Mohamoud Elmi