Image above: One section of the Jordan River in the West Bank
tHE CREATION OF ISRAEL - Part 1
The creation of Israel changed the history of the Middle East. After WWII, in November 1947, the United Nations divided the British mandate Palestine into two nations: a Palestinian state and a Jewish state called Israel. This region was once the home of the Jews about 2000 years before, but they had been spread around the world by the Roman Empire. The U.N. plan divided the country so that each state would have a majority of its own population; however, a few Jewish settlements fell within the proposed Arab state and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs would become part of the proposed Jewish state. This did not make either side happy.
As a result of the U.N. plan in 1947, the Jews began returning with part of Palestine being given to the Jewish people. This upset the Palestinians (who are Muslim) as well as Muslims in neighboring Arab countries. Fighting broke out between the Jews and the Palestinians, but by early April 1948, the Jewish forces had secured control over most of the territory the U.N. had given to the Jewish state. When Israel declared itself an independent nation in May 1948, they were the lone Jewish state among the Muslim Middle East. First Arab-Israeli War The first Arab-Israeli War began within a day of Israel declaring independence, when Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria invaded Israel to help the Palestinians. Israel defended itself, holding off the forces of all six Muslim nations. Israel also seized additional territories along the West Bank and the border with Egypt. In 1949, the war ended.The State of Israel claimed 77 percent of the territory, and the Palestinian Arab state envisioned by the UN partition plan was never established.
Palestinian Refugees During the 1948 conflict, 800,000 Palestinians fled from what was now Israel and lived in refugee camps along the border of Israel and the Arab nations that surrounded Israel. Their lifestyle was poor, leading the U.N. to take responsibility for providing clean water and decent tents. Although many Palestinians still live in refugee camps and slums, others have become economically successful. Palestinians now have the highest per- apita rate of university graduates in the Arab world.
The Six Day War Fighting broke out again in 1967. Israel quickly defeated Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iran. After this Six Day War, Israel gained control of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai Peninsula. Israel saw these territories as a buffer zone from future attacks. In 1973, the Arabs attacked again, but Israel, under the leadership of Prime Minister Golda Meir, once again successfully defended itself.
Egypt Recognizes Israel In 1977, a major breakthrough took place when Egypt agreed to recognize Israel’s right to exist in exchange for a return of the Sinai Peninsula by Israel.
As Israel and Arab nations fought, the Palestinians struggled for recognition. Palestinian Muslims were granted a partitioned territory by the United Nations, but Israel seized some of those areas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
When Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, armies from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq invaded the new country with the declared intent of destroying it. Israel defeated them.
Israeli reconnaissance forces in Sinai during the war.