The Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History (Reaktion Books - Contemporary Worlds)

246 Pages·2009·1.09 MB·English

by  Ian J. Bickerton

THE
ARAB–ISRAELI
CONFLICT
A HISTORY
IAN J. BICKERTON

the arab–israeli conflict
contemporaryworldsexploresthepresentandrecentpast.Booksintheseriestake
adistinctivetheme,geo-politicalentityorculturalgroupandexploretheirdevelopmentsovera
periodrangingusuallyoverthelastfiftyyears.Theimpactofcurrenteventsanddevelopments
areaccountedforbyrapidbutclearinterpretationinordertounveilthecultural,political,
religiousandtechnologicalforcesthatarereshapingtoday’sworlds.
serieseditor
JeremyBlack
Inthesameseries
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JeremyBlack CentralAsiasince1945
RobJohnson
SkyWars:AHistoryofMilitary
AerospacePower UncertainIdentity:
DavidGates InternationalMigrationsince1945
W.M.Spellman
Warsince1945
JeremyBlack TheRoadtoIndependence?:
ScotlandsincetheSixties
TheGlobalEconomicSystemsince1945
MurrayPittock
LarryAllen
ARegioninTurmoil: TheNordicModel:
SouthAsianConflictssince1947 Scandinaviasince1945
RobJohnson MaryHilson
AlteredStates: CubainRevolution:
AmericasincetheSixties AHistorysincetheFifties
JeremyBlack AntoniKapcia
TheContemporaryCaribbean EuropesincetheSeventies
OlwynM.Blouet JeremyBlack
THE
ARAB–ISRAELI
CONFLICT
A HISTORY
IAN J. BICKERTON
reaktion books
ToJenny,whobringsmuchjoy
PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd
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www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
Firstpublished2009
Copyright©IanJ.Bickerton2009
Allrightsreserved
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,
inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,
withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublishers.
PrintedandboundinGreatBritain
bycpiAntonyRowe,Chippenham,Wiltshire
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
Bickerton,IanJ.
TheArab-Israeliconflict:ahistory.–(Contemporaryworlds)
1.Arab-Israeliconflict–History.
I.Title II.Series
956’.04-dc22
isbn:9781861895271
Contents
Preface 7
Introduction 13
1 TheUnfoldingSituation,2008–9 30
2 Prelude:TheBritishMandate 51
3 TheFirstArab–IsraeliWar 66
4 The1956War 87
5 AlteredStates:TheWarsof1967and1973 106
6 PeaceGained,PeaceLost 138
7 TheFirstIntifada,andtheOsloAccords 158
8 DarknessReturns 179
9 UnfinishedBusiness 208
Conclusion 221
References 227
SelectBibliography 235
Acknowledgements 238
Index 239

Preface
Wehadfedtheheartonfantasies,
theheart’sgrownbrutalonthefare;
Moresubstanceinourenmities
Thaninourlove;
MeditationsintimeofCivilWar
WilliamB.Yeats
TheArab–Israeliconflictisatouchstoneforthetwentiethandtwenty-first
centuries.ItspansWorldWariandWorldWarii,theColdWarandtheWar
on Terrorism, and many nations have been touched at least indirectly by
someaspectofthedispute.Ithasseen,andparticipateddirectlyorindirectly
in,theriseandfallofEmpires,theOttomanandBritish.Theconflicthas
beeninstrumentalinshapingourviewofJews,Muslims,Christians,Arabs,
theMiddleEast,oilandtheroleofsuperpowers,especiallytheUnitedStates,
in world affairs. The events and people involved have demonstrated the
tremendouspowerofnationalisticideology,andreligiousandethnicidentifi-
cationinthemodernworld.Theongoingdestructiveviolenceoftheconflict
leadsustoreflectuponthehorrors,theefficacyorfutility,ofwar,andthe
recklessreadinessofleaders–andfollowers–toembracemilitaryforceand
brutalityasameanstoachievewhatareperceivedasessentialgoals.Theseem-
inglyinsolubleconflictforcesustoreconsiderthemeaningsoftoleranceand
intolerance,forgivenessandvengeance,aswewitnesstheongoingviolence.
Fewareasofthecontemporaryworldhaveattractedmoreattentionin
thepastsixtyyearsthantheMiddleEast.Themostobviousreasonforthisis
thattheregionisthemajorsourceofpetroleum,containingtwo-thirdsof
theworld’sknownpetroleumreserves.Butthereareotherreasonsaswell.If
oneincludesIslamicNorthAfrica,theMiddleEastextendsfromtheIndian
OceanintheEasttotheAtlanticOceanintheWest,encompassing21coun-
tries(ifPalestineisincluded)inanareaconsiderablylargerthanEurope.It
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the arab–israeli conflict
isthebirthplaceoftheworld’sthreegreatmonotheisticreligions,Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, and in 2007 was home to more than 430 million
people(upfrom104millionin1950).StrategicallylocatedbetweenEuropeand
Asia,itisgeographically,culturally,linguisticallyandreligiouslydiverse,and
hasfascinatedadventurersforcenturies.Andforthepastsixtyyearsithas
beenthesceneofoneofthemostintractableconflictsinlivingmemory,the
Arab–Israeliconflict.
ThedecisionofthenewlyestablishedUnitedNationsfollowingWorld
WariitopartitionthesmallsliveroflandbetweentheJordanRiverandthe
easternshoreoftheMediterraneanSea–since1919theBritishmandateof
Palestine–whichcreatedtheinternationallegalframeworkfortheestab-
lishmentofaJewishstate,Israel,againstthewishesofthepredominantlybut
farfromexclusivelyMuslimlocalpopulation,triggeredaconflictthatcon-
tinuestothepresent.ForJewsaroundtheworldthiscreatedanentirelynovel
andunprecedentedsituation.Forthefirsttimeinalmosttwothousandyears
aJewishstateexisted,providingJewsanopportunitytoreturntoanancient
homeland.ForArabsitwasalsoanentirelynewandunexpecteddevelop-
ment.ForthefirsttimesincethefoundingofIslam,Jewslivedinaninde-
pendentstateintheirpresence,claiminghistoricreligiousandnationalrights
toownershipofoneofIslam’sholiestcities,Jerusalem.Intheirdetermina-
tiontoestablishormaintaintheirrightsandtoreinforceorretrievetheir
physicalcircumstancesbywhatevermeansathand,thetwogroupsignored
therightsandneedsoftheother,andresortedtomilitaryforce.Theoutcome
hasbeenanunrelentingandcruelconflictthathasnotresolvedanyofthe
issuesdividingthem.
TheproclamationmadeoftheexistenceofIsraelon14May1948wasan
epochaleventinthehistoryofJews,MuslimsandChristians.Forthemajority
ofworldJewry,itwastheanswertoatwo-thousand-year-olddream,signalling
thebirthofaJewishstateforthefirsttimein2,000years.ForsomeJews,Israel
wasamiraculousevent,thefulfilmentofGod’spromisetoJewsthatthey
shouldinherit‘thepromisedland’.Thosewhohadmigratedtothelandover
theprevioushalfcenturysawtheachievementastheresultofahard-fought
militaryvictory.ToMuslimsworldwide,thepresenceofaJewishstateintheir
midstwasincomprehensible.TothoseArabswhosefamilieshadlivedin
theregionforgenerations,itwasacatastrophe.TomanyinChristianEurope,
IsraelwascompensationfortheirfailuretointervenetosaveJewsfromthe
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