The conflict between Jews and Arabs over Palestine is one of the greatest unresolved problems of the 20th century. Based on its historical background, let us understand why it became so complicated.
The Founding of Israel and the Origins of the Palestine Problem
Palestine was once part of the Ottoman Empire, but during World War I, Britain made contradictory promises through its three-way diplomacy. ① It promised independence to the Arabs (Hussein–McMahon Correspondence, 1915); ② it supported the establishment of a “national home” for the Jews in Palestine (Balfour Declaration, 1917); and ③ it made a secret agreement with France to divide and rule the Middle East (Sykes–Picot Agreement, 1916). After World War II, following the Holocaust (the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis), international public opinion shifted toward establishing a Jewish state. On May 14, 1948, when Israel declared its independence, the First Arab–Israeli War (1948–49) broke out the next day.
First (1948–49): Immediately after Israel was founded, Arab coalition forces vs. Israel → Israeli victory
Second (Suez War, 1956): Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal → Britain, France, and Israel attacked → withdrawal under pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union
Third (Six-Day War, 1967): Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Gaza in six days
Fourth (Yom Kippur War, 1973): Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack → oil crisis (First Oil Shock)
Peace Efforts and the Present
After the Fourth Arab–Israeli War in 1973, OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) imposed an oil embargo on countries supporting Israel, causing the First Oil Shock. In 1979, Egypt and Israel made peace through the Camp David Accords, mediated by U.S. President Carter. In 1993, the Oslo Accords (mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, and Israel) were concluded, and Palestinian interim self-government began. However, fundamental issues such as Jewish settlements in the West Bank, sovereignty over Jerusalem, and the blockade of the Gaza Strip remain unresolved, and conflicts such as the 2023 Gaza conflict continue intermittently.
Practice
- What was the name of the declaration Britain made to support the construction of a national home for the Jews in 1917?
- What major blow to the world economy occurred as a result of the Fourth Arab–Israeli War (1973)?
- What was the name of the agreement in which the PLO and Israel mutually recognized each other in 1993?