Facts:
In 1956, Arab nationalist and Egyptian dictator, Gamal Nassar had been using his “fedayeen” to launch terrorist incursions into Israel. Then Nassar seized the Suez Canal which was under British and French control. Britain, France, and Israel formed a secret alliance and decided to attack Egypt. The invasion was a military success, but a political disaster as the US forced an early ceasefire. Israel had captured Sinai and Gaza, but US pressure forced them to quickly return these captured gains. Following the Suez war, Nassar aligned himself completely with the Soviet Union. Before and during Suez, the US was not an ally of Israel. Only following the increased Soviet intervention in Egypt did US align itself with Israel.
In 1967, Nassar marched troops passed UN peacekeepers in Sinai and amassed an army on the border of Israel. Syria and a reluctant Jordan followed suit. Due to imposing threats, Israel launched a pre-emptive attack, winning the 6 Day War. Israel had captured the West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai. In the wake of a humilitating defeat, Nassar began the War of Attrition with Israel from 1968-1970. The limited war was designed to harass Israel’s occupation of Sinai in light of limited supply of manpower. It ended with no change to the border. After Nassar died in 1970, Anwar Sadat assumed power and was determined to regain the Sinai Peninsula.
In 1973, Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel. This was the Yom Kippur War. After initial heavy loses, Israel was able to counter attack and defeat Egypt and Syria. They regained all territory lost in the beginning of the war and the borders remained the same. Anger over the aid in equipment supplied by America started the OPEC oil embargo. Beginning in late 1977, relations between Sadat and Begin warmed and in 1979 on a conference at Camp David, they signed a peace agreement. Israel returned Sinai to Egypt. In 1982, PLO’s terrorist raids from Lebanon led to its invasion. By 1985, most of the troops had been removed except for a security zone which was vacated in 2000. The first Palestinian infitada began in 1987. By 1993, Israel and the PLO were signed the Oslo Accords which gave some provisional authority to Palestinian self government. In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement. Jordan has not been interested in taking back the West Bank because the Palestinians had been a threat to the reign Jordan’s king. In 1995, another interim treaty was signed by Yitzak Rabin and Arafat. After Rabin’s assassination by a Jewish radical, negotiations labored on but were soured by terrorism when Netanyahu was Prime Minsiter. In 2000, Labor Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Arafat a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. Arafat rejected Barak's offer, because Arafat demanded a “right to return.” Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Al-Aqsa compound sparked the second infitada. Israeli citizens who legitimately tried to make concessions for peace, were dismayed by the violence and elected Ariel Sharon in order to combat the terrorism.
Opinions:
This is a basic history of conflict. Historical context is important to understand what is happening today. However, Israel has not been the evil aggressor it is made out to be. Media terms like “cycle of violence” equate suicide bombers to Israeli responses. Peace will not be had when factions like Hamas and Fatah are bent on Israel’s destruction. Arafat is not interested in peace. The longer the “struggle” continues, the more world attention he gets and more money he gets.
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