The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict
Page 1
The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Middle East Conflict
Third Edition
by Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D.
A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
This book is dedicated to my parents, who are supportive in good times and bad and are a constant source of inspiration. It is also dedicated to my wife, Marcela, who helps save me from myself and sets an example for all those who appreciate the craft of writing and the art of living. And finally, it is for my children, who are too young to understand how much they mean to me.
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Copyright © 2005 by Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D.
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005928082
ISBN: 978-1-1012-1814-3
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Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted.
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Contents at a Glance
Part 1: In the Beginning
1 Who Cares About the Middle East?
Why do we care about the Middle East anyway? What makes this region so important and fascinating?
2 The Chosen People
God chooses the Jews and promises them a homeland. The rise and fall of the Jewish kingdoms; the exile and return of the Jewish people.
Part 2: Religion and Politics Mix
3 Welcome to the Empire
The Middle East joins the Roman Empire, Jewish independence ends, and Christianity becomes a religious and political power.
4 The Crescent Moon
A new prophet emerges from the desert and gives birth to Islam. Muhammad’s followers spread his religion and create a great empire.
5 The Nationalist Wave
The desire for independence infects the Middle East. Arab nationalists rally against imperialism, and Zionism becomes the national movement of the Jewish people.
Part 3: The Great War’s Spoils
6 Trouble Brews in Palestine
Jews return to their homeland and come in conflict with the Arabs living there. Great Britain controls Palestine and is the referee.
7 This Land Is My Land, This Land Is Your Land
Jews insist they can live beside the Arabs, but the Palestinians believe they will be dispossessed.
8 Fighting Hitler and Great Britain
Jews fight the Nazi menace while seeking to overcome British and Arab resistance to their efforts at state-building.
9 A State of Their Own
The United Nations offers a compromise for Palestine, but nothing can stop the inevitable conflict between the Arabs and Jews.
10 The Jewish War of Independence
Israel declares its independence, and the Arab states invade. The war leaves the Jews with a bigger state and the Palestinians stateless.
Part 4: A State for the Jews
11 The Wanted and the Unwanted
Hundreds of thousands of Arabs flee Palestine and become refugees, while a similar number of Jews escape Arab countries and find refuge in Israel.
12 We’ve Got a State—Now What?
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel begin the process of building modern nations.
13 War Over Suez
Egypt provokes Israel to seize the Suez, but Ike doesn’t like it. The United States becomes more directly involved in the region’s affairs when troops are deployed in Lebanon.
Part 5: War and Peace
14 Six Days to Victory
The PLO is born. Israel strikes first and stuns the world with its lightning victory over three Arab armies.
15 No War, No Peace
Fighting continues as Egypt and Israel engage in a war of attrition and terrorists prosecute their own vile war.
16 Israel’s Day of Infamy
Israel is surprised b
y the Egyptian and Syrian armies, but comes out on top. The oil weapon is unsheathed. Lebanon disintegrates.
17 Peace at Last
Sadat’s historic trip breaks the psychological impasse, and Egypt and Israel make peace with Carter’s help at Camp David.
18 Israel’s Vietnam
PLO terrorism from Lebanon becomes intolerable, and Israel launches a war to end the threat. The war’s aims become muddied, and Israel gets stuck.
Part 6: Inching Toward Peace
19 Sticks and Stones and Breaking Bones
U.S. troops go to Lebanon and find no peace. Palestinians take up stones, and the PLO wins recognition.
20 Saddam Crosses the Line
Iraq invades Kuwait and threatens the Saudi oil fields. President Bush builds a coalition and unleashes a military storm against Saddam.
21 Bush Turns the Screws
A peace conference in Madrid opens new doors, and secret talks in Oslo lead to a Palestinian-Israeli agreement.
Part 7: Why Can’t We All Get Along?
22 The Oldest City’s New Rulers
The Palestinians win independence in Gaza and Jericho, Jordan makes peace with Israel, and the Golan remains in dispute.
23 The Shot Heard ’Round the World
Israel is shaken by Rabin’s assassination, but his successor continues to hand territory over to the Palestinians. Round two between the United States and Iraq.
24 O Jerusalem!
The historic claims to Jerusalem, Israel reunifies the city, and the final status of the city is to be determined.
25 Arabia and Beyond
Today the Arab world has a population of approximately 300 million people divided among states, and some have become economic powers because of their control of oil, whereas others have become rogue nations better known for sponsoring terror.
26 Shifting Arabian Sands
The United States has developed close ties with a number of Arab states, some of which play key roles in maintaining a degree of stability in the region. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, in particular, are viewed as allies. The liberation of Iraq has created new opportunities for ties with that country. The relationship with Lebanon is more complex, as befits a country wracked by internal division.
27 Middle East Terrorism and Its Victims
The United States was shaken to the core by the terrorist attacks on September 11, but this was not the first time Americans were targets.
28 So Close, Yet So Far
The dreams of peace created by the Oslo agreements were shattered by more than four years of war between Israel and the Palestinians.
29 Mapping the Road to Peace
Yasser Arafat’s unwillingness to accept a deal that would have created a Palestinian state led Israel to take unilateral steps, but Arafat’s death created new hope that his successor would negotiate an end to the conflict.
30 Waiting for the Messiah
Can there be peace in the Middle East? The Arab-Israeli peace process offers some hope, but more ominous developments make for cynicism.
Appendixes
A Timeline of Middle East History
B Bibliography
Index
Contents
Part 1: In the Beginning
1 Who Cares About the Middle East?
Birthplace of Religion
Cradle of Civilization
Lubricating Policy
Shifting Sands
A New Plague
The Genie Unleashed
Press Obsessions
The “Arc of Silence”
Risky Business
It’s Not Our Problem
Jews Are News
We Are Family
The “Jewish Lobby”
It’s Never Boring
The Arabs, the Israelis, and More
2 The Chosen People
The Long Way Home
A History Based on Faith
Abraham’s Covenant
Father of the Arabs
Israel Gets a Name
The Exodus
The Prince of Egypt
The Tablets and the Ark
So Close, Yet So Far
The Promised Land
What a Bargain
From Subjects to Kings
Solomon and the Temple
The Jews’ Civil War
The Lost Tribes
The Last Jewish King
Exile from Main Street
Growth of Synagogues
Hope Through the Messiah
There Goes Another Empire
It’s All Greek to the Jews
The Jewish Hammer
Part 2: Religion and Politics Mix
3 Welcome to the Empire
A House Divided
Caesar Comes Calling
Herod Takes Command
The Second Temple
The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple
The Rabbi in the Coffin
Zealots at Masada
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
Life in Exile
The Rise of Christianity
Rome Gets Religion
4 The Crescent Moon
The Other Semites
The “Last” Prophet
The Five Pillars of Islam
From Mecca to Medina and Back
Turning On the Jews
Spreading the Muslim Word
Overcoming the Mighty Byzantine Empire
Dissension Leads to Change
A New Dynasty Is Born
The Abbasid Dynasty
Dhimmis: Protected but Not Equal
The Invaders
The Crusades
Saladin Stakes His Claim
Bad Dinner Guests: Mamelukes and Mongols
The Worlds of Islam and War
The Golden Era of Arab Intellectualism
Ottomans Talk Turkey
5 The Nationalist Wave
What Is Zionism?
Jewish Pioneers
L’Affaire Dreyfus
Herzl’s Dream
The Uganda Proposal
Real Zionism Is
Room Enough for Both?
A Letter Fulfills a Dream
If You Build It, They Will Come
The Arab Ambition