Isabell Schierenbeck
A Changing Political Context
- After the June War/ Six Day War in June 1967, the Israeli occupation begins.
- Israel offers to exchange land for peace and recognition from the Arab states.
- Khartoum Resolution (The 3 No’s)- The Arab League meets in Khartoum, Sudan and passes the Khartoum Resolution which asserts that Arab states will not recognize Israel, negotiate with Israel, or make peace with Israel.
- The narrative changes as the conflict is transformed from the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
- The October War/ Yom Kippur War occurs in 1973 taking the IDF by surprise and inflicting a high number of Israeli military casualties.
- The Camp David Accords are signed in 1979. Egypt breaks with the Khartoum Resolution and trades peace and recognition with Israel for the Sinai Desert.
- 1967 was a major turning point in the conflict, begging the question: What should Israel do with the Occupied Territories (the Sinai Desert, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank)?
Before 1967
- Did Israel plan to take over/ occupy the West Bank and Gaza Strip prior to 1967?
- Herut (later Likud) argued that Israel should occupy the West Bank and Gaza Strip for security reasons as well as a religious right to ‘Greater Israel’ possessed by the Jews.
- Rabi Kook was instrumental to spreading ideological/religious reasons for claiming the West Bank.
After 1967
- The ultra-orthodox Zionist movement was born after the Six-Day War as they were suddenly politicized.
- 1967-1970: Labor-Likud unity government.
- After 1970: Likud became Labor’s biggest rival which was a major turning point since Labor were in charge of the government from 1948-1967.
- The dispute that caused the political shift: Did Labor really want to give the Occupied Territories back? Who initiated the settlements?
The October War/ Yom Kippur War, 1973
- This blow was the fatal blow to the Labor Party.
- After the war, Prime Minister Golda Meir takes the blame for Israel’s losses in the war and resigns.
- Israel was surprised by the Arab attack and initially suffered heavy casualties.
- Likud basically says, “I told you so!”
- Israeli politics shifts to the right.
- This was interpreted as the 2nd sign of the return of the Messiah by ultra-orthodox Zionists--- Israel’s resounding victory in the Six-Day War was seen as the 1st sign of the Messiah’s return.
- Gush Emunim (the Block of the Faithful) is founded in 1974.
The Camp David Accords, 1978-1979
- The accords were backed by American financial assistance.
- Carter, Begin, and Sadat meet at Camp David to trade land for peace.
- Palestinians start representing themselves and put themselves on the political map.
- The Camp David Accords consisted of three parts:
o Israel returned the Sinai Desert to Egypt.
o Israel accepts UN resolution 242, granting autonomous authority to the West Bank and Gaza.
o Israeli/Arab statement of principles.
- The exchange of land for peace was perhaps the most important outcome of these negotiations.
- Although the Sinai Desert was returned to Egypt, it had no mythical meaning/significance to Israelis. (This is why many contend that it would be much easier to give back Gaza than the West Bank.)
What are the disputed “facts”?
- Israeli war aims
- Arab war aims
- Israeli settlement Policy
Israeli Politics
- Gaza and the West Bank are not considered to be a part of the state of Israel because they have not been annexed. In contrast, the Knesset officially annexed the Golan Heights and Jerusalem.
- Israeli society contains many cleavages.
o A cleavage is a social division creating a collective identity among those to each side of the divide. This identity competes with the ‘national identity’ (Lipset & Robban 1967).
- There are several cleavages in Israeli politics:
o Jews- Palestinians
o Ashkenazim- Mizrachim
o Religious- Secular
o Sabra (those born in Israel)- Immigrants
o Left- Right
Jews- Palestinians
- Jews constitute the majority in Israel while Israeli-Palestinians, Palestinian-Israelis, or Israeli Arabs constitute the minority.
- The Israeli Arabs are those who stayed behind in 1948-1949 and their decedents. They are religiously either Muslim or Christian (or secular) and ethnically either Palestinians, Druze, or Beguin.
- Israeli Arabs primarily live in the Galilee and the Negev Desert.
- Israeli Arabs living outside of Jerusalem have full citizenship while those living in East Jerusalem have residency.
- However, there are social divisions between Israelis and Israeli Arabs including socioeconomic status, living conditions, education, ability to work and serve in the military, birth rates, and the position of women.
- There are also internal cleavages including religion, class, and family.
Isabell said that she would continue this lecture on Friday, April 23, 2010 when she will discuss “Israeli Society.”
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