Depth Study G: Israelis and Palestinians since 1945
1 How was the Jewish state of Israel established?
Focus Points
• What was the significance for Palestine of the end of the Second World War?
• What were the causes of conflict between Jews and Arabs in Palestine?
• Why did the Arabs reject UNO plans to partition Palestine?
• Why was Israel able to win the war of 1948–49?
2 How was Israel able to survive despite the hostility of its Arab neighbours?
Focus Points
• Why was Israel able to win the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973?
• How significant was superpower involvement in Arab–Israeli conflicts?
• How important was oil in changing the nature of the Arab–Israeli conflict?
• By the 1990s, how far had problems which existed between Israel and her neighbours been
resolved?
3 What was the impact of the Palestinian refugee issue?
Focus Points
• Why were there so many Palestinian refugees?
• How effective was the PLO in promoting the Palestinian cause?
• Why did Arab states not always support the Palestinian cause?
• How did international perceptions of the Palestinian cause change over time?
4 Why has it proved impossible to resolve the Arab–Israeli issue?
Focus Points
• Why has the United Nations been unable to secure a lasting peace?
• How far have international diplomatic negotiations improved Israel’s relations with Arab states and
the Palestinians?
• How have divisions within Israel affected the peace process?
• How have rivalries among Palestinians affected progress towards a settlement?
Syllabus content
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470. Syllabus for examination in 2015. 31
Specified Content
• The Arab and Jewish peoples of Palestine:
– different cultures, races, languages
• The aftermath of the Second World War:
– Jewish immigration
– Jewish nationalism and the ending of the British mandate
– the declaration of the state of Israel and the war of 1948–49
• Israel and its Arab neighbours:
– the Suez War (1956)
– the Six-Day War (1967)
– the Yom Kippur War (1973) and Israeli incursions into Lebanon
– the oil weapon: changes in USA and Western thinking
• The Palestinians to c.1992:
– the refugee problem
– Palestinian nationalism and the formation of the PLO
– activities of the PLO, and international acceptance
– the role of Arafat
– relations between the PLO and Arab states
– relations with Israel and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state
• Moves towards peace:
– United Nations: resolutions, aid and peace-keeping duties
– Camp David meetings; the Oslo Accords
– the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, 1996
• Divisions that restricted progress towards peace:
– political parties: Likud, Labour
– how elections in Israel affected the peace process
– religious issues
• Rivalries among Palestinians:
– the nature of the PLO at its founding
– Intifada, and the rise of Hamas
– Hezbollah and Gaza.