NPR section 3-7 Summaries

3) Partition, War, and Independence
Britain is unable to make a political solution to satisfy and is being attacked by Zionist terrorist groups for limiting immigration to Israel during the Holocaust. British give conflict to U.N., who renew the idea of partitioning the territory with 55% going to the Jews who only lived on 7% of the land. General Assembly votes, partition is accepted by 33 states as repayment for the Holocaust and refused by 13 mostly Arab states. Fighting ensued, and it is unclear whether it is the Israeli or Palestinian's fault for the Palestinian refugees who fled and now live in refugee camps.

4) The 1967 Six Day War
Syria was fed false information by the Soviet Union that Israel was planning an invasion of Syria, which was then fed to Egypt. Nasser, the Egyptian leader, closed the Gulf of Aqaba to shipping, cutting off Israeli oil, told U.N. peacekeepers to leave, and sent troops into the Sinai Peninsula. Israel surprises Egypt by attacking first, but only after making it clear to the world that they had exhausted diplomatic options. In defeat, Nasser claims Israel won because of U.S. backing, which was false. Israel gains a lot of land like Jerusalem and Gaza strip which later become central in peace negotiations.

5) From the 1973 Yom Kippur War to Peace With Egypt
October 6, 1973 Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel, but gain no land out of it. Israel sees it is not invincible, and U.S. sees it can be a prime negotiator of peace in the Middle East. Yom Kippur showed Palestine that the Arab nations no longer supported them in opposing the existence of Israel, so Palestinian movement adapted policy towards creating a Palestinian state in occupied territories. Egypt and Israel sign a peace agreement lead by Carter.

6) From the First Intifada to the Oslo Peace Agreement
Palestinians did an uprising of stones and words called the Intifada to state their own desire for a homeland. It was an effective way to reach out to Israelis who saw it time to give up the West Bank and Gaza Strip and who supported the beginnings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the absence of PLO. Peace negotiations were begun in Oslo and Rabin (Israel) and Arafat (PLO) agree to a self-government for Palestine. Arafat does not realize the agreement does not give Palestine its own land and it fails when Rabin is shot.

7) The Second Intifada and the Death of Oslo
2nd Intifada broke out with a visit by Israel to the prized Western Wall. Palestine had only gained back 18% of West Bank and Israel had expanded settlements, but Palestine also brought unnecessary military force. Oslo is attempted to be renewed, but Arafat does not like Netanyahu's plan to have Palestinian land to be divided and surrounded by Israeli land. The second Intifada becomes more violent than the first.