Torch, Fall 2006

TURKEY CYPRUS EGYPT JORDAN ISRAEL LEBANON KUWAIT SYRIA IRAQ SAUDI ARABIA IRAN Red Sea Persian Gulf Med i ter ranean Sea Amman Nicosia Baghdad Kuwait Cairo Tel Aviv Beirut Damascus In 2000, as part of an earlier “land for peace” effort, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon under terms of a United Nations (UN) agreement which called for the disarmament of all Lebanese militias and deployment of the Lebanese army on the Israeli border. All Lebanese factions disarmed except Hezbollah. Beyond that, Hezbollah forces took control of southern Lebanon and prevented the Lebanese army from moving to the Israeli border. This summer, Hezbollah militants crossed the Israeli/Lebanon border, ambushed an Israeli patrol, killed six, and took two soldiers hostage. A month of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah followed, resulting in thousands of Hezbollah rockets fired into northern Israel, Israeli air strikes and ground attacks in Lebanon, and hundreds of Israeli and thousands of Lebanese casualties. These two events, in Gaza and Lebanon, have fundamentally redefined Israeli attitudes. Both of Israel’s “land for peace” ventures resulted in “land for war,” discrediting Israeli factions which favored a negotiated peace. The Palestinians are now led by Hamas, a party which will neither recognize nor talk with Israel. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is dedicated to the eradication of the “Zionist entity” from what it sees as occupied Palestinian land. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ended up in political trouble because his “land for peace” strategy failed and because Israeli forces did not deliver a knockout blow to Hezbollah. Because Hezbollah survived a month of combat against Israel, Timeline 622 The Hijra: the prophet Mohammad flees from Mecca to Medina. 1095-1291 Christian Crusaders from Europe come to the Middle East to fight the spread of Islam. 1517-1918 The Ottoman Empire extends over most of the Arab world. 1897 The Zionist Organization is founded by Theodor Herzl in Switzerland with the goal of working towards the establishment of a secure home for Jews in Palestine. 1922 The League of Nations issues a mandate to Britain to establish a national home for Jews in Palestine. 1932 Iraq is recognized as an independent monarchy. 1944 France grants Lebanon full independence. 1945 Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan, and northern Yemen form the Arab League, which opposes the establishment of a Jewish nation. 1946 Syria gains independence from France. 1948 The State of Israel is established. 1967 The Six-Day War is fought between Israel and the Arab states. 1972 Israeli athletes are taken hostage at the Olympic Games in Munich. 1975 Civil war breaks out in Lebanon between the Christian majority and the growing Muslim population. 1977 Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to visit Israel and signs the Camp David agreement, making peace with Israel. 1979 Ninety people, including 63 Americans, are taken hostage in the American Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students. 1982 Israel invades Lebanon, forcing the PLO to leave the country. 1988 A Palestine National Council proclaims the State of Palestine. continued on page 11 Fall 2006 / TORCH 9 LEFT: SUPERSTOCK SUPERSTOCK SUPERSTOCK