Posted on 04/03/2010 3:17:16 AM PDT by Flavius
U.S. State Dept. spokesperson Philip J. Crowley said Friday that although Israel has a right to defend itself, military action would not solve the Middle East conflict, therefore Israel and the Palestinian Authority need to engage in direct negotiations.
"The Israelis have a right to self defense, "Crowley said during a press conference in the wake of a recent bout of violence, after Israel war planes struck the Gaza Strip in retaliation to rockets fired into Israeli territory.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
History of the Middle East
c. 4000-2000 BC
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Kingdoms in Egypt, Sumer, and Babylonia
New Kingdom in Egypt, Kingdoms in Phoenicia and Assyria. The first thoughts on monotheism (the belief in one god) emerge.
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c. 1000 BC
500-400 BC
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The Persian empire (present day Iran) conquers all of the Middle East.
Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeats the Persians and claims the Middle East.
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334 BC
c. 200-300 BC
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The Romans gain control over all of the Middle East except for Persia.
Life of Mohammed. Mohammed founds the religion of Islam, and leads the beginning of an Arab-Islamic empire that will soon hold sway over the entire Middle East.
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570-632 AD
661-750
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The Umayyad Dynasty gains control over the Arab-Islamic empire and greatly expands its territories. The empire spreads westward throughout North Africa, north into Spain, and eastward to the borders of India and China.
The Abassid Dynasty, the second major one of the Arab-Islamic empire, gains control and moves the capital to Baghdad. The Middle East enjoys a prosperous period of advances in science and technology.
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759-1258
10th Century
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The decline in the control of the Abassids over their far-reaching empire allows the Seljuks, a Turkish people, to gain control over much of Asia Minor and the Persian Empire to break free.
Tales of the riches of the Middle East and a desire to reclaim the Holy Land for Christianity inspire European kingdoms to proclaim a series of crusades against the Muslim empires of the Middle East. Though the crusades were to have some success in holding territory in the Holy Land, their longest lasting effects were in Europe, where people were exposed to many new ideas.
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11-13th century
13th centuries
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Mongol invasions in the Middle East devastate Iraq and Iran and end what remains of the Arab-Islamic Empire.
The Ottoman empire gains control over Constantinople and renames Istanbul. Earlier Turkish success grew into the Ottoman Empire which will continue to expand until it controls nearly all of the Middle East except for Iran.
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1453
19th century
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The Muslim empires of the Middle East decline in power. The Ottoman Empire loses territory and influence to Russia and Austria
Muhammed Ali westernizes Egypt, asserting some independence from the Ottoman Empire.
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1805-1848
1914-1918
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The Ottoman Empire sides with Germany during World War I. The resulting loss causes the empire to be broken up. Much of its territory is devided between France and Britain, but modern day Turkey successfully defends itself against Greek invasion.
The Sykes-Picot agreement between France and Britain secretly promises to divide Ottoman holdings in the Middle East between the nations.
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1916
July 1915-March 1916
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The McMahon Correspondences between Sir Hanry McMahon, British High Commisioner of Cairo, and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca apparently promise Arab independence in large portions of the Middle East, including Palestine, which is today Israel.
The Balfour Declaration by the British clearly expresses support for a Jewish state in Palestine, clearly at odds with the earlier McMahon Correspondences.
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November 2, 1917
Febuary 8, 1922
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Egypt gains its independence.
Turkey gains its independence.
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October 29, 1923
1929
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The White Paper, released by the British, placed severe limits on Jewish immigration into Palestine and stated that the British government did not plan for Palestine to become a Jewish state. This proclamation was obviously in contradiction with the Balfour Declaration.
Iraq gains its independence.
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1932
1932
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Saudi Arabia gains its independence.
The Peel Commission from Britain reports that great tension exists between Jews and Muslims and suggests a plan of partition for the region.
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1937
November 26, 1941
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Lebanon gains its independence.
Jordan gains its independence.
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1946
1947
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With the British mandate, a right to administer over the region of Palestine soon expiring, the UN proposes a plan of partition for the region, which would create both a Jewish state and an Arab state when the British mandate runs out.
The State of Israel declares its independence immediately following the end of the British mandate. Immediately after that, the surrounding Arab nations invaded the new State of Israel. Following the war the Arab League placed an embargo, or prohibition against trading, on Israel.
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May 14, 1948
1948-1949
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Following Israel's declaration of independence, forces from the surrounding Arab nations, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, launched an all out, but uncoordinated attack on the vastly outnumbered Israel. However, Israel managed to avoid being driven into the sea and even expanded their territory over the original UN partition plan before an armistice was signed.
Following breakdowns in talks with the Arab nations, and Egypt closing both the Suez Canal and the Strait of Tiran, Israel's access to the Red Sea, to Israeli shipping, Israel invaded Egypt. Israel quickly took control over Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, and was aided by the French and the British who were angry with Egyptian President Abdel Nasser's handling of the Suez Canal. The UN, backed by the United States and the Soviet Union, ended the war and forced the invading nations to leave Egypt, but Israel only abandoned Gaza when the US promised to help keep the Strait of Tiran open.
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November-October 1956
September 29, 1961
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Syria gains its independence.
Kuwait gains its independence.
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1961
June 5-10, 1967
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The Six-Day War between Israel and an alliance of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan militarily began when Israel launched a preemptive air strike that decimated the air forces of the opposing nations, but it truly began weeks earlier when Egypt began declaring its military superiority over Israel and its desire to destroy the nation. Egypt again closed the Strait of Tiran to all Israeli ships and ships carrying supplies for Israel. This closure constituted legal grounds to go to war under international law. In the fierce fighting that followed Israel's air strike, the Arab armies were devastated, with Israel gaining control of the Sinai peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank of the Jordan River from Jordan, and the strategic Golan Heights from Syria. This short war clearly demonstrated the fact that Isreal was the preeminent military power in the Middle East and gained the nation much international attention. It also, however, further entrenched Arab hatred for the State of Israel.
UN Resolution 242 is passed by the United Nations Security Council, and calls for a return of the territory seized by Israel, recognition of Israel by the Arab states, a reaffirmation of the principle of free navigation, and for future peace and stability in the region.
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1967
September 1, 1969
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Libya gains its independence.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates gain their independence.
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1971
August 14, 1971
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Bahrain gains its independence.
Many Middle Eastern states placed an oil embargo on those nations they saw as favoring Israel in their policies, including the United States. The embargo ended in early 1974 and while it did not bring about great changes, it was detrimental to the economies of the nations it was placed upon and harmful to their citizens.
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1973-1974
October 6, 1973
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On Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, a day when large portions of the army were on leave to be with their families, the combined armies of Egypt and Syria entered Israel relatively unopposed. Within a week, Israel mobilized its reserve forces and drove the Arab armies back, but not before 2,700 Israeli soldiers were killed, four times the number that had died during the Yom Kippur war.
UN Resolutions 338 and 339 called for an immediate end to the Yom Kippur War, the enforcement of the articles of Resolution 242, and the dispatch of UN observers to oversee the cease fire.
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October 22-23, 1972
September 17, 1978
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Convinced by the 1973 Yom Kippur War that Egypt could never defeat Israel in a war, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sought peace with Israel, the first Arab nation to do so. Along with US President Jimmy Carter, Sadat met with Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin at Camp David. There they drew up the Camp David accords which called for peace between Egypt and Israel.
In the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel drawn up to finalize the actions at Camp David, the nations established normal relations with Israel completely withdrawing from the Sinai.
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March 26, 1979
1979
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Iran forms a new government under the leadership of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
June 1982
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Operation Peace in the Galilee, an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, was Israel's longest war and its most controversial. After the Israeli ambassador to England was wounded in a terrorist attack in London, Israel began bombing bases of the Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO) in southern Lebanon. The PLO had long shelled northen Israel and been responsible for various terrorist actions; they were also primarily based in Lebanon, having been forced out of Jordan in 1970. The PLO increased their shelling in response to the bombing, and Israel invaded Lebanon with the hope of destroying the PLO and forming normal relations with the government of Lebanon. After long periods of fighting and the Israeli capture of Beirut, the PLO did leave Lebanon. The operation was not a success though, as the Lebanese president was assasinated, and, in rage, his followers massacred thousands of Palestinian refugees. Israel was held responsible for these massacres and withdrew from much of Lebanon, allowing the PLO to eventually return.
Following the upheaval in Iran, Iraq demanded a renegotiation of the treaty between them, demanding more access to the Persian Gulf and autonomy for the Arab minorities in Iran, a Persian, not Arab, nation. When talks broke down, Iraq invaded Iran making large gains. In 1981 Iran took the offensive and regained most of its territory. The war then continued for seven years as a stalemate with both sides ocurring horrible casualties and attacking neutral shiping in the Persian Gulf. When the war was finally ended by UN Resolution 598, there were an estimated 1 million dead and 1.7 million wounded.
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1980-July 20, 1987
A popular uprising of Palestinian refugees living in Israel, known as the Intifadah caused much distress for Israel. The Intifadah had no leaders that could be tracked down or bases that could be bombed, for it was made up primarily by young boys and their most common activity was throwing rocks. The Intifadah was a symbol of the plight of the Palestinian refugees in Israel.
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1987-1989
May 23, 1990
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A unified Yemen is formed.
After Iraq revived a dispute with Kuwait and declared that Kuwaiti overproduction of oil was damaging Iraq's economy, Iraq invaded and quickly took over Kuwait. There was international outcry, and the UN demanded that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.
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August 2, 1990
1991
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After Iraq refused to comply with UN demands, a multi-national force composed of some 500,000 men from both Arab and Western nations launched a major air offensive against Iraq. The Persian Gulf War went badly for Iraq, and they were soon forced from Kuwait and lost large portions of their army. Following the war, Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons were destroyed, UN observers were placed in the nation, and it was put under economic sanction.
After a long history of distrust and hatred between Israel and the PLO, the two groups finally made a breakthrough after nearly two years of negotiations when Yasser Arafat of the PLO sent his Declaration of Principles to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The declaration acknowledged the right of Israel to exist, accepted UN Resolution 242 and 338, renounced the use of terrorism, and promised to remove from the Palestinian National Covenant the clauses calling for the destruction of Israel.
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September 13, 1993
May 4, 1994
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The Gaza-Jericho Agreement signed between Israel and the PLO, followed up on the Declaration of Principles with a concrete agreement that would establish a Palestinian Authority and Police force with partial authority over Gaza and Jericho, and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from that region. The powers of the Authority were further spelled out in the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities in August 29, 1994.
The Washington Declaration was produced out of the first public meeting between Prime Minister Rabin of Israel and King Hussein of Jordan. This ended the state of hostility between them, affirmed a peace based upon UN Resolutions 242 and 338, and established more open borders between the two nations.
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July 25, 1994
October 26, 1994
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A Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty is signed following the Washington Declaration, making Jordan only the second Arab nation to sign a treaty with Israel.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, is assasinated by a Jew who is opposed to his liberal policies on the peace process. Rabin is succeeded by Shimon Peres who promises to continue the work that Rabin had pioneered.
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November 5, 1995
May 21, 1996
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The UN agrees to allow Iraq to sell some oil, despite the embargo, so long as all of the profits go towards humanitarian purposes and to relieve the suffering that the economic strangulation has placed upon Iraq. Iraq opposed the clause in the resolution that required UN monitoring of the sales, but eventually submitted.
Benyamin Netanyahu is elected Prime Minister of Israel by a slim margin over Shimon Peres. Netanyahu promises a hard line towards future peace negotiations, and is less anxious to give up land than Peres and Rabin were. This promises to stall negotiations with Syria, who refuses to accept anything but the full return of the Golan, and the Palestinians who feel threatened by a return to Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
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Typical “State Department” leftist pu$$y.
“military action would not solve the Middle East conflict”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but when the Israelis kill a terrorist, that terrorist will never murder anyone else. If you kill all the terrorists, that will solve the Middle East conflict.
There can be no peace in that area until The Prince Of Peace returns.
History would suggest that if you kill enough of the enemy (in this case the sand fleas) that just about any problem can be solved.
Good collection. Thank you.
It really amazes me that the people running the State Dept know nothing about history—or at least pretend not to. Ditto with these “Peace Studies” bozos. There is not one signal instance where a conflict between two religious groups was solved by direct negotiations. The only (potential) exception to that is Northern Ireland—and I’m not sure the last page is written on that one either.
In a perfect world, killing a terrorist would indeed end their threat. In our imperfect world, killing a terrorist only ensures they will never murder anyone else. It says nothing of the dozen or so admirers for each slain who spring up like dragon's teeth.
Islamic world wide attacks become intolerable
Mecca, Medina hit with 5 MT thermonuclear warheads during Haj.
Mass conversion of former Islamic peoples who just learned that Allah was a weak and false god. No one wants to pray to radioactive glass spots and demonstrate their humiliation 5 times a day.
So? You keep killing the terrorists until there are no more. That goes for their admirers too.
“They (the Romans) make a desert, and they call it peace”
The trouble is that your course would lead to an expansion of terror and imitators across vast swathes of previously unaffected nations and matches Al Qaeda’s dreams exactly. Witness their delighted attempts to make the tradition Islamic anger points resonate in nations like Indonesia and others traditionally disinterested in the more Middle eastern issues.
The more martyrs we create the stronger Al Qaeda (or imitators) become. Yes, all might be destroyed in the end but it is by no means certain this can be achieved without severe damage and cost which might be avoidable by clever tactics. Sometimes killing is the only way; at other times the same end can be achieved without turning the target into a rallying cry for a wave of new recruits.
“The trouble is that your course would lead to an expansion of terror”
We don’t know that because it’s never been tried. Appeasement doesn’t work - we know because that’s been tried. Neither have the piecemeal attempts to date.
Bottom line - the Islamic terrorists seek global domination just like the Nazis. They will win unless there is a concerted effort to wipe them out.
I respectfully disagreed. Study any classical counterinsurgency situation and note that the initial military response noremally fails until twinned or supplanted by a wiser one designed to address the underlying causes of the issue wthout aiding recruitment. The Battle of Algiers is a nice film which illustrates the point - there's a reason it's compulsory viewing at West Point and Sandhurst.
Appeasement doesn’t work - we know because that’s been tried. Neither have the piecemeal attempts to date.
Agreed. I'm not endrsing appeasement.
Bottom line - the Islamic terrorists seek global domination just like the Nazis. They will win unless there is a concerted effort to wipe them out.
And that is why it is crucial why we do not adapt strategies designed to bolster their numbers and influence.
“Study any classical counterinsurgency situation and note that the initial military response noremally fails until twinned or supplanted by a wiser one designed to address the underlying causes of the issue wthout aiding recruitment.”
And when the underlying causes of the issue aren’t even discussed? The “underlying causes” of the Israeli-Arab issue are Arab genocidal intentions towards non-Muslims (starting with the Jews) and the belief that Islam should dominate the globe (starting in the Mideast). Yet, it’s concealed with phrases like “land for peace” and “two-state solution”. What is your plan to address that without aiding recruitment.
No one said it would be easy. Let’s be blunt. The Palestinian target point is Israel proper, reaching to the warm shores of the mediterranean. Their resistance point is short of that. The Israelis have varying ones depending on who you talk to (I seem to recall an old aw that if you have three Israelis in a room you’ll have five viewpoints). Whether a bridge is possible, who knows?
What I do know is that the course you advocated would inexoprably spill through the middle east, up into central Asia, the Muslim areas of the pacific (including of course the world’s most populous Islamic country) and truly ignite those Islamic segments of the western nations in the same way.
killing should not be seen to be the preferred or the first course.
When possible, targets should be seized and kept humanely in the maximum discomfort which does not actually add to their mystique. Opportunities for martyrdom, stories of heroic suffering should be actively avoided. We’re not here to recruit for these people, we’re here to defeat them.
“killing should not be seen to be the preferred or the first course.”
It’s not. However, I’m more than satisfied that all other options, especially those that have been tried to no avail, have been exhausted.
“When possible, targets should be seized and kept humanely in the maximum discomfort which does not actually add to their mystique. Opportunities for martyrdom, stories of heroic suffering should be actively avoided.”
You mean like Gitmo? The liberal media will deliberately misconstrue whatever happens.
“We’re not here to recruit for these people, we’re here to defeat them.”
Agreed. What we disagree on is the method.
Have a nice day and if you’re a Christian, a wonderful Easter.
Thank you. I likewise wish you a pleasant Easter.
I’m Jewish, but thanks for the wishes.
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