The Arab-Israeli conflict, 1948-1979

H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027

Why Israel and its Arab neighbours fought four wars between 1948 and 1973, how the combatants, the superpowers and the UN shaped them, and how diplomacy and peacekeeping produced a partial peace.

• Origins and the 1948 war

  Two national movements claimed the same land. When Britain left Palestine in 1948, the UN partition plan led to war, a new Israeli state and a Palestinian refugee crisis.

• The Suez Crisis, 1956

  Nasser's nationalisation of the Suez Canal led Britain, France and Israel to attack Egypt. The superpowers forced them out, and the UN sent its first peacekeeping force.

• The Six-Day War, 1967

  A spiral of threats in May 1967 led Israel to strike first. In six days it captured Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which changed the conflict.

• The Yom Kippur War, 1973

  Egypt and Syria attacked to break the deadlock after 1967. The war brought the superpowers close to confrontation, and US diplomacy then opened a path to peace.

• Camp David and the Egypt-Israel peace, 1977-1979

  Sadat's bold diplomacy and US mediation produced the first peace between Israel and an Arab state. It ended the conflict with Egypt but left the Palestinian question open.

• The roles of the combatants, the superpowers and the UN

  The combatant states made the key decisions for war and peace. The superpowers armed and restrained them, and the UN managed ceasefires and borders.

• Weighing causes and conflict management

  Rival national claims to the same land drove the conflict, while security fears set off each war. Management contained the wars but brought only a partial peace.

• Put it together: Who managed the conflict best?

  Choose an actor and test its record in managing the conflict.