Arab Boycott Of Israel example essay topic

3,223 words
RENUPTUAL AGREEMENT SUCK THIS FUCK OFF DO COM Conflict in the middle east By: Anonymous Conflict In the Middle East Since the United Nations partition of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, there have been four major Arab-Israeli wars (1947- 49, 1956, 1967, and 1973) and numerous intermittent battles. Although Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, hostility between Israel and the rest of its Arab neighbors, especially with Palestinian Arabs, has continued because of the lack of co-operation by the Arabs. The first war began as a civil conflict between Palestinian Jews and Arabs following the United Nations recommendation of November 29, 1947, to partition Palestine, then still under British mandate, into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Fighting quickly spread as Arab guerrillas attacked Jewish settlements and communication links to prevent implementation of the UN plan. Jewish forces prevented seizure of most settlements, but Arab guerrillas, supported by the Trans jordanian Arab Legion under the command of British officers, besieged Jerusalem. By April, Haganah, the principal Jewish military group, seized the offensive, scoring victories against the Arab Liberation Army in northern Palestine, Jaffa, and Jerusalem.

British military forces withdrew to Haifa; although officially neutral, some commanders assisted one side or the other. After the British had departed and the state of Israel had been established on May 15, 1948, under the premiership of David Ben-Gurion, the Palestine Arab forces and foreign volunteers were joined by regular armies of Transjordan (now the kingdom of Jordan), Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria, with token support from Saudi Arabia. Efforts by the UN to halt the fighting were unsuccessful until June 1, when a 4-week truce was declared. When the Arab states refused to renew the truce, ten more days fighting erupted. In that time Israel greatly extended the area under its control and broke the siege of Jerusalem. Fighting on a smaller scale continued during the second UN truce beginning in mid-July, and Israel acquired more territory, especially in Galilee and the Negev.

By January 1949, when the last battles ended, Israel has extended its frontiers by about 5,000 sq. km (1930 sq mi.) beyond the 15,500 sq. km (4983 sq mi.) allocated to the Jewish state in the UN partition resolution. It had also secured its independence. During 1949, armistice agreements were signed under UN auspices between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The armistice frontiers were unofficial boundaries until 1967. Border conflicts between Israel and the Arabs continued despite provisions in the 1949 armistice agreements for peace negotiations. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs who had left Israeli-held territory during the first war concentrated in refugee camps along Israel's frontiers and became a major source of friction when they infiltrated back to their homes or attacked Israeli border settlements.

A major tension point was the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip, which was used by arab guerrillas for raids into southern Israel. Egypt's blockade of Israeli shipping in the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aqaba intensified the hostilities. These escalating tensions converged with the Suez Crisis caused by the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian president Gamal Nasser. Great Britain and France strenuously objected to Nasser's policies, and a joint military campaign was planned against Egypt with the understanding that Israel would take the initiative by seizing the Sinai Peninsula. The war began on October 29, 1956, after an announcement that the armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan were to be integrated under the Egyptian commander in chief. Israel's Operation Kade sh, commanded by Moshe Dayan, lasted less than a week; its forces reached the eastern bank of the Suez Canal in about 100 hours, seizing the Gaza Strip and nearly all the Sinai Peninsula.

The Sinai operations were supplemented by an Anglo-French invasion of Egypt on November 5, giving the allies control of the northern sector of the Suez Canal. The war was halted by a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of all occupying forces from Egyptian territory. The General Assembly also established a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) to replace the allied troops on the Egyptian side of the borders in Suez, Sinai, and Gaza. By December 22 the last British and French Troops had left Egypt, Israel, however, delayed withdrawal, insisting than it receives security guarantees against further Egyptian attack. After several additional UN resolutions calling for withdrawal and after pressure from the United States, Israel's forces left in March 1957. Relations between Israel and Egypt remained fairly stable in the following decade.

The Suez Canal remained closed to Israeli shipping, the Arab boycott of Israel was maintained, and periodic clashes occurred between Israel, Syria, and Jordan. However, UNEF prevented direct military encounters between Egypt and Israel. By 1967 the Arab confrontation states-Egypt, Syria, and Jordan-became impatient with the status quo, the propaganda war with Israel escalated, and border incidents increased dangerously. Tensions culminated in May when Egyptian forces were massed in Sinai, and Cairo ordered the UNEF to leave Sinai and Gaza. President Nasser also announced that the Gulf of Aqaba would be closed again to Israeli shipping. At the end of May, Egypt and Jordan signed a new defense pact placing Jordan's armed forces under Egyptian command.

Efforts to de-escalate the crisis were of no availability Israeli and Egyptian leaders visited the United States, but President Lyndon Johnson's attempts tp persuade Western powers to guarantee free passage through the Gulf failed. Believing that war was inevitable, Israeli Premier Levi Esh kol, Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan, and Army Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin approved preemptive Israeli strikes at Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi airfields on June 5, 1967. By the evening of June 6, Israel had destroyed the combat effectiveness of the major Arab air forces, destroying more than 400 planes and losing only 26 of its own. Israel also swept into Sinai, reaching the Suez Canal and occupying most of the peninsula in less than four days. King Hussein of Jordan rejected an offer of neutrality and opened fire on Israeli forces in Jerusalem on June 5. But a lightning Israeli campaign placed all of Arab Jerusalem and the Jordanian west bank in Israeli hands by June 8.

As the war ended on the Jordanian and Egyptian fronts, Israel opened an attack on Syria in the north. In a little more than two days of fierce fighting, Syrian forces were driven from the Golan Heights, from which they had shelled Jewish settlements across the border. The Six-day War ended on June 10 when the UN negotiated cease-fire agreements on all fronts. The Six-day War increased several fold the area under Israel's control. Through the occupation of Sinai, Gaza, Arab Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Golan Heights, Israel shortened its land frontiers with Egypt and Jordan, removed the most heavily populated Jewish areas from direct Arab artillery range, and temporarily increased its strategic advantages. Israel was the dominant military power in the region for the next six years.

Led by Golda Meir from 1969, it was generally satisfied with the status quo, but Arab impatience mounted. Between 1967 and 1973, Arab leaders repeatedly warned that they would not accept continued Israeli occupation of the lands lost in 1967. After Anwar al-Sadat succeeded Nasser as president of Egypt in 1970, threats about "the year of decision" were more frequent, as was periodic massing of troops long the Suez canal. Egyptian and Syrian forces underwent massive rearmament with the most sophisticated Soviet equipment. Sadat consolidated war preparations in secret agreements with President Hafez al-Assad of Syria for a joint attack and with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to finance the operations. Egypt and Syria attacked on October 6, 1973, pushing Israeli forces several miles behind the 1967 cease-fire lines.

Israel was thrown off guard, partly because the attack came on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the most sacred Jewish religious day (coinciding with the Muslim fast of Ramadan). Although Israel recovered from the initial setback, it failed to regain all the territory lost in the first days of fighting. In counterattacks on the Egyptian front, Israel seized a major bridgehead behind the Egyptian lines on the West Bank of the canal. In the north, Israel drove a wedge into the Syrian lines, giving it a foothold a few miles west of Damascus. After 18 days of fighting in the longest Arab-Israeli war since 1948, hostilities were again halted by the UN.

The costs were the greatest in any battles fought since World War 2. The Arabs lost some 2,000 tanks and more than 500 planes; the Israeli's, 804 tanks and 114 planes. The 3-week war cost Egypt and Israel about $7 billion each, in material and losses from declining industrial production or damage. The political phase of the 1973 war ended with disengagement agreements accepted by Israel, Egypt, and Syria after negotiations in 1974 and 1975 by U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. The agreements provided for Egyptian reoccupation of a strip of land in Sinai along the east bank of the Sues canal and for Syrian Control of a small area around the Golan Heights town of Kuneitra, UN forces were stationed on both fronts to oversee observance of the agreements, which reestablished a political balance between Israel and the Arab confrontation states. Under the terms of an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty signed on March 26, 1979, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

Hopes for an expansion of the peace process to include either Arab nations waned, however when Egypt and Israel wee subsequently unable to agree on a formula for Palestinian self-rule I the West bank and Gaza Strip. In the 1980's regional tensions were increased by the activities of militant Palestinians and other Arab extremists and by several Israeli actions. The latter included the formal proclamation of the entire city of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital (1980), the annexation of the Golan Heights (1981), the invasion of southern Lebanon (1982) and the continued expansion of Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. Many Peace Processes have been attempted since but problems caused by each side have caused these processes to not occur. There have been various terrorist attacks from each side and peace seems like it is not possible. Although a small portion of Palestine has been given back to the Palestinians both sides seem like they don't want to co-operate.

In conclusion the Arabs have not co-operated with the Israeli's which has resulted in various problems. This has majorly affected the peace process, which leads to continuous disagreements between both sides. The hostility between both sides will not stop till both sides stop hurting each other. Religion By: wall idE-mail: Islam More Than A Religion Despite its huge following around the world and the growing Muslim communities in the United States, Islam is foreign to most Americans who are familiar with Christianity or Judaism. Because most Americans know little or nothing about Islam, they have many misconceptions about Muslim beliefs and rituals.

The negative image many people in the United States and Europe have of Islam and the Muslim world has a long history. Many have judged Islam without making an effort to consider this religious tradition on its own terms, without bothering to become acquainted with its teaching and the ways in which Muslims practice their faith. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion, based on the belief in one God... This religion was proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia, in the 7th century A.D. The term Islam virtually means "surrender".

Within Islam the believer (called a Muslim) use the Arabic word for God, Allah, to refer to the creator of the world and of all life within it. Allah is viewed as the sole God -- -- creator, sustained, and restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to which man must submit, is made known through the sacred scriptures, the Qur " an (Koran). Allah revealed the Qur " an to his messenger, Muhammad. According to Islamic beliefs, Muhammad is the last of a series of prophets (including Adam, Noah, Jesus, and others). Muhammad's message concurrently perfect and do away with the "revelations" attributed to earlier prophets.

From the very beginning of Islam, Muhammad had indoctrinated a sense of brotherhood and a bond of faith among his followers. The Prophet Muhammad fled to Medina in AD 622, it was during this time that his preaching was accepted and the community-state of Islam emerged. During this early period, Islam acquired its characteristics as a religion uniting in itself both the spiritual and temporal aspects of life. Islam also seeks to regulate not only the individual's relationship to God (through his conscience) but human relationship in a social setting as well. Thus, there is not only an Islamic religious institution but also an Islamic law, state, and other institutions governing society. During the earliest decades after the death of the Prophet, certain basic features of the religio-social organizations of Islam were singled out.

The features are to serve as anchoring points of the community's life and fashioning as the "Pillars of Islam". There are five pillars. To these five, the Khawarij sect added a sixth pillar, the jihad, which, however, was not accepted by the general community. Jihad means "holy war" or "holy struggle".

The first pillar is the profession of faith which states, "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the prophet of God". The profession must be recited at least once in one's lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with an understanding of its meaning and with a covenant from the heart. The second pillar consists of five daily congregational prayers, which may, however be offered individually if one is unable to go to the mosque. The first prayer is performed in the morning before sunrise. The second prayer is performed just after noon, the third in the later afternoon, the fourth immediately after sunset, and the fifth before retiring to bed. However, only three prayers are mentioned in the Qur " an: morning, evening, and middle prayer in the afternoon.

In strict doctrine, the five daily prayers cannot be waived even for the sick, who may pray in bed and, if necessary lying down. The third pillar is the obligatory tax called which means " purification". Zakat indicts that such a payment makes the rest of one's wealth religiously and legally pure. In today's society the payment of has become a matter of voluntary charity dependent on individual conscience.

The fourth pillar of the faith is fasting during the month of Ramadan (ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar). Fasting begins at daybreak and ends at sunset, and during the day eating, drinking, and smoking are forbidden. The Qu " ran (2: 185) states that it was during the month of Ramadan that the Qu " ran was revealed. The fifth pillar is the annual pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca prescribed for every Muslim once in a lifetime -- "provided one can afford it" and provided a person has enough provisions to leave for his family in his absence. By the eighteenth century Black Muslims begin to arrive in North America; coming by the thousands, working as slaves on plantations. As slaves these early communities were cut off from their heritage, families, and inevitable their Islamic identity.

During the nineteenth century America experienced an influx of Arab Muslims arriving from Europe, settling in major industrial cities. The Arab Muslims were generally able to form their communities and to practice their religion freely. The early Twentieth Century witnessed the arrival of several hundred thousand Muslims from Eastern Europe; whom opened a mosque in Maine in 1915 and other mosque soon followed. After World War II an Islamic movement emerged among blacks in the US; members called themselves the Nation of Islam, but they were popularly known as Black Muslims. Although they adopted some Islamic social practices, the group was in large a black separatist and social-protest movement. Their leader, Elijah Muhammad, who claimed to be an inspired prophet, interpreted the doctrine of Resurrection in an unorthodox sense as the revival of oppressed ("dead") people.

The popular leader and advocate Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shab azz) broke with Elijah Muhammad and adopted more orthodox Islamic views. After the death of Malcolm X in 1965 and the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, many blacks turned to Sunni Islam. While most Muslim blacks identify with the traditional Sunni Islam practiced worldwide, the black community's history is entwined with the Nation of Islam, founded about 1930. Malcom X was among the first black Muslims to turn to Sunni Islam through the Nation of Islam. Most Muslims are known as Sunni Muslims; and all other Muslims belong to the Shi'i sect and are known as the Shi " ah. Today many blacks point to the Islamic faith of their slave ancestors.

Scholars estimate that as many as 20 percent of slaves brought to America were Muslims. In the early part of this century black communities started to take hold to the Islamic faith. In the Islamic faith the family is the foundation of the Muslim society. The peace and security offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued and seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members. A friendly social order is created by the existence of external families; the children are treasured and rarely leave home until the time they marry. Also, Muslim women are seen as an individual in her own right, with the right too own and dispose of her property and earnings.

Both men and women are expected to dress in a manner that is modest and dignified; the traditions of female dress found in some Muslim countries are often the expression of local custom. The code in which Muslims eat and drink forbids the consumption of pork meat and any kind of intoxicating drink. The Prophet Muhammad teachings stated that one's body has rights and the consumption of wholesome food and the leading of a healthy lifestyle is seen as a religious obligation and a way of life. In today's society many have come to believe that we live in a secular age, meaning, in effect, that religion is not an especially important issue for most people. But there is much evidence to suggest that this is not true.

In many societies, including the United States, religion and religious values shape the lives of millions of individuals and play a key role in culture.