• Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

How far do you agree that Israeli victories in successive Arab-Israeli conflicts in the years 1948-73 were primarily due to divisions amongst Arabs?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

How far do you agree that Israeli victories in successive Arab-Israeli conflicts in the years 1948-73 were primarily due to divisions amongst Arabs? As soon as the new state of Israel was announced on the 14th May 1948 it found itself at war with 5 Arab armies as the Arab states rejected the UN Resolution that would partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish homelands. On one hand it would seem inconceivable that the newly created Israel would be able to defeat the combined might of the Arab neighbours without external assistance. However the Arab- Israeli War 1948-49 was a disaster for the Arabs. After victory in the Six Day War, the Israelis conquered the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights. The Israeli government decided to use these territories as military occupation and this was a central issue in Arab-Israeli relations for the next 40 years. The Yom Kippur War was another military victory for the Israelis, and yet again proved that their weapons, training and tactics were superior to their Arab rivals. One of the reasons for the Israeli victories in the Arab-Israeli Wars was because of the divisions amongst the Arab countries. ...read more.

Middle

This gave them an advantage over the Arab armies as they had gained a lot of weapons and experience whereas the Arab armies had very little equipment and were poorly lead. Although there was a Western arms embargo which applied to both sides, this was ignored by the Soviet Union who supplied Israel with military hardware including tanks, aircraft, armoured cars and artillery. This was in the early days of the Cold War when the USSR was seeking to gain allies and undermine the British influence in the Middle East, before the close relationship between Israel and the United States had developed. Thus, from a position of apparent weakness, Israel was able to outman and outgun its Arab enemies and gain a decisive victory in the first Arab-Israeli War. During the Six Day War the Israelis had the most advanced US electronic equipment, which enabled them to intercept Arab communications, and they were highly skilled and well trained. This was no match against the Arab weapons that they had received from the Soviet Union, and the Israelis believed they were fighting for their nation's survival. ...read more.

Conclusion

Many Americans admire Israel's pioneering spirit, social and economic achievements and its democratic ideals in a part of the world where there is little democracy. Without the aid that Israel received from overseas the results of the Arab-Israeli Wars might have been very different. While the victories in the Arab-Israeli Wars were partly due to the Arab divisions, this was not the key reason for these victories. The main reason for the victories was because of the military weakness of the Arab nations. The populations of the Arab nations outnumbered the Israeli population by 40:1, so the Arab nations should had had a greater numbered army than they did. The vast majority of the Arab army was poorly trained and equipped and this meant that the army had no chance against the well prepared Israeli army. The Arab divisions were less clear in the Yom Kippur War, where the Arab nations worked better together than they had in the previous wars. Therefore the Arab divisions were not the main reason for the Israeli victories in the Arab-Israeli Wars and other factors such as the strength of the Israeli army and the international intervention that the Israelis received from the USA were also key reasons. ?? ?? ?? ?? Haydn Evans Ph12 ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level International History, 1945-1991 section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level International History, 1945-1991 essays

  1. WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF THE YOM KIPPUR WAR OF 1973?

    However, the most important fact about this author is that in his early years he had studied Semitic languages and his father had set up the Jewish workers unions in Paris. Thus this background of the author I feel is a balance and not too biased of either Israel or

  2. Both sides were merely pursuing their legitimate interests. This was the crux-and the tragedy-of ...

    The Arabs would remain committed to antagonizing Israel and Israel will often be forced into retaliation against such provocative actions. The escalation of the conflict in the 1956 war was another example of both sides pursuing their legitimate interests if critically examined.

  1. Many peoples have contributed to the development of the United States of America, a ...

    The two-party system survived in the North despite the war. Democrats never sank below 40 percent of the vote because many northerners opposed the conflict, or at least Republican policies. In the DRAFT RIOTS of 1863, Irish Catholics and other New Yorkers fiercely protested the new conscription law, which seemed a special hardship to poor people.

  2. History of the United States

    $12 billion to the devastated countries of Europe to help them rebuild and fend off the despair on which communism was believed to feed. True to its Democratic tradition, the Truman administration stressed multilateral diplomacy; that is, the building of an international order based on joint decision making.

  1. Contemporary Status of Arab Americans

    In the 1960s and 1970s the number of Arab immigrants quickly rose. The quick increase was due mainly because of the economic and political upset that had taken place in their homeland. They simply wanted a way out. They wanted to move to a land of opportunities; the United States.

  2. This graduation paper is about U.S. - Soviet relations in Cold War period. Our ...

    President Roosevelt was neither politically naive nor stupid. Even though committed to the Atlantic Charter's ideals of self-determination and territorial integrity, he recognized the legitimate need of the Soviet Union for national security. For him, the process of politics-informed by thirty-five years of skilled practice-involved striking a deal that both sides could live with.

  1. How far do you agree that the development of the Cold War between 1945 ...

    However, he didn?t learn from this and although he wasn?t directly involved in the Korean War, he still showed his support and provided materials for the North Koreans and China. When this was unsuccessful, it showed, once again, Stalin?s willingness to let war happen when it didn?t need to and

  2. The USA played a much more significant role than the USSR in the Arab-Israeli ...

    Soviet motives at surface seemed solely upon the determination to elimination British colonialism within that area. We also see Soviets strategic considerations as they seemed reluctant in supporting the American position on Palestine in hopes of ameliorating the current situation thus reducing the risk of direct confrontation, especially since they were behind on the nuclear arms race.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work