UN and Arab-Israeli Conflicts: Pre-1973 Assessment
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How significant was the United Nations in the Arab–Israeli conflicts to 1973? Explain your answer.
ESSAY
The United Nations played a significant role in the Arab-Israeli conflicts up until 1973. It oversaw the armistice in 1949 and created a demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel. In 1956, the UN acted as a peacekeeper and ordered British and French forces to leave the area around the Suez Canal. The United Nations Emergency Force was used as a peacekeeping force in Sinai in 1957. The UN attempted to bring resolution to the 1967 conflict and explore ways to achieve lasting peace in the region. It declared the pre-emptive strike against Egypt and Syria in 1967 as illegal and facilitated a ceasefire. UN Security Council Resolution 242 pushed for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories and guaranteed freedom of navigation in the seas. The UN also addressed the refugee issue, which intensified after the Six-Day War. In 1973, the UN was used by the USA and USSR to help bring a ceasefire and end the fighting. However, the UN was not always successful in developing Arab-Israeli relations and was often used as a pawn by the superpowers during the politics of the Cold War era. The Cold War context, alliances in the Middle East, access to Arab oil, and the role of other countries like Britain and France also had significant influence on the conflict. Factors such as Arab nationalism, Jewish expansionism, and the roles of leaders like Nasser and Sadat also played a role in shaping the conflicts.
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How significant was the United Nations in the Arab–Israeli conflicts to 1973? Explain your answer. Yes UN oversaw armistice in 1949 between Israel and her enemies; created a demilitarised zone between Syria and Israel; 1956 saw the UN act as peacekeeper and ordered British and French forces to leave the area around the Suez Canal; United Nations Emergency Force used by the USA in 1957 to act as a peace keeping force in Sinai; UN attempted to bring a resolution to the 1967 conflict and explore ways a lasting peace could be achieved in the region; UN declared the pre-emptive strike against Egypt and Syria as illegal in 1967; UN ceasefire between Israel , Egypt and Syria accepted; UN Security Council Resolution 242 pushed for a withdrawal of Israeli forces in occupied territories and guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the seas; it also attempted to tackle the refugee issue which increased in severity after the Six-Day War; UN used by the USA and USSR to help bring a ceasefire to the 1973 war and end the fighting, etc. No UN not always successful in developing Arab-Israeli relations and often used as a pawn by the superpowers, especially during the politics of the Cold War era; more significant – Cold War context to the alliances in the Middle East; role of the superpowers; access to Arab oil; role of Britain and France in 1956 war and later supplied aircraft and tanks to Israel; creation of PLO in 1964 to unite Arab resistance movements; role of Nasser and Sadat; Arab nationalism and Jewish expansionism, etc.