Help me understand the middle-east

[Broletariat]

Starting from about the 70's, really I've got no clue about Israel and Palestine. I've been led to believe Israel was created out of Palestine lands or something? And the Palestinians were reasonably pissed off? And what's the whole deal with Soviet imperialism into Afghanistan, was that when the USA funded.. Bin Laden? What's up with the Iran-contra deal and the Yom Kippur war?

[Barry Lyndon]

Well, to answer all your questions as briefly as possible-

In 1967, Israel had the so-called 'Six Day War' with its Arab neighbors in which it annexed the Palestinian regions of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel's continued military occupation and building of illegal Jewish colonies there has caused continued tension and violence with the Palestinian population up to the present day.

In 1967, Israel also defeated Egypt and Syria, seizing the Sinai from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria. In 1973, both countries launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in a attempt to recover their lost territory. The Israelis initially suffered a series of major defeats, but recovered and were able to fight its Arab opponents to a standstill. Egypt eventually got the Sinai back in a treaty afterwards, but Israel continues to control the Golan Heights to the present day.

In 1978, a Communist regime came to power in Afghanistan, mostly supported by the military, students, and intellectuals. However its attempts to implement reforms in favor of women's rights and land reform created resistance from Islamic fundamentalists, landlords and local tribes. The CIA stepped in and began to fund and arm the Islamists fighting the Afghan government. The Communist government in Afghanistan was in danger of collapse and begged the Soviet Union to intervene, which it finally did in late 1979. A massive war ensued for 10 years in which about a million Afghans were killed, mostly civilians. The CIA poured millions of dollars into the Islamist fighters, who became known as the Mujihideen, or 'holy warriors', because Washington saw this as a unprecedented chance to militarily bleed the Soviet Union. Volunteers from across the Arab world poured in to fight against the 'godless' communists, one of whom was Bin Laden. Finally the USSR withdrew and the Communist government in Afghanistan collapsed in 1992 to the Islamic fundamentalists, who immediately began fighting each each other and reduced the country to ruins.

Iran-Contra was a rather complicated political scandal, but it basically went like this-
In the 1980's, the Reagan administration was funneling money and weapons to the Contras, basically right-wing mercenaries who were trying to topple the Marxist Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. There were widespread fears among the American public that the military aid would drag the United States into a direct war in Central America, given that Vietnam was a recent memory and they remembered that US intervention in Vietnam had begun with military aid and advisors. Congress passed legislation forbidding funding for direct US military aid to Central America. The Reagan administration got around this law by secretly selling weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of Americans who were being held hostage in Lebanon by Iran-backed Shia militants. They then used the money from these sales to arm the Contras in Central America. This went on for years before it was exposed in the late 1980's by a number of American and non-American journalists. The most famous participant in this affair was Colonel Oliver North. This illegal proxy war in Nicaragua cost the lives of 30,000 people in that tiny country of less then 4 million, overwhelmingly civilians.

Are these explanations helpful? Tell me if anything confuses you.

[Broletariat]

Yea thanks that was helpful, could you go into more detail about the relationship between Israel and Palestine? I see a lot of stuff about Israel is all super bad and w/e to Palestine but I've never actually looked any of that up.

[Bonobo1917]

There is a beautiful, well-documented book on how the state of Israel was founded, and the massive ethnic cleansing in 1948-49 that went with that. Written by a critical Israeli historian. Ilan Pappe, "The ethnic cleansing of Palestine", 2006. Highly recommended.

[Broletariat]

There is a beautiful, well-documented book on how the state of Israel was founded, and the massive ethnic cleansing in 1948-49 that went with that. Written by a critical Israeli historian. Ilan Pappe, "The ethnic cleansing of Palestine", 2006. Highly recommended.
Any idea where I can find this book online somewhere? I've tried googling around a bit with no luck thus far.

[Yehuda Stern]

Palestine Remembered is a great website:
http://www.palestineremembered.com/

I also think you'll find my group's (ISL) website useful. You can find the link in my signature.

[empiredestoryer]

the english wanted a home land for jews so they basily stole palastine from the palestinens and gave it to white jews who were not happy with their lot so stole neary every grain of palestine from the palestinens and built theyre own nation on the top of another nation and thats the story of the modern middleeast

[Red Saxon]

This sums it up pretty well.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/472842

[Turinbaar]

I'm writing an article that includes a description of part of the Iran-contra dealings. Think of the dealings with the central american paramilitaries as a covert guns for drugs program. Oliver North of the Reagan administration hired men who where known by the CIA to be drug runners, to fly weapons to central america, and on their way back these men would bring with them cocaine, in order to finance the contras, in order to buy more weapons.