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November 11, 2023 • 4hr 20min
War All the Time: Israel vs. Palestine, 1948-82 (Bonus Episode)
The Martyr Made Podcast
This episode covers the period from 1948 - the year of Israeli independence and the Palestinian Nakba - to the Lebanon War of 1982. It focuses specifically on how the level of savagery escalated over the years between Israelis and Palestinians, examining the steps by which those escalations occurred to bring us to the current state of virtually unrestrained violence. The host warns that several sections are not for the faint of heart, as it delves into graphic descriptions of atrocities committed by both sides.
War All the Time: Israel vs. Palestine, 1948-82 (Bonus Episode)
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Key Takeaways
- The period from 1948-1982 saw a dramatic escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, with both sides engaging in increasingly brutal and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
- Key events like the 1967 Six-Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur War reshaped the conflict, with Israel occupying large swaths of Arab territory.
- Palestinian militant groups like Fatah and the PLO emerged to carry out guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks against Israel, while Israel responded with harsh military reprisals.
- The conflict spilled over into neighboring countries, especially Lebanon, which was plunged into civil war partly due to the Palestinian refugee crisis.
- Israeli leaders like Ariel Sharon pursued aggressive policies of retaliation and expansion, sometimes acting without full government approval.
- By 1982, the conflict had devolved into a cycle of extreme violence and dehumanization on both sides, culminating in events like the Sabra and Shatila massacre.
Introduction
This episode covers the period from 1948 - the year of Israeli independence and the Palestinian Nakba - to the Lebanon War of 1982. It focuses specifically on how the level of savagery escalated over the years between Israelis and Palestinians, examining the steps by which those escalations occurred to bring us to the current state of virtually unrestrained violence. The host warns that several sections are not for the faint of heart, as it delves into graphic descriptions of atrocities committed by both sides.
Topics Discussed
Early Tensions and Escalation (1948-1967) (0:03:00)
- After the 1948 war, around 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes and became refugees in neighboring Arab countries
- Palestinian militants began launching raids and attacks into Israel from bases in surrounding countries
- Israel responded with harsh reprisals, often targeting civilians in an attempt to deter further attacks
- Moshe Dayan's speech at a soldier's funeral in 1956 acknowledged the Palestinians' grievances but argued Israel had no choice but to respond with force
- Israel, Britain and France secretly conspired to attack Egypt in the 1956 Suez Crisis, but were forced to withdraw by the US
Rise of Palestinian Militant Groups (0:20:00)
- Yasser Arafat and others formed Fatah in the late 1950s to carry out armed struggle against Israel
- They were inspired by the Algerian FLN's guerrilla tactics against France
- The PLO was created in 1964 as an umbrella organization for Palestinian groups
- Fatah and other militants began launching more frequent attacks into Israel in the mid-1960s
- "We cannot prevent the murder of workers in orchards or of families in their beds, but we have the ability to set a high price for our blood." - Moshe Dayan
Six-Day War and Aftermath (1967-1973) (0:42:00)
- Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, Syria and Jordan in June 1967
- Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights
- This put over 1 million Palestinians under Israeli military occupation
- Palestinian militant groups intensified their guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks from bases in Jordan
- The Battle of Karameh in 1968 boosted the prestige of Palestinian fighters
- Jordan expelled the PLO in 1970-71 after a series of hijackings and clashes ("Black September")
Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Escalate (1:04:00)
- Palestinian groups like Black September carried out high-profile terrorist attacks in Europe and Israel in the early 1970s
- The 1972 Munich Olympics massacre shocked the world and led to intensified Israeli counter-terrorism efforts
- Israel's Mossad launched a global assassination campaign against PLO leaders and operatives
- Ariel Sharon led aggressive military operations against Palestinian militants in Gaza
- Both sides increasingly targeted civilians, with brutal massacres and reprisals becoming common
Yom Kippur War and Aftermath (1973-1975) (1:26:00)
- Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel in October 1973
- After initial Arab gains, Israel counter-attacked and nearly reached Cairo and Damascus
- The war shattered the myth of Israeli invincibility but also opened the door to peace talks with Egypt
- Palestinian militant attacks continued, including the 1974 Ma'alot massacre of Israeli schoolchildren
- Israel responded with air strikes and commando raids deep into Lebanon
Civil War in Lebanon (1975-1978) (1:48:00)
- Tensions between Lebanese Christians, Muslims and Palestinian refugees erupted into civil war in 1975
- All sides committed atrocities, with massacres of civilians becoming commonplace
- The PLO established a "state within a state" in southern Lebanon, using it as a base to attack Israel
- Syria intervened militarily in 1976, initially against the PLO but later switching sides
- Israel began supporting Lebanese Christian militias against the PLO
- "It was a carnival of death." - Description of the brutality in Lebanon
Operation Litani and Escalation (1978-1982) (2:10:00)
- Israel launched a major invasion of southern Lebanon (Operation Litani) in 1978 in response to a PLO attack
- UN peacekeepers were deployed but failed to prevent ongoing clashes
- Ariel Sharon became Israeli Defense Minister in 1981 and pursued an aggressive policy
- Sharon secretly planned a much larger invasion of Lebanon to destroy the PLO and reshape the region
- Israel bombed Beirut and invaded Lebanon in June 1982, besieging the capital
Sabra and Shatila Massacre (September 1982) (2:32:00)
- Israeli forces allowed Lebanese Christian militias to enter the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps
- The militias massacred hundreds of civilians over several days while Israeli forces guarded the perimeter
- Journalist Robert Fisk provided a horrific firsthand account of the aftermath
- The massacre shocked the world and turned international opinion sharply against Israel
- Sharon was found indirectly responsible by an Israeli inquiry but remained in the government
Aftermath and Legacy (2:54:00)
- The Lebanon War became a quagmire for Israel, leading to an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon
- It marked a transition to a new phase of the conflict, with the rise of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas
- Cycles of violence continued in subsequent decades, with major Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank
- The host expresses pessimism about prospects for peace, seeing no viable solution
- "At this point, I just worry for the souls of everybody involved." - The host's concluding thoughts
Conclusion
This episode traces how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict devolved into increasingly brutal cycles of violence from 1948 to 1982. What began as a territorial dispute escalated into waves of terrorist attacks, harsh military reprisals, and atrocities against civilians on both sides. Key events like the 1967 and 1973 wars, the rise of Palestinian militant groups, and Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon marked turning points that further radicalized both populations. By the end of this period, the conflict had become deeply entrenched, with extreme dehumanization on both sides making peaceful resolution seem increasingly unlikely. The host concludes on a pessimistic note, seeing no clear path to ending the cycles of violence that continue to this day.