This episode delves into the immediate aftermath of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, focusing on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and its profound impact on Palestinians. It covers the rise of Yasser Arafat and the PLO, the symbolic victory at Karameh, and the brutal Black September conflict in Jordan which forced Palestinian militias to relocate to Lebanon, fundamentally reshaping regional dynamics.
Summarized by Podsumo
Post-1967, 200,000 Palestinians fled, but the majority stayed, facing Israeli military rule that utilized British Mandate and Ottoman laws, including "Mawat land" for settlements.
While Palestinians lost rights under occupation, many found better-paying jobs in Israel, leading to a period of relative economic prosperity in the West Bank during the 1970s.
The Battle of Karameh in March 1968, though a tactical defeat, was a symbolic victory for Palestinians, boosting Arafat's leadership and leading to a surge in PLO recruitment across the Arab world.
Palestinian militias, particularly the PFLP, challenged King Hussein's sovereignty in Jordan through hijackings and revolutionary rhetoric, leading to a brutal military crackdown that expelled the PLO from Jordan to Lebanon.
The episode concludes with the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser after mediating the Black September crisis, marking the end of an era of pan-Arab leadership and the rise of the underestimated Anwar Sadat.
"The international community continues to view the annexation of East Jerusalem as illegal under international law and that East Jerusalem remains occupied territory."
"For the most part, those fears were unfounded, and the Palestinian communities that came under Israeli occupation found that they were safe in their homes and not subject to atrocity or massacre. But they didn't know that, and so it was a moment of uncertainty, a fear."
"His death really was the end of an age. And I don't think that there will ever be a leader that achieves that unanimity of support across the Arabic speaking world."