Edexcel GCSE History · Option P5

Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95

50 exam-style questions with answers for Option P5 Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95 in Edexcel GCSE History (spec 1HI0). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
What was the British Mandate in Palestine? [1 mark]
Answer:
British control of Palestine given by the League of Nations after the First World War, lasting until 1948.
Question 2 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
Explain why Jews and Arabs had conflicting demands in Palestine after 1945. [2 marks]
Answer:
Jews wanted a homeland and unlimited immigration, especially for Holocaust survivors (1); Arabs, the majority, wanted an independent Arab state and an end to Jewish immigration (1).
Question 3 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
What was the bombing of the King David Hotel (1946)? [2 marks]
Answer:
The Jewish group Irgun bombed the British headquarters in Jerusalem, killing 91 people (1); it increased British pressure to withdraw from Palestine (1).
Question 4 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
What was UN Resolution 181 (1947)? [2 marks]
Answer:
The UN plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state (1); with Jerusalem under international control (1).
Question 5 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
How did Jews and Arabs react to the UN partition plan? [2 marks]
Answer:
Jewish leaders accepted it (1); Arab leaders rejected it, and fighting broke out (1).
Question 6 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
When was the state of Israel declared? [1 mark]
Answer:
14 May 1948, by David Ben-Gurion, as the British Mandate ended.
Question 7 · Option P5, Key topic 1.1
Describe two key events of the Arab-Israeli War (1948–49). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq invaded the day after Israel was declared (1); Israel held off the attacks and then advanced (1); the ceasefire left Israel with more land than the UN plan (1); Jordan took the West Bank and Egypt took Gaza (1).
Question 8 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
State two territorial changes after the 1948–49 war. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Israel gained about 78% of Palestine (1); Jordan held the West Bank and East Jerusalem (1); Egypt held the Gaza Strip (1); Jerusalem was divided (1).
Question 9 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
Explain why the Palestinian refugee problem began in 1948–49. [2 marks]
Answer:
About 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were driven from their homes during the war (1); Israel would not let them return, so they lived in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring states (1).
Question 10 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
What was the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Israel's national army, formed in 1948 from Jewish militias such as the Haganah.
Question 11 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
What was the Law of Return (1950)? [1 mark]
Answer:
An Israeli law giving every Jewish person in the world the right to settle in Israel and become a citizen.
Question 12 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
Explain why US aid was important to Israel. [2 marks]
Answer:
The USA gave loans and economic aid to help Israel absorb immigrants (1); later it supplied weapons, making Israel militarily strong (1).
Question 13 · Option P5, Key topic 1.2
Describe Israel's relations with Egypt after 1949. [2 marks]
Answer:
Egypt refused to recognise Israel and stayed technically at war (1); it blocked Israeli shipping through the Suez Canal and the Straits of Tiran (1).
Question 14 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
Who was Nasser? [2 marks]
Answer:
The leader of Egypt from 1954 (1); he aimed to unite the Arab world against Western influence and Israel (pan-Arabism) (1).
Question 15 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
What happened in the Israeli attack on Gaza in 1955? [2 marks]
Answer:
Israeli forces raided an Egyptian army base in Gaza in revenge for fedayeen attacks, killing 37 soldiers (1); it convinced Nasser to buy Soviet weapons through Czechoslovakia (1).
Question 16 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
What caused the Suez Crisis (1956)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal after the USA and Britain withdrew funding for the Aswan Dam (1); Britain, France and Israel secretly planned to attack Egypt (1).
Question 17 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
Describe the events of the Suez Crisis. [2 marks]
Answer:
Israel invaded Sinai in October 1956, and Britain and France landed troops near the canal (1); the USA and the USSR forced them to withdraw (1).
Question 18 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
State two consequences of the Suez Crisis. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Nasser became a hero of the Arab world (1); Britain and France were humiliated (1); a UN force was placed in Sinai (1); Israel gained shipping access through the Straits of Tiran (1).
Question 19 · Option P5, Key topic 1.3
What was the UAR (1958)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The United Arab Republic, a union of Egypt and Syria led by Nasser, which lasted until 1961.
Question 20 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
Why was the Cairo Conference (1964) significant? [2 marks]
Answer:
Arab leaders agreed to oppose Israel's plan to divert the River Jordan (1); and to create the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) (1).
Question 21 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
Who were Fatah? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Palestinian guerrilla group, led by Yasser Arafat, which raided Israel with Syrian support.
Question 22 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
What was Israel's raid on Samu (1966)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Israel attacked the village of Samu in the Jordanian-controlled West Bank in revenge for Fatah attacks (1); it humiliated King Hussein of Jordan and increased tension (1).
Question 23 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
What happened on 7 April 1967? [1 mark]
Answer:
Israeli jets shot down six Syrian MiG fighters in an air battle, increasing tension.
Question 24 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
How did the USSR increase tension before the 1967 war? [1 mark]
Answer:
It falsely told Egypt that Israel was massing troops on the Syrian border.
Question 25 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
State two actions by Nasser that led to war in 1967. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: he moved troops into Sinai (1); he ordered the UN force to leave (1); he closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping (1).
Question 26 · Option P5, Key topic 2.1
Describe two key events of the Six Day War (June 1967). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Israel destroyed most of the Egyptian air force on the ground on the first morning (1); Israel took Sinai and Gaza from Egypt (1); the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan (1); the Golan Heights from Syria (1).
Question 27 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
What was UN Resolution 242 (1967)? [2 marks]
Answer:
It called on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied in the war (1); and for all states to recognise each other's right to exist in peace (1).
Question 28 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
Why was the Suez Canal still disputed after 1967? [1 mark]
Answer:
Israeli and Egyptian forces faced each other across the canal, which stayed closed until 1975.
Question 29 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
Explain why the occupied territories were significant. [2 marks]
Answer:
They gave Israel defensible borders and control of all Jerusalem (1); but over a million Palestinians now lived under Israeli military rule (1).
Question 30 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
What were the PFLP hijacks of 1970? [2 marks]
Answer:
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked several airliners (1); three were blown up at Dawson's Field in Jordan after passengers were removed (1).
Question 31 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
What was Black September (1970)? [2 marks]
Answer:
King Hussein's army attacked the PLO in Jordan, as he feared it threatened his rule (1); the PLO was expelled from Jordan and moved to Lebanon (1).
Question 32 · Option P5, Key topic 2.2
What happened at the Munich Olympics in 1972? [2 marks]
Answer:
The Palestinian group Black September took Israeli athletes hostage (1); 11 Israelis were killed (1).
Question 33 · Option P5, Key topic 2.3
Why did Sadat expel Soviet advisers from Egypt in 1972? [2 marks]
Answer:
The USSR would not supply the weapons Egypt needed to attack Israel (1); Sadat wanted to improve relations with the USA (1).
Question 34 · Option P5, Key topic 2.3
How did Israel consolidate control of the occupied territories after 1967? [2 marks]
Answer:
It built Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and Golan Heights (1); it annexed East Jerusalem (1).
Question 35 · Option P5, Key topic 2.3
Describe the Yom Kippur War (1973). [2 marks]
Answer:
Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur (1); Israel was pushed back at first but, with US supplies, counter-attacked across the Suez Canal (1).
Question 36 · Option P5, Key topic 2.3
State two consequences of the Yom Kippur War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Arab states regained pride (1); Israel was shown not to be invincible (1); the oil crisis (1); the superpowers pushed for negotiations (1).
Question 37 · Option P5, Key topic 3.1
What was the oil crisis of 1973? [2 marks]
Answer:
Arab oil producers cut production and banned oil sales to the USA and the Netherlands for supporting Israel (1); oil prices quadrupled, causing economic problems in the West (1).
Question 38 · Option P5, Key topic 3.1
What was Kissinger's 'shuttle diplomacy'? [2 marks]
Answer:
The US Secretary of State flew between Middle Eastern capitals negotiating with each side (1); it led to disengagement agreements between Israel, Egypt and Syria in 1974–75 (1).
Question 39 · Option P5, Key topic 3.1
Why was Sadat's visit to Israel in 1977 significant? [2 marks]
Answer:
He was the first Arab leader to visit Israel (1); he spoke to the Knesset, effectively recognising Israel (1).
Question 40 · Option P5, Key topic 3.1
What were the Camp David Accords (1978)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Agreements between Sadat and Begin, brokered by US President Carter (1); Israel would return Sinai and Egypt would make peace (1).
Question 41 · Option P5, Key topic 3.1
What was the Treaty of Washington (1979)? [2 marks]
Answer:
The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel (1); Egypt became the first Arab state to recognise Israel, and was expelled from the Arab League (1).
Question 42 · Option P5, Key topic 3.2
Why was Arafat's speech to the UN in 1974 significant? [2 marks]
Answer:
It gave the PLO international recognition (1); the PLO was given observer status at the UN (1).
Question 43 · Option P5, Key topic 3.2
Why did Israel invade Lebanon in 1982? [2 marks]
Answer:
To destroy PLO bases that were attacking northern Israel (1); after an attempt to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London (1).
Question 44 · Option P5, Key topic 3.2
State two results of the invasion of Lebanon. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the PLO was forced to leave Beirut for Tunisia (1); the massacres at Sabra and Shatila caused international outrage (1); Israel occupied southern Lebanon until 2000 (1).
Question 45 · Option P5, Key topic 3.2
What was the First Intifada (1987–93)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories (1); through strikes, boycotts and stone-throwing, which brought world attention to the Palestinian cause (1).
Question 46 · Option P5, Key topic 3.3
Why was Arafat's speech at the UN in 1988 significant? [2 marks]
Answer:
He renounced terrorism and recognised Israel's right to exist (1); this opened the way for talks with the USA (1).
Question 47 · Option P5, Key topic 3.3
How did the end of the Cold War affect the Middle East? [2 marks]
Answer:
The USSR stopped backing Arab states against Israel (1); so the USA became the main power and could push for a peace settlement (1).
Question 48 · Option P5, Key topic 3.3
Why was US involvement in the Gulf War (1991) significant? [2 marks]
Answer:
The USA led a coalition, including Arab states, to drive Iraq out of Kuwait (1); this boosted US influence and led to the Madrid peace conference later in 1991 (1).
Question 49 · Option P5, Key topic 3.3
What were the Oslo Accords (1993)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Israel and the PLO recognised each other, with Rabin and Arafat shaking hands at the White House (1); it set up the Palestinian National Authority to govern parts of Gaza and the West Bank (1).
Question 50 · Option P5, Key topic 3.3
What was agreed in 1994 and 1995? [2 marks]
Answer:
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 (1); Oslo II (1995) extended Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank (1).

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Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95

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