Edexcel IGCSE History: The Middle East, Conflict, Crisis and Change, 1917–2012 — Revision Notes

Quick-recall notes for Breadth Study B7 of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 2, “The Middle East: conflict, crisis and change, 1917–2012”. Full explanations are in the B7 study guide; practise with the B7 practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (4HI1, Breadth Study B7)

Key topic	Core content
1. Palestine, 1917–46	Balfour, immigration, clashes, Peel Commission, terrorism, King David Hotel
2. Israel, 1948–49 and Suez 1956	UN partition, first war, refugees, Law of Return, Nasser, Suez, UN and superpowers
3. Tension and conflict, 1956–73	Six-Day War, PLO and Arafat, Black September, Munich, Cold War, Yom Kippur
4. Diplomacy and wider war, 1973–83	Shuttle diplomacy, Camp David, Sadat, Begin, Carter, Lebanon
5. Search for peace, 1987–2012	Intifadas, Oslo, Rabin, Netanyahu, Hamas, Hezbollah, Roadmap, Gaza War

Timeline

Date	Event
Nov 1917	Balfour Declaration
1920s	British Mandate; riots (1920–21, 1929)
1936–39	Arab Revolt
1937	Peel Commission proposes partition
1939	White Paper limits Jewish immigration
July 1946	King David Hotel bombing
Nov 1947	UN partition plan
14 May 1948	Israel declares independence; Arab states invade
1949	Armistices; refugee problem
1950	Law of Return
1956	Suez Crisis
1964	PLO founded
June 1967	Six-Day War; Resolution 242 (Nov)
1969	Arafat becomes PLO chairman
1970	Black September in Jordan
1972	Munich Olympics attack
Oct 1973	Yom Kippur War; Resolution 338
1973–75	Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy
1977	Sadat visits Jerusalem
1978–79	Camp David; Egypt–Israel peace treaty
1981	Sadat assassinated
1982	Israeli invasion of Lebanon; PLO leaves Beirut
Dec 1987	First Intifada; Hamas founded
1993	Oslo Accords
1995	Rabin assassinated
1996	Netanyahu becomes Prime Minister
2000	Second Intifada
2003	Roadmap for Peace
2008–09	Gaza War

The wars compared

War	Cause	Result
1948–49	Arab rejection of partition and Israel’s independence	Israel survives and expands; 700,000 refugees
1956	Nationalisation of the canal; fedayeen raids	Anglo-French withdrawal; Nasser strengthened
1967	Closure of Tiran; UN force removed; Arab build-up	Israel takes Sinai, Gaza, West Bank, Golan
1973	Arab desire to regain land and pride	Early Arab gains; Israel recovers; path to diplomacy
1982	PLO bases in Lebanon	PLO expelled to Tunis; wider war
2008–09	Rocket fire from Gaza; Hamas rule	Heavy Palestinian losses; no settlement

Peace efforts compared

Effort	Who	Outcome
Peel (1937), UN partition (1947)	Britain; UN	Rejected by Arabs
Resolutions 242 and 338	UN	Land for peace; not implemented
Shuttle diplomacy	Kissinger	Disengagement agreements
Camp David (1978)	Carter, Sadat, Begin	Egypt–Israel peace; Sinai returned
Oslo (1993)	Rabin, Arafat, USA	Mutual recognition; limited self-rule
Roadmap (2003)	USA, EU, UN, Russia	Failed

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Zionism	Movement for a Jewish homeland
Mandate	Territory run by a power under League supervision
Partition	Division into separate states
Fedayeen	Palestinian guerrilla fighters
PLO	Palestine Liberation Organisation
Intifada	Palestinian uprising (“shaking off”)
Shuttle diplomacy	Mediator travelling between the sides
Settlements	Israeli communities in occupied territory

Worked example: explain two ways different

Explain two ways in which the territory controlled by Israel in 1949 was different from that controlled in 1967 (after the Six-Day War). (6 marks)

1. Size: in 1949 Israel held the land within the armistice lines; after June 1967 it also occupied Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
2. Population: in 1949 Israel’s territory had a Jewish majority; after 1967 it ruled over a large Palestinian Arab population in the occupied territories.

Essay plan in outline

“Disputed territory was the main cause of conflict in the Middle East in the years 1917–2009.”

• For: competing claims after Balfour; partition (1947); occupation after 1967; settlements; Jerusalem.
• Against: superpower rivalry; Arab nationalism and Nasser; refugees; terrorism and extremism on both sides.
• Judgement: most other causes grew out of, or were made worse by, the struggle for land.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Confusing Black September (1970) in Jordan with the group that attacked Munich (1972).
• Treating Suez as an Arab–Israeli war only. Britain, France and the superpowers are central.
• Saying 1973 was an Arab victory. It began well for Egypt and Syria, but Israel recovered.
• Leaving out terrorism as a theme. It is named in the specification and runs from the 1930s to 2009.
• Inventing casualty figures. Use rounded figures only when certain.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Britain give up Palestine? Rising violence, cost, post-war weakness and US pressure.

Why did Egypt make peace in 1979? To regain Sinai, gain US aid and end the costs of war.

What did Oslo achieve? Mutual recognition and the Palestinian Authority, but not a final settlement.

Source

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 2, Breadth Study B7.