| |
| 1948–53 |
| |
| MASS MIGRATION OF JEWS FROM ARAB COUNTRIES, mostly to Israel. The movement came in the wake of widespread anti-Jewish attacks during the late 1940s and quickly gained in size and momentum after the foundation of Israel in May 1948. Emigration most severely drained the Jewish communities in Libya (31,000 out of some 35,000 Jews between April 1949 and Dec. 1951), Yemen (44,000 of some 45,000 between June 1949 and Sept. 1950), Syria (about 10,000 of 15,000 between 1948 and 1953), and above all, Iraq (134,000 from about 140,000 during 1950–51). In most of North Africa, the Jewish exodus took place over a somewhat longer period and at a slower rate. The Jewish population of Morocco dwindled from a quarter of a million after World War II to about 25,000 in the early 1970s. Nearly all of Algeria's Jews (140,000 in 1950) departed before 1962. Fewer than 8,000 Jews (of a postwar population of about 50,000) remained in Tunisia after 1967. During 1949–67, Egypt lost all but some 3,000 of its original Jewish enclave of 80,000. Lebanon was the only Arab country in which the Jewish population increased after 1948 (eventually reaching about 11,000). | 1 |
| |
| 1950–73 |
| |
| The share of Middle Eastern oil in total world production rose from 17 percent to approximately 40 percent. From this peak, it dropped by 1980 to about 35 percent. | 2 |
| |
| 1950 |
| |
| The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) took over the task of administering the Palestinian refugee camps and providing their inhabitants and nearby villagers with basic care. By establishing an educational system for the refugees, UNRWA played a pivotal role, albeit an indirect one, in the creation of the Palestinian national identity. In 1950, UNRWA listed 950,000 Palestinian refugees on its records. The number had risen to 2.2 million by 1987 (mainly because of natural increase), about one-third of whom lived in UN camps. | 3 |
| |
| 1955 |
| |
| Egyptian blockade of the Straits of Tiran. The action effectively closed the Israeli port of Eilat in the Gulf of Aqaba. | 4 |
| |
| Feb. 24 |
| |
| Signing of the BAGHDAD PACT by Iraq and Turkey. The treaty eventually came to include Britain (April), Pakistan (Sept.), and Iran (Oct.). The purpose of the pact was to provide mutual defense and a unified shield against Soviet influence. Britain agreed to supply equipment and advice, and to take military measures in the event of an attack. The treaty firmly aligned the signatories with the Western powers. Among Arab countries, the signing caused a deep rift between Iraq and Egypt. The latter viewed Iraq's foreign policy not merely as a capitulation to the West, but also as a challenge to Egyptian leadership of the Arab world. | 5 |
| |
| |
