In this deck, we'll explore the period from 1974 to 1995 in the Middle East. This was a time of contradictions: major breakthroughs in peace between old enemies happened alongside new and brutal waves of conflict. We will cover the famous Camp David Accords, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the First Palestinian Intifada, and finally, the hopeful but flawed Oslo Accords.

After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the world faced a major oil crisis. Arab oil-producing nations, organised in OPEC, cut supplies to countries that had supported Israel. This caused huge economic problems globally and put immense pressure, especially on the United States, to find a lasting peace settlement in the Middle East. For your exam, this is a key cause for the increased diplomatic efforts of the mid-1970s.

In response to this pressure, the US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, began a new diplomatic approach. He flew back and forth between Middle Eastern capitals, negotiating deals between leaders who would not meet face-to-face. This intense, on-the-move negotiation style became famously known as 'shuttle diplomacy'.