The Battle Of Karameh-the Political Myth And The Turning Point In The Palestinian Cause

The Battle of Karameh was the largest conflict between the Arab countries and Israel since the third Middle East War,and it was also the first direct confrontation between Palestinians and Israelites since 1948.It has had a complicated,extensive and far-reaching impact on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian cause.The Battle of Karameh led to the rise of Fatah,who became the representative of the Palestinian people,creating a new phase for the Palestinian cause.The Battle of Karameh not only enhanced the morale of the Palestinians,strengthened their national consciousness and national identity,but also gave publicity to the Palestinian cause and attracted wide attention from the international community.What's more,it also changed the attitude of the Arab countries towards Palestine issue and made the international community re-recognize Palestine issue.Fatah forces strengthened rapidly after the battle of Karameh,and they severely endangered Jordan's national security and stability while they intensified violent attack on Israel,which sowed the seed of the war between Jordan and Palestine Liberation Organization.Although the Battle of Karameh did not last long,the Palestine has been greatly changed because of the enormous political resources it brought,so it also becomes one of the classic cases in the study of political mythology.However,the final outcome of the Battle of Karameh failed to realize the ideals of the Palestinian Resistance Organization-the establishment of an independent Palestinian political entity,what's worse,its own influence has been declined over time.For all this,we cannot ignore that the Palestinians become the true masters of the Palestinian territories,which was the great legacy of the Battle of Karameh.The paper divides into five chapters.The first chapter focuses on the definition of political mythology and why we call the Battle of Karameh a political myth.The Battle of Karameh did not last long,with far fewer casualties on both sides than the third Middle East War,but it played a decisive role in changing the situation in the Palestinian territories,which is inseparable from the characteristics of the political mythology of the Battle of Karameh.The second chapter mainly describes the historical background of the outbreak of the Battle of Karameh.After the third Middle East War,the Arab countries suffered a lot,causing a political vacuum in the Palestinian territories.The Arab countries damaged the interests of the Palestinians in order to reclaim land lost in the war,which made the Palestinians realize that it is difficult to achieve national independence by relying on Arab countries.This had contributed to the renewed awakening of Palestinian nationalism to some extent.The Palestinian guerrillas headed by Fatah began a series of guerrilla operations,while the traditionalPalestinian political elite led by the West Bank wanted to establish an independent Palestinian state.However,all these activities did not progress well.The Khartoum Conference and the United Nations "242 Resolution" have been used as a node to declare the failure of the Palestinian ideal of establishing their state.The third chapter mainly describes the situation in Palestine after the third Middle East War and the course of the Battle of Karameh.The Arab countries was discouraged in the third Middle East War,however,the guerrillas led by Fatah used the refugee camps in the Palestinian areas to launch constant attacks on Israel,which attracted the attention of the public.In order to completely destroy the force,Israel launched a cleaning plan for the refugee camp guerrillas in 1968,however,the cleaning of the Karamah camp on March 21,1968 did not run smoothly.With the help of the Jordanian army,the Palestinian guerrillas defeated Israel despite the heavy losses,and the Israeli casualties exceeded expectations.Under the propaganda of the media,the campaign quickly spread throughout the Arab areas and became the pride of the Palestinian people.The fourth chapter focuses on the influence of the Battle of Karameh.The impact of the Battle of Karameh is comprehensive,both for the Palestinian areas and for the entire Middle East.Firstly,it led to the rise of Fatah,who became the representative of the Palestinian people,which united the resistance activities throughout the Palestinian territories to a certain degree.Secondly,it enhanced the morale of the Palestinians,strengthened their national identity,and promoted the complete awakening of Palestinian nationalism and the process of civilization.Thirdly,the Palestinian areas has attracted renewed worldwide attention,and the Palestinian issue is no longer just a refugee issue.However,the rise of the Palestinian guerrillas and the conflict with Israel seriously affected Jordan's security and stability,which eventually caused the war between Jordan and Palestine.The Fifth chapter is about the ending of the Battle of Karameh.The leaders of the Palestinian guerrillas also self-criticized after the "Black September Incident",arguing that their misjudgment of the situation ruined the good situation created by the Palestinian guerrillas after the Battle of Karameh,and also made the entire Palestinian cause fall into the lowest point.As a political myth,the influence of the Battle of Karameh tended to reduce with the decline of the Palestinian guerrillas power,and gradually forgotten.Therefore,the study of the Battle of Karameh will enable us to understand the changes of the situation in the Middle East after the third Middle East War,and also understand the true origin of the Palestinian resistance force.At the same time,as a political myth,the Battle of Karameh can also deepen our understanding of the Palestinian situation,and its decline reflects precisely why the Palestinian issue remains unresolved.