Amazing
The issue is much more complex than what you outlined.
1- After the fall of the Ottoman Empire the Middle East was carved up between Britain and France. Britain having the lion share of influence covering what is now known as Egypt, Palestine (later bacame Israel), Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Yemen. While France had Lebanon and Syria. All these countries were artificailly created save Egypt, which was in existance much earlier. The Arabs who fought the Turks with the assistance of Britain's legendary Lawrence of Arabia did not anticipate the breakup and the creation of these artificial entities. As a matter of fact, neither did Lawrence agree to this, but it was customary practice for Imperial Britiain to carve up and divide its area of influence. (Divide and Conquer strategy). This division also served another purpose which I will discuss later on.
After the Turks were defeated, and the region divided, Britain set out to place kings and princes over the newly created "nations". A lot of these kings were related to King Fasial of Saudi. However, after the passagge of years, these countries began to set adrift of each other exactly what Britain wanted to happen.
2- Palestine was liberated from the turks and was set under British mandate. The majority of its population were arabs who had lived there since before the creation of the Ottoman Empire. Later when Palestine began a drive towards it independance from Britain by the end of the WWII, massive influx of Jewish immigrants from Europe began to arrive to the shores of Palestine. Britain had signed an agreement (Belford Agreement) promising to setup a nation for European Jews in Palestine. This did not bode well with the existing arab population and neither with the other Arab nations around. Palestine was supposed to be just another arab state like Jordan or Iraq, but the huge influx of Jewish immigrants began to destablize the demographics of Palestine and soon open hostilities between arabs and jews were unavoidable.
It is intersting to note that prior to British meddlings in Palestine, both the arab majority and jewish minority coexisted peacefully. They were both against the Ottoman rule at the time and later at one point coopertated together to fight the British for independance.
The newly arrived European jews in Palestine were modern, educated, and some had fought in WWII. They began to smuggle large amount of modern weapons and began to assert themselves on the backward Palestinians, driving them from much of their estates and lands by fighting, by intimidation and now and then massacres to foster much fear. The arab Palestinians fought back, but they were ill equipped and proved no match. This was known as the "1948 exodus" when massive number of Palestinians fled into neighboring countries such as Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and others. These refugees and their descendants are still living in these countries today.
The arab nations around tried to come to the rescue of their brethren in attacking the newly created Jewish entity, but they too proved inefficient and lacked the resources, equiment and training. That is why they kept losing war after war and Israel kept expanding its borders at their expense.
The UN came up with a partition plan to setup two nations, but this was refused by the Palestinians as unfair, since they would be losing half their land, and the Israelies were hoping that the arabs would not agree therefore ginving them a chance to further expand their territory later.
Britain was responsible in the creation of Israel and supported it and later allied with France and Israel in an attack against Egypt in 1956 When Nasser the president of Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal. (The Suez Canal belonged to Egypt but it was run by British consortium) The attack was successful, but when the Soviet Union threatened both England and France with nuclear retaliation, President Eisenhower demanded that they end the war and withdraw immediately. Eisenhower was also irritated that they attacked Egypt without his prior knowledge.
British support for Israel began to wane with the waning of the British Empire and was replaced with US support for Israel. Ever since, the US has been the main backer for Israel.
Numerous UN resolution had been adopted demanding Israel to withdraw to its 1967 border and allow the creation of the arab state of Palestine and the return of the refugees. Since the end of the war of 1967 Israel had not implemented those resolutions and had not suffered any consequence as opposed to Iraq who is suffering for not fully complying with UN mandates. Even to the point of being attacked and the regime changed by force. The arabs regard this as double standards.
What also irritates the arabs is that Israel has given every jewish person living on the face of the earth a "Right Of Return" to come to Israel and settle, at the same time, refusing the original inhabitiants who are refugees to rightfully return to their homes and lands.
3- The division of the MIddle East into several "quasi" nations, kingdoms, principalities had another motive. Oil, massive amounts of Oil. By setting up small countries with vulnrable leaderships, the British knew that the revenues from Oil could not be spent locally, as the populations of these "nations" were so small. The remaining moneys would have to be invested in British banks and industries. This is exacly what happened. In other word, the West buys the Oil from the arabs, but the bulk of the revenues end up back in the West. While Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon countries that are not oil rich and would benefit from the excess oil revenues from other nations are thereby not benefited. For example, Saudi Arabia alone has some 500-700 Billion dollars invested in the US alone. At the same time Egypt with some 70 million population is desparate.
4- British and later US support for much of the above arrangement and the backing of corrupt and sometimes dictatorial leadership to prolong the status quo, infuriates the arab street, especially the radical islamic elements.
5- Arab resentment towards the west is not only due to the West seeming injustices but also to internal religeous and societal reasons. The majority of the arabs are moslems, but there are a Christian minority. Of the majority moslem arabs, only a minority are radicals and fundamentalists. These radicals rely on strict interpretation of the Koran and try to live by and impose this restriction on others. These radicals try to relive the old glorious days of Mohammad when Islam spread with amazing speed from Mecca to Spain and the Atanltic Ocean westward. to India and China eastward and to the gates of Vienna and Moscow Northward. They believe that by going back to the strict interpretation of the Koran, and there are numerous interpretations, only then would the arab and moslem world return to glory. While most arabs harken back to these days, but they realize that times have changed and most enjoy living in modern western influenced societies.
Moslems are living in a tug of war. On the one hand, if they want to apply the Koran in its literal and strictest way possible, then they have to oppose western influence and culture. On the other hand, moslem arabs recognize that western influence and culture is permeating their society be it in music, clothing, education, films, TV, products and media.
Much could be said on this subject, but I hope that the above might be helpful in giving some background.
