History Of The Israel-Palestine Conflict

The Israel-Palestine conflict, a longstanding political dispute, has roots tracing back to the relocation of Jews to the area under British rule. The British departure in 1948 led to devastating conditions in Israel, forcing Palestinians to evacuate to Gaza, the West Bank, and neighbouring Arab nations. Consequently, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was established in 1964.

Victorious in the Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in 1967, Israel declared Jerusalem as its capital. Despite facing attacks from Egypt and Syria from 1978 to 1982, Israel, backed by the United States, emerged victorious. Discussions of a peace treaty followed, yet the invasion of Lebanon by Israel interrupted the peace talks, leading to the death of hundreds of Palestinians.

By 1993, significant issues such as Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem remained unresolved. The PLO gained self-rule in Gaza in 1994, though a second uprising, or ‘intifada’, sparked by Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound led to violence that lasted until 2005.

The period from 2008 to 2012 saw a decrease in conflict and casualties. However, a seven-week burst of violence in 2018 caused the death of over 2000 militants in Gaza. This violence was further exacerbated by Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, leading to protests in the Gaza Strip.

In recent years, conflicts between protestors and militants at the Al Aqsa mosque have led to a string of deadly Palestinian attacks, perpetuating the cycle of violence.

Take a glimpse into the Israel-Palestine conflict, capturing the significant milestones that have shaped its course throughout history.

Balfour Declaration

Over a century ago, on November 2, 1917, Arthur Balfour, then Britain’s foreign secretary, wrote a letter to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a key member of Britain’s Jewish community.
This brief letter, with just 67 words, had a profound impact on Palestine, an impact that is still felt today.
Named the Balfour Declaration, the letter pledged the British government’s support for a Jewish national home in Palestine.
Essentially, a European power was promising a country to the Zionist movement, a place where Palestinian Arabs constituted more than 90% of the population.
A British Mandate was established in 1923 and lasted until 1948.
During this time, the British encouraged Jewish immigration on a large scale, with many immigrants fleeing European Nazism.
This period also saw protests and strikes as Palestinians became fearful of the changing demographics and the British seizure of their lands for Jewish settlers.

1930s Arab Revolt In Palestine

The 1930s were marked by the Arab Revolt in Palestine, spanning from 1936 to 1939.
In April 1936, the Arab National Committee was formed and encouraged Palestinians to protest.
The protest methods included a general strike, withholding tax payments, and boycotting Jewish products.
The British response to the six-month strike was severe, with mass arrests and home demolitions.
The revolt’s second phase began in late 1937, with Palestinian peasants leading the resistance against British forces and colonialism.
By mid-1939, Britain had deployed 30,000 troops in Palestine, enforcing curfews, demolishing homes, and performing administrative detentions and summary killings.
The British also allied with the Jewish settler community, forming armed groups including the “Special Night Squads” led by the British.
The Jewish settler community, known as the Yishuv, secretly expanded their arms supply and established weapons factories, contributing to the growth of the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary.
The three-year revolt resulted in the death of 5,000 Palestinians, with 15,000 to 20,000 wounded, and 5,600 imprisoned.

The UN Partition Plan

In 1947, Jews represented 33% of the population in Palestine but only owned 6% of the land.
The United Nations passed Resolution 181, proposing the division of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.
Palestinians contested this plan as they owned 94% of historic Palestine and made up 67% of the population, yet the proposal granted 56% of the land, including the fertile coast, to the Jewish state.

The 1948 Nakba

Zionist paramilitaries began a military operation to expand their borders before May 14, 1948.
In the village of Deir Yassin, more than 100 Palestinians were killed in April 1948.
Between 1947 and 1949, over 500 Palestinian communities were destroyed in an event known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe”.
An estimated 15,000 Palestinians died, many in massacres.
The Zionist movement claimed 78% of historic Palestine. The remaining 22% became the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Around 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.
Today, their descendants, numbering six million, live as refugees in 58 camps within Palestine and in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.
Israel declared its establishment on May 15, 1948.
The first Arab-Israeli war began the next day, ending in January 1949 with an armistice between Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
In December 1948, the UN General Assembly approved Resolution 194, affirming the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The Years After The Nakba

After the Nakba, 150,000 Palestinians stayed in the newly formed Israel. They lived under strict military control for nearly two decades before earning Israeli citizenship.
Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip.
Jordan started ruling the West Bank in 1950.
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was created in 1964.
The Fatah political party was established a year later, in 1965.

Six-Day War

In the Six-Day War on June 5, 1967, Israel extended its territory to include the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan Heights, and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. This war was against an Arab coalition.
The result of this war was a second forced displacement, known as Naksa, for some Palestinians.
In response to this, the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was established in December 1967.
Over the following ten years, this group drew global attention to the Palestinian cause through a series of attacks and plane hijackings.
Construction of settlements began in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, leading to the creation of a two-tier system.
This system favoured Jewish settlers, granting them all the rights and privileges of Israeli citizens, while Palestinians faced a discriminatory military occupation that restricted their political and civic freedoms.

The First Intifada 1987-1993

The First Palestinian Intifada began in Gaza Strip in December 1987.
This was triggered by an accident where an Israeli truck hit two vans carrying Palestinian workers, killing four.
The protests quickly extended to the West Bank. Young Palestinians were seen hurling stones at Israeli tanks and soldiers.
This crisis led to the creation of the Hamas movement. It was an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and was involved in armed resistance against Israeli occupation.
The Israeli army responded strongly, leading to a policy known as “Break their Bones” initiated by Yitzhak Rabin, the then-Defence Minister.
The policy involved summary killings, university closures, activist deportations and home demolitions.
The Intifada was mainly led by the youth. It was overseen by the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising, a coalition of Palestinian political factions.
They aimed to end the Israeli occupation and achieve Palestinian independence.
The Arab League, in 1988, acknowledged PLO as the only representative of the Palestinian people.
The Intifada was marked by public mobilisations, mass protests, civil disobedience, organised strikes and communal cooperatives.
As per the Israeli Human Rights organisation B’Tselem, during the Intifada, Israeli forces killed 1,070 Palestinians, including 237 children, and arrested over 175,000 Palestinians.
The Intifada prompted the global community to seek a resolution to the conflict.

Oslo Accords

The Intifada concluded in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accords.
This led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA), an interim government with limited self-rule in certain areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) recognised Israel based on a two-state solution.
The agreements signed gave Israel control of 60 per cent of the West Bank and most of its land and water resources.
The PA was intended to pave the way for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, this has not occurred.
Critics perceive the PA as corrupt and argue it aids the Israeli occupation by suppressing dissent and political activism against Israel.
In 1995, Israel constructed an electronic fence and concrete wall around the Gaza Strip, severing connections between the divided Palestinian territories.

The Second Intifada

The Second Intifada started on September 28, 2000.
Ariel Sharon, the Likud opposition leader, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque, triggering protests.
Thousands of security forces were present in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Clashes occurred between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces.
In two days, five Palestinians died and 200 were injured.
A widespread armed uprising followed.
The uprising led to significant damage to the Palestinian economy and infrastructure by Israel.
Israel occupied areas governed by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel began building a separation wall disturbing Palestinian livelihoods and communities.
Settlement construction, deemed illegal under international law, increased.
Hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers relocated to colonies on Palestinian land.
The occupied West Bank was divided by settler-only roads and infrastructure, creating isolated enclaves.
The situation mirrored apartheid South Africa’s Bantustans.
At the time of the Oslo Accords, over 110,000 Jewish settlers resided in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Currently, more than 700,000 settlers live on over 100,000 hectares (390 sq miles) of land taken from the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Division

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leader, Yasser Arafat, passed away in 2004.
The second Intifada ended in 2005, leading to the evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
The same year, Israeli soldiers and 9,000 settlers left the enclave.
In the following year, Palestinians participated in a general election for the first time.
Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organization, won a majority in this election.
A civil war between Fatah and Hamas occurred, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian casualties.
Fatah was eventually ousted from the Gaza Strip by Hamas.
Fatah, the principal party of the Palestinian Authority, regained control over parts of the West Bank.
Due to accusations of “terrorism” against Hamas, Israel imposed a land, air, and naval blockade on the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

What Is Hamas?

Hamas is a militant group based in Palestine.
They have control over the Gaza Strip.
They are committed to the destruction of Israel.
Since gaining power in Gaza in 2007, they have engaged in multiple wars with Israel.
The group has initiated or permitted thousands of rocket attacks on Israel.
In response, Israel has frequently launched air strikes against Hamas.
Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007 for security reasons.
Hamas is recognised as a terrorist organization by many nations, including Israel, the US, the EU, and the UK.
Iran supports Hamas, providing funding, weapons, and training.

When Was Hamas Formed?

Hamas, a movement based in Gaza, was established in 1987.
The founders were Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, an imam, and his aide Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi.
This foundation was prompted by the start of the first Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Originally, Hamas was an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
To combat Israel, they formed a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Their goal was the liberation of historic Palestine.
Beyond military operations, Hamas also provided social welfare programmes to Palestinians affected by the Israeli occupation.

What Is The Gaza Strip?

The Gaza Strip is a small territory located between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea.
It measures 41 km (25 miles) in length and 10 km in width.
Approximately 2.3 million people live in Gaza, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Israel maintains control over Gaza’s airspace and shoreline, as well as the movement of people and goods through its borders.
Similarly, Egypt monitors and controls its border crossing with Gaza.
According to the UN, about 80% of Gaza’s population depends on international aid.
Around one million individuals in Gaza rely on daily food assistance.

Gaza Strip Conflicts

The Gaza Strip has been the focus of four major Israeli military operations. These occurred in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021.
Many Palestinians, including children, have lost their lives in these conflicts. A significant number of buildings, including homes and schools, have been destroyed.
The sieges have hindered the import of construction materials like steel and cement, making reconstruction a difficult task.
The 2008 conflict saw the employment of phosphorus gas, a weapon prohibited by international law.
The 2014 conflict, named “Operation Protective Edge” by Israel, was particularly devastating. Over 2,100 Palestinians were killed in 50 days, including nearly 500 children.
This operation also resulted in around 11,000 injuries amongst Palestinians. Approximately 20,000 homes were destroyed and 500,000 individuals were displaced from their homes.