A Short History Of The Arab-Israeli Conflict
If you care about the truth, read, investigate, and comprehend. It’s time to seize control of our knowledge and uncover genuine history, free from manipulation.
Palestine, also known as the Holy Land, boasts a rich history as a pivotal junction for religion, culture, commerce, and politics. It serves as the birthplace of both Judaism and Christianity and has witnessed the rule of numerous kingdoms and powers over the centuries, including Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel and Judah, the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great and his successors, the Hasmoneans, the Roman Empire, various Muslim caliphates, and the Crusaders.
As an autonomous entity, it had its own population and was commonly referred to as Palestine.
In modern times, the area was governed by the Ottoman Empire, followed by the British Empire, and since 1948, it has been divided into Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
The “how” and “why” are essential questions that we all need to contemplate before rushing to conclusions and passing judgment on the present situation, especially when our information is predominantly from the media, which may sometimes serve a one-sided agenda, favoring Israel and its steadfast allies.
Let’s go through the timeline in modern history to understand what has happened and why the people of Palestine are striving to reclaim their own country — the occupied land of Palestine.
1881–1882: Zionist movement
The Zionist movement emerged in Europe with the aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, the historical homeland of the Jewish people. This movement led to the “First Aliyah,” a significant wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine from 1881 to 1903, bringing around 25,000 Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and Yemen. During this period, in 1891, some influential figures in Jerusalem petitioned the Ottoman government to halt Jewish immigration and land sales to Jews.
The “Second Aliyah” occurred from 1904 to 1914, bringing about 35,000 Jewish immigrants, primarily from Russia and Poland.
Note: The Jewish immigrants came to Palestine with the intention of settling there, much like individuals who immigrated to Canada or the United States from their countries of origin, seeking a new life in a different land.
They should have become an integral part of the local population and lived alongside the Muslim and Jewish communities that had historically coexisted peacefully in Palestine. However, this wasn’t the reality that unfolded.
1914–1918: World War I and The British Promise
In the confidential Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, a pact between France and Britain that delineated the future division of the Ottoman Empire’s Arab territories, it was originally conceived that Palestine, once liberated from Ottoman rule, would become an international zone, outside of direct French or British colonial administration.
1919: A British Betrayal
T.E. Lawrence, the British army officer who had encouraged the Arab revolt against the Ottomans, attempted to overturn the Sykes-Picot agreement without success. France obtained Syria, Lebanon, and Turkish Cilicia without any commitments to the Arabs, while Britain secured Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, and the Trucial states in the Arab Gulf. The most Lawrence could achieve was securing the thrones of Iraq and Jordan for Sherif Hussein’s sons, Faisal and Abdullah. Both France and Britain quashed anti-colonial uprisings through force.
Britain deepened this betrayal in November 1917 when Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour declared support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, with assurances that the rights of non-Jewish communities would not be compromised. In January 1918, Sherif Hussein received assurances that Palestinian political and economic freedom would be respected.
While disguising their imperial intentions, both Britain and France, in 1918, promised the “complete and final liberation of oppressed peoples under Turkish rule and the establishment of national governments based on the will of indigenous populations.”
1936–1939: The Arab Revolt or the Great Palestinian Revolt
This was a significant period in Palestinian history. It started with a general strike and evolved into an armed insurrection driven by grievances against British rule and the Zionist settlement in Palestine. The British response was severe, with over 100,000 troops deployed and harsh measures like curfews, house demolitions, and collective punishment.
Approximately 10 percent of the adult Palestinian male population were killed, wounded, deported, or imprisoned.
Despite the suffering endured by the Palestinians, the revolt failed to achieve its goals of uprooting the Zionist settlement and ending the British Mandate. The British crackdown led to a lack of local Palestinian leadership, with most leaders either fleeing or being deported. Infighting within Palestinian society deepened divisions, while Zionist mobilization and British-Zionist cooperation increased.
In the midst of the revolt, the Peel Commission in 1937 recommended dividing Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, which generated mixed reactions among both communities. The situation escalated in 1938, but the British formed “peace bands” to oppose the rebels, eventually ending the revolt in 1939
Mobilization of Zionist Forces:
The Haganah, meaning “defense” in Hebrew, was a Jewish paramilitary organization that actively supported British efforts to suppress the revolt. Although not officially recognized by the British administration, they collaborated with British security forces, forming the Jewish Settlement Police and Special Night Squads. Within the Haganah, a faction known as the Irgun (or Etzel) emerged, adopting a policy of violent retaliation against Arabs in response to attacks on Jews. In contrast, the Haganah itself pursued a policy of restraint. A meeting in Alexandria in July 1937 involving Irgun founder Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Colonel Robert Bitker, and Chief-of-Staff Moshe Rosenberg emphasized the challenge of limiting operations solely to those deemed “guilty,” leading to a justification for indiscriminate retaliation. The Irgun then initiated attacks on public gathering places such as markets and cafes.
1939- 1945: World War II
With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Jewish population in Palestine aligned themselves with Britain. The head of the Jewish Agency, David Ben-Gurion, encapsulated this stance with a famous motto: “We will fight the war as if there were no White Paper, and we will fight the White Paper as if there were no war.” However, it’s important to note that this perspective was not unanimous among the Jewish population, and there were exceptions.
Among Palestinian Arabs, much like in the wider Arab world, there was no consensus regarding their position in World War II. Some leaders and public figures believed that an Axis victory could lead to the recovery of Palestine from both the Zionists and the British. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, spent the war years in Nazi Germany and occupied territories. Notably, around 6,000 Palestinian Arabs and 30,000 Palestinian Jews enlisted in the British forces during the conflict.
1948: The Founding of Israel and the Nakba
“ Giving to those who don’t deserve what they don’t have.”
“The year of the catastrophe,” a phrase frequently used to describe the events of 1948 in Palestinian history, is commonly known as the “Nakba” (النكبة), signifying “catastrophe” in Arabic. It signifies the profound hardships and dislocation endured by the Palestinian people during that time.
In 1948, the British, who had been governing the region, departed without resolving the ongoing conflict, having left a trail of turmoil and disruption. Subsequently, Jewish leaders proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. This move sparked significant opposition from many Palestinians, leading to a war in which forces from neighboring Arab countries became involved.
During this conflict, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted or compelled to abandon their homes, a period now referred to as the “Nakba.” Following a truce in the subsequent year, Israel gained control over a substantial portion of the region, with British assistance.
The roots of this conflict were complex and multifaceted. Foremost among them was the Jewish aspiration to create a homeland in Palestine, backed by Western countries. This endeavor aimed to displace the Arab population from Palestine and establish the State of Israel. A former Israeli Knesset member, Yeshayahu Ben Fort, openly stated, “There is no Jewish state without the evacuation of the Arabs from Palestine and the confiscation and enclosure of their lands.”
The Jewish settlement was founded on a philosophy centered on appropriating Palestinian lands, often justified by the expulsion of the indigenous inhabitants under the guise of religious and historical claims, epitomized by the mantra, “a land without a people for a people without a land.” Does this sound familiar to you?
Watch this Video on How Israel was created ..
1949: Armistice Agreements
The 1949 Armistice Agreements ended the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and established borders between Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. These borders, known as the Green Line, separated areas controlled by Israel and Arab countries.
1950: Peace Pretend
In 1950, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France made a declaration pledging to maintain peace in the region, prevent the use of force, and avoid an arms race between Arab nations and Israel.
350,000 more Arab Palestinians fled or were expelled from the conquered areas.
1959: Palestinian Governorship in Egyptian-controlled Gaza
The All-Palestine Government, established during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War by the Arab League, is often seen as the earliest attempt to create an independent Palestinian state. While it was officially under Egyptian protection and covered the entirety of former Mandatory Palestine, it mainly had a political and symbolic role, with limited executive authority.
The government’s significance declined over time, especially after it moved its seat from Gaza to Cairo due to Israeli incursions in late 1948. Even when Gaza came back under Egyptian control, the All-Palestine Government remained in Cairo, managing Gaza’s affairs from outside.
In 1959, the All-Palestine Government formally merged with the United Arab Republic, falling under Egyptian military administration. Egypt, however, did not assert territorial claims over Palestinian territory, unlike Transjordan, which annexed the West Bank. The government’s status as a legitimate sovereign state was questioned by many, given its reliance on Egyptian military, political, and economic support.
1967: Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories
After the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel captured various territories, including the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula.
These areas came under Israeli military rule. Israel also expanded into East Jerusalem, though this move wasn’t internationally recognized. The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 242, suggesting the “land for peace” formula, with Israel withdrawing from the 1967-occupied territories in exchange for an end to belligerence by Arab League nations.
1973: The October War
The war, known to Israelis as the Yom Kippur War, and to Arabs as the October War
Under “Operation Badr” the Egyptian military forces managed to cross the Suez Canal and capture the Bar Lev Line — a fortified sand wall on the east bank of the canal.
This initial military success, which came to be known to Egyptians as “the crossing,” served as a sign of victory after 25 years of defeat.
This war saw Egypt and Syria briefly regaining the Golan Heights, later leading to the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt through the 1978 Camp David Peace Accords. The Palestinian territories were subject to various political discussions and conflicts.
1987 -1993: The First Intifada
The First Intifada, also known as the Stone Intifada, was a sustained period of protests by Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories and Israel.
It was fueled by Palestinian frustration over Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which had been ongoing for nearly 20 years since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The uprising began in December 1987 following a fatal collision between an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) truck and a civilian car.
This event sparked protests, civil disobedience, violence, stone-throwing, and other forms of resistance. Israel responded with a significant military presence, leading to criticism of the IDF’s use of force, including live rounds and plastic bullets. In the first 13 months, 332 Palestinians and 12 Israelis were killed. The Intifada also witnessed intra-Palestinian violence with alleged Israeli collaborators targeted.
The underlying causes included Israeli repression, land expropriation, rising unemployment, and limited opportunities for Palestinians in the occupied territories. Economic integration, Israeli settlements, and calls for Palestinian population transfer exacerbated tensions. Overall, it was a response to a prolonged and brutal occupation marked by humiliation and hardship for the Palestinian population.
2000–2005: The Second Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a significant Palestinian uprising in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
The turmoil was sparked by the breakdown of the 2000 Camp David Summit, which was meant to finalize the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in July 2000. Violence erupted in September 2000 following a visit by Ariel Sharon, then the Israeli opposition leader, to the Al-Aqsa compound on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It led to protests and riots, which Israeli police quelled using rubber bullets and tear gas, and on the other hand, the Palestinians had stones!
The conflict resulted in numerous casualties among both civilians and combatants. Israeli forces employed gunfire, targeted killings, tanks, and aerial attacks, while Palestinians carried out suicide bombings, gunfire, stone-throwing, and rocket attacks. Suicide bombings, mainly targeting Israeli civilians, were a prominent feature of this conflict, distinguishing it from the relatively less violent First Intifada.
Read about Muhammed Al-Dora, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy being shot dead during a gunfight between Israeli and Palestinian soldiers
The 55-second clip, which was seen by millions of television viewers across the world when it aired on September 30, 2000, showed al-Dura clinging to his father, Jamal, behind a barrel as bullets flew around them.
The father is seen gesturing frantically to try to stop the shooting as the boy screams in terror.
The camera then cuts to a shot of the motionless boy slumped in his father’s lap. A French TV report blamed Israeli troops for killing the boy which Israel has long disputed.
2006: Palestinian Legislative Election
Long story short — Following Hamas’s landslide victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, several countries, including Israel, the United States, the European Union, and various Western nations, suspended their aid to the Palestinians. They took this action due to their perception of Hamas, an Islamist political party that rejected Israel’s right to exist in Palatine — their own land! and treated them as a terrorist organization.
Why there hasn’t been a proposal to allocate a portion of the countries for Israel instead???
2007- Now
There are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem. In addition, there are over 100 Israeli illegal outposts in the West Bank while the Palestinians are allowed only in Gaza and part of the West Bank.
The Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian people reside, shares a land area almost identical to that of Las Vegas but boasts a population over three times larger. Its largest city, Gaza City, is even more densely populated than New York City, with over 650,000 residents living within its 18 square miles. Can you imagine that?
The living conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated significantly over the past decade. This deterioration has happened even faster than what experts had predicted back in 2012 when they suggested that Gaza might become “unlivable” by 2020.
The UN report highlights various problems, including a decline in economic well-being (GDP per capita), reduced access to healthcare, and difficult daily lives for the people living in Gaza.
The report emphasizes the need for action from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas (the group that governs Gaza), and the international community to address these issues.
If these problems are not resolved, Gaza could become even more isolated and desperate, potentially leading to more significant conflicts in the region and undermining prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine.
Imagine you’re having a family dinner, and there’s an unexpected knock on your door. Someone is insisting that you leave your house for them to take, all while bearing in mind that the entire world will be watching your actions, and they may place blame on you for the outcome. What steps would you take in such a challenging situation?
