The Palestinian/Israeli Conflict

The following is a general timeline of the history of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, up until today (or at least, recently). While there are many, many events that occurred, of significant importance, I am trying only to list major events that generally define the nature of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Please forgive and report any errors that you may find, so that I may fix it up ASAP. Thank you! 

 

1880s: Zionist movement born in Europe.

1917: Britain took over Palestine, issued Balfour Declaration, which promised Jews a state in Palestine.

1919: Faisal-Weizermann Agreement: Arab-Jewish co-operation on development of Jewish state in Palestine.

1920 – 1930: Jewish exodus from Europe to Palestine, majority illegally. Jewish/Zionist agents bought up land from Arab landowners who lived elsewhere; local Arabs angered at alienation, resulting in the 1929 riots.

1936: Great Uprising, Arabs protested, some peacefully, but certain groups violently. Great Uprising lasted 3 years.

1937: The Peel Commission; Britain proposed partition of Palestine between Jews & Arabs. Both parties refused.

1938: Woodhead Commission repealed the Peel Commission; proposed a tiny Jewish state of 1250 sq. km.; Jews strongly rejected it.

1939: White Paper of 1939 proposed one state solution, with government jointly comprised of Arabs and Jews. Also limited Jewish immigration and land transfers to Jews, due to growth of Arab population. Both Arabs and Jews rejected it for varoius reasons. (Which was stupid, in my opinion)

1947: UN proposes a partition plan, calling for an independent Jewish state and allocating them half of Palestine. Palestinians rejected the proposal as being unfair since the Jews owned only about 6% of the land, as well as being only a third of the population.

1948: Britain leaves Palestine. The Zionists announce the Declaration of Israel as a Jewish State, endorsed by the UN. Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordon, Saudi Arabia, declare war on Israel.

1949: Israel signs Armistice Agreements, giving it control of 78% of Palestine. Israel offers to allow families separated by the war to return, to unfreeze refugee accounts in Israeli banks, and to pay compensation for abandoned lands. Arabs refused to participate on the grounds that they did not recognize Israel as legitimate. Israel takes back the offer, forbids refugees to return. The families of the refugees and their descendents continue to live in refugee camps.

1953: Israeli massacre at Qibya – blew up and generally destroyed the entire village of Qibya and killed over 60 people, mostly women and children.

1956: Suez Campaign. With French & British aid, Israel invades and occupies the Sinai Peninsula for several months. Kafr Qaasim massacre also took place. Israeli police shot and killed 49 Arab civilians as they returned home from work, unaware of the new curfew placed on their village.

1957: Israel withdraws from Sinai Peninsula.

1964: Creation of the PLO: Palestinian Liberation Organization. Led by Yasser Arafat from 1969 to 2004.

1967: June 5 – 11, the Six-Day War. Israel captures, conquers, and occupies the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights. Sinai returned to Egypt in 1979 – 82, settlers removed from Gaza Strip August-September 2005. The war caused another flood of refugees, who continue to remain homeless and without any recognized citizenship.

1968-1970: Egypt wages War of Attrition againt Israel.

1970: The infamous Black September in Jordon, often called ‘the month of regrettable events’. PLO driven out of Jordon & into Lebanon.

1972: Lod Airport Massacre. The Munich massacre, with disastrous consequences for the Palestinians – Mossad’s so-called revenge operations lasted over 20 years and resulted in the deaths of several innocents due to mistaken identity.

1973: Yom Kippur War. Egypt retrieves Suez Canal; Syria takes back Golan Heights; Israel pushes Syria back & threatens Damascus.

1978: Israel again invades Lebanon up to the Litani river. September 17, Camp David Accords - peace treaty signed between Egypt & Israel.

1982: Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Israel attacked Southern Lebanon on the grounds that they were responding to the Abu Nidal assassination attempt on the Israeli ambassador to the UK; then occupied S. Lebanon.

1983: Israel withdraws from part of Lebanon.

1987: The First Intifada – Palestinians rise up against Israeli oppression. Violence escalates; UN criticizes Israeli handling of the affair.

1988: Palestinian National Council declares an independent State of Palestine (Dawlat Filisteen)

1993: Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin sign the Oslo Accords

1994: Israeli forces withdraw from Jericho and Gaza City in compliance to the Oslo Accords. Israel-Jordon peace treaty.

1995: Oslo Interim Agreement signed; Palestinian Authority is established.

1996: Al-Aqsa tunnel riots; rumour that Israeli tunnel endangered al-Aqsa mosque foundations caused riots and violence.

1998: Wye River Memorandum signed by Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu.

2000: Israeli army withdraws from Southern Lebanon; Syria and Lebanon say that withdrawal is incomplete; UN certifies that withdrawal is complete. Second Intifada begins; is thought to be sparked by Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Haram ash-Sharif (holy mosque) which Jews hold to be the Temple Mount. Camp David Summit.

2001: Ariel Sharon is elected Prime Minister of Israel.

2002:  March: Israel continues to raid Ramallah and other West Bank towns. Israel decides to invade West Bank; conducts military operations in all Palestinian cities except for Hebron & Jericho, place curfews that result complaints by human rights groups about medical aid being denied & reports of illegal collective punishment by Israelis. Palestinian suicide bomber causes the Passover Massacre. The AP reports that over the last year, 1262 Palestinians & 401 Israelis killed.

April: Israeli troops occupy Bethlehem. Battle of Jenin.

May: 6 Israelis arrested for conspiring to blow up Palestinian schools.

June: George W. Bush calls for peace.

2003:

March: Rachel Corrie, an American member of the International Solidarity Movement is crushed by an Israeli Defense Forces bulldozer as she tries to protect a Palestinian house from being razed. Israelis call it a regrettable incident; eyewitnesses say it’s murder. Mahmoud Abbas appointed Prime Minister of Palestine. An illegal Israeli settlement near Hebron is dismantled.

April: Roadmap for Peace details made public.

June: Arab leaders agree to and support the Roadmap. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, & Fatah agree to 3-month ceasefire.

September: Mahmoud Abbas resigns as Prime Minister.

2004:

October: Israel official ends a military operation in northern Gaza Strip after having killed up to 133 Palestinians, mostly civilians. 13-year-old girl Iman al-Hams was shot over 25 times by an IDF soldier & was refused medical aid. Her murderer was cleared of all charges.

November: Yasser Arafat dies.

2005: Mahmoud Abbas chosen to replace Yasser Arafat. Israel removes settlements from Gaza Strip, officially ending its occupation but continues to have a military presence.

2006: January: Hamas wins legislative elections. February: Ismail Haniya chosen to be Prime Minister of the PA. Israel imposes economic sanctions on Palestine. Most Western governments say that they will not support in any way a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. July: Israel raids Gaza Strip over captured soldier and wreaks havoc; invades Lebanon over two more captured soldiers. Hezbollah declares war.