The Palestinian Conflict

Presentation created by Robert MartinezPrimary Content Source: A Short History of the WorldImages as cited.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is a

dispute over the control of

Palestine, or Israel, a narrow strip of

land on the eastern coast of the

Mediterranean.

internationalrelations.com

The Jewish claim is based partly on the ancient ties of the Jewish people to the Biblical

kingdom of Israel, and partly on the fact that, in 1947, the United Nations granted them the right

to establish a homeland there.

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The Palestinian claim relies on the

fact that their people have lived on this land for

many hundreds of

years.

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The land is holy to three faiths – Christians, Jews and Muslims – and the conflict is also a religious clash between

Jews and Muslims.

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Anti-semitism in Europe and Russia during the late 19th century drove many Jews – known as

Zionists – to seek sanctuary in Palestine, where they hoped to build an independent

Jewish state.

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Under the British Mandate (1920-1948), clashes between Jewish settlers and

Arabs became increasingly violent.

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Jewish emigration to Palestine accelerated during the 1930s, particularly following the

Nazi takeover of Germany. After the Holocaust, the international community found it harder to

ignore Jewish demands for an independent

homeland.

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By 1947, the British wished to end their mandate and requested help from the United Nations. In November 1947, the UN devised a plan to divide Palestine into two states, one

Jewish, one Arab. The Jews accepted the plan,

but the Arabs rejected it.

Fighting between the two sides broke out immediately. In the midst of this war, on

May 15, 1948, the British departed Palestine and Jewish leaders declared

the founding of the state of Israel.

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Six neighboring Arab countries immediately invaded the new state.

Although outnumbered, the well-

organized Israeli forces held their own and even advanced into territory beyond

that allocated to them by the UN plan.

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jewishroots.net

By the war’s end, Israel controlled 77 percent of Palestine, while its Arab foes

took over the remaining portions. Transjordan (Jordan) occupied the West

Bank and Egypt occupied Gaza in the southwest.

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The Palestinian Arab state proposed by the UN was never established. During the

war, around 726,000 Palestinians fled Israel to become refugees in the West

Bank, Gaza and neighboring Arab states.

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None of the Arab state recognized Israel’s right to exist, and the following years were marked by frequent border

skirmishes.

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In June 1967, fearing imminent attack, Israel launched pre-emptive strikes against Egypt,

Jordan and Syria. In just six days, the Israelis captured Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank

from Jordan.

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Over 750,000 Palestinian Arabs found themselves under the control of the Jewish

state. Many turned their support to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), a coalition of Palestinian groups that began engaging in terrorist activity against Israel.

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In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a joint invasion of Israel. After making early gains, the Arab forces were pushed back. Israel won the

war, but suffered heavy losses and was shaken by the surprise attack.

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In 1978, Israel and Egypt negotiated a peace agreement at Camp David in the

U.S.A., including the withdrawal of Israel

from Sinai.

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In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon,

hoping to drive out PLO fighters who

had been attacking in the north. After a

long, costly operation, the

Israelis succeeded in forcing the PLO

from Lebanon. unc.edu

During the 1980s, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza grew increasingly

frustrated by the continuing Israeli occupation and in 1987, they bean a mass uprising known

as the ‘intifada’ (awakening).

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There were riots in many of the towns and cities of the occupied territories. By the time the intifada ended in 1993, over

1,000 Palestinians had been killed.

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In the early 1990s, Israel began peace negotiations with its Arab neighbors and the PLO, which led to the Oslo Accords,

signed in 1993.

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Under its terms, Israel agreed to a staged withdrawal from the occupied territories. Israel

would retain military control there while a

newly established Palestinian Authority (PA) would take civil

control.

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By the late 1990s, the peace process had stalled. Islamist groups within the Palestinian community (PA) – such as Hamas and Islamic

Jihad – opposed any peace with Israel and carried out terrorist attacks against Israel.

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Israel continued to build Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

Renewed attempts to reach a peace deal

in 1998 and 2000 both failed.

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A second intifada erupted in September 2000. This time, as well as rioting across the occupied territories, there was a rise

in terrorist attacks, including suicide

bombings, inside Israel.

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Israel responded with ruthless acts of its own; reoccupying PA-controlled West

Bank towns to destroy the terrorist bases there.

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In 2003, the UN drew up a ‘road map to peace’, detailing the route to a two-state solution to the

conflict, but negotiations soon faltered in the face of renewed violence. Israel unilaterally

withdrew from Gaza in 2005; the territory subsequently fell under the control of Hamas.

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Hamas is a Palestinian militant organization, created in 1987 at the

beginning of the first intifada.

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In late 2008, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza in response to continued rocket attacks by Hamas militants, at a cost of

over 1,000 Palestinian lives.

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