Israel-Palestine
Historical Timeline Under British control
Pre-1917 – Palestine under control of Ottoman empire
1917-1947 – Palestine under British control.
Balfour Declaration of 1917 – Britain pledges to create in
Palestine a “national home for the Jewish people”. At time
there were half million Arabs in Palestine and only 70,000
Jews
1933-1939 – rise of Hitler in Germany, continued Jewish
emigration from Europe to Palestine. By 1939 half million
Jews in Palestine.
1936-1939 – Arab revolt against creation of Jewish state.
1947 – United Nations proposed creation of separate
Jewish/Arab states from Palestine.
1947 UN Partition Plan
1947 – United Nations
proposed creation of
separate Jewish/Arab states
from Palestine.
Israeli Independence
May 14, 1948 David Ben
Gurion proclaims Israeli
independence
– one day before planned
British military withdrawal David Ben-Gurion, PM from 1948-1963
and UN plan to take affect.
Explosion of violence
between
Jewish/Palestinian
nationalists.
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Israeli victory leads to territorial
gains.
After 1949 armistice, Jordan
assumes control over West Bank
and Egypt over the Gaza Strip.
No Palestinian state.
Nearly 700,000 Palestinians fled or
were forced out of Israel into the
West Bank, Gaza, or beyond.
In what Palestinians call “The
Disaster” only about 150,000
Palestinians remained inside Israeli
territory.
By mid 1950s, nearly 1 million Palestinians living as
refugees either in West Bank, Gaza or abroad.
Israel enacts “Law of Return” granting citizenship to
anyone of Jewish ethnicity who emigrates to Israel – over
1 million Jewish emigrants came in first 5 years.
The plight of Palestinian refugees emboldens anti-Israeli
sentiments in neighboring Arab states. Also concerned
about Israeli expansion.
The Six Day War of June 1967
1967 – Israel launches preemptive strike against Egypt, Jordan,
Syria in Six Day War. Take Sinai peninsula and Gaza from Egypt,
West Bank from Jordan, and Golan Heights from Syria.
The October 1973 or Yom Kippur War
1973 – Yom Kippur war.
Egypt attacks Israel
seeking to regain Sinai.
1979 – Egypt seeks to
negotiate a return of the
Sinai in exchange for
peace with Israel.
Anwar Sadat
Menachem Begin 1977-1983
Camp David Accords
1979 – Camp David Accords
Israel and Egypt make peace
Sadat assassinated in 1981 by
Islamic radicals who eventually
will form leadership of Al
Qaeda.
Omar Abdel Rahman
Ayman al Zawahiri
1980s – Israeli
nationalists/orthodox jews
increase settlement of
West Bank. Kibbutzim
(farm cooperatives). Goal
of Zionism is to reclaim all
land of ancient Israel.
1991 – Jews from throughout the Soviet Union migrate to
Israel.
Current Israeli Population – 7.2 million. Includes 5.5
million Jews (75%) + 270,000 Israeli settlers in West
Bank and 1.2 million Palestinian Arabs are Israeli citizens
inside Israel (about 20% of population).
Among Jews, 68% are Sabras (born in Israel speaking
Hebrew). The rest are Olim (born outside Israel and most fall
into the following categories)
1. Ashkenazim – born in Germany, France, Eastern Europe,
Russia
2. Sephardim – from Portugal, Spain, North Africa
3. Bene Roma – from central Italy
4. Mizrahim – from Muslim countries other than Spain,
Portugal, North Africa
Current Palestinian refugee Population – 3.8 million total
(2.4 million in West Bank, 1.4 million in Gaza Strip) + 1.2
million in Israel.
Yasser Arafat and the PLO
Fatah - Palestinian National Liberation Movement
1964 – formation of
Palestinian Liberation
Organization.
Fatah movement –
militant wing of PLO
led by Yasser Arafat.
Munich 1972 - Black September Group
1970 – PLO involved in
attempt to overthrow Jordanian
monarchy. Fails and Arafat
flees to Lebanon.
1972 – Fatah’s Black
September carries out attack on
Israeli athletes at Olympic
Games in Munich.
1st Intifada or “uprising” 1987-1993
1982 – Israel invades Lebanon,
PLO relocates to Tunisia
1987 – First intifada (“shaking
off” or uprising) breaks out in
Palestinian territories.
Oslo Accords 1993
Yitzhak Rabin, Clinton, Yasser Arafat
1993 – Oslo Accords – Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat agree to
plan for Palestinian governance of some parts of West Bank and
Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority
1993-Creation of Palestinian
Authority. Arafat allowed to
return to occupied territory.
1996 – Arafat and Fatah party
become head of Palestinian
Authority in first ever
Palestinian elections.
2000 – attempts to resolve
Palestinian sovereignty break
down. Neither Ehud Barak
nor Yasser Arafat can agree to
a plan.
Palestinian Territories
Temple Mount = Haram al-Sharif
2000 – Ariel Sharon,
leader of the nationalist
Likud Party provokes
Palestinians by visiting
sight of Temple Mount and
al-Aqsa Mosque in
Jerusalem. Declared site
would always remain
under Israeli rule.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
The Second Intifada, 2000-Present
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
Hamas - Islamic Resistance Movement
“Zeal”
2001 – Ariel Sharon assumes
power in Israel – Palestinian
Authority looses control to
Israeli security forces in West
Bank and Gaza.
2003- Israel begins
construction of security wall in
Palestinian territories despite
international condemnation.
2004- Sharon withdraws Israeli soldiers from Gaza Strip.
Forces removal of nearly 20,000 Israeli settlers from Gaza.
Recent Developments
2004 – Yasser Arafat dies. Mahmoud Abbas assumes
control over Palestinian Authority in 2005 elections.
2006 – Hamas wins majority of parliamentary seats in
Palestinian elections. United States cuts aid to Palestinians in
response.
2006- Ehud Olmert elected prime minister after Sharon suffers
stroke.
June 2006 – Israeli warships accused of killing Palestinian
family on Gaza beach. Hamas kidnaps Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah begins firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon. Israel
responds with air-strikes on Hezbollah and eventually entering
southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah Control of Southern Lebanon
Hezbollah Leader
Hassan Nasrallah
2006 Lebanon War
Israeli Leadership in 1990s
Yitzhak Rabin
Shimon Perez
(1992-1995)
Labor
(1995-1996)
Labor
Benjamin
Netanyahu
(1996-1999)
Likud
(Consolidation)
Ehud Barak
(1999-2001)
Labor
Israeli Leadership Since 2nd Intifada
Ariel Sharon
Ehud Olmert
(2001-2006)
(2006-2009)
Likud -> Kadima (forward) Kadima
Benjamin Netanyahu
(2009-Present)
Likud
Isreali Political Spectrum
Palestinian Authority Leadership
Yasser Arafat (1996-2004)
Mahmoud Abbas(2004-Present)
Fatah
Fatah
Hamas derives most support
from Gaza strip.
Fatah has most of its support in
the West Bank.
Since 2006, President Abbas has
attempted to oust and replace
Haniyeh as prime minister.
At present, the Palestinian
authority is effectively divided.
Ismail Haniyeh
Salam Fayyad
Hamas Prime Minister
in Gaza
Fatah Prime Minister
in West Bank