Historical Background to the Palestine-Israel Conflict

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Historical Background to the Palestine-Israel
Conflict

• Prepared for the Forum on the Palestine-Israel
  Conflict
• 09 May 2002 at the UP PCED Hostel
• By Rey Claro Casambre
• of the PHILIPPINE PEACE CENTER
• and the
• INTERNATONAL LEAGUE OF PEOPLES STRUGGLE
• Study Commission on Peace

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Introduction

• This paper aims to provide a brief historical
  background on the war currently raging in the
  Occupied Territories, especially at the West
  Bank, between the Palestinians and the Israelis

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The history of the Palestine-Israel conflict may
be discussed in four periods

• From ancient times to the end of World War I
• The British Mandate of Palestine 1917-1948
• The establishment of the state of Israel and the
  Israel-Arab Wars (1948-1982)
• Peace talks and the First Intefada

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Ancient Times to the End of World War I

• 1250 BC - Israelites conquer Canaan King
  David, Solomon (965-928)and other Hebrew rulers
• 586BC -    Jews driven out by Assyrian conqueror
  Nebuchadnezzer
• Succession of Assyrian, Persian (539BC), Greek
  (333BC), Egyptian, Syrian, Roman Byzantine (63
  BC), and Arab rulers from Damascus (661-750),
  Iraq (750-1258), and Cairo (969-1099, 1187-1516),
  and the Crusaders (1099-1187) .
• Palestine incorporated into the Ottoman Empire
  from 1516-1917
• Zionism the movement to establish a separate
  Jewish state in Palestine was born in the end
  of the 19th century

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The Middle East in 1917

• Middle East in 1917

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The British Mandate (1917-48)

• The Balfour Declaration of 1917 pledged Britains
  support for the establishment in Palestine of a
  national home for the Jewish people and paid lip
  service to safeguarding the civil and political
  rights of the non-Jewish communities in Palestine
• Successive waves of migrations increased Jewish
  population in Palestine from less than 6 in 1903
  to 31 in 1945

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UN RESOLUTION 181 PAVES WAY TO THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF ISRAEL IN PALESTINE

• 29 Nov 1947 - UN Resolution 181 partitioning
  Palestine into a Jewish state (56.5 of
  Palestine) and a Palestinian state (43)
  rejected by the Palestinians and Arab states.
• 14 May 1948 - State of Israel proclaimed in Tel
  Aviv at 400 P.M. , recognized by US President
  Truman
• 15 May 1948 - British Mandate ends. Declaration
  of State of Israel comes into effect.

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The Arab-Israeli Wars

• 1949 First Arab-Israeli War
• 1956 Suez Campaign (Oct 29-Nov 5)
• 1967 - Six-Day War (June 5-10)
• Israel occupies Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights,
  Gaza Strip, the West Bank
• 1973 - October War (Yom Kippur)
• 1982 - Israeli invasion of Lebanon

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• Six-Day War
• 1967
• June 5-10

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• October 1973 War
• (Yom Kippur)

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Peace Talks and the Intefada

•          1978 Camp David Accords between Israel
  and Egypt Israel turns over Sinai to Egypt in
  exchange for recognition of right to exist
•          1987 - the outbreak of the first
  Palestinian intefada in December 1987 triggered
  by death of Palestinian youths run over by
  Israeli lorry (military personnel carrier)
•          1988 - Yasser Arafat's condemnation of
  terrorism and recognition of the state of Israel
  in December 1988.
•          1991 October - The Madrid peace
  conference  

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• 1992 - secret Israeli-Palestinian talks in Oslo,
  Norway
• 1993 Declaration of Principles (DoP), signed by
  Yasser Arafat and Israeli PM Yitzhak
  Rabino        set up the Palestinian Authority,
  but
• o        failed to resolve the issues of
           return of Palestinian refugees
           the status of Jerusalem
           Israeli settlements
           final Palestine-Israel borders
• 1994 Arafat returned to Gaza Strip and West
  bank to head the Palestinian Authority

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However, Israelwielded full authority and
control by frequently sealing off the
Palestinian-governed areas from the rest of the
Occupied Territories and from Israel.
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• July 2000 Camp David Summit called by US
  President Bill Clinton. After two weeks of
  intensive negotiation with Arafat and Barak, the
  talks end without a deal. Barak resigns shortly
  after and Ariel Sharon elected Prime Minister
• 27 September 2000- Second Intefada erupts

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Since 2002 additions by Joe Naumann

• Hamas wins elections in Gaza
• Hamas fires missiles into Israel
• 2009 - Israel bombs and invades Gaza