ISRAEL PALESTINE CONFLICT

Rohit Sachdeva
INTRODUCTION
Israel Palestine is a conflict of land and to an extent
rivalry among Zionism and Islam
Longest spanning problem in the world stretching for a
century
Involvement of different religious groups, Strong Jew
lobby at one hand and Oil rich Arab countries on other
hand.
Conflict on the claim of land (For Jews: Moses led
Israelites and David conquered Jerusalem. For Arabs:
Abrahams son Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs, then
Gods promise of the land to the children of Abraham
includes Arabs as well)
HISOTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Mameluks (slave soldiers of Egyptian Arabs) established
empire of Arab speaking Muslims (13th Century)
This started emigration of Jews
Defeated by Ottoman Empire in 1517, not a political unit
at the time of Empire. Jerusalem was under direct
authority due to international significance of Bethelehem
for Jews, Christians and Muslims
(1875: 462,465 subjects-403,795 Muslims, 43,659 Christians
and 15,011 Jews and 10,000 with foreign citizenship)
Jews in Major cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Safad and
Tiberias. Religious Orthodoxity and no national feeling.
 Napoleon came in 1798. War led in reduction of population
and revolts led the generation of nationalist feeling.
Certain Zionist movements started which initiated Jewish
settlements but restrictions imposed in terms of land.
French Revolution evolved liberal ideas and first formal
Zionist Congress in 1897 by Theodor Herzel in Basel.
Idea of Jewish Homeland under Turkish or German Rule.
Farm communities in Petah, Tikva, Zichron, Jacob and a new
city was established Tel Aviv, north of Jaffa.
World War I : Ottoman joined Germany and Austria
Hungary against Allies.
Turkish military governor ordered deportation of foreign
nationals .
Intelligence group NILI found to help Britishers.
 There are several different forms of Zionism. From the
1920s until the 1970s, the dominant form was Labor
Zionism, which sought to link socialism and nationalism.
By the 1920s, Labor Zionists in Palestine established the
kibbutz movement (a kibbutz is a collective commune,
usually with an agricultural economy)
the Jewish trade unionand cooperative movement, the main
Zionist militias (the Haganah and Palmach)
and the political parties that ultimately coalesced in the
Israeli Labor Party in 1968.
The top leader of Labor Zionism was David Ben-Gurion,
who became the first Prime Minister of Israel
Revisionist movement led by Vladimir Jabotinsky, territorial
claims West of Jordan
 differed from Labor Zionists by declaring openly the
objective to establish a Jewish state (rather than the vaguer
formula of a national home).
believed that armed force would be required to establish
such a state.
included the Betar youth movement and the ETZEL (National
Military Organization) formed the core of what became the
Herut (Freedom) Party after Israeli independence.
subsequently became the central component of the Likud
Party, the largest right wing Israeli party since the 1970s.
Anti Zionist Belief by Orthodox, Regarded Zionism against
God will but Holocaust strengthened the feeling, further by
1967 Israeli victory (Messianic Era) after capturing West Bank.
 British Mandate of Palestine (Sykes Picot Agreement, Balfour
Declaration and British White Paper)
British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon,
secretly corresponded with Husayn ibn `Ali, the patriarch of
the Hashemite family and Ottoman governor of Mecca and
Medina.
The Arab revolt, led by T. E. Lawrence (Lawrenceof Arabia)
and Husayns son Faysal, was successful in defeating the
Ottomans.
British Foreign Minister, Lord Arthur Balfour declaration for
Jewish National Home in Palestine and Britian-France Control
French Mandate :Syria carving out Lebanon (Christian
Majority), British Mandate: Present Israel, West Bank, Gaza,
Jordan.
1921: East of Jordan River, Empire of Transjordan, West
Palestine Mandate.
 Rising Jewish immigration from Europe led to Arab
resistance.
1920s: Jewish National Fund purchased large tracts of land
from absentee Arab landowners, the Arabs living in these
areas were evicted.
Clashes in 1921 when equal number of Arab and Jews killed.
1928 : Wailing Wall Clash (NOTES)
1929: Earlier Zionist presented their case in Paris Peace
Conference and at San Remo Conference, much larger
Palestine was given to Jewish Community and Jewish Agency
was created in Palestine
Hitler Rise to power led to immigration (1939-1942, 1945-
1948) and breaking of riots in 1936 and Issue of White Paper
by British government. (population from 1 to 35 percent)
 Demands in support of immigration of Jews and against
immigration by Arabs made situation complex. (NOTES)
Outbreak of World War II. Zionist joined Allies due to
extermination of European Jews
Underground Zionist Leaders freed in general amnesty.
White paper had deteriorated relations
At the height of Nazi atrocities, Zionist leadership met in
1942 in New York city in support of Jewish Commonwealth
(Biltmore Declaration)
Labour Party came in power and promised reversal of
White Paper.
Jewish underground started attacking British Personnel.
 Britain took the matter to UN and a UN Committee
investigated the situation in Palestine.
At the end of 1946, 1,269,000 Arabs and 608,000 Jews
resided within the borders of Mandate Palestine.
Nov 29, 1947: Two states divided on the basis of majority in
a way that some Jewish settlements will fall in Arab state and
vice versa.
Jewish state was larger (56/43) on the assumption of Jewish
immigration.
Jerusalem and Bethlehem declared international city.
Palestinians agreed but Arab states considered it betrayal.
Fighting among Israel and Jewish residents led to the war of
1948
 After Britain withdrew forces on May 1948, region became a
no mans land.
Zionist proclaimed state of Israel and Arab states (Jordan,
Egypt, Syria and Iraq) sought to save Palestine which led to
first Arab-Israel War.
Till 1948, the outcome of war was unclear but after hipments
from Czechoslovakia reached Israel, its armed forces
established superiority and conquered territories beyond the
UN partition plan borders (68 percent of land)
Moreover 1936-39 war had weakened Arab forces in the area
with no proper organization structure while Israels armed
militia BETUR, Haganah and Palmach, though in small
numbers, had a strong organizational structure.
 Till the time of ceasefire (armistice agreement) only Gaza and
West Bank remained with Arabs. They called it defeat and
exile of Palestinian Arab Nakba (disaster)
Over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs became refugees. (NOTES)
Treatment of Refugees in the state of Israel as second grade
citizens
Curtailed Speech and expression, confiscation of 40 percent
of land to those who were left in Israel.
One important expression of this identity was the
organization of a general strike on March 30, 1976, designated
as Land Day, to protest the continuing confiscation of Arab
lands.
The Israeli security forces killed six Arab citizens on that day.
All Palestinians now commemorate it as a national day
 In 1957,Yaseer Arafat (an Egyptian Palestinian who grew up in
Gaza Strip) moved to Kuwait and together with Khalid al
Hassan, Mahmoud Abbas and other founded HARAKAT
TAHRIR FILASTIN (reverse acronym FATAH)
1960: Tension started on with Israel implementing National
Water Carrier plan to irrigate south and central Israel.
Fatah declared it imperalist event and criticized Egyptian
President Naseer for not going for any effective action.
In response to this Naseer found Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), an armed alternative of Fatah with a goal
to re-establish Undivided Palestine with Jerusalem
Syria emerged as a center for Palestinian cause challenging
Naseers pan-Arabism.
 Syria recruited army intelligence for terrorist attacks which
got wide publicity in Arab world.
After 1967 , Yaseer Arafat, who headed Fatah, also became
chairman of PLO which emerged as a major actor in
Palestine movement.
PLO got recognition by all Arab states and later by UN
General Assembly in 1974 as a face of Palestine
Israel strongly opposed the charter and USA, USSR also
abstained in voting.
PLO primary base of operation was Jordan but due to
infighting in 1971,PLO leadership was forced out to Lebanon,
which also expelled it in Lebanon civil war in 1982 as it
became a party in conflict. Base shifted to Tunisia.
 In 1956, Israel joined with Britain and France to attack Egypt,
ostensibly to reverse the Egyptian governments
nationalization of the Suez Canal (then under French and
British control).
Israeli forces captured Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, but were
forced to evacuate back to the armistice lines as a result of
UN pressure led by the US.
In the spring of 1967, the Soviet Union misinformed the
Syrian government that Israeli forces were massing in
northern Israel to attack Syria.
But clashes between Israel and Syria had been escalating for
about a year, and Israeli leaders had publicly declared that it
might be necessary to bring down the Syrian regime if it failed
to end Palestinian commando attacks against Israel from
Syrian territory
 Responding to a Syrian request for assistance, in May 1967
Egyptian troops entered the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel.
The Egyptians then occupied Sharm al-Shaykh at the southern
tip of the Sinai Peninsula and proclaimed a blockade of the
Israeli port of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba, arguing that access
was through Egyptian Waters.
On June 5, 1967 Israel pre-emptively attacked Egypt and Syria,
destroying their air forces on the ground within a few hours.
The Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies were decisively
defeated, and Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, the
Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan
Heights from Syria.
This six day war established Israel as a military power.
 Due to pressure from US, Israel agreed to withdraw from
conquered territories in a peace settlement. (UN Security
Council Resolution 242)
Soon after this Naseer died and was replaced by Anwar Sadat.
Sadat made an offer to negotiate settlement which was
rejected by Israel, due to which on the holy day of Yum Ki
Pour, Egypt and Syria launched attack on Israel.
Arabs achieved some early military victories. This prompted
American political intervention, along with sharply increased
military aid to Israel.
Cease took place and Fighting ended within a month.
After the war Yitzhak Rabin became the new Prime Minister
of Israel and Arab states targeted US and Netherlands for
their support on Israel declaration of oil embargo.
 After the war, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger pursued
a diplomatic strategy for the fate of West Bank and Gaza.
European countries started making diplomatic efforts in
favour of Arabs.
In 1978, Anwar Sadat decided to initiate a separate overture
to Israel and signed Camp David Agreement with Menahem
Begin leading to a peace treaty in 1979.
Thus Egypt became the first country in Arab world to
recognize the Israel state.
In 1982, Sinai Peninsula was given back to Egypt.
Christian Phalangists Civil War 1975-1976 in Lebanon
(NOTES)
Syrian Intervention in Lebanon and eventual Israel invasion.
Israel and Jordan signed peace treaty in 1994.
 1987: Local residents in Gaza Strip and West Bank revolted called
as Intifadeh.
Low level violence to gain sympathy for Palestinians
civil disobedience, including massive demonstrations, general
strikes, refusal to pay taxes, boycotts of Israeli products
the establishment of underground schools
Intifada activism was organized through popular committees
under the umbrella of the United National Leadership of the
Uprising (UNLU)
The UNLU was a coalition of the four PLO parties active in the
occupied territories: Fatah, the PFLP, the DFLP and the PPP
From 1987 to 1991sraeli forces killed over 1,000 Palestinians,
including over 200 under the age of sixteen and jailed leaders.
growing rivalry between the various PLO factions and Islamist
organizations(HAMAS and Islamic Jihad)
 Intifadeh ended but Gulf War in 1991and dissolution of
USSR called to solve the Israel Palestine problem.
After the war, thePLO was diplomatically isolated.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia cut off financial support they had
been providing, bringing the PLO to the brink of crisis.
Bush pressurised PM Yitzhak Shamir to open talks with
Palestine and Shamir demanded PLO to be excluded from
talks.
Palestinians were represented by a delegation from the
occupied territories
Although Israeli and Palestinian delegations met many times,
little progress was achieved.
New Israeli Labor Party government led by Yitzhak Rabin
assumed office in June 1992
 Human rights conditions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
deteriorated dramatically after Rabin assumed office.
Growth of radical Islamist led to violent attacks by HAMAS
and Islamic Jihad.
The weakness of the PLO after the Gulf War, the stalemate in
the Washington talks, and fear of radical Islam brought the
Rabin government to reverse the long-standing Israeli refusal
to negotiate with the PLO.
Israel and PLO signed Oslo Declaration (NOTES) which
created Palestinian National authority (PNA) to negotiate with
Israel on issue of West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In 1996, Palestinians elected a legislature controlled by Fatah
faction with Yaseer as Chairman to administer areas.
Even after Interim government, both parties did not follow the
agreements.
 Ehud Barak of Labour Party became PM in 1999 and he
pursued negotiation actively.
Troops withdrew and a suburb of Jerusalem, Abu Dis was
offered as Palestinian Capital.
However violence broke out in Mid May 2000.
Clinton Bridging proposal gave Palestinians 97 percent of
West Bank and sovereignty over air space.
Also provided Palestinians refugees to return if Israel agrees.
Proposal was accepted by Israel with reservations but there
was no definite reply from Palestine side.
Second Infitadeh in 2000 over Arion Shariel visit to East
Jerusalem
World Trade Center attack changed the whole equation as
HAMAS and Islamic Jihad were linked to Al Qaeda.
 Arafat died in November 2004 and possibility of peace
improved.
Mahmoud Abbas was elected President of PNA.
Israel and Palestine met in Sharm EL Sheikh in Feb 2005 at a
summit conference in Egypt.
Conference attended by Jordans king Abdullah and Egyptian
President Mubarak but peace could be established due to
suicide bombings in Tel Aviv.
2006: HAMAS movement won over Fateh. Mahmoud
remained President with broad powers. America and Europe
pledged not to negotiate with HAMAS
 Israeli withdrawal from the Arab territories captured in
1967
Return of refugees to the land from where they were
displaced.
Establishment of an independent state of Palestine with East
Jerusalem as its capital.
Divide of Palestine as per UN plan of 1949
This will result in recognition of Israel by Arab nations and
resolving of issues, said Crown Prince Abdullah
Geneva Accord was also signed between Israeli opposition
leaders and Palestinian leaders on same lines, but no progess
achieved so far.
 Labour Party during the election came up with the idea of The Security
Barrier or Apartheid Wall.

Though initially resisted as it would give de facto recognition to

Palestine.
But the route changed afterwards dividing Palestine in two enclaves.
International Court of Justice ruled it immoral and illegal construction in
a disputed territory.
Israel government also pursued the assassination of HAMAS
leader in Palestine and leaders like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in the process.
International Quartet (US, Russia, EU and UN) for a Roadmap to settle
the issue.
Arab Quartet in 2007 (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and UAE) to
implement Saudi Arabia Plan 2002
 2006 :Hezbollah began series of rocket attacks on Israel
from Lebanese border.
Lebanon want return of prisoners and immediate
withdrawal from territory.
Demanded Sheba Farms whereas UN ruled that Sheba
farms on Golan Heights are a part of Syria.
International Peace Conference in Annapolis, US as
Hezbollah captured Gaza in 2007.
2008: Egypt called for a truce between HAMAS and Israel
but till 2009 attacks continued after which Israel called for
unilateral ceasefire
Israel pressure on Egypt about smuggling of weapons to
Gaza.
85 percent of planned wall in Palestinian territory
Weakened PLO and strengthening Islamic Jihad