Israel Palestine conflict
State of Palestine
Officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), it claims the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip as its territory, though the entirety of that territory has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Gaza Strip has been ruled by the militant Islamic group Hamas and has been subject to a long-term blockade by Egypt and Israel since 2007.
Hamas
Arab
Geography
Palestine:
- Gaza
- West Bank (east of Juresilm)
Lebanon (Ливан) is on the north.
Syria is on the east.
Egypt is on the south.
Jordan is on the east
WW1: The question of Palestine
From 16th century until the end of WW1, this part of the Middle East was controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
It was granted to the British after WW1.
Both Israelis and Palestinians were struggling for self-determination and sovereignty over the territory, developing respective movements for their causes.
Large-scale Jewish immigration followed in succeeding decades, including during Nazi persecution and Holocaust. Both sides continued to assert their right to establish a state.
1948: Israel declares independence
UK, US, WW2 winners (Антантата) decide to divide the territory between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel declares independence in May 1948. The next day, a coalition of Arab states, allied with Palestinian factions, attack Israeli forces in what becomes the first of several Arab-Israeli wars. In the end, Israel gains control of an even larger portion of territory — not including the areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. An estimated 700,000 Palestinians flee or are driven from their land in what Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe” in Arabic.
July 1956: The Suez Crisis
Suez canal WAS on the border between Israel and Egypt. It is the connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It is the shortest sea link between Europe and Asia.
Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal and Israel, France and the UK attacked Egypt. A peace deal, backed by the United States and Soviet Union, ends the fighting.
1967: The six day war
In June of 1967, a war known as the “Six-Day War” or the 1967 Arab-Israeli War breaks out amid lingering conflicts, including Egypt’s continued blockade of shipping into the Gulf of Aqaba. Israel takes control of the Gaza Strip, Sinai, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem. The Arab armies suffer massive losses.
October 1973: The Yom Kippur War
A coalition of Arab nations, led by Egypt and Syria attacks Israel on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day when nobody works.
September 1978: Egypt Israel deal
It lays the foundation to a peace deal between the two countries the next year, including Israel’s eventual withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula. It also sets out a framework for a process of Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is recognized by Israel and the United States as a negotiating partner.
1993: Oslo accords.
PLO and Israel chart the expansion of a limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza. Left unresolved, however, are key issues such as Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem, which is viewed by the Palestinians as the capital of any future state.
2006: Hamas elected in Gaza
Israel withdraws its troops from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinian militant group Hamas wins legislative elections the next year, leading to political strains with the more moderate Fatah party controlling the West Bank.
December 2008: Israel attacks Gaza
After rockets barrages into Israel by Palestinian militants.
December 2017: U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as capital
The Trump administration recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announces that it plans to shift the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, stirring outrage from Palestinians.
December 2022: Netanyahu sworn in for sixth term
Benjamin Netanyahu is sworn in again as Israeli prime minister, after winning an election that gives him his sixth term and elevates a once-fringe bloc of far-right politicians into powerful seats. He cobbles together the most far-right government in Israeli history, which critics say has begun to crush any prospect of a two-state solution.
October 2023: Israel says it’s ‘at war’ after Hamas attack
Netanyahu formally declares war on Hamas on Oct. 8 following a surprise assault by Hamas militants that came a day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
The U.S., E.U. and Britain condemned the attacks while pledging support to Israel. The leaders went on to say that they recognize the “legitimate aspirations” of Palestinians but that Hamas “does not represent those aspirations.”
UAE have condemned the attacks.
Bahrain joined the UAE in calling Hamas’s attacks an “escalation” and denounced the “reported kidnappings.”
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, Israel’s neighbors, urged restraint.
Iran congratulated Hamas, while Qatar said Israel was to blame for the violence.
Turkey and China, called for both sides to end violence.