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Period: 1516 to
Ottoman Palestine
The Ottoman Empire ruled over Palestine and many other Arab states for 400 years. It was the strongest and longest lasting empire, but started to decline in power at the start of World War I, as European nations became stronger. In 1918, at the end of World War I, it was defeated and officially ended in 1922. Its territories were divided between Britain, France, Greece and Russia. -
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus Affair was a scandal that took place in France in 1894. Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery captain in the French Army, was wrongly accused of passing military secrets to the Germans. Dreyfus had been accused because of handwriting that resembled his on a torn up letter found in the bin of a German Embassy. Dreyfus was publicly humiliated in front of a crowd screaming "death to Judas, death to Jew." The Dreyfus Affair displayed the anti-semitism of the French and led to Zionism. -
Modern Zionism Emerges
Zionism is a political ideology that is based around the belief that Jewish people should have their own Jewish state in the land of Israel, and only there would they be safe. Modern Zionism is believed to be founded by Theodor Herzl who wrote Der Judenstaat after the Dreyfus Affair. The pamphlet called for the need of a Jewish homeland in the land of Palestine. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organisation. Zionism brought Jewish people from all over the world to Palestine. -
McMahon-Hussein Correspondence
The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence was a series of letters in which Sir Henry McMahon, a British High Commissioner in Egypt, promised Sherif Hussein of Mecca an independent Arab state. In return, McMahon wished for the Arabs to help the British defeat the Ottoman Empire. The British deny that Palestine were included in the agreement, and did not publish the correspondence until 1939. The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence aids in displaying the conflicting agreements the British made. -
Sykes-Picot Agreement
The Syke-Picot Agreement was a secret accord, in which the British and the French agreed to divide the Arab state, ruled by the Ottoman Empire, between them, with the conclusion of World War I. According to the agreement, the nations involved were allowed to establish as much control as desired in their given Arab land. The Sykes-Picot agreement conflicted with the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence, where the British promised Arab independence. It led to a British mandated Palestine. -
Balfour Declaration
British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour wrote a letter to Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, a well-known Zionist British citizen. This letter declared that the British government supported the Jewish settlement in Palestine and the making of a Jewish homeland. The Balfour Declaration showed disregard for the citizens that already called Palestine a home and for the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence, in which Palestine was promised independence. -
UN Partition Plan
The Partition Plan, passed as Resolution 181, decided to divide Palestine into two seperate provinces. Jerusalem remained international land. Despite the Jewish population only making up 33% of the population of mandated Palestine, the plan made 56% of land, Jewish land. The remaining 44% of mandated Palestine became Arab land, holding 67% of the mandated Palestinian population. -
State of Israel Established
David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, officially announced the establishment of the State of Israel. Harry S. Truman, the president of the United States of America, also recognised the new nation on the same day. After this announcement, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq invaded Israel. The Israeli counterattack earned Israel 78% total land area, while Egypt took Gaza and Jordan gained West Bank. 720,000 Palestinians were displaced. A year later, Israel became a member state of the UN. -
Six Day War
The Six Day War was fought between Israel and the Arab states of Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Tensions had been building between Israel and the Arab states and they finally erupted in a bloody and brutal war. At the end of the 6 days, Israel had gained Gaza and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. From Jordan, Israel gained East Jerusalem and West Bank. Israel took Golan Heights from Syria. Israel also gained full control of the skies over the Middle East. 500,000 Palestinians were displaced. -
Period: to
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian mass uprising, protesting against the Israeli occupation and settlements in West Bank and Gaza.It was portrayed with kids throwing stones at Israeli tanks, showing the difference in weaponry between the two sides. Palestinians used many non-violent protests, such as refusing to work in Israel. A quarter of the 1000 Palestinians killed were children, and 332 Palestinians were killed in the first 13 months. -
Period: to
Oslo Peace Process
The Oslo Accord aimed to work towards peace between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation Negotiator, Mahmoud Abbas, met at the White House. The PLO recognised the state of Israel for the first time. They renounced terrorism and recognised Israeli right to peace. Israel recognised the PLO as a representative of Palestinian people. Both sides agreed to a Palestinian Authority to govern West Bank and Gaza. -
Period: to
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada was a lot more violent than the first. The Second Intifada was sparked by Ariel Sharon's visit to Temple Mount. Ariel Sharon was the soon to be Israeli Prime Minister and Temple Mount is a very sacred place of worship for muslims. It saw a rise in suicide bombings from Palestinians and deadlier tactics from the Israeli army, such as use of an Air Force. The death toll was 3000 Palestinians and 1000 Israelis. -
Withdrawal from Gaza Settlements
In 2005, Israel withdrew all settlements from the Gaza Strip. In 2006, Hamas took power of Gaza. Since 2007, Israel has maintained full military blockade of Gaza. They have full authority over who can exit and enter Gaza, the airspace over Gaza, the supply of fuel, water and electricity to Gaza, residency in Gaza and taxes in Gaza. -
Gaza War
The Gaza War was an armed conflict between Israel and Gaza, for the duration of 3 weeks. Israel stated they aimed to stop rocket fire into Israel and weapon smuggling into Gaza, which has a military blockade on it. 1400 Palestinians were massacred, and 13 Israelis were killed. -
Israel-Gaza Conflict
The conflict consisted of a 7 week Israeli military operation, that was stated to have been launched to end rocket fire from Gaza to Israel. 7000 homes were destroyed and 89,000 homes were damaged in Gaza. The military blockade on Gaza allowed Israel to stop supplies going into Gaza to rebuild houses. 2,200 Palestinians were killed in the conflict, and 66 Israelis were killed. -
Gaza Border Protest
The Gaza Border Protest was a 6 week campaign. Protesters were protesting the blockade on Gaza after the 2005 settlement withdrawal. The protests were held near the Gaza-Israel border. 168 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military with the use of sniper fire. More than 18,000 Palestinians were injured. -
Works Cited
Milestones: 1993–2000. (2018). Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1993-2000/oslo Moss, J. (2018). Israel and Palestine - background to the conflict. Presentation, Viewbank College. Nix, E. (2018). What was the Dreyfus affair?. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-dreyfus-affair Ottoman Empire. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoman-empire -
Works Cited
'War crimes by both sides' in Gaza. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33223365 What were the intifadas?. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/cards/israel-palestine/intifadas Zionism. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/zionism -
Works Cited
Editors, H. (2009). Balfour Declaration letter written. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-balfour-declaration Editors, H. (2018). Britain and France conclude Sykes-Picot agreement. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/britain-and-france-conclude-sykes-picot-agreement Milestones: 1945–1952. (2018). Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/creation-israel -
Works Cited
Six-Day War. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/six-day-war Spooner, R. (2018). The McMahon promise to Hussein. Retrieved from http://www.balfourproject.org/the-mcmahon-promise/ UN Partition Plan. (2001). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/israel_and_the_palestinians/key_documents/1681322.stm
