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National Identity
The Ottoman Empire had ruled Israel-Palestine for centuries, which was generally peaceful. It was religiously diverse, with mostly Christians and Muslims, but also a small number of Jews.
More and more people in the region were developing a distinct national identity as Palestinians, not just ethnic Arabs. In Europe, more Jews were joining a movement called Zionism. This was arguing that Judaism was not just a religion, but a nationality that deserved a nation of its own. -
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Jewish Population in Palestine
Tens of thousands of Jews moved to Palestine, believing that their historic homeland in the Middle East was the most probable way to get their own place. -
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World War I
The Ottoman Empire fell after World War I, with the British and French Empires slicing up the Middle East and the British took control of a region, which they called British Mandate for Palestine. -
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Jewish Immigration
In the beginning, the British allowed Jewish immigration. But as more Jews arrived, settling into farming communities, tension between the Jews and Arabs grew. This led to acts of violence committed by both sides.
Jewish immigration was limited by the British in the 1930s. The Jewish militias formed as a response. The idea was to resist British rule and fight the Arabs. -
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust led many more Jews to flee Europe and immigrate British Palestine. After this event, a large amount of the world was supporting the idea of a special state for the Jewish. -
The UN Proposal
The United Nations gave their blessing to divide British Palestine into two different states. One would be for Jews, Israel and the other for Arabs, Palestine. The city of Jerusalem became a special international zone for Jews, Muslims and Christians so they could all access their holy sights.
The plan was meant to establish Palestinian independence, give the Jews a state and end the violence between Jews and Palestinians that the British could no longer control. -
Palestine and Israel
The Jewish accepted the offer from the UN and declared independence as Israel. Though, the Arabs saw this plan as European colonialism trying to take their land. -
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Arab-Israeli War
Many of the Arab states with independence declared war on Israel as an attempt to unify Arab Palestine where all of the British Palestine had been.
The new state of Israel managed to win the war and also pushed far past their original borders in the UN's plan. They took the western half of Jerusalem and most of the land that had been a part of Palestine. They also left huge amounts of Palestinians homeless. -
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The Palestinian Liberation Organization
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was originally formed in the 1960s sought for a Palestinian state. The fought against Israel with terrorism. At first the PLO tried claimed all of what British Palestine had been, meaning they wanted the state of Israel to end entirely. The PLO and Israelis fought for years.
After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the PLO said they would agree to dividing the land in half between Israel and Palestine, but the still conflict continued. -
Six-Days War
Israel and the neighbouring states fought a six day war. Once this war finished, Israel had taken the West Bank from Jordan, Golan Heights from Syria and both Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. Now, Israel had all of the Palestinian territories, including all of Jerusalem- which was supposed to be for everyone. -
Camp David Accords
Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David Accords. Shortly after this, Israel gave Sanai back to Egypt as a part of the peace treaty. This was looked down on in the Arab world. So much so that Egypt president Anwar Sadat was assassinated in part because of this. -
The Settlers
Israelis were moving into Israel-occupied Palestinian territories. They built their homes in West Bank and Gaza Strip whether they were welcomed or not. These people were called settlers. Some moved there for religious reasons, some moved to claim the land for Israel and some because the housing was cheaper (which were mostly funded by the Israel government).
These settlers were followed by soldiers to protect them and to force Palestinians off their land. -
The Israeli Invasion of Lebanon
In 1982, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was aiming to kick the group out of Beirut. The world was shattered by the sounds of guns, bombs and planes. -
Hamas
Some Palestinians from Gaza agreed that the PLO wasn't religious or dedicated enough, so they created Hamas. Hamas was a violent extremist group who were passionate about ending Israel. -
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First Intifada
Palestinians started an intifada (uprising) against the Israelis. It started off with boycotts and protests but eventually became violent. Israel responded to the uprising with heavy force.
Hundreds of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians died in the first intifada. -
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords were aiming to let Palestinian's have independence and convince Israel to leave Palestinian territories alone. The Oslo Accords gave Palestinians some freedom to govern themselves in certain areas. Members from both Israel and Palestine opposed the Oslo Accords.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed the second round of Oslo Accords, but was then shot by a far-right Israeli in Tel Aviv. -
Camp David II
Both sides are negotiating the final details on peace for years. A huge Camp David summit that took place in 2000 came up empty. -
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Second Intifada
Palestinians now believe that peace will never come and start a second intifada. In the end, 1,000 Israelis and 3,200 Palestinians have died.
Israeli now believe that Palestinians will never accept peace and Palestinians believe that nothing is working and they are stuck in a terrible situation. -
Israel Withdraws from Gaza
As Israel leaves Gaza, Hamas gains power but goes against Palestinian Authority. Gaza and West Bank are divided in a short civil war.
Unemployment rises to 40% in Gaza as Israel puts them under a blockade. -
Today
Today there are several hundred thousand settlers in occupied territories even though the international community considers them illegal.
In Gaza, Hamas and other groups that support violence continue to fight Israel. These wars often kill loads of innocent Palestinians.
