This presentation includes the history of Israel and Palestine concept along with various factors. A word file attached with it has got details where under NOTES, the explanation is written

1. ISRAEL PALESTINE CONFLICT
Rohit Sachdeva

2. 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: Abraham’s son Ishmael is the forefather of
the Arabs, then God’s promise of the land to the
children of Abraham includes Arabs as well)

3. 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

4.  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

5.  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

6.  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,

7. 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 Husayn’s 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.

8.  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)

9.  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.

10.  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

12.  After Britain withdrew forces on May 1948, region
became a no man’s 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 Israel’s
armed militia BETUR, Haganah and Palmach, though in
small numbers, had a strong organizational structure.

13.  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

14.  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

15.  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.

17.  In 1956, Israel joined with Britain and France to attack
Egypt, ostensibly to reverse the Egyptian government’s
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

18.  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.

19.  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

20.  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 Phalangist’s Civil War 1975-1976 in Lebanon
(NOTES)
 Syrian Intervention in Lebanon and eventual Israel
invasion.

21.  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

22.  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

23.  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.

24.  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

25.  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 Jordan’s 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

26.  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.

27.  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

28.  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