Project Group 2 -- Jill Brubaker, Al Hawthorne, Chris Hill, James Okalo and Max Wedel
The Balfour Declaration 1917/1918
A formal declaration in 1917 by leaders not on Palestinian soil, the Balfour Declaration established Palestine as the national home for the Jewish people. Foreign secretary Balfour wrote, “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object.”[1] In Palestine the number of Jews begins to grow in mass amounts, many migrating after WWI to “reconstitute their national home.”[2]
The State of Israel 1948
UN enables a partition plan for Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Protests over the partition plan and the continuous seizing of Arab lands results in a full-blown civil war. The Provisional State Council and the World Zionist Movement, both of whom represented the Jewish population, institute the Jewish State in Palestine to be called Medinat Israel, or, the State of Israel, making Palestine now open to the immigration of all Jews from anywhere, and Arabs made refugees of their own land.
The Six-Day War 1967
The Six-Day War was a simultaneous attack by Israel on Egypt, Jordan and Syria. As in its title, this war lasted only six days with Israel winning by a landslide. At its conclusion, Israel acquired Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
The Yom Kippur War 1973
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from October 6, 1973 to October 25, 1973. This war was between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria, and began when the coalition launched a joint surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, which happened to occur that year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Within a week, Israel recovered and launched a four-day counter-offensive, driving deep into Syria. To relieve this pressure, the Egyptians went back on the offensive, but were decisively defeated; the Israelis then counterattacked at the seam between two Egyptian armies, crossed the Suez Canal, and advanced southward and westward in over a week of heavy fighting.
The First Intifada 1987
The First Intifada lasted from 1987-1993 and was a series of nonviolent economic boycotts and acts of civil disobedience conducted by Palestinian citizens against Israeli occupation. While there were few incidents of violence by Palestinians against Israelis, the Israeli Defense Force and Intra-Palestinian conflicts killed approximately 1,000 Palestinians each. There were also episodes of youths throwing stones at Israeli tanks.[3]
The Oslo Peace Accords 1993
A set of agreements between Israel and Palestine that divided the West Bank into three areas of administration (A, B, and C), and established the Palestinian Authority, an administrative organization to ensure Palestinian elections, safe passage for Palestinians from Gaza to the West Bank, and to distribute services such as education, criminal justice, healthcare, and trash collection. In area A, the Palestinian Authority controls governance and security. In area B, they have administrative control, but the Israeli military controls security. Area C (60% of the West Bank) is fully under the control of the Israeli military.[4]
The Second Intifada 2001/2002
A Palestinian uprising following the failed Camp David Summit and ignited by then-candidate Ariel Sharon’s September 2000 statement that the Temple Mount--a holy site for both the Jewish and Muslim faiths--was in Israel’s hands and would always remain in Israel’s hands with free access by Israelis (Note: Many Israelis claim that this was a pre-planned wave of terrorist action by PLO leader Yasser Arafat and that Sharon’s comments provided an excuse). The conflict consisted of suicide bombers, rocket and mortar attacks, kidnappings, and a slew of killings and violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The unofficial end of the Second Intifada happened in 2005 after Yasser Arafat’s death and Sharon agreeing to release Palestinian prisoners and withdraw from West Bank towns--though some say it has still not ended. It is estimated that 5,500 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis were killed.
Palestinian Proposal of a Unilateral Declaration of Statehood 2011
In another attempt to achieve international recognition of independence, and with increasing pessimism about reaching an agreed upon deal with the Israeli government, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to the UN to accept Palestine as an official member state. 130 UN countries have recognized Palestine as a state, however most Western European countries and the US--who holds essential veto power--have opposed the action.