Israel–Palestine conflict
ongoing military and political conflict in the Levant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Israel–Palestine conflict (also called the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) is a decades-long dispute between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine alongside Hamas, Iran and the people of Palestine. It is a dispute over who controls the Land of Israel, an area in the Middle East also known as Palestine (region).[4][5][1] It also involves disputes about security, access to water, and whether Palestinians can return to their homes.[6][7]
| Israeli–Palestinian conflict | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Arab–Israeli conflict | |||||||
 Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Israel |
Hamas (in Gaza Strip) | ||||||
|
Supported by:
|
Supported by:
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 900–9000+ killed | 44,321–56,200+ killed | ||||||
The conflict began before the State of Israel was created in 1948.[8] It is part of the wider Arab–Israeli conflict and continues today.
Overview
A big part of the Israel–Palestine conflict is about who controls the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. This area used to be Mandatory Palestine. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim to own this land. Israelis also want to keep their country safe and Palestinians want their rights to be respected.[9]
When agreements are proposed, the two sides do not always trust each other.[10]
A two-state solution
The two-state solution is by far the most common proposed solution to the conflict. It would mean dividing the land to form an independent Palestinian state, finally giving both the Israeli and Palestinian people self-determination with states of their own.[10] Most Palestinians view the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as the area of the future Palestine.[11]
In the early 2000s, polls showed that the vast majority of Arabs and Jews believed a two-state solution was the best way to end the conflict.[12][13][14]
A one-state solution
Few scholars suggest a one-state solution. This is plan seemingly alleges as possible a bi-national state (a country for both Israeli and Palestinians) out of all of Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The proposed new country would have equal rights for all.[15][16]
History
Mandatory Palestine
The British had promised the land of Mandatory Palestine to two groups of people. They had promised it to the local Arabs and also to Jews in the area and in Europe. Arabs were the majority at the time but more Jews were starting to move there.[17][18] Both the Arabs and the Jews wanted independence – to rule themselves. Arabs had been under the control of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and then the British. They felt they were going to lose their jobs and their homes now too. Many Jews had escaped violence and antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East, and now felt they needed a safe country of their own. This created unrest and tension in Mandatory Palestine.[8][19][20] Jews generally supported the plans.[21]
Rising conflict
Throughout the 1920s, violence often broke out between Arabs and Jews in Mandatory Palestine. To protect itself, the Jews formed their own paramilitary (an unauthorized private army), called the Haganah.[22]
Arab nationalists from other countries entered Palestine in the 1930s to engage in violence. The local Arabs organized protests and boycotts. Many of them had lost their jobs and homes, or were evicted from their land. In response, the British set up special teams of Jewish police and soldiers to help them manage the unrest. These teams were called the Notrim.[19][23] In 1936, Arab protests grew into a revolt. The Arabs wanted the British to leave Palestine and to stop supporting plans to build a Jewish country there. The British stopped the revolt by force. [24][25] At least 10% of the adult population were killed, hurt, jailed or forced to leave the country. Many Arab leaders were also ejected from the country in violent clashes over the year. The economy was struggling with so much change.[26][27]
At this point, the British decided to ban Jewish immigration to Palestine.[28][29][30] This was very unpopular with the Jews in Palestine and those in Europe.[31]
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The situation appeared to settle down during World War II. Moderate Arab leaders were popular during this time. Arabs and Jews fought together in the Jewish–Arab Palestine Regiment, commanded by the British. But the Holocaust created a crisis for European Jews. By 1947, more and more Jews were entering Palestine illegally. The British now found themselves facing armed Jewish groups as a result. They started to plan their withdrawal from Mandatory Palestine.[22]
Partition
The UN voted to separate Mandatory Palestine into one country for the Arabs and another for the Jews. Jerusalem would be an international city, run by UN forces and open for all.[32][33] Jews comprised 37% of the population but would get 55% of the land. Arabs opposed the plan since Jews only owned 7% of the land at the time.[34] Jewish leaders planned to take the rest of the land later.[35]
Independence and Arab–Israeli War
A civil war broke out. For the first four months, Arab forces mostly attacked the local Jews.[36] Then the tide began to turn. Much of the local Arab leadership had been defeated the decade before and support from neighboring Arab nations did little to help. The Jewish paramilitaries were more organized and were taking more and more land. They enacted Operation Dalet to conquer as much land as they could.[37][38][39]
A second stage of the war began after Britain withdrew and Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. Around this time, half the Palestinian Arabs were forced or intimidated out of their homes – first by Jewish paramilitaries and then Israel Defence Force.[40][41][42][dubious ][better source needed] Some scholars have accused Israel of ethnic cleansing,[43][44][45] although some disagree.[46][47][48] Events that caused this included people being forced to leave by Israeli forces, the destruction of Arab villages, spreading information designed to cause fear, terrorism, mass killings such as the widely publicized Deir Yassin massacre[49]: 239–240 burning of crops,[50][51] disease from well-poisoning,[52] and the collapse of Palestinian leadership and the wealthier classes.[53] Many fled the country. Many more became refugees.[33][22][54]
The Arab League attacked the new country of Israel. There were 15,000 casualties but the fighting ended in 1949. Israel held almost 80% of what had been Mandatory Palestine. Jordan controlled the West Bank and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip.[33][23][55][56]
Population shift
Jewish population
The population of Jewish people in the Arab world has decreased dramatically since 1948. That year, there were between 758,000 and 881,000 Jews (see table below) living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 24,000.
The Jewish community no longer exists in some Arab states, like Libya (which was previously around 3% Jewish). In other Arab countries, only a few hundred Jews remain. Many Jews in Asia, Africa, and Arabia have moved to Israel.[57]
This table shows how many Jews are left in Muslim countries as of 2020:
| Jewish Populations | 1948 | 2020-2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 5,000 | 0 |
| Algeria | 140,000 | 0[58] |
| Bahrain | 550-600 | 30 [2017][59] |
| Bangladesh | (Unknown) | 4 (2018)[60] |
| Egypt | 75,000 | 3 [61] |
| Eritrea | (Unknown) | 0 [62] |
| Iran | 65,232 (1956) | 8,500 (2020)[63] |
| Iraq | 135,000 | 3[64] |
| Lebanon | 5,000 | 29 |
| Libya | 35,000 | 0 |
| Morocco | 250,000 | 2,150 |
| Pakistan | 2,000-5,000 | >900 (2017)[65] |
| Sudan | 350 | 0 |
| Syria | 15,000 | 0 |
| Tunisia | 50,000 | 1,050 |
| Turkey | 80,000 | 15,000 (2020)[66] |
| Yemen and Aden | 45,000+ | 1 [67] |
Palestinian population
Clickable map of the depopulated locations – i.e. the source of the refugees
In the 1948 Palestine war, over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were forced out of their homes or fled in fear. That was about half of Mandatory Palestine's population at the time. They initially were forced out or fled due to violence or threats of violence from the Zionist paramilitaries,[a] and after Israel’s independence by the its military.[dubious ][b][dubious ][better source needed] The experience of being made or having to leave their homes and country led to the breakdown of Palestinian society, known as the Nakba.[68] Israeli military forces conducted dozens of massacres targeting Arabs. Between 400 and 600 Palestinian villages were destroyed. Village wells were poisoned and homes were looted to prevent refugees returning.[69][44] Other sites had their names changed from Arabic to Hebrew to erase their Arab history.[70]
The number of 700,000 Palestinian refugees is sometimes disputed,[71] and does not include Arabs who uprooted within Israel itself.[72][73] When the British withdrew, 250,000–300,000 Palestinians had fled/been forced out. The Arab League entered the country after this. This was partly to prevent the breakdown of Palestinian society and to prevent more refugees. This led to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War when the remaining refugees were forced out or escaped.[74][75] Afterwards, laws were quickly passed which prevented Arabs from going home or getting their property back. Many remain refugees.[76][77][78][79]
The Six-Day War
In 1967, Israel defeated its Arab neighbors again. Israel gained control of several Arab territories. This included the Gaza Strip and West Bank. They also took parts of Egypt and Syria.[80]
Yom Kippur War
In 1973, Israel resisted a surprise attack from its neighbors. Syria and Egypt attempted to take back their territory, but Israel won. The United Nations decide to create a new plan for peace. Israel would return Arab territories it had taken in the Six-Day War. In exchange, its Arab neighbors would recognize it as a legitimate state. Palestine would form its own country in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The large numbers of Palestinian refugees would be rehomed.[80][81][82] These plans were supported by the International Court of Justice and international human rights organizations.[83][84]
Egypt and Israel held the Camp David Accords in 1978 and 1979 to come to an agreement. The plan was that Israel would retain control over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but Palestinians would gain autonomy. While Israel gained control of the land, Palestinian autonomy was not implemented.[85][86]
The First Intifada
From 1987, unhappiness with Israel's control of the land increased. This often led to terror attacks on Jewish towns.[87] By the 1990s, the unrest came to be known as the First Intifada.[22]
The Oslo Accords
By 1993, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process led to the Oslo Accords. The Palestinian National Authority was formed to lead the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These areas remained under Israeli military control. The peace process was unpopular among some Israelis at the time. The press often did not support the process. By 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by an Israeli who objected to the peace process. The new Israeli government was less interested in the peace process.[22]
Second Intifada
By 2000, the conflict erupted again. Palestinian National Security Forces clashed with the Israel Defence Forces. Around 130 people died.[23]
By 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon withdrew Israeli soldiers from Gaza. He also ordered those civilians who had built their homes in Gaza (which was considered illegal by the international community) to leave. Israel declared it was no longer occupying the Gaza Strip. [88] It retained control of Gaza's borders, airspace, sea, imports and exports, and the people coming in and out of the area.[88][89][90]
Rise of Hamas
In 2006, Hamas won a Palestinian election. Israel said that Hamas must agree to prior Israeli–Palestinian agreements, avoid all violence, and accept Israel's existence. It said it would impose sanctions otherwise. Hamas refused and the Battle of Gaza broke out between Hamas and its main political rival in 2007. The rival party, Fatah, lost. Hamas took full control of Gaza. In response, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza. Egypt supported the blockade on land.[91][92]
Operation Cast Lead
Tensions between Israel and Hamas quickly escalated. In 2008, Israel launched an attack on Gaza. Operation Cast Lead resulted in thousands of people killed or injured and billions of dollars of damage. A ceasefire was agreed in 2009, but small conflicts occasionally flared up.[source?]
UN recognition
In 2011, the Palestinian Authority attempted to become a member of the UN as a fully sovereign state (a country in control of all of its own laws, borders, etc). It failed, but it became a "non-member observer state". It also changed its name from "Palestine (represented by PLO)" to the State of Palestine.[93][94][95][96]
In 2014, a war between Israel and Hamas killed over 70 Israelis and 2,000 Palestinians.[97]
2023 Israel–Hamas War
Hamas had been planning an attack on Israel for some years. [98] In 2022, Netanyahu returned to power leading a far-right government which supported more aggressive action against Palestinians.[99] Benjamin Netanyahu returned as prime minister. Attacks and evictions in the West Bank increased. This caused political instability in Gaza and the West Bank.[100][101]
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel. This surprise attack killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Over 200 hostages were taken.[102][103] Israel responded by bombing and then invading Gaza. Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas and take control of Gaza to prevent further attacks on Israel.[104] During a short ceasefire, some of the hostages were returned but the war soon resumed.[105]
As of 2024, over 40,000 Gazans have been killed, mostly civilians.[106] Two million people have been displaced. South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice and multiple countries called for a ceasefire. Israel said it will not agree to a ceasefire unless all the hostages are returned.[107][108]
The war has escalated to conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East. Clashes with Syrian and Lebanese groups have occurred.[109][110][111] Yemen and Iran have also been involved. In 2024, conflict between Israel and Lebanon also escalated to war, but a ceasefire agreement was later reached.[112][113][114] In February 2024, the United States also launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.[115]
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