STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Every year, November 29 is marked as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In 1978, the United Nations commemorated the day to express solidarity with the people of Palestine under the occupation of Israel.
The roots of the conflict based on the illegal occupation of Israel are deep and complex. The dispute has caused the Palestinians to suffer from violence, imprisonment and death at hands of Israel for the past seven decades.
Below is a timeline of the major events involving Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine:
1517-1917 – Palestine under Ottoman Rule:
The Ottoman Empire ruled most of the Palestinian territory for over 400 years which has been described by many historians as a time period of peace. Under the empire, the region was organised into three states, Jerusalem, Gaza and Nablus, all linked to the Damascus Province.
1917 – Balfour Declaration:
Britain promised “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The declaration was a letter written by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Zionist leader Lionel Walter Rothschild, in which he expressed Britain’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
1918 – End of World War I:
Following the end of the first world war, the League of Nations issued a British mandate for Palestine granting Britain administrative control over the region and helping it establish a Jewish national homeland in Palestine.
1936-39 – Arab revolt:
Arab population led a revolt against the British mandatory control of Palestine. and a massive influx of Jewish immigration in the region. More than 5,000 Arabs were killed and 15,000 injured as Britain suppressed the revolt
November 29, 1947 – UN Adopts Resolution 181:
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 (also known as the Partition Resolution) with the purpose of dividing Great Britain’s former Palestinian mandate into Jewish and Arab states. The resolution proposed that the area of religious significance surrounding Jerusalem would remain under international control administered by the UN.
The arrangement was refused by the Palestinians as they regarded it as favorable to the Jews and unjust to the Arab population that would have to live in Jewish territory under the partition.
Meanwhile, the United States opted to support the UN resolution, while also encouraging talks between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East.
May 14, 1948 – Creation of Israel and the Palestinian Nakbah:
As soon as the British Mandate expired, Zionist forces declared the establishment of the State of Israel, triggering the first Arab-Israeli war. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of Israel which was recognized by US President Harry S. Truman on the same day.
During the war, the Israeli occupant forced captured 78 percent of historic Palestine. Following the tragic event, every year on May 15, Palestinians around the world mark the ‘Nakbah’, meaning catastrophe, referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948.
1949 – UN Adopts Resolution 194:
The resolution proposed to permit the refugees to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors and called for compensation for the property of those who chose not to go back.
1956 – Second Arab-Israel War:
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, and also known as the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world was the invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, the United Kingdom, and France.
1964 – Formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO):
The PLO was formed in Cairo, Egypt with the primary goal of achieving independence from the illegal Israeli occupation. Ever since its inception, the organisation has been the embodiment of the Palestinian national movement.
1967 – Six-Day War:
Israel launched a surprise attack against Egypt which began the Six-Day War. The war ended with Israel defeating the Arab coalition and capturing territory four times its original size, which included the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
1969 – Yasser Arafat Named Chairman of PLO:
Arafat who co-founded the Palestinian Fatah movement in the 1950s was named the chairman of the executive committee of PLO.
1977:
UN declared November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.
1987 – The first Palestinian Intifada (Uprising):
The uprising started after an Israeli vehicle struck a van carrying Palestinian workers, killing four of them. During the six-year movement composed of many acts of civil disobedience, strikes, graffiti, the Israeli army killed around 1,284 Palestinians, almost 332 of whom were children.
1987 – Formation of Hamas:
Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-Islāmiyyah (Hamas) was formed at the beginning of the first intifada. It had its roots in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and was supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories. The organisation since then has played a key role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
1993 – The Oslo Accords:
The accords were a pair of agreements between Israel and PLO in which the two sides agreed on the establishment of a Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over a five-year period as well as future talks on the issues of borders, refugees, and Jerusalem would be held.
2000 – The Second Intifada:
Commonly referred to by Palestinians as Al-Aqsa Intifada, it began after then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem with more than 1,000 heavily armed police and soldiers on September 28, 2000.
The move sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians who had just marked the anniversary of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre.
November 11, 2004 – Yasser Arafat’s Death:
The then-president of the Palestinian National Authority and former chairman of PLO died unexpectedly on November 11, 2004, at 75 years of age, after a short illness. The cause of his death has since been debated, although several different theories, including the possibility of poisoning, have been suggested for the Palestinian leader’s death.
Arafat is looked upon as a legendary leader for his exceptional efforts for the Palestinian cause. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in creating peace in the Middle East.
2008 – Israel Launches “Operation Cast Lead”:
The Israeli aerial and ground attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continued for 22 days and claimed the lives of 1,400 Palestinians, a majority of whom were civilians, including women and children. Over 5,000 more were also wounded in the attacks.
2014 – Israel Launches “Operation Protective Edge”:
Being the biggest assault on Gaza since 1967, the violent attack saw more than 2,000 Palestinian deaths (including more than 500 children). Meanwhile, around 10,000 Palestinians were wounded while thousands of others were forced to displace.
2017 – US Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital:
On December 6, 2017, then-US President Donald Trump announced that Wahington would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and ordered the plan to relocate Israel’s US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move was appreciated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
2020 – Abraham Accords:
Brokered by the US, the accords were a series of joint normalization agreements between Israel and the regional states.
2021 – Israel–Palestine Crisis:
A major outbreak of violence commenced on 10 May 2021, though disturbances took place earlier, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. During the crisis episode, Israeli security forces killed 313 Palestinians, including 71 minors.
