The Start of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Do we understand the conflict between Israel and Palestine? Watch any reports, and one word is mentioned frequently: Nakba. Nakba is an Arabic word meaning catastrophe. The Palestinians refer to it as their mass eviction from their land.

Most people will consider that this event occurred in 1948; however, the conflict started many years before and still has horrific repercussions today. 

A Timeline of Early Events

The first record of Zionism started as early as the nineteenth century. Zionism is a political and ideological movement that advocates for establishing and supporting a Jewish homeland. 

In 1882, Jews fled from Russia and other Eastern European countries to Palestine. At the time, these people were known as Yishuv and comprised 3% of the population.

In 1896, Theodor Herzl, a Viennese journalist, called for the creation of a Jewish state. Initially, Uganda and Argentina were considered for this state. However, it was not long until Palestine became a popular choice as it was the Holy Land promised by God. 

It was not long until the Ottoman Empire dissolved, and in 1914, Britain took control of Palestine. By 1916, they had split the Middle East with France and occupied most of the land. 

The Balfour Declaration was signed in 1917, which promised that the Jews would have an established state in Palestine. Britain had effectively given away a country that was not theirs. 

Immigration was increased to Palestine, and between 1922 and 1935, the Jewish population increased to 27%, displacing thousands of Palestinians. 

Uprising Against Britain

The first uprising in this conflict occurred in 1936 and was against the British over their treatment of Palestine. By 1939, the British had crushed the revolt, destroying two thousand homes and placing nine thousand in concentration camps, where they were interrogated and tortured. 

The Zionist armies declared war on Britain in 1944, and limits were put on the number of Jewish immigrations. One of the worst attacks on Britain was the King David bombings, where 91 people died. 

The King David Hotel bombing, which occurred on 22 July 1946, was a terrorist attack by the Zionist paramilitary group Irgun in Jerusalem during the British Mandate of Palestine. 

The group detonated a powerful bomb in the hotel, which housed British administrative and military offices, resulting in a significant loss of life, including British, Arab, and Jewish casualties. 

Shortly after this, the British decided to hand over the disaster they had created to the United Nations.

United Nations

In November 1947, the same year the UN took control of Palestine, they adopted Resolution 181, which recommended that Palestine be partitioned into two states, Jewish and Arab. 

At this point, the Jews in Palestine constituted one-third of the population and owned less than 6% of the land. Under the new resolution, they would be allocated 55% of the land. The land would take many of the main cities and important coastline areas. 

The Arab state, in contrast, would be deprived of critical agricultural land, seaports, and other vital areas. This caused the Palestinians to reject the proposal. 

Shortly after this, war broke out between Palestine and Zionist armed groups. The Zionist groups were better trained and had better weapons, having trained alongside Britain in World War II.

Nakba

This war started the process that would be known as Nakba. Palestinians will state that it was a vicious process of ethnic cleansing. The action included large-scale attacks and expulsion of Palestinians from their towns, villages, and homes.

The Zionists would state that a mixture of Arabs fleeing, ineffective armies, and unfortunate accidents led to the Palestinians losing their land and homes.

In less than six months from December 1947, Zionist armed groups expelled approximately 440,000 Palestinians from 220 villages. 

Some of the most infamous massacres committed during this time was the Baldat al-Sheikh, which killed 70 Palestinians. The Sa'sa' massacre saw sixteen houses blown up and 60 people dead, and the Deir Yassin massacre, when 110 Palestinian men, women, and children were slaughtered.

Israel

At midnight on 14 May 1948, the British ended their mandate in Palestine. On 15 May 1948, David Ben-Gurion became the first Prime Minister of Israel, and the state of Israel was established. 

By the first half of 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinians had been forcibly expelled or fled from their homeland. A third of the approximately 150,000 Palestinians living there had been internally displaced. 

Residents who remained in towns in Israel have been slowly forced into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. By the mid-1950s, the Palestinian population inside Israel became 195,000.

By 1967, Israel had occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, and they continue to occupy them today. 

In the following years, Israel has made several other attacks on the Palestinian people, which the Palestinians describe as ethnic cleansing.  

Numbers Don't Lie

Although the original partition plan allocated 55% of land to Israel, it now controls more than 85% of historical Palestine. More than three million live in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli government restricts the movement through military checkpoints and a separation wall. 

The Gaza Strip is home to another two million Palestinians and has been under Israeli siege for over a decade. Israel controls the air space, the sea and the borders. 

Human rights groups have recorded fifty laws that discriminate against those who are not Jewish. There are 7.98 million Palestinian refugees who have not been able to return to their original homes and villages. 

Some 6.14 million are refugees living beyond the state's borders. They live in some of the worst conditions in more than fifty refugee camps run by the UN in neighbouring countries. 

The Palestinians take the 15 May, Nakba, as a national remembrance day. The commemoration of this day has been made illegal by Israel.