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More information about the Middle East.
History of Middle East Problems
Most Americans do not know much about the history of the Middle East.
History can explain why Israel and the Palestinians are fighting.
But history does not tell what will make peace between them.
The American people do not agree on which side is right. Most of them
have been confused about the Middle East for a long time. Even President
Bush has changed his mind several times.
Some people say, “Might makes right.” That means, whoever
has the strongest forces will win, and they will say that's right. This
means that friends of Israel, and friends of the Palestinians will want
to help. These other countries will get pulled into the war.
When did the troubles begin?
The modern country of Israel was born in 1948. This "Jewish homeland"
was created by the United Nations. Palestinians were terrified by Israeli
armies. They left their homes. A war began almost immediately. Israel's
Arab neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq) came to help the Palestinians
to get their land back.
Israel won that first war. The Arab neighbors had a United Arab League.
One of its purposes was to "erase Israel from the map."
Whose land is it?
Before 1948, the land was called Palestine. At the end of World War
I (1918), Palestine had become a “protectorate” of Great Britain.
Most of the people who lived there were Arabic, but many Jews lived
there, too.
Here is a brief outline of who owned the land, from the beginning of
history:
600,000 - 10,000 BC. The first people arrived in the area.
3,000 - 2,000 BC This was the land of the Canaanites
Around 1,250 BC , the Israelites arrived at their "Promised Land"
They conquered the Canaanites, and moved in.
928 BC: Two kingdoms were here: Israel and Judah
721 BC: Assyrians conquered Israel.
586 BC: Babylonians conquered Judah, moved the people to Babylon and
destroyed the Jewish temple built by Solomon.
539BC: Persians conquer Babylonians. They let the Jews return to their
homes.
333BC: Alexander the Great conquers Persia. Palestine is ruled by Greek
kings.
323BC: After Alexander dies, the land is ruled by Egypt and later by
Syria
165BC: Jews rebel against the Syrian ruler. They win, and form an independent
state.
63BC: The Roman Empire incorporates the land of Palestine
70 AD The Roman Emperor puts down a rebellion and forces the Jews
to leave. This is called the "Diaspora." Jews lose their homes
and flee to all parts of the Mediterranean.
132-135: A Roman city is built on the ruins of Jerusulem.
330-638: Byzantine Empire includes the land of Palestine.
638: Muslim Arabs end the Byzantine rule of Palestine.
1099-1187: Christian crusaders establish the "Latin Kingdom of
Jerusalem".
1187: Saladin, A Muslim, conquers the crusaders, and drives them from
Palestine. Palestine is ruled from Cairo.
1516-1917: Palestine is part of the Ottoman Empire. It is governed from
Istanbul.
1882-1903: 25,000 Jews (Zionists) immigrate to Palestine from Eastern
Europe.
1896: Theodor Hertzl, a journalist from an Austro-Hungarian origin published
Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State). He advocated the establishment of
a Jewish state in Palestine or elsewhere.
1897: First Zionist congress in Switzerland issues the Basle Program
"calling for a home for the Jewish people in Palestine" and
establishes the WZO (World Zionist Organization)
1901: JNF (Jewish National Fund) set up by the 5th Zionist congress
to acquire land (in Palestine) and 'make it Jewish'.
1904-1914: Second wave (around 40,000) of Zionist immigrants arrive
in Palestine and increase the Jewish percentage to 6% of the total population.
1914: World War I starts.
1917- November: The Balfour declaration - United Kingdom foreign minister
declares UK support for establishing a Jewish state in Palestine.
1918: September: British forces occupy Palestine
- October: World War I ends.
1919- 1923
- Third wave of Zionist-Jewish immigrants (around 35,000) raising their
percentage in Palestine to 12%, with land ownership at 3%.
1921: Disturbances in Haifa protesting Zionist waves of immigration
leading, to casualties of 46 Jewish immigrants.
1922: League of Nations approves British mandate over Palestine.
1929:- August: clashes over the Western (Alburaq) Wall in Jerusalem.
Clashes led to 116 killed and 232 wounded among
Palestinians (mainly by British fire) and 133 dead and 339 wounded among
the Jewish side.
1929-1939: 5th Zionist immigration wave brings 250,000 immigrants raising
their percentage to 30% of the population.
1937: Peel committee report recommends partitioning Palestine into
Jewish state and one for Palestinian Arabs, in addition to British protectorates
including Jerusalem. Reports refers to forced transfer, if needed, of
Palestinians from the 'Jewish' part.
- July: Arab Higher Committee rejects the Peel recommendations, calls
for Independence of whole Palestine with protection for the rights of
all and the British interests.
1939: calls for: conditional independence of a Palestinian state after
ten years, acceptance of 15,000 Zionist immigrants a year
for 5 years, then by Arab agreement.
1939- September 1: World War II begins.
1940 - 1945
- Over 60,000 Zionist/Jewish immigrants enter Palestine . Jewish/Zionist
percentage rises to 31% and land they control to 6%.
1945
May 8: World War II ends.
London, suggests a federal plan (M-G) to solve the Palestinian problem.
Suggestions rejected by both Zionist and Palestinian leaders.
1947- September 8: UNSCOP report published. Majority of its members
suggest partition, minority suggest federal solution.
- September 16-19: Arab League denounces partition, forms a committee
to help in Palestinian defense needs
- September 26: Britain decides to end its mandate over
Palestine
- November 29: UN general Assembly votes on an amended partition plan
calling for a 56.5 % of Palestine for a Jewish
state, 43 % for a Palestinian one and internationalization of Jerusalem.
Votes were 33 for, 13 against, 10 abstinations.
Arab representatives left the meeting.
Fights, invasions, attacks, massacres.
- April 17, 1948: Security Council calls for a military and political
truce
- April 20: USA brings its trusteeship proposal to the UN
- April 21:. British forces leave Haifa. Jews expel 50,000 Palestinians.
- May 14: An Israeli state was declared in Tel Aviv at 4 pm. USA president
Truman recognizes the state
- May 15: British mandate ends. Israeli state declaration takes effect.
- May 15 - 17: Armies from Lebanon, East Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt attack
Israel on four fronts.
- May 22: UN Security Council issues a resolution calling for a ceasefire
1949: Israeli-Egyptian truce. Egyptian forces leave Faluje and keeps
Gaza-Rafah strip.
- March 23: Israeli-Lebanese truce. Israeli forces withdraw from most
Lebanese areas.
- April 3: Israeli-Jordanian truce.
- July 20: Israeli-Syrian truce.
Geneva Convention.
1950
1967: The six-day (June) war; occupation of the rest of Palestine;
1968: PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) founded
1973: October War (Yom Kippur); PLO granted access to the UNSC; UN General
Assembly resolution 3379
1977: Begin's (Israeli PM) autonomy plan
1979: Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty; Int'l Day of Solidarity with the
Palestinian People declared; UN res. 446, 452
(againstIsraeli settlement policy)
1987: The first Intifada
1988: Palestinian Declaration of Independence
1991: Gulf War
1995: Oslo II agreement; Y. Rabin assassinated by an Israeli.
Source: http://www.palestine-net.com/history/bhist.htm
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