The Story
1917
Balfour Declaration
On November 2 1917, the British Secretary of State Arthur James Balfour wrote a letter to Walter Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community in order to officially declare the British support for “a Jewish national home in Palestine.” This letter is known as the Balfour Declaration.
1922
Draft Of The Mandate
The draft of the Mandate for Palestine was formally confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations on 24 July 1922. Britain expresses an interest in Zionism, and describes its intention to develop a Jewish state.
1929
Arab Riots
Arab riots over access to the Western Wall which caused more than 130 Jews killed and 339 wounded (mainly by Arabs), 116 Arabs killed and 232 wounded (mainly by British-led personnel).
Illegal Immigration
Approximately 250,000 Jews arrived in Palestine due to the rise of fascism in Europe.
1936
The Great Uprising
In the years between 1936 and 1939, a massive Arab revolt, known as the Great Uprising, took place in Palestine. The British army put down a three year revolt in which the Palestinian Arabs sought independence from Britain. By 1939, approximately 5,000 Palestinian had been killed, 10,000 were wounded and..Read More
1945
Weakening Control
During the timeframe between 1945 and 1947, the control that Britain had on Palestine became weaker. In 1947, the British government called for the United Nations in order to terminate the Mandate and refused any responsibility for the improvement of the internal tension between Jews and Arabs. The mandate officially..Read More
1948
The Conflict
After the Israeli Declaration of Independence, an inter-state conflict between Israel and the Arab states took place. As a result of the war, Israel retained almost 60% of Palestine, including wide strip along the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem road, West Jerusalem and some territories in the West Bank. Israel ethnically cleansed over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs, which..Read More
1967
The Six-Day War
The Six-Day War took place in June 1967. Israel captured and occupied the rest of the area that had been part of the British Mandate of Palestine, taking the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Following Israel’s occupation of the rest of historic..Read More
1987
The First Intifada
In 1987, after 20 years of brutal military occupation, the First Intifada began in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
1988
The Quest to Self-Determination
Yasser Arafat declares a State of Palestine at a meeting of the Palestine National Council in Algeria.
1993
The Oslo Accords
The Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Negotiator Mahmoud Abbas signed the ‘Oslo Accords’, which are a set of agreements towards a final peace between the two states. The Accords set out a 5 year transitional period in which the Palestinian Authority would have control over..Read More
2000
The Second Intifada
The Oslo agreement failed due to resistance from the far right in Israel and the murder of Israel’s PM Rabin. In 2000 a Second Intifada began and Israel re-occupied the West Bank.
2002
Continued Military Operations
Israeli Army begins Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank. Israel also starts the construction of separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel.
2006
Gaza Blockade
Gaza blockade begins after Hamas wins majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections. Divisions between Fatah and Hamas erupt resulting in violence.
2008
Operation Cast Lead
On December 2008 Israel launched ‘Operation Cast Lead’ in Gaza, a bombing campaign that lasted for 22 days in order to stop Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. According to Amnesty International some 1400 Palestinians had been killed and large areas of Gaza had been completely demolished which left many homeless.
2012
Operation Pillar of Defense
On 14th November Israel launched ‘Operation Pillar of Defense’ in Gaza by killing the leader of the military wing of Hamas. On 21 November a ceasefire was agreed, after resulting in more than 165 Palestinian and six Israeli deaths.
2014
Operation Protective Edge
‘Operation Protective Edge’ was launched on the 8th July 2014 in Gaza, which resulted in more than 2,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 10,000 people injured. The operation finally came to an end on 27th August.