The al-Aqsa intifida....

[Negative]

"Sharon is a murderer!"
" Arafat is a terrorist!"

I've decided to anticipate to statements like the previous ones by writing a little 'tutorial' on the Israel/Palestine case...

I've tried to stay as objective as possible, just providing you with some historical facts. This text is not complete; I only hightlighted the important events. This is just a basic to-the-point introduction for people not familiar with what's going on. Feel free to comment. I've enjoyed writing this text, since my background on the case wasn't enough to start a discussion with others on the subject... (You don't really believe I wrote this text for you, do you?).


History of the Conflict: the roots.

The conflict has its roots in the historic claim to the land between the eastern shores of
the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan river ( Up-to-date map of the region )

Time-line of the conflict

The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. It was the first Jewish state for
almost 2000 years. Since then, there's been an ongoing conflict between Jewish Israelians
and Arabs.

In 1964, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq founded the Palestinian Liberation
Organisation, a Palestinian organisation under their control - created to provide the
Palestinians with an Arab response to the creation of Israel.

Yasser Arafat became the leader of the PLO in 1969. His goal: an independent PLO. The Fatah-movement (secretly founded in 1964) gained notoriety with its violent operations against Israel.

1967: The six-day war.
During this war, Israel doubled the area of land it controlled (Gaza and the Sinai from
Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria).
This war displaced some 500,000 Palestinians (according to the UN).
The UN issued a Resolution (UN Security Council - Resolution 242 - 1967 ), stressing "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by
war" and calling for "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the
recent conflict".

1973: the Yom Kippur War (aka the Ramadan war).
Egypt and Syria launch major offensives against Israel on the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur.
Israels revenge leads to even more gains in the Golan Heights. In Egypt, Israeli forces
even advance to the western side of the Suez Canal.
The United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations all make diplomatic
interventions.

Egypt and Syria loose about 8,500 soldiers, Israel looses some 6,000.

This war left Israel more dependent on the US (both military and economically).
Saudi Arabia issues an embargo against states that support Israel (leading to fuel shortages
across the world). The UN issues a new resolution (UN Security Council - Resolution 338 - 1973 ).

1974: Arafat and the UN.
Arafat's PLO (and other militant Palestinian groups - Abu Nidal probably being the
best-known) launches a series of attacks on Israeli and other targets in the 70's (Munich
Olympics, 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were killed). Arafat speaks the historical words 'Today
I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch
fall from my hand' at a UN-convention. In 1975, a US State Department official says that the interests of the Palestinians must be taken into account when trying to reach a
peacefull situation in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

1977: Right-wing Israeli movement Likud wins the elections (after almost 30 years of left-wing Labour Party government).
Ariel Sharon is chairman of the ministerial committee for settlements, claiming Jordanian
territory as part of the 'Greater Israel' of Biblical times, and intensifying Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza.

November 19, 1977: Egyptian President Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to recognise Israel (only four years after the Yom Kippur War).

Egypt and Israel sign the Camp David (including limited autonomy for Palestinians) accords
in 1978. Arab states boycot Egypt for breaking ranks, eventually leading to Sadat's
assassination in 1981.

1982: In an attempt to wipe out Palestinian guerilla bases near Israel's northern border, Israeli army launches a massive attack on Lebanon. Defence Minister Ariel Sharon pushes all the way to Beirut. PLO fighters are allowed to leave Lebanon thanks to a ceasefire
agreement, leaving Palestinian refugee camps defenceless. The Phalangists, a Christian
militia and allies of Israel, kill hundreds of Palestinians, encircled by Israeli troops, in
the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. In 1983, Sharon announces that The West Bank and Gaza 'will not be, not now and not in the
future, a Palestinian State'.

Later that year, an Israeli inquiry concludes that Sharon had failed to act to prevent the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Sharon resigns from his post as defence minister.

1987: Palestinian Intifada ('uprise').
In Gaza, a mass uprising begins against Israeli occupation. Heavily-armed Israeli Defence Forces respond and kill over 1,000 Palestinians in clashes which lasted until 1993. The David-against-Goliath images capture international attention.

1988: the - since the expulsion from Lebanon in 1982 Tunis-based - PLO fears to loose their leading role in the Palestinian revolution, and starts a dialogue with the US. Israel
continues to view the PLO as a terrorist organisation with which it won't negotiate.

Israeli Prime Minister Shamir proposes elections in the occupied territories, rather than dealing
with the PLO.

1991: The Gulf War.
PLO-support for Iraq weakens Arafat's position.
The US devote themself to Middle East peacemaking after the liberation of Kuwait. Shamir
still refuses to talk directly with PLO 'terrorists', and instead a joint
Jordanian-Palestinian delegation is formed - no PLO-members were part of this delegation.

Palestinians speak of a shared future of hope with Israel, Shamir justifies the existence of
a Jewish state, while Syria dwells on Shamir's 'terrorist' past.

1992: the left-wing Labour Party wins Israeli elections. This government, led by Rabin and including Shimon Peres and Beilin, opens the door to peacemaking: Rabin wants to speak with Arafat, and Arafat wants to make peace talks work because of his weakened position due to the Gulf War.

In 1993, Rabin and Arafat meet in Oslo, Norway: Palestinians will recognise Israel in return for the beginning of dismantling of Israel's occupation.
The Declaration of Principles is signed by both parties on the White House lawn, sealed with a historic first handshake between Rabin and Arafat.

In 1994, the 1993-agreement is outlined in Cairo: Israel will withdrawal from most of the Gaza Strip, and from the Palestinian town of Jericho (West Bank).

Arafat becomes head of the new Palestinian National Authority (PA) and is elected president in January 1996.

1995: Oslo II divides the West Bank into three zones:

Zone A (7% of the territory - the main Palestinian towns excluding Hebron and East
Jerusalem) going to full Palestinian control.

Zone B (21%) under joint Israeli-Palestinian control.

Zone C stays in Israeli hands.

Oslo II was greeted with little enthusiasm by Palestinians, while Israel's religious
right-wing was furious at the 'surrender of Jewish land'.

On November 4, a Jewish religious extremist assassinates Rabin.
Shimon Peres becomes Prime Minister.

1996: a series of devastating suicide bombings, carried out by Hamas (an Islamic militant group), targets Israel, answered by a bloody three-week bombardment of Lebanon by Israel.
Peres looses elections to the right-wing Netanyahu, an anti-Oslo Israelian.
Netanyahu lifts a freeze on building new settlements in the occupied territories, and opens
an archaelogical tunnel under the compound of the al-Aqsa mosque, thus provoking fears about undermining Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

In January 1997, Netanyahu is forced, under increasing US pressure, to hand over 80% of Hebron.

In January 1999, Netanyahu looses elections to Labour's Ehud Barak, who pledges to end the 100-year conflict within one year.

Initial optimism prooved unfounded: further withdrawal from occupied land (as required by the
Oslo II-pact) was hindered by disagreements, and Palestinians become frustrated.

What he does accomplish, is the withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000.

By then, attention turned back to Yasser Arafat - under pressure from Barak and US President
Clinton for a final settlement.

In this period of uncertainty, Ariel Sharon (by then the Right Wing Likud leader) tours the
al-Aqsa/Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem on September 28. Sharon's critics see this as a
highly provocative move. Palestinian demonstrations follow, developing into what became
known as the al-Aqsa intifida.

This causes the fall of Barak's coalition, leading to his resignment on December 10, 2000.

On February 6, 2001, Ariel Sharon is elected Prime Minister. Sharon intensifies existing
policies such as assassinating Palestinian militants, air strikes and incursions into
Palestinian self-rule areas. Palestinian militants, meanwhile, stepped up suicide bomb
attacks in Israeli cities.

Once again, the US spearheads international efforts to calm the violence.



For the rest of the story: watch the news, every day...

[debwalin]

Negative, great post. I have very definite ideas of who is right and who is wrong, but rather than stating them and starting (another) possible flame war, I'm simply going to say that that was a very good post. Short and to the point, and very non-biased!

Kudos!

[Alcatraz]

Why can't we all just get along??!!

Nice post. I'm gonna bookmark this thread for reference later.

[chsh]

Great post Negative.

[KorpDeath]

Where's the history before 1948? I understand the relevency of that date, but much happened in the region before that date to give more credence to the Israeli/Palestinian cause. The bloodshed has existed in that region far before the Israeli state was named. And the pain those people are feeling are rooted in deeper resentment than 60 years.


And Arafat has always been a terrorist. (You understand we help put him in power.)

[jcmcb]

Negative, great post, but I think you missed a few things that we Yanks consider important, including the "accidental" attack on the USS Liberty during the '67 war (think)and th bomng onf the King David hotel in '48...

[Negative]

KorpDeath: as I explained to Uraloony before on irc: I don't think AO will allow me to make a 200-page post . And about your last statement: I didn't want to include my personal opinions about the case (yes, I do have a strong personal opinion about it), but if you're interested in discussing that last statement of yours, I'm always willing to pm about it. I don't wanna see this thread end up in a pro/contra-Israel tirade...

Jmcb: you're right about those events (July 22, 1946: the bombing of the King David Hotel - June 8, 1967: Israel attacked the USS Liberty with aircraft and torpedo boats, killing 34 young men and wounding 171)..

There are about 500.000 other events I didn't mention either

Actually, I'm writing an extended version at the moment... don't know if I'll post it here though...

[nabylbt]

actually i do think that some history going back to the 1800 with a few major point would be helpful as wel as the impact of WWII and the "withdrawal of england as the colonial power would give some other insight into that part of the world ....
but still a good post !

[bimmer]

i might add something to this thread ...

http://www.palestinehistory.com/

u'll find lots of info with pics. for the history of Palestine .. for the period ( 1817 - 2001 )
if i'm not wrong

[jackthekiller]

Early 2 B.C their live in west Arabia and at Kannan one of the city in Palastine.

But then, their move to Egypt because of starvation. Their leader, Prophet Jaacob is leading the way under invitation by Prophet Joseph (he was adopted by the king Pharaoh). - From Al-Quran, Surah Jusoof, Sentence 12 until 93.

At year 636. Under the Caliph Al-Rasyidin, city of Qudsi at Palastine fall under Muslim. When the Christian Pope want to give the city key, their ask the Muslim to prevent Jewish from entered the city (WHY?). At this time no Jewish are lived within the city. At that time the Jewish has no country.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/