1917
During World War 1 (1914-1918) Britain declared its aim to establish a ‘national home’ for Jewish people in Palestine in a public statement known as the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour Declaration (“Balfour’s promise” in Arabic), published on the 2nd November 1917 was included in the terms of the British Mandate for Palestine after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Balfour Declaration was problematic as it promised Jewish people a ‘homeland’ where Arabs of Palestine owned 90% of privately-owned land.
Balfour
1947
The UN passes Resolution 181 ending the British Mandate, supporting the partition of Palestine into two independent states – Palestine and Israel.
1948 UN Resolution 181
1948
Nakba (‘catastrophe’) refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine when the State of Israel was created. The creation of Israel was a violent process that involved the forced removal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland to establish a Jewish majority state propagated by the Zionist movement. Between 850,000 to 1 million Palestinians were made refugees. Zionist forces took more than 78% of historic Palestine by depopulating and destroying 531 villages and two urban areas emptied (Matar, 2014).
The United Nations define Palestinian Refugee as: ‘Palestine refugees are defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.’
‘Nakba’ – 1948
‘Nakba’ – 1948
Palestine Refugee Camp
Jaramana Emergency Camp, Syria, 1974
1948
Instructs the Conciliation Commission to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation, and to maintain close relations with the Director of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees and, through him, with the appropriate organs and agencies of the United Nations’
Keys feature as a prominent symbol of the Right to Return in much of the Palestinian art and demonstrations of the Palestinian struggle.
Keys Right to Return
1967
The Six Day War led to a second great wave of Palestinian displacement, known to Palestinians as the Naksa. In the ‘six-day war’ Israel invades neighbouring states, Syria, Jordan and Egypt and took control of the, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. The construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories is opposed by UN resolution 242, which calls for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories during the conflict and negotiate a just settlement with Palestinian refugees.
Six-Day War Map
1987-1993
The first intifada or popular Palestinian uprising against Israeli oppression lasted for 6 years. During this period thousands of Palestinians were killed with even more arrested. Many of these were young people under the age of 16.
1993
Oslo Accords – agreements for peace negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Government of Israel was signed in Washington.
Oslo Accords
Oslo Map
2000 - 2005
Palestinian resistance grew out of the collapse of peace negotiations between the Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Second Intifada
2002
The wall was built by the State of Israel to separate Palestinian territories from Israel. The wall currently measures at approximately 700 kilometres and restricts the movement of Palestinians under the guise of security.
The Wall The Israeli barrier at the Palestinian town of Abu Dis in the Israeli-occupied West Bank east of Jerusalem
The Wall – Qalqilya, West Bank
The Wall – Qalqilya, West Bank
2014
Palestinians accuse the Israeli government as being responsible for the increase in violence, attributing the Israel Defence Force (IDF) of attacks on Gazan civilians in the days leading up to the operation.
Gaza Protective Edge
2017
The Israeli Parliament passes a law which legalises dozens of Jewish settlements built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank. Encouraged by the new USA President Trump administration the Israeli government advances plans for thousands of new settler homes.
Settlements
2017
US President Trump recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, upsetting the Arab world and some Western allies.
Trump declares Jerusalem as the capital and moves the US Embassy
2018
‘The Great March of Return’ demonstrations along the border fence begins in Gaza to protest Israel’s economic blockade of Gaza and demand refugees right of return.
The Gaza Ministry of Health report that 267 Palestinians died over the next 2 years of demonstrations including 50 when Israel Defence Force (IDF) open fire during protests coinciding with the ceremony marking the relocation of the American embassy to Jerusalem. the deaths include 50 children, six women and one elderly person. This includes 2 journalists and 3 paramedics. Meanwhile, the ministry said that 30,398 others were wounded, including 3,175 children and 1,008 women.
March of the Return 2018
2020
President Trump releases his vision through the Middle East Peace Plan which is rejected by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Trump ‘Peace Plan’
Abbas Reject Peace Plan
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