Palestine Explained

The Israeli-Palestinian situation explained
Hundreds of Palestinians and more than 20 Israeli police have been injured in clashes in Jerusalem.
The latest violence follows a month of rising tensions, though the conflict between
Israel and the Palestinians has gone on for decades.
 How did it start?
A 100-year-old issue
Britain took control of the area known as Palestine after the ruler of that part of the
Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, was defeated in WW1.
The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority.
Tensions between the two peoples grew when the international community gave Britain
the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people.
For Jews, it was their ancestral home, but Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and
opposed the move.
Haganah (Jewish Underground) fighter just before the start of the Israeli War of
Independence 1948
Between the 1920s and 40s, the number of Jews arriving there grew, with many fleeing
from persecution in Europe and seeking a homeland after the Holocaust of WWII.
Violence between Jews and Arabs, and against British rule, also grew.
In 1947, the UN voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states,
with Jerusalem becoming an international city.
That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab side and never
implemented.
 The creation of Israel and the 'Catastrophe'

In 1948, unable to solve the problem, British rulers left and Jewish leaders declared the
creation of the state of Israel.
Many Palestinians objected and a war followed. Troops from neighbouring Arab
countries invaded.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes in what
they call Al Nakba, or the "Catastrophe".
By the time the fighting ended in a ceasefire the following year, Israel controlled most
of the territory.
Jordan occupied land which became known as the West Bank, and Egypt occupied
Gaza.
Jerusalem was divided between Israeli forces in the West, and Jordanian forces in the
East.
Because there was never a peace agreement - each side blamed the other - there were
more wars and fighting in the decades which followed.
In another war in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as
most of the Syrian Golan Heights, and Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
Most Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in Gaza and the West Bank, as
well as in neighbouring Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Neither they nor their descendants have been allowed by Israel to return to their homes
- Israel says this would overwhelm the country and threaten its existence as a Jewish
state.
Israel still occupies the West Bank, and although it pulled out of Gaza the UN still
regards that piece of land as part of occupied territory.
Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East
Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The US is one of only a handful of
countries to recognise Israel's claim to the whole of the city.
In the past 50 years Israel has built settlements in these areas, where more than
600,000 Jews now live.
Palestinians say these are illegal under international law and are obstacles to peace,
but Israel denies this.
 What's happening now?
Tensions are often high between Israel and Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, Gaza
and the West Bank.
Gaza is ruled by a Palestinian militant group called Hamas, which has fought Israel
many times. Israel and Egypt tightly control Gaza's borders to stop weapons getting to
Hamas.
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank say they're suffering because of Israeli actions
and restrictions. Israel says it is only acting to protect itself from Palestinian violence.
Things have escalated since the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in mid-April
2021, with nightly clashes between police and Palestinians.
The threatened eviction of some Palestinian families in East Jerusalem has also caused
rising anger.
Tear gas is fired at protestors during clashes with Israeli forces near the border
between the Gaza strip and Israel
 What are the main problems?
There are a number of issues which Israel and the Palestinians cannot agree on.
These include what should happen to Palestinian refugees, whether Jewish settlements
in the occupied West Bank should stay or be removed, whether the two sides should
share Jerusalem, and - perhaps most tricky of all - whether a Palestinian state should
be created alongside Israel.
Peace talks have been taking place on and off for more than 25 years, but so far have
not solved the conflict.
 What does the future hold?
In short, the situation isn't going to be sorted out any time soon.
The most recent peace plan, prepared by the United States, when Donald Trump was President -
called "the deal of the century" by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu - has been dismissed
by the Palestinians as one-sided and never got off the ground.
Any future peace deal will need both sides to agree to resolve complex issues.
Until that happens, the conflict will go on.

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The Israeli-Palestinian situation explained

 The creation of Israel and the 'Catastrophe'

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