History of Palestine: Pre-1948

Highlights include

- Failure to establish a United Arab state
- Split of Middle East between France and UK
- Influx of Jewish immigrants
- Jewish terrorism against both British and Palestinians
- Set up the Palestinian people for the failures and catastrophe of 1948

 

Ottoman Empire ends - World War I

United Arab State

Boundries of the Arab State promised by the British in return for Arab revolt against the Ottomans

 

 

 

 

Sykes – Picot Agreement

The British break their promise for an Arab State and instead divide the Middle East between themselves and France
 

World Zionist Congress - 1897 to 1946

Balfour Declaration: British support for establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people in Palestine”
World Zionist Congress proposes wide “recognition of Jewish people's title to Palestine” in 1919 Paris Conference
UK rejects proposal, instead giving European Jews the right to obtain Palestinian citizenship

Application for Palestinian citizenship by future Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres with a declaration: “I will be faithful and loyal to Palestine.”
 

British Mandate for Palestine

Inter-war period (1918 -1939)

Massive European Jewish emigration to Palestine, to escape antisemitism
“Terrorist” is used for the first time in the 20th century to describe Jewish militant groups “Irgun” and “Stern Gang” (later integrated into IDF)

The King David Hotel after bombing by the Irgun

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irgun map showing Israel defined in the borders of Palestine and Jordan

 

 

 

 

 

Britain tires of the conflict and turns the problem over to the new United Nations
 

British Mandate for Palestine

Zionist Terror

Ze'ev Jabotinsky
One of the Founding fathers of Zionism - Founder of terrorist organization Irgun

 

 

 

“There's no instance of any colonisation being carried on with the consent of the native population… The natives have always stubbornly resisted the colonists."
- Excerpt  from “The Iron Wall: Colonisation of Palestine Zionism Must Go Forward,"
 

The Great Palestinian Revolt (1936–1939)

Uprising by Palestinians against the British occupation

Calls for independence and end of open-ended Jewish immigration

 Result

  • Crushed by the British

  • Weakened the military strength of Palestine due to weapons confiscation and destruction of leadership

  • Greatly hindering Palestinians in the upcoming 1948 war

 

 

Partition of Palestine

United Nations Partition Plan of 1947

Israel allocated 53% of land, Palestine allocated 47%

Jews were about 30% of population

Palestinians rejected the partition as unfair

Jerusalem designated as an  international city

Leads to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine (detailed in part III)

Resources:

Back to Blog