What territories does Israel occupy? Palestinian-Israeli conflict
The history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for decades. Exacerbations alternate with thaws. The confrontation has many reasons: geopolitical, religious, economic and ideological. In modern history, almost all states of the Middle East are drawn into the conflict between the countries of Palestine and Israel. In addition, the conflict concerns the interests of other states of the world community.
Ancient times
It’s hard to imagine now, but once upon a time there was peace in the ancient lands of Palestine. Arabs and Jews coexisted in this territory in ancient times. They lived in what is now Palestine from the 12th century BC. This continued until the creation of the Roman Empire. The Romans drove out the Jews, while the Arabs continued to exist in the Palestinian lands. Subsequently, Palestine was part of Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory came under British control.
Return of Jews to Palestine
By the 20th century, about seven percent of the inhabitants of Palestine were Jews, the rest of the population were Arabs. The Zionist organization, formed by small Jewish communities, in 1897 at a congress in Basel decided to Jewishize Palestine as the historical homeland of the people. Active settlement of Jews in Palestine began after the end of the First World War. Then dominance over the region was transferred to Great Britain. This is where the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine began.
The British Foreign Secretary began to promote the idea of the return of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine. One of the steps towards the implementation of this idea was a letter from the minister to the leader of the Zionist movement, according to which Palestine was established as the center of the Jewish nation.
Causes of the conflict
It is worth considering in more detail what the cause of the conflict between Israel and Palestine is. The main indicator that gave impetus to the formation of the conflict was the territorial issue. At the time of the mass resettlement of Jews, Palestine was already densely populated by Arabs, who had been living there for about one and a half thousand years. The Arabs quite rightly considered themselves the indigenous inhabitants of the state and did not want to share the territorial and natural resources of their country with anyone.
Another important reason fueling hatred in the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine was the religious factor. Incompatible ideologies, the location of shrines, cultural and historical values of two peoples on the same territory have not made it possible for decades to resolve differences.
Impact of World War II
The Second World War and its consequences gave a new milestone in the history of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The facts that contributed to the development of the conflict were the massive emigration flows of Jews to Palestine and the growth of terrorist groups on the part of both opponents.
During the war, about two hundred thousand Jews arrived in Palestine. Thus, by 1947, almost a third of the population of Palestine consisted of Jews. In addition, there was growing dissatisfaction with British rule among the Arabs. The Arab population of the country made several attempts to overthrow the British authorities, who encouraged the resettlement of Jews. It also provoked the creation of various Arab and Zionist terrorist movements.
Formation of the State of Israel
In connection with the aggravated situation in Palestine and the increased number of armed clashes between Arabs and Jews, Great Britain turned to the world community for help in resolving the conflict. This issue was brought up for consideration in the UN General Assembly in November 1947. As a result, world political leaders within the UN adopted a resolution on the creation of a new state.Thus, Palestine was divided into three parts: Jewish Israel, Arab Palestine and neutral territory - the city of Jerusalem. This became the most important event in the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
This decision could not suit the Arabs in any way. This was due to the fact that Israel was allocated a territory three thousand square meters larger than for the Arab state, although the amountArabs living in Palestine outnumbered the Jewish population.
The Arab states immediately responded to the UN resolution, and the first Arab-Israeli war began in 1948. From that moment on, the conflict between the countries of Palestine and Israel escalated into a larger Arab-Israeli conflict.
War for independence
The war lasted a year. Six Arab states opposed Israel. Israel's most active opponents were Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. As a result of the war, Israel not only defended its right to be called an independent state, but also conquered another seven thousand square kilometers of Palestinian land. The Arab state planned in the resolution was never created.
The territories not captured by Israel were divided between Egypt and Jordan. Nine hundred thousand Arabs fled Palestine during the war. More than five hundred thousand Jews were expelled from Arab countries and settled in Israel.
Suez crisis
The next escalation of the Arab-Israeli conflict occurred in 1956. The initiator of military action, called the “Suez Crisis,” was France and Great Britain, opposing Egypt’s nationalization of the Suez Canal. Israel sided with the European states, while Egypt was supported by the USA and the USSR. This time, luck favored the Arab side of the conflict. Having won the war, Egypt effectively became the leader of the Arab community. Later, the president of this particular country initiated the creation of an anti-Israeli coalition.
Six Day War and Judgment Day
The next war began eleven years later. After the Arabs closed the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez to Jewish ships, Israel went on the offensive. In just six days, the Israeli army managed to capture a significant part of strategically important territories and expand its possessions.
Another attack came from Syria and Egypt seven years later. This was the fourth war in the chronology of the Arab-Israeli conflict. On October 6th, the holy holiday for Jews - Judgment Day - the Arabs attacked Israel. The confrontation lasted twenty days, the Israeli army repelled the attack.
Peace treaty
Subsequently, Jews began to settle en masse in the occupied territories, which was actively supported by the Israeli government. The world community called this step an occupation and condemned it in UN Resolution No. 242. According to this resolution, Israel had to liberate the occupied territories except those captured during the first war in 1948. However, this decision did not suit both opposing sides, and the resolution was rejected.
The first step towards peace between Israel and Egypt was taken in 1977. The President of Egypt visited the Jewish state, thereby recognizing its existence. Many Arab leaders regarded this act as a betrayal. Thus, a split occurred in the Arab League between supporters of a peace agreement with Israel and protesters. The main opponents of peace with Israel were Libya, Syria and Algeria. These countries have declared a political and trade boycott of states and companies that recognize Israeli independence. In 1978, with US mediation, a peace treaty was signed between Egypt and Israel. Under this agreement, Israel liberated the Sinai Peninsula.
Relations with the Arab League
In the 1980s, relations between Israel and Lebanon worsened. The fifth war has arrived. The Israeli army launched air strikes on Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) concentration areas. The Israeli government withdrew its troops from Lebanese territory only at the beginning of the third millennium. This was largely influenced by pressure from peacekeeping organizations.
The Arab uprising that broke out in the occupied territory forced the Israeli government to look for peaceful ways to resolve the aggravated situation. The result of the conflict resolution was a peaceful union with Jordan and an attempt to declare the independence of the State of Palestine.
As a result of agreements reached in 1993, the PLO recognized the independence of Israel, which, in turn, recognized the right to exist of the Palestinian National Authority and pledged to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Over the following years, the peace process slowed down several times, due to changes in government in Israel and new armed actions on the part of both opponents. The lack of clearly defined borders of states prevented the conclusion of peace from being concluded. Difficulties also arose due to the growing number of terrorist groups of radical Arabs and Israelis.
It is difficult to tell the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine briefly, since this history continues to this day. Over many years of confrontation, there have been a huge number of exacerbations of the conflict and attempts to resolve it peacefully. Today, the most active opponent of the State of Israel is the Islamic movement.Hamas, which came to power in Palestine in 2006.
In order to understand why the conflict between Israel and Palestine arose, first of all, let's consider its background. Palestine is a territory located near the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East. The history of this small piece of land goes back centuries. The roots of today's conflict between Israel and Palestine lie in the past in the territorial and ethnic struggle between Palestinian Arabs and Jews. But, it must be said that such a tense situation between the two peoples was not always the case.
For a long time, Arabs and Jews lived peacefully as neighbors in Palestine. Palestine was considered part of Syria during the Ottoman Empire. The population in Palestine at that time was dominated by Arabs. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, Jewish settlements began to appear in Palestine, and mainly around the city of Jerusalem. But we must admit that the colonization of Palestine by Jews proceeded very slowly. According to statistics, in 1918 the population of Palestine was Arabs, with a total population of 93%. The picture began to change dramatically when, after the First World War, Britain gained the right to rule Palestine. This mandate came into force in September 1923.
Widespread propaganda began for the settlement and colonization of Palestine by Jews. This idea was put forward in 1917 by British Foreign Minister A. Balfour, writing a letter to the Zionist leader. The letter announced the establishment of a national home for Jews. The letter later became known as the Balfour Declaration.
At the beginning of the 20th century in the 20s, the military organization “Hagana” was created, and already in 1935 the Jews created an organization of extremists - “Irgun Zvai Leumi”. True, it should be noted that at first the displacement of Arabs from Palestine was peaceful.
After the Nazis came to power and the World War began, the emigration of Jews to Palestine increased sharply. So in 1932 there were 184 thousand Jews in Palestine, in 1938 there were already 414 thousand people, and by the end of 1947 there were more than 600 thousand Jews, that is, at that time a third of the population of Palestine. Many people say that the ultimate goal of Jewish emigration in Israel is the conquest of Palestinian lands and the creation of a Jewish state. The idea of creating a state Israel goes back a long way, but only after the Second World War did the implementation of this idea become possible. The idea of creating a Jewish state was supported by the world community; the Holocaust played a major role in strengthening this idea. In November 1945, the situation in Palestine was tense to the limit. The conflict between Palestine and Israel was brewing.
In addition to the fact that Palestine was shaken by clashes between Arabs and Jews, during this period the movement of Zionist terror intensified, which was directed against the British authorities. Great Britain was unable to solve this problem on its own and brought the decision on the future of Palestine to the UN General Assembly in 1947.
At that time, there were two solutions to the future of Palestine. A special committee for Palestinian affairs at the UN was created, which, consisting of 11 people, signed a letter recommending the creation of two independent independent states on the territory of present-day Palestine: Jewish and Arab. And leave between them an international zone - the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was to receive international status. The plan for the division of Palestine was discussed for a long time and was approved in November 1947. Among the countries that recognized and approved this division into Palestine and Israel were the USA and the USSR.
According to resolution No. 181/11 of November 29, 1947, Palestine was divided into two independent states - Jewish with an area of 14.1 thousand square kilometers, which is 56% of the total area of Palestine, and Arab, with an area of 11.1 square kilometers, which is 43% of the area of the entire territory of Palestine, and Jerusalem - the international zone - 1% of the total territory.
Before August 1, 1948, British troops had to be withdrawn from the country. As soon as the decision to create an independent Jewish state of Israel was proclaimed, the Zionists began a real, undeclared war. And even before the official declaration of Israeli independence, 250 thousand Arabs were simply forced to leave Palestine. At the same time, many Arab countries did not recognize the independence of Israel and declared “jihad” - a holy war - on the new state. In May 1948, a military conflict began in Israel.
The news of Israeli independence in Palestine instantly spread throughout the world. Arab League countries, immediately after proclamation Prime Minister of Israel Ben-Gurion independence State of Israel hostilities began. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, having united all their efforts, unanimously declared war on the newly created state of Israel. This is where the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine began.
The Arab League troops numbered 40 thousand soldiers, while the Israeli troops numbered 30 thousand. The Arab League troops were commanded at that time by the King of Jordan. In 1948, the United Nations called on the conflicting parties to a truce, but the truce plan that was proposed was rejected by the parties as unacceptable to both sides.
At first, the military conflict between Israel and Palestine developed in favor of the Arab League, but the course of the war changed dramatically in the summer of 1948. Within 10 days, the Jewish army, confronting the larger and better armed army of the Arab League, launched a decisive offensive and neutralized the offensive onslaught of the Arabs. In the final offensive of the Jewish army, which took place in 1949, the Israelis occupied the entire territory of Palestine, pushing the enemy back to the very borders.
More than 900 thousand Arabs were expelled from the Palestinian territory, which Israel conquered, at that time. They settled in different Arab countries. At the same time, more than half a million Jews were expelled from Arab countries and began to live in Israel.
The history of the Israel-Palestine conflict lies quite deep. Two sides must understand this issue, because as he says history of Israel and Palestine, two peoples can live in harmony on the same territory.
I wanted to know about the reasons for the long-standing Palestine-Israeli conflict that resulted in another war. There is such an apt Russian proverb: “To whom there is war, and to whom mother is dear.” There is no desire to listen to the views of interested parties, both the Israelis through the local media and the Palestinians. There is no trust in the Russian press. I decided to turn to American sources and found a “local” resource called “If the Americans Knew.” It was lazy to literally translate and “comb” the text, so I used an electronic interlinear translator. This is how it happened, so I ask you not to judge it harshly for the translation. However, the main meaning is conveyed. I’m not an American, but I’m also interested in knowing who the mother of war is close to.
How Palestine became Israel
In the late 1800s, a small, fanatical movement called "political Zionism" began in Europe. His goal was to create a Jewish state somewhere in the world. Its leaders settled on the ancient and long-inhabited land of Palestine for the location of that state. If Americans knew
The population of Palestine at this time was about ninety-six percent non-Jewish (mostly Muslim and Christian). 2
Over the coming decades, Zionist leaders used various strategies to achieve their goal of taking over Palestine:
- Encouraging Jewish immigration to Palestine , partly due to the invention of such deceptive slogans as “a land without a people for a people without a land,” when, in fact, the land was already inhabited.Since most Jews were not Zionists until after World War II, the Zionists used a variety of misleading strategies, including secret collaboration with the Nazis, to push immigration. 3
- Convince the "great powers" to support this process. In turn, the Zionists approached the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain and the United States to continue their cause.While the Turks turned them down, the British (promising that American Zionists would push the US to enter World War on England's side) eventually joined in, as did the US (due to fears from politicians such as Harry Truman that they would lose Elections otherwise). 4
- Land purchase(sometimes through subterfuge), declaring it Jewish for all eternity, and refusing to allow non-Jews to live or work on the acquired land.This was called the "redemption" of the land and was financed by various means, including such wealthy banking families as the Rothschilds. 5
- Violenceif such financial deprivation should go bankrupt or turn out to be too slow - as it was 6
In 1930, Jewish land ownership was increased from approximately 1% to just over 6% of the land, and violence increased as well.With the emergence of several Zionist terrorist gangs (whose ranks included a number of the future Prime Minister of Israel), there was violent conflict.Many people of all nationalities were killed - then as now, most of them Christian and Muslim Palestinians. 7
Catastrophe
This increase in violence culminated in Israel's ruthless 1947-49 "War of Independence", in which at least 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children were driven from their homes by outnumbered Israeli forces - one and a half before Arab armies entered the war.This massive humanitarian disaster is known as the "catastrophe", al. Nakba in Arabic. 8
Zionist forces committed 33 assassinations and destroyed 531 Palestinian cities.Author Norman Finkelstein states: “According to the former director of the Israeli army archives, “in almost every village we occupied during the war...actions were committed that are defined as war crimes, such as murder, massacre, and rape... Uri Milstein, the authoritative Israeli military historian of the 1948 war, goes one step further, arguing that "every skirmish ended in a massacre of Arabs." 9
Count Folke Bernadotte, a former Swedish Red Cross official who saved thousands of Jews during World War II and was appointed UN mediator in Palestine, told the refugees: "It would be a crime against the principles of elementary justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to returning to their homes." 10 Bernadotte was assassinated by the Zionist organization led by future Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. 11
Injustice continues
In the 60 years since Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, these profound injustices continue.Palestinian refugees are the largest remaining refugees in the world.
1.3 million Palestinians live in Israel as “citizens of Israel,” but despite their status as citizens, they are subject to systematic discrimination.Many were forbidden, living in villages and houses from which they were forcibly expelled, and their property was confiscated for Jewish use only.In Orwellian terminology, Israeli law defines these internal refugees as "true absentees." 12
In 1967, Israel started a third war and seized even more Palestinian (and other Arab) land.Additionally, Israel attacked a US Navy ship, U.S.S.Liberty , killing and wounding more than 200 Americans, an event that remains largely covered up today, despite the efforts of an extraordinary array of high-ranking military officers and civilian officials to expose it. 13
Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip - the final 22% of Mandatory Palestine - and began building settlements for Israeli Jews on land confiscated from Palestinian Muslims and Christians.It has destroyed more than 18,000 Palestinian homes since 1967.In 2005, Israel returned Gaza's land to its owners, but continues to control its borders, ports and airspace, turning Gaza into a large prison where 1.5 million people are held by the UN, which the Human Rights Ombudsman describes as "catastrophic" conditions.
With over 11,000 Palestinian men, women and children in Israeli prisons under physically abusive conditions (many have not even been charged with a crime), the basic human rights of all Palestinians under Israeli rule are continually violated.Some prisoners tortured by Israel were American citizens.In the violence that began in the fall of 2000 through January 18, 2009, Israeli forces killed 6,288 Palestinians; Palestinian resistance groups killed 1,071 Israelis.Israel's military, the fourth most powerful on Earth, has hundreds of nuclear weapons. 14
American participation
American taxpayers give Israel more than $8 million a day - much more than we give to all of sub-Saharan Africa combined.In its 60 years of existence, Israel, the size of New Jersey, has received more of our tax money than any other nation on earth.While most Americans are unaware of these facts (studies have shown that the media report Israeli deaths at rates up to 13 times higher than they report Palestinian deaths) our government actions make us responsible for an ongoing disaster of historic proportions - and which is, moreover, creating extremely destructive hostilities in the US itself. 15
American taxpayers give Israel about $7 million a day, although polls show that 73% of Americans oppose accepting parties to Israel-Palestine.Because of the powerful US Israel lobby, Congress gives far more money to Israel than to all sub-Saharan countries combined.In its 60 years of existence, Israel, the size of New Jersey, the United States has received more taxpayer money than any other nation.While most Americans are unaware of these facts (studies have shown that the media report Israeli deaths at rates up to 13 times higher than they report Palestinian deaths) the government's actions make Aamericans responsible for an ongoing catastrophe of historic proportions - and that In addition, the creation of extremely destructive hostility in the United States itself.Israeli guerrillas played a significant role in the development of the American attack on Iraq and Iran. 16
As more Americans study the facts, there is a growing bipartisan, multi-ethnic movement to counter the US Israel lobby, which has long held a vice grip on American Middle East policy.
Losses of Palestinian land 1946-2005
“Confusion about the origins of the conflict too often clouds Americans' understanding of its true extent.It began as a conflict resulting in immigrants trying to displace the local majority population.Everything else is derived from this basic reality."
Donald Neff, former senior editorTime Magazine , fallen pillars: US policy towards Palestine and Israel since 1945
"[T]he story is from 1948...is a simple but horrific story of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine...Retrieving it from oblivion falls on us, and not just as a much overdue act of historiographical reconstruction or professional duty, it...The first step we must take if we want reconciliation to have a chance, and for peace to take root, in the torn lands of Palestine and Israel."
Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian,ethnic cleansing of Palestine
"The Palestinian Holocaust is unparalleled in history.For a country to be occupied, emptied of its people, its physical and cultural monuments destroyed, its destruction hailed as a miraculous act of God, all done according to a deliberate plan, carefully executed, with international support, and still maintained today.. . "
Dr. Salman Abu-Sitta,Palestine Right of Return, Sacred, Legal, and Possible
Israel gained control of the Jordan River, East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula and.
In accordance with the resolutions of the General Assembly and the UN Security Council, based on the Charter of the organization, these territories were declared occupied. In this regard, the basis for negotiations to resolve the conflict was UN Security Council Resolution No. 242 of November 22, 1967, which proclaims two basic principles:
- withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied during the recent conflict,
- cessation of all claims or states of war and respect and recognition of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized borders, free from the threat or use of force.
The Sinai Peninsula was transferred by Israel to Egypt in 1979 as a result of the agreement.
Shortly thereafter, Israel announced the annexation of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The relevant laws, which were adopted by the Knesset on July 30, 1980 and December 14, 1981, fully extended Israeli civil law to these territories, and their population was given the right to obtain Israeli citizenship. This annexation, however, did not receive diplomatic recognition from other states, and the UN Security Council, in resolutions 497 and 497, condemned the annexation and declared Israel's actions "null and void and having no international legal force."
Although the status of the remaining territories has not been determined by law, Israel disputes their definition as occupied, insisting on the term “disputed territories.” The main arguments in favor of this position include the defensive nature of the Six-Day War, the lack of recognized sovereignty over these territories before the war, and the historical right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. A number of Israeli and foreign politicians and lawyers adhere to a similar position. In 1973, after , a settlement movement was created to restore the historical Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are populated predominantly by Palestinian Arabs, including a significant number of refugees. From 1967 to 1993 the population of these territories was under the administrative control of the Israeli military administration with elements of local government at the municipal level.
After the conclusion of mutual recognition agreements between the Israeli government and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, the territories were divided into so-called. "Areas of responsibility". “Area A,” under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, includes most of the Arab settlements of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it is home to about 55% of the Palestinian population, and its area is about 17% of the total area of the West Bank and Gaza. “Area B” (the civilian administration of the Palestinian Authority while maintaining Israeli military control) is home to 41% of the Palestinians and covers 24% of the area. Israel retained full control over “Area C” - 4% of the population, 51% of the territory.
In response to an increase in terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada, construction began in 2003 on the West Bank Security Fence, modeled after a similar structure on the border with the Gaza Strip.
In 2005, as a result of the "" carried out by the Prime Minister, Israel withdrew troops from, eliminating all Jewish settlements located there, the population of which was 8,500 people. 4 settlements in the northern part of Samaria were also destroyed. Following the seizure of power in the Gaza Strip by the radical Islamist movement Hamas, the Israeli government declared the strip a “hostile entity.”
The Palestinian issue, that is, the problem of the existence and coexistence of Jewish and Arab states in Palestine, is at the center of the long-term Arab-Israeli confrontation.
The beginning of the Middle East conflict dates back to the 1940s. On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to create two states - Jewish and Arab - in the West Bank, as well as the international zone of Jerusalem. 33 states voted for the division of Palestine (including France, the USA and the Soviet Union), 13 were against, and 10 abstained (including Great Britain). This decision was initially rejected by both neighboring Arab states and the Arab population of Palestine itself. The Arabs unanimously did not want to recognize the idea of the return of Jews to Palestine, considering this territory theirs. From that moment on, open clashes began between Jewish and Arab armed groups.
Simultaneously with the proclamation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Arab-Israeli War (1948-1949) began, during which the Israelis captured approximately half of the territories allocated for the Arab state. The remaining lands - the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (in total - 22% of historical Palestine) were occupied by Jordan and Egypt, respectively. Another consequence of the conflict was the exodus of about 700 thousand Palestinian refugees from the territories captured by Israel.
During the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, Israel captured the remaining parts of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. During military operations in 1978 and 1982, the Israelis occupied territories in southern Lebanon.
© AP Photo/Khalil Hamra
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© AP Photo/Khalil Hamra
The remaining Palestinian lands, as well as all airspace, territorial waters and land borders of the ZBRI and Gaza Strip are under full Israeli control. Under these conditions, Israel built Jewish settlements, erected the so-called “separation wall,” created closed military zones, and carried out regular invasions and arrests.
In 2000, the second “intifada” began, the reason for which was the visit of the leader of the Israeli right, Ariel Sharon, with a group of his supporters to the Temple Mount. During the war, representatives of extremist Palestinian groups began to massively carry out bomb explosions in Israel aimed at the civilian population. Israel responded with rocket and bomb attacks, assassinations of Palestinian military leaders, and military operations. Israeli troops blocked Arafat's residence in Ramallah. Hundreds of people have died as a result of the ongoing violence.
© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images
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© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images
In 2002, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the UN proposed a new plan for resolving the Palestinian conflict, called the Road Map. It provided for the resumption of negotiations and a phased resolution of the problem until the creation of an independent Palestinian Arab state next to the Israeli one.
Despite the fact that the plan was formally accepted by both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, already at the time of its proclamation a number of analysts managed to regard it as “impossible.”
After the death of Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the PNA in January 2005. Abbas managed to negotiate with Israel to end the violence. In March 2005, Israel officially handed over control of Jericho to the Palestinian Authority, followed by Tulkarm, Ramallah, Qalqiyah and Bethlehem.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon back in 2004 achieved, despite protests in the ranks of his own ruling coalition, the adoption of a plan for “unilateral separation” from the Palestinians. In August 2005, Israel evacuated settlements from the Gaza Strip and several settlements in the West Bank, and in September 2005 withdrew troops from Gaza, ending its 38-year occupation.
Periods of relative calm in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone alternate with bursts of tension, incl. armed confrontation. The confrontation intensified after the radical group Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip in January 2006. The Israelis established a blockade of Gaza, and after the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by a number of Palestinian groups in July 2006, they began to conduct military operations in the strip. The most significant of them are operations “Summer Rains” in 2006 and “Cast Lead” in the winter of 2008-2009.
The situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone again. Over six months, more than 30 people became victims of almost daily Arab attacks, and over 300 were injured. On the Palestinian side, about 200 people died, most of them when they tried to attack the Israelis using firearms, knives, or car-ramming tactics. Israel recognizes these attacks as the work of individuals, but accuses the Palestinian authorities, groups and the media they control of inciting radical sentiments, primarily among young people.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
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