جذور القضية الفلسطينية عام 1948

• The Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict emerged after World War II.
• The roots of the issue and its developments are explained.

Roots of the Palestinian Issue (1948)

• The Zionist movement emerged in Eastern Europe in the late 19th century.
• The goal was to establish a Jewish state in Palestine to gather Jews due to increased anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe.
• Herzl led the movement, which established the World Zionist Organization in 1897.
• Britain welcomed Zionist ambitions and issued the Balfour Declaration in November 1917, promising a Jewish state.
• This was to divide the Arab region, secure British routes to India, and serve British interests in the Suez Canal.
• The League of Nations placed Palestine under British mandate on July 24, 1922, aiming to establish a national home for Jews in Palestine.

British Policy in Palestine Between the Wars and Palestinian Response

• Britain assisted Jews in establishing a homeland through measures such as encouraging Jewish immigration to Palestine and granting them large land areas.
• The Jewish Agency was allowed to participate in governing the country, establish schools, settlements, and military formations.
• Palestinians resisted Zionist ambitions through various means, including submitting petitions of protest to the Mandate authorities, organizing general strikes, and launching uprisings and revolutions.
• These were met with suppression by the British authorities.

American Support for the Zionist Movement During World War II

• During World War II, the focus of the Zionist movement shifted to the United States
• They benefitted from American public sympathy and the influence of the Zionist lobby on Congress, leading to resolutions supporting the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• This shift reflects the change in the international balance of power after the war in favor of the United States
• The US needed a strategic entity in the heart of the Middle East.

Developments in the Palestinian Issue from 1948 to 2004

• The United Nations issued a resolution to partition Palestine in 1947, and the state of "Israel" was declared in 1948.
• Israel expanded beyond its designated area through violence and displacement, scattering Palestinians into neighboring countries.

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

• The declaration of the state of Israel on May 14, 1947, supported by the American states, led to its expansion at the expense of neighboring Arab countries and entry into wars against them, including:
• The 1948 and June 1967 wars against Jordan, Egypt, and Syria.
• The tripartite British-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt (1956).
• The October War of 1973, in which Israel was defeated by unified important Arab forces in the Golan and Sinai.
• Israel entered into negotiations with the Arabs, resulting in the signing of peace treaties with Egypt in 1978.
• A peace deal was signed with Jordan in 1994.

Palestinian Responses

• The Palestinians established the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964.
• In 1974, it became the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
• The United Nations issued a resolution on the right of the Palestinians to self-determination.
• In 1978, the Palestinians launched the "Intifada of the Children of Stones," which forced Israel to enter into negotiations
• Negotiations resulted in several conferences and the signing of the Madrid (1991) - Oslo (1993) agreements.
• Israeli intransigence led the Palestinians to launch the armed Intifada starting in October 2000.
• Israel reinvaded the West Bank and Gaza Strip between 2000 and 2004 and besieged the Palestinian Authority.

Conclusion

• The Palestinians succeeded in achieving several gains through resistance and peaceful struggle.
• Zionist policies have prevented the Palestinians from obtaining their rights.