Let's delve into the history of Israel and Gaza
Let’s all uncover the real story
This is a map of the territory now known as the State of Israel, and many use it to support their argument that modern Israel has ‘stolen’ the lands of Palestinian Arabs.
But have they?
The maps show the territorial evolution of Israel over the years, and at first glance, it does indeed give the impression that what was Palestinian territory until 1948 is increasingly being reduced in favour of Israeli lands.
If you don’t know the history, the map makes it look like Israel took land from Palestine. But here’s the catch: The green part is labelled ‘Palestine,’ making it seem like Israel stole from a country.
However, there was never a country called ‘Palestine’ to begin with. That name is for a territory, not an actual country. So, the whole “Israel took land from a country” idea? It’s not the full picture.
Let’s skip the ancient empires and zoom in on more recent history. Specifically, to the Ottoman Empire that governed the territory in question for four centuries, from 1516 to 1917.
This is an essential context because, during their rule, the area we now refer to as Israel and Palestine was part of a much larger imperial jurisdiction, and not a sovereign state called ‘Palestine.’
The area had a relatively sparse population. Throughout their rule, the Ottomans encouraged Muslim migration to Palestine, primarily from Egypt and Sudan. This is, in fact, the origin of many of today’s Palestinians, as indicated by the surnames of major clans that live there now.
After WWI, starting in 1917, Britain took over the territory. They quickly issued the Balfour Declaration, which was the first nod to creating a Jewish homeland in Israel. This was a new, European idea of a “nation-state,” introduced to the Middle East for the first time.
Arabs back then didn’t even see themselves as separate nations but rather as clans (Some would say that they still think this way to this day) That idea was pushed onto them by the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which split the Middle East into various zones between France and Britain.
On Nov 29, 1947, the UN passed a partition plan dividing the territory of British Mandate Palestine between Jews and Arabs. It recognized both sides’ rights to establish a nation-state within agreed-upon borders, a move voted on and approved by UN member states
The Jewish community fully embraced the UN’s partition plan, but the Arab population flatly rejected it. The armed conflict against Jewish settlements started almost immediately, dubbed the War of Independence, even as British rule persisted.
On the last day of the British Mandate, May 14, 1948, a Jewish state was declared. The very next day, armies from Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt with smaller forces from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia invaded the territory, initiating the 2nd phase of the War of Independence.
After nearly a year of fighting, the young State of Israel successfully repelled invading foreign armies and internal Arab forces, capturing additional territories in the process.
The armistice lines of 1949 established that the West Bank would be under Jordanian control, and the Gaza Strip under Egyptian control. The remaining territories were incorporated into Israel. These borders held until the 1967 Six-Day War
The Six-Day War was the first major Arab attempt since 1948 to destroy Israel. In May 1967 Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping — an act of war against Israel.
The governments of Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon moved their forces toward the Israeli border. Israel responded to the growing threat and in 6 days captured the Sinai, the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), Gaza and the Golan Heights.
In 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israel, marking the beginning of a peace process between the two countries. As part of this, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Egypt, however, declined to retake control of the Gaza Strip, leaving it in Israeli hands
The 1993 Oslo Accords led to a phased transfer of most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. Fast forward to 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza Strip evacuating all its settlements.
Since 2005, there’s been no Israeli presence — civilian or military — in Gaza. Since then, Hamas, a terror organization, effectively controlled the territory.
Let’s summarize so far:
1. There has never been a sovereign state called Palestine. In fact, as of today, the territories belonging to the Palestine Authority are the largest ever held by an entity defined as Palestinian.
2. The majority of Palestinians originated from migration from countries like Sudan and Egypt during the Ottoman Empire, with no proven historical connection to Israel.
3. Arabs residing in Israel before 1948 were offered the chance to establish their own nation-state but chose to go to war instead. They can’t blame anyone but themselves for the outcomes.
4. Regardless of history, millions of Palestinians currently live in Gaza and the West Bank and a viable solution must be found for their peaceful coexistence.
5. It seems that Palestinians have been the ones sabotaging solutions so far.
Bottom line: The next time you encounter various maps circulating online trying to create a one-sided narrative, do your own research to uncover the truth.
