Israel Palestine Final

Al-Nakba

Arabic for 'the catastrophe.' The mass displacement of Palestinians during 1948 and again after 1967, when 200,000-250,000 fled the West Bank to Jordan.

Al-Aqsa (Second) Intifada

Uprising triggered by Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in 2000. Far more violent than the First Intifada, characterized by armed clashes and suicide bombings. Effectively collapsed the Oslo process.

Abraham Accords (2020)

Normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Broke from the Arab League's stance linking normalization to Palestinian statehood.

Agranat Commission

Israeli inquiry after the 1973 Yom Kippur War investigating military and intelligence failures. Contributed to the fall of the Labor government.

Area A / B / C

Zones created by Oslo II dividing the West Bank. A: full Palestinian control. B: Palestinian civil authority, Israeli security control. C: full Israeli control (settlements, military bases).

Camp David Accords (1978)

13-day summit between Begin and Sadat brokered by Carter. Produced a bilateral Egypt-Israel peace blueprint and a vague 5-year Palestinian autonomy plan that ultimately failed.

Camp David II (2000)

Final-status summit between Barak and Arafat. Failed over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Led to the 'no partner for peace' narrative and the Second Intifada.

Casus belli

Latin for 'act of war.' Egypt's 1967 closure of the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping, which Israel used to justify its preemptive strike.

Clinton Parameters (2000)

Bridging proposals offering a Palestinian state on 94-96% of the West Bank, Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, shared sovereignty over the Temple Mount, and five refugee options. Barak accepted; Arafat effectively rejected them.

Declaration of Principles / Oslo I (1993)

Signed after secret talks in Norway. Achieved mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO. Established a 5-year transitional period and deferred final status issues.

Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty (1979)

Israel withdrew from Sinai; Egypt normalized relations and terminated the state of war. The first formal peace between Israel and an Arab state.

First Intifada (1987)

Spontaneous popular uprising against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, characterized by civil disobedience and stone-throwing. Led by the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU).

Gaza Disengagement (2005)

Sharon unilaterally withdrew all Israeli settlers and troops from Gaza to preserve Israel's Jewish demographic majority.

Gaza-Jericho Agreement (1994)

Put Oslo I into practice, creating the Palestinian Authority. Israel withdrew from Gaza and Jericho (except settlements). Arafat returned from exile in July 1994.

Gush Emunim

Israeli settler movement that worked with the Likud government to expand settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, creating 'facts on the ground' to prevent future withdrawal.

Hamas

Palestinian Islamist organization that won the 2006 Palestinian elections and seized Gaza from Fatah in 2007, splitting Palestinian governance.

Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty (1994)

Made Jordan the second Arab state to normalize relations with Israel. Included a water-sharing deal increasing Jordan's supply by 25% and land-lease arrangements for Baqura and Al-Ghamr.

Khartoum Resolution / 'Three Noes' (1967)

Arab League declaration after the Six-Day War: 'no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with the Jewish state.'

Kissinger Shuttle Diplomacy (1973-75)

Step-by-step U.S. mediation after the Yom Kippur War. Produced three disengagement agreements and moved the region from military deadlock to limited withdrawals.

Land for Peace

Core formula of UN Resolution 242: Israeli withdrawal from 1967 territories in exchange for recognized borders and an end to belligerency.

Likud (1977 rise)

Israeli right-wing party whose 1977 victory ended 29 years of Labor dominance. Leader Menachem Begin signed Camp David but accelerated settlement expansion.

Madrid Conference (1991)

First face-to-face Israel-Arab negotiations, co-sponsored by the U.S. and USSR after the Gulf War. Also launched a multilateral track on water, refugees, and other regional issues.

Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)

Israel's invasion of Lebanon to eliminate the PLO's military presence. Expanded into a siege of Beirut and led to the Sabra and Shatilla massacre.

Oslo II / Interim Agreement (1995)

Expanded Palestinian self-rule across the West Bank, divided it into Areas A, B, and C, and created the 88-member Palestinian Legislative Council.

Palestinian Authority (PA)

Governing body created in 1994 to administer Palestinian self-rule. After the 2007 Hamas-Fatah split, controls only the West Bank.

PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)

Founded 1964 under Arab League auspices. Revitalized after 1967, pivoting to 'armed struggle.' Formally accepted a two-state solution at the 1988 PNC meeting in Algiers.

Sabra and Shatilla Massacre (1982)

Massacre of Palestinian civilians in Beirut refugee camps by Lebanese Phalangist forces while Israeli forces under Sharon controlled the surrounding area. Led to Sharon's forced resignation.

Sadat's Visit to Jerusalem (1977)

Egyptian President Sadat addressed the Knesset, proposing full Israeli withdrawal from 1967 territories and recognition of Palestinian rights. Set the stage for Camp David.

Separation Barrier

Barrier constructed by Israel in and around the West Bank beginning in 2002 in response to the Second Intifada.

Sinai-Suez War (1956)

Triggered by Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal. Israel (with Britain and France) invaded Sinai, then withdrew under international pressure. UNEF deployed as a buffer.

Six-Day War (1967)

June 5-10, 1967. Israel's preemptive strike destroyed 350+ Arab aircraft and captured the Sinai, Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights in six days.

Strait of Tiran Blockade (1967)

Egypt's closure of the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping on May 23, 1967 — considered a casus belli by Israel and a direct trigger of the Six-Day War.

Taba Talks (2001)

Final negotiation attempt in January 2001. The most substantive talks yet, approaching 97% West Bank territory. Ended without agreement due to escalating violence and the approaching Israeli election.

Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif

The most contested site in the conflict, sacred to both Judaism and Islam. Central sticking point at Camp David II. Sharon's visit in September 2000 triggered the Second Intifada.

UNEF (UN Emergency Force)

Buffer force deployed in Sinai after 1956. Egypt's demand for its withdrawal in May 1967 was a key escalatory step toward the Six-Day War.

UN Resolution 194

Addresses the Palestinian refugee problem. Palestinians interpret it as establishing a 'right of return' to their original homes — rejected by Israel in all negotiations.

UN Resolution 242 (1967)

Established the 'land for peace' formula. Key ambiguity: English says withdrawal from 'territories'; French says 'the territories,' implying full withdrawal.

UN Resolution 338 (1973)

Passed during the Yom Kippur War, calling for a ceasefire and implementation of Res. 242. Cited as the legal basis for the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty.

Wye River Memorandum (1998)

Brokered by Clinton to revive Oslo. Israel agreed to transfer 13% more West Bank land; the PA agreed to combat terrorism. Implementation suspended after one redeployment phase.

Yom Kippur War (1973)

Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli positions on the Jewish holy day. Israel recovered militarily but the initial shock brought down the Labor government.