History of Israel and Palestine

Comprehensive vocabulary regarding the historical development, major conflicts, and political entities involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict from the 19th century to 2006.

Theodor Herzl

Author of the book Der Judenstaat who proposed the creation of a Jewish national state as a solution to European antisemitism.

Zionism

A political movement established in the $19\text{e}$ century aiming for the return of Jewish people to Palestine and the creation of a national state.

Balfour Declaration

A $1917$ letter from the British government, under Lloyd George, expressing support for a Jewish home in Palestine.

British Mandate

The formal authority granted by the League of Nations in $1922$ for England to govern Palestine following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

UN Partition Plan

A $1947$ two-state solution proposal by the UN to divide Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state, with Jerusalem as an international zone.

David Ben-Gurion

The Jewish politician who declared the founding of the state of Israel in $1948$.

Nakba

Meaning "catastrophe," it refers to the displacement and destruction of over $500$ Palestinian villages during and after the $1948$ war.

Six-Day War

A $1967$ conflict in which Israel defeated Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, resulting in the seizure of the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

Al-Fatah

A Palestinian political organization seeking to liberate Palestine; designated as a terrorist organization by some Western nations.

Suez Crisis

A $1956$ conflict where England, France, and Israel attacked Egypt following President Abdel Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal.

Yom Kippur War

A conflict starting in $1973$ when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on a Jewish holiday to reclaim occupied territories.

OPEC Oil Crisis

The $1973$ economic event where Arab countries increased oil prices and limited supply to the West to protest support for Israel.

PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)

An organization founded in $1964$, led by Yasser Arafat, with the goal of establishing a Palestinian state.

Munich Massacre

A $1972$ event during the Summer Olympics where members of the PLO took $11$ Israeli athletes and coaches hostage, resulting in their deaths.

First Intifada

A Palestinian uprising from $1987$ to $1993$ against Israeli control and settlements, meaning "shaking off."

Hamas

A resistance movement founded in $1987$ that aims to defeat Israel and establish an Islamic state; won the $2006$ elections in Gaza.

Oslo Accords

A $1993$ peace agreement between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin establishing Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and the West Bank.

Second Intifada

A period of intensified conflict from $2000$ to $2005$ triggered by Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount.

Apartheid Wall

The Palestinian term for the barrier built by Israel in the West Bank starting in $2002$, which creates an isolated ghetto.