Key Events for Palestinian Politics

Arab-Israeli War (1948)

Included participation from Jordanian, Syrian and Egyptian armies along with Palestinian militias. They were poorly equipped in comparison to the Israelis. Zionists issued “Declaration of the Establishment of Israeli State” wrongly referred to as “Declaration of Independence” 

U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194 (December 1948)

UN calls on Israel to allow Palestinians back and give them property back, Israel continues to be in violation of that resolution 

 Law of Return (1950)

issued in 1950. It was an attempt by Israel to legislate discriminatory laws in order to counteract UN Resolution 194, which called on Israel to allow Palestinians back post-1948. 

○ The Law of Return stipulates that all Jews around the world are entitled to Israeli citizenship. Israel ultimately adopts the Nazi definition of a Jew in that one only needed to be 1/8th Jewish to qualify. Edward Said points out the irony in that a Jew born in Chicago was allowed to immigrate to Israel, whereas a Palestinian born in Jaffa was a refugee. 

■ Law of Citizenship: Jew vs. Arab – 2 demarcations, no longer “Palestinian”

 ● Advocated for Palestinians to adopt an Arab identity rather than their  own specific Palestinian identity 

Kafr Qasim (1956)

Massacre committed by the Israeli army in the Israeli Arab village of Kafr Qasim situated on the Green Line, at that time, the de facto border between Israel and the Jordanian West Bank. ⇒ First massacre of Palestinians in Israel (after its establishment), taking place on the eve of the invasion of the Sinai 

○ The Army declares a curfew while everyone is at work and kills 47 people for allegedly missing curfew that they did not know about 

○ The soldiers who committed the massacre got a raise.

 Six-Day War (1967)

tensions between Israel and Egypt culminated into a full fledged war; began by a large-scale surprise air strike by Israel on Egypt. 

○ Prior tensions ⇒ Egyptian government = closed the straits of Tiran. Closed for Israeli shipping ⇒ equivalent for war ⇒ israelis launched military invasion of 3 arab countries ○ Israel insists on calling it the Six Day War - God built the world in six days and rested on the seventh 

○ Catastrophic for the Arabs - not only was Palestine not liberated, but remaining parts lost in addition to Syria and Egypt 

○ Outcome: Nasser resigned 

○ Western view of 1967: Israel was attacking preemptively, Egypt did NOT want to start a war, war was launched by Israel, it tripled its territories (Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza, West Bank) 

○ Built 40 Jewish-only settlements in Golan Heights, now inhabited by Syrians and Jewish settlers 

○ Annexed jerusalem in 1967 (de-facto), 1980: issued law and annexed it de jure (legally)

Resolution 242

 UN resolution passed in 1967. The withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the 1967 conflict, without specifying the extent of the withdrawal. The resolution, therefore, neither commands nor prohibits total withdrawal. No mention of Palestinian refugees. It recognizes the territories of 1967! 

Battle of Karameh (1968)

 Palestinian guerillas have big victory in 1968 because they manage to push back Israeli army. This is contrasted with the fact that 3 major Arab armies had recently been defeated by Israel (in the 1967 war). 

○ Relevance: Palestinian guerillas now seen as leaders of the liberation and become heroes of the Arab world, receive international volunteers to help as the cause became distinctly Palestinian – as opposed to being an “Arab refugee problem”. 

■ That said, Al Karamah was also very transformative in Palestinian history because the very realization that they should not depend on Arab countries ultimately led them to be expelled from Jordan. 

Bahr el Baqar (1970)

 small village in the Sinai where Israel commits a massacre - bombs primary school killing 46 children and using US aircraft. Israel claims that they thought it was a military installation. 

Black September - Civil War in Jordan

 War between Jordanian Armed Forces under King Hussein and the PLO led by Arafat in 1970. After Jordan loses control of the West Bank in the 1967 war, Palestinian guerillas step up attacks on the Israel occupied territories (from their bases in Jordan).

PLO strength in Jordan grows after the Battle of Karameh, leading King Hussein to launch a war to end militant activity of Palestinian guerillas. Popularity of these groups undermined Jordanian authority. 

○ Ultimately, it resulted in the expulsion of the PLO to Lebanon and the assassination of Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi al-Tal in 1971 (by a group named Black September). ○ Other than the fact that it ultimately led the PLO to create “a state within a state” in Lebanon, it is significant in that it remains a source of tension in Palestinian-Jordanian relations and integration, and goes to show the social cleavages that pushed both groups to confront one another with hostility.

1973 war (Yom Kippur War)

 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria which led a surprise attack on Israel. The majority of combat took place in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights—both of which were occupied by Israel in 1967. 

○ Then, Israel gets help from the US (after threatening to use nukes) and they are able to push back Syrians and Egyptians. 

○ Sadat: it is clear from the 1973 war that we are not fighting Israel but the US - “99% of the cards are held by the Americans” 

○ His motivation for war of 1973 was to save face - to negotiate with the Israelis from a position if strength 

 Rabat conference of 1974

 Arab league meets in summit in Morocco and issues resolution recognizing PLO as sole representative of Palestinian people ⇒ nation-like structure ○ + Recognition from Non-Aligned movement as well 

○ Outcome: King Hussein up in Arms ⇒ says it can’t have jurisdiction over Palestinian of Jordan because they’d already become Jordanian 

UNGA Resolution 3379 (Zionism is Racism)

Palestinian cause had become so popular across the third world that in 1975 the GA would pass one of its strongest resolutions ever, where zionism was declared to be a form of racial discrimination. Israel wasn’t singled out as uniquely racist, but as part and parcel of other settler colonial movements. 

Munich Olympics

 Munich olympics in Germany = Black September (a militant offshoot of the Palestinian group Fatah) would attack the Israeli pavilion = 11 of them, 1 of them resisted and shot and died 

○ Plane waiting with them ⇒ airport = military confrontation = all athletes died = make a huge of them at the olympics 

○ Israeli response ⇒ rampage over Burj Al baraj refugee camp = killing 250 palestinians

War of Attrition

Fought between Egypt and Israel in 1970 because Egypt wanted to reclaim Sinai. Egypt attacked Israeli forces on the Western bank of the Suez Canal. This war was a testament to Israeli air superiority as Egypt had to seek help from the Soviet Union. The war ultimately ended in a ceasefire, as mandated by the US. 

Land Day

On the 30th of March of 1976, 6 unarmed protestors were killed by the Israeli army. It was the biggest outbreak in demonstration of Palestinian resistance following 1948. ○ The death of the 6 unarmed protestors was the immediate impetus for the demonstrations, yet they were also protesting increasing settlements and land expropriation. 

○ Relevance: a pivotal event in the struggle over land and in the relationship of Arab citizens to the Israeli state. It is significant in that it was the first time since 1948 that Arabs in Israel organized a response to Israeli policies as a Palestinian national collective. ○ Land Day has been celebrated every year since that altercation. 

Palestinian Declaration of Independence 1988:

The Palestinian National Council (PLO) unilaterally declares independence as a Palestinian nation in Algiers. Arafat becomes president of Palestine. 

○ Hussein gives televised speech announcing disengagement from the West Bank after realizing that PLO now had international recognition and that population was clearly palestinian nationalist and not jordanian nationalist

○ On the one hand seen as concession to Palestinian nationalism, but gave Israel important legal argument: Now that Jordan no longer claimed sovereignty, WB is not an occupied territory, so no need to abide by Geneva Conventions 

 Civil War in Lebanon

Fighting between Maronite-Christian and Palestinian forces (mainly from the PLO) began in 1975 

○ 2 massacres ⇒ Sabra and Shatila massacre ⇒ took place in September 1982 in Lebanon.

 ■ It was perpetrated by a Lebanese Christian militia, the Phalangists, which was under the political and military control of the State of Israel. 

● Victims: civilians from two Palestinian adjoining refugee camps called  Sabra and Shatila 

○ Relevance: PLO relocated from Beirut to Tunisia 

First Palestinian Intifada

A popular uprising by Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and within Israel, against the Israeli occupation of the OTs. 1987-1993. Began in the Jabalia Refugee Camp after an IDF truck killed four palestinian workers. Some date its end to the signing of the Oslo Accords. 

○ Palestinian resistance during intifada characterized by civil disobedience, boycotts, general strikes, throwing of stones and molotov cocktails 

○ Israel failed to foretell the spread and intensity of palestinian resistance despite having the most sophisticated intelligence service 

○ Israel responded with extreme violence and mass arrests, including towards children ○ Outcomes: Brought the height of resistance back to Palestine (while PLO was in exile, PLO’s influence undermined), brought more international recognition to the liberation struggle, increased Israeli oppression and surveillance of Palestinians in the OTs (curfews, revoked permits, increased taxation, etc.) … 

Fahd Plan

Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia attempted peace plan whereby Arab countries would recognize Israel and normalize relations in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the territories captured in 1967 = ARAB LEAGUE implements IT, US (Reagan) and Israel both reject the plan 

 Camp David Accords 1978

● Camp David Accords 1978: Normalization of ties between Israel and Egypt. “Peace” ⇒ Sinai is still almost controlled by Israel. Sadat takes it as a victory. Sept 17th 1978. Sadat, Begin, and Carter. 

○ “An overt plan to put the Palestinians under Israeli military authority” = Edward Said ○ Around camp david, 3 things emerged a legitimate Palestinian leadership, a palestinian national consensus, and a capability in not only defining its self determination but also in promoting it in a peaceful way 

○ Camp David gave Israel and the zionist cause legitimacy 

○ Israel: If we negotiate with egypt apart, we can get more concessions, but if we negotiate with Arabs as a block it’ll be harder (important to neutralize Egyptian military) 

■ Now Israel has ability to invade Lebanon (so peace with Egypt meant war with other countries) 

 Mapai (Workers’ Party)

 Israeli labor party = very zionist. Practically in power from 1948 till Likud’s election in 1977. Settlements ++

United Kingdom Project

Proposed by King Hussein, would have granted autonomy to the West Bank after Israeli withdrawal, and established East Jerusalem as capital of the West Bank and Amman as capital of the East Bank. This was pushed by Hussein at the behest of Americans and Israelis, but received major denunciations - seen as an Israeli gain because it would have given Palestinians autonomy, and not independence.