In , Israel committed the most notorious reprisal massacre in the West Bank against the village of Qibya, where 45 houses were blown up and at least 69 Palestinians were killed. A few years later, the Suez Crisis took place in The company was a joint British-French enterprise which controlled and operated the strategic waterway. The three countries were forced to withdraw, and for a decade afterwards, a United Nations peacekeeping force was installed along the Egyptian-Israeli border.
The mids and s saw the rise of the Fedayeen movement — Palestinian armed resistance groups who attempted to mount attacks against Israel. About 18 people were killed and more than wounded in the attack. Tensions between Syria and Israel was also brewing over disagreements on the use of the Jordan River water and Israeli cultivation along the border, which played a major role in leading up to the war.
Under an Egyptian-Syrian defence treaty signed in , the two countries were obliged to protect one another in the case of an attack on either. Egypt then ordered the evacuation of UN troops out of Sinai and stationed its troops there.
Iraq followed suit shortly after. Israeli ground forces proceeded to invade the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula on the same day. Israel also attacked the Syrian airfields on the evening of June 5. The next day, fighting ensued between Jordan and Israel for control of Jordanian-held East Jerusalem. After taking the Old City, Israeli forces demolished the entire year-old Moroccan Quarter neighbourhood, to widen access to what the Jewish people call the Western Wall, known to Muslims as the al-Buraq Wall.
The site holds religious significance to both Jews and Muslims. Approximately Palestinian families living in the quarter were ordered to evacuate their homes and the neighbourhood was bombed and completely demolished. Among the most infamous wiped out villages were Imwas, Beit Nuba and Yalu. Egypt and Israel signed a ceasefire on June 9, while Syria and Israel signed on June 11, effectively ending the war with a UN-brokered truce.
The overwhelming majority of the newly displaced Palestinians sought refuge in Jordan. Many crossed into Jordan through the river, and did so on foot with very few belongings.
The war was a turning point for the entire region. Though the two-state plan is clear in theory, the two sides are still deeply divided over how to make it work in practice.
Most observers think this would cause more problems than it would solve, but this outcome is becoming more likely over time for political and demographic reasons.
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.
Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. What are Israel and Palestine? Why are they fighting? Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Palestinians gather to show their support to a vessel flotilla that set out Monday from the northern Gaza Strip in hopes of breaking the decade-long blockade of the coastal enclave.
But the fighting has gone on for decades. Britain took control of the area known as Palestine after the ruler of that part of the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, was defeated in World War One. The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority. Tensions between the two peoples grew when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people.
For Jews it was their ancestral home, but Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and opposed the move. Between the s and s, the number of Jews arriving there grew, with many fleeing from persecution in Europe and seeking a homeland after the Holocaust of World War Two.
Violence between Jews and Arabs, and against British rule, also grew. In , the UN voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem becoming an international city.
That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented. In , unable to solve the problem, British rulers left and Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel. Many Palestinians objected and a war followed. Troops from neighbouring Arab countries invaded. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes in what they call Al Nakba, or the "Catastrophe".
By the time the fighting ended in a ceasefire the following year, Israel controlled most of the territory. Jordan occupied land which became known as the West Bank, and Egypt occupied Gaza. Jerusalem was divided between Israeli forces in the West, and Jordanian forces in the East. Because there was never a peace agreement - with each side blaming the other - there were more wars and fighting in the following decades.
Neither they nor their descendants have been allowed by Israel to return to their homes - Israel says this would overwhelm the country and threaten its existence as a Jewish state. Israel still occupies the West Bank, and although it pulled out of Gaza the UN still regards that piece of land as occupied territory.
Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The US is one of only a handful of countries to recognise the city as Israel's capital. In the past 50 years Israel has built settlements in these areas, where more than , Jews now live. Palestinians say these are illegal under international law and are obstacles to peace, but Israel denies this.
0コメント