The Palestinian problem is one of the most difficult issues for the world community. It arose in 1947 and formed the basis of the Middle East conflict, the development of which is still observed.
A Brief History of Palestine
The origins of the Palestinian problem should be sought in antiquity. Then this territory was the scene of a sharp struggle between Mesopotamia, Egypt and Phoenicia. Under King David, a strong Jewish state was created with its center in Jerusalem. But already in the II century. BC e. the Romans invaded. They plundered the state and gave it a new name - Palestine. As a result, the Jewish population of the country was forced to migrate, and soon settled in different territories and mixed with Christians.
In the 7th century. Palestine was subject to Arab conquest. Their dominance in this territory lasted almost 1000 years. In the second half of the XIII - beginning of the XVI century. Palestine was a province of Egypt ruled at the time by the Mamluk dynasty. After that, the territory became part of the Ottoman Empire. By the end of the XIX century. an area centered on Jerusalem is singled out, whichwas administered directly by Istanbul.
Establishment of the British Mandate
The emergence of the Palestinian problem is connected with the policy of England, so we should consider the history of the establishment of the British mandate in this territory.
During World War I, the Balfour Declaration was issued. In accordance with it, Great Britain was positive about the creation of a national home for the Jews in Palestine. After that, a legion of Zionist volunteers was sent to conquer the country.
In 1922, the League of Nations gave England a mandate to govern Palestine. It came into force in 1923.
In the period from 1919 to 1923, about 35 thousand Jews migrated to Palestine, and from 1924 to 1929 - 82 thousand
The situation in Palestine during the period of the British Mandate
During the period of the British Mandate, the Jewish and Arab communities pursued an independent domestic policy. In 1920, the Haganah (a structure responsible for Jewish self-defense) was formed. Settlers in Palestine built housing and roads, developed the economic and social infrastructure they created. This led to Arab discontent, which resulted in Jewish pogroms. It was at this time (since 1929) that the Palestinian problem began to emerge. The British authorities in this situation supported the Jewish population. However, the pogroms led to the need to restrict their resettlement in Palestine, as well as the purchase of land here. The authorities even published the so-called Passfield White Paper. She significantly limited the resettlement of Jews in Palestinian lands.
The situation in Palestine on the eve of World War II
After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, hundreds of thousands of Jews immigrated to Palestine. In this regard, the royal commission proposed to divide the mandated territory of the country into two parts. Thus, Jewish and Arab states should be created. It was assumed that both parts of the former Palestine would be bound by treaty obligations with England. The Jews supported this proposal, but the Arabs opposed it. They demanded the formation of a single state that guaranteed the equality of all national groups.
In 1937-1938. There was a war between Jews and Arabs. After its completion (in 1939), MacDonald's White Paper was developed by the British authorities. It contained a proposal to create a single state in 10 years, where both Arabs and Jews would take part in governance. Zionists condemned Macdonald's White Paper. On the day of its publication, Jewish demonstrations took place, Haganah militants carried out pogroms of the most important strategic objects.
World War II period
After W. Churchill came to power, the Haganah militants actively took part on the side of Great Britain in military operations in Syria. After the threat of the invasion of Hitler's troops into the territory of Palestine disappeared, the Irgun (an underground terrorist organization) raised an uprising against England. After the end of the war, Britain restricted the entry of Jews into the country. ATIn connection with this, the Haganah allied itself with the Irgun. They created a "Jewish resistance" movement. Members of these organizations smashed strategic objects, made attempts on representatives of the colonial administration. In 1946, militants blew up all the bridges that connected Palestine with neighboring states.
Creation of the State of Israel. The emergence of the Palestinian problem
In 1947, the UN submitted a plan for the partition of Palestine, as Britain said it could not control the situation in the country. A commission of 11 states was formed. According to the decision of the UN General Assembly, after May 1, 1948, when the British Mandate terminates, Palestine should be divided into two states (Jewish and Arab). At the same time, Jerusalem should be under international control. This UN plan was adopted by a majority vote.
On May 14, 1948, the establishment of the independent state of Israel was proclaimed. Exactly one hour before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine, D. Ben-Gurion published the text of the Declaration of Independence.
Thus, despite the fact that the prerequisites for this conflict were outlined earlier, the emergence of the Palestinian problem is associated with the creation of the state of Israel.
War 1948-1949
The next day after the announcement of the decision to create Israel, the troops of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Transjordan invaded its territory. The goal of these Arab countries was to destroynewly formed state. The Palestinian problem has become aggravated due to new circumstances. In May 1948, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was created. It should be noted that the new state was supported by the United States. Thanks to this, already in June 1948, Israel launched a counteroffensive. The fighting ended only in 1949. During the war, Western Jerusalem and a significant part of the Arab territories came under Israeli control.
Suez campaign of 1956
After the first war, the problem of the formation of Palestinian statehood and the recognition of the independence of Israel by the Arabs did not disappear, but became even more aggravated.
In 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal. France and Great Britain began preparations for the operation, in which Israel was to act as the main striking force. Hostilities began in October 1956 in the Sinai Peninsula. By the end of November, Israel controlled almost all of its territory (including Sharm el-Sheikh and the Gaza Strip). This situation caused discontent of the USSR and the USA. By the beginning of 1957, British and Israeli troops were withdrawn from this region.
In 1964, the President of Egypt initiated the creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Its policy document stated that the division of Palestine into parts is illegal. In addition, the PLO did not recognize the State of Israel.
Six Day War
June 5, 1967, three Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan and Syria) let down theirtroops to the Israeli borders, blocked the way to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The armed forces of these states had a significant advantage. On the same day, Israel launched Operation Moked and sent its troops into Egypt. In a matter of days (from June 5 to June 10), the entire Sinai Peninsula, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights were under Israeli control. It should be noted that Syria and Egypt accused the United Kingdom and the United States of participating in hostilities on the side of Israel. However, this assumption was refuted.
The Yom Kippur War
The Israeli-Palestinian problem has escalated after the six-day war. Egypt has repeatedly attempted to regain control of the Sinai Peninsula.
In 1973, a new war began. On October 6 (Judgment Day in the Jewish calendar), Egypt sent troops into the Sinai, and the Syrian army occupied the Golan Heights. The IDF was able to quickly repel the attack and expel the Arab units from these territories. The peace agreement was signed on October 23 (the United States and the USSR acted as mediators in the negotiations).
In 1979, a new treaty was signed between Israel and Egypt. The Gaza Strip remained under the control of the Jewish state, while the Sinai returned to its former owner.
Peace for Galilee
The main goal of Israel in this war was the elimination of the PLO. By 1982, a PLO base had been established in southern Lebanon. Galilee was constantly shelled from its territory. On June 3, 1982, terrorists attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London.
5 June IDFconducted a successful operation, during which the Arab units were defeated. Israel won the war, but the Palestinian problem became much worse. This was caused by the deterioration of the position of the Jewish state in the international arena.
Search for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in 1991
The Palestinian problem in international relations played a significant role. It affected the interests of many states, including Great Britain, France, the USSR, the USA, and others.
In 1991, the Madrid Conference was held to resolve the Middle East conflict. Its organizers were the USA and the USSR. Their efforts were aimed at ensuring that the Arab countries (participants in the conflict) made peace with the Jewish state.
Understanding the essence of the Palestinian problem, the US and the USSR offered Israel to liberate the occupied territories. They advocated the legal rights of the people of Palestine and security for the Jewish state. For the first time, all sides of the Middle East conflict participated in the Madrid Conference. In addition, a formula for future negotiations was worked out here: “peace in exchange for territories.”
Negotiations in Oslo
The next attempt to resolve the conflict were secret negotiations between the delegations of Israel and the PLO, held in August 1993 in Oslo. The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs acted as an intermediary in them. Israel and the PLO have declared recognition of each other. In addition, the latter undertook to eliminate the paragraph of the charter demanding the destruction of the Jewish state. The talks ended with the signing in Washington of the Declaration onprinciples. The document provided for the introduction of self-government in the Gaza Strip for a period of 5 years.
In general, the talks in Oslo did not bring significant results. The independence of Palestine was not proclaimed, the refugees could not return to their ancestral territories, the status of Jerusalem was not determined.
The Palestinian problem at the present stage
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the international community has repeatedly made attempts to resolve the Palestinian problem. In 2003, a three-stage roadmap was developed. He envisioned a final and full-scale settlement of the Middle East conflict by 2005. To do this, it was planned to create a viable democratic state - Palestine. This project was approved by both sides of the conflict and still retains the status of the only officially valid plan for the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian problem.
However, to this day, this region is one of the most "explosive" in the world. The problem not only remains unresolved, but also periodically worsens significantly.
