Facts:​

over 60,000 Palestinian deaths, with more than 18,000 of them being
Children. Around 1.7 million people have been dislocated, repeatedly, with
the destruction of their homes and loss of family members.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

(OCHA) reports that 13 out of 29 Red Crescent clinics have closed, and the
remaining clinics are barely functional and face severe shortages.

Background:​
following the United Nations' 1948 mandate to divide Palestine
into two separate states—one for Jews (Israel) and one for Arabs
(Palestine). This decision sparked a full-scale war between Arabs and
Israelis. In the decades that followed, multiple wars broke out between the
two sides, notably in 1956, 1967, and 1973.

Since 1967, Israel has occupied additional territories in Palestine and

continued settlement actions that are deemed as the violation of
international law.

Around 800,000 Palestinians were internally displaced or fled to

neighboring countries such as Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Today, their
descendants number nearly fifteen million, spread across Israel, Gaza, the
West Bank, surrounding countries, North Africa, the Persian Gulf, and
various other regions globally.

Events:​
The Balfour Declaration, 1917, was a pledge to establish “a national
home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, then inhabited by a native
Arab majority. Post World War I, incorporated into the British Mandate
after the Ottoman Empire’s fall,

While framed with a promise not to prejudice the civil and religious rights of
non-Jewish communities, the mandate prioritized Jewish immigration
and institution-building, enabling the Jewish minority to prepare for
statehood while restricting Palestinian political development. Met with
fierce Palestinian and Arab opposition from the outset.

It fell short of Zionist expectations, as they had sought the full reconstitution
of Palestine as the Jewish national home. While it stated that “nothing shall
be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing
non-Jewish communities in Palestine,” it made no mention of their political
or national rights and did not identify them by name.

The British government issued the declaration with the aim

of garnering Jewish support—particularly in the United States.

Partition of Palestine – The partition of Palestine stemmed from

escalating tensions between Palestinian Arabs and Jews, which intensified
after Great Britain received the mandate to govern Palestine in 1922.

This mandate incorporated the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which

endorsed the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine while
pledging to protect the civil and religious rights of non-Jewish Palestinian
communities.

By 1936, Palestinian Arab frustration over the lack of political autonomy

and the influx of Jewish immigrants erupted into open revolt. In response,
Britain established the Peel Commission to investigate the unrest, which, in
1937, recommended dividing Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish
states, along with a neutral zone.

After World War II matters were referred to the United Nations in 1947. The
UN formed the Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), which
proposed either two economically linked states or a single binational state
with autonomous Jewish and Arab regions.
Arabs opposed UNSCOP since Palestinians hadn’t consented to UN
involvement.
Passed Proposal:
55% of the land to the proposed Jewish state (Jews were about 33% of
the population and owned less than 10% of the land).
​
45% to the Arab state.
​
Jerusalem under UN administration.

Arabs rejected while Jews approved, led to first Arab-Palestinian war

in 1948.

The violent establishment of Israel forced many Arabs from their homes,
either through direct expulsion by Zionist military forces or due to fear
of violence. Between December 1947 and January 1949, estimates of the
displaced range from 520,000 to over 700,000, many of whom ended up in
refugee camps. This displacement fostered a strong awareness in people
originally from Palestine and revitalized Palestinian national identity. By the
end of the war in 1949, Israel had gained control over more land than
was originally allocated under the UN partition plan, while the West
Bank fell under Jordanian administration and the Gaza Strip under
Egyptian control. The destruction of more than 400 Arab villages and the
collapse of Arab life in key coastal cities such as Jaffa and Haifa marked a
dramatic transformation of the region. The attack on Deir Yassin on April
9, 1948, by Jewish paramilitary forces, which resulted in approximately
100 Palestinian deaths, intensified fear and panic among the Arab
population.

In the Gaza Strip, the overwhelming concentration of refugees in

camps led to extreme poverty. Led to the Establishment of UNRWA
(United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East), which provided essential services such as water, healthcare,
and education. Despite these
efforts, hardship and poverty remained widespread, and employment
opportunities were scarce.

Suez Crisis – Egyptian nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company,

previously owned by Britain and France. Justified this move on the
grounds of Egyptian sovereignty and intended to use the canal’s
revenues to finance its own projects (Like Aswan High Dam). France saw
this as a direct threat to their economic and strategic interests, as the
canal was a vital maritime route to Asia. At the same time, Israel had
rising tensions with Egypt, due to Egypt’s support for Palestinian
fedayeen raids (by Palestinian Guerilla fighters) and its blockade of
Israeli shipping through the Straits of Tiran.

1956 – Egypt, France, and Israel made a secret agreement at Sèvres,

France. Under the plan, Israel would invade Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Britain and France would then intervene as “peacekeepers” to
supposedly protect the canal but in reality aimed to regain control of it
and weaken Egypt’s president, Nasser. On 29 October, Israel launched
a rapid assault across Sinai, followed by British and French bombing
raids and troop landings around the canal. Militarily, the operation was
a success: Israel quickly captured Sinai, while Anglo-French forces
occupied key parts of the canal zone.

The United States, led by President Eisenhower, opposed the action and
demanded immediate withdrawal, seeing it as reckless colonial behavior
that undermined global stability. The Soviet Union also condemned the
invasion and threatened intervention, creating the risk of a wider conflict.
Both superpowers pressured the invaders to retreat. The United Nations
adopted resolutions calling for a ceasefire, and authorizing the
deployment of the United Nations Emergency Force — the first
large-scale UN peacekeeping mission — to supervise withdrawal and
maintain calm in the region.
Britain, France, and Israel were forced to withdraw, and UNEF was
stationed in Sinai. Israel gained temporary access to freedom of
navigation through the Straits of Tiran, but tensions with Egypt remained
unresolved, leading to the Six-Day War of 1967. Led to the Rise of Arab
nationalism.

Six-Day War – Nasser ordered UNEF to withdraw, moved Egyptian

troops into Sinai, and closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping
which Israel had declared a cause for war.

June, 1967 – Israel launched Operation Focus, a surprise airstrike that

destroyed most of Egypt’s air force on the ground within hours. This
gave Israel total control of the skies. With air superiority, Israeli ground
forces quickly advanced across multiple fronts. Israeli troops swept
through the Sinai Peninsula. Israel controlled the entire Sinai up to the
Suez Canal. Egypt’s army collapsed in disarray.

Despite initial hesitation, Jordan entered the war after Egypt claimed
false victories in the first hours. Israel struck back, capturing East
Jerusalem, including the Old City and holy sites, along with the West
Bank. This marked the first time Israel controlled all of Jerusalem, a
symbolic turning point in the conflict.

For years, Syria had used the Golan Heights to shell Israeli villages
below. In June, Israel launched a ground offensive, scaling the steep
terrain and seizing the Golan Heights. The operation was difficult but
decisive, and by the end, Syria had lost its most strategic defensive
high ground.

Resolved with UNSC Resolution 242

By the war’s end, Israel had seized:

Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt​

West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan​

Golan Heights from Syria

Yom-Kippur War – During The Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and
Ramadan, Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on
Israel. Egypt crossed the Suez Canal, breaching the heavily fortified Bar
Lev Line in Sinai, while Syria launched a massive assault on the Golan
Heights. This initial success shocked Israel and the world.

Israel regained lost positions in the Golan Heights and advanced into
Syrian territory. In Sinai, under General Ariel Sharon, Israeli forces
launched a daring counterattack, crossing the Suez Canal into Egypt
and encircling Egypt’s Third Army.

The Soviet Union supplied Egypt and Syria with weapons and threatened
intervention.​

The United States conducted Operation Nickel Grass, an airlift of

weapons and supplies to Israel.

In response to U.S. support for Israel, Arab oil-producing states in OPEC

imposed the 1973 Oil Embargo on the U.S. and other Western
countries. This triggered a global oil crisis, causing fuel shortages and
economic disruption worldwide

Resolved with UNSC Resolution 338

The UN, most states, and international law still do not recognize Jerusalem
as exclusively Israeli because the corpus separatum plan was never
formally replaced.
​

Zionism:
Zionism is a Jewish nationalist movement aimed at establishing and
supporting a Jewish state in Palestine, the historical homeland of the
Jewish people (“the Land of Israel”). Emerging in eastern and central
Europe in the late 19th century, Zionism is often seen as a modern
continuation of the Jewish people’s ancient religious and cultural
connection to the land of Palestine. In Judaism, Zion—one of the hills in
ancient Jerusalem—is regarded as the dwelling place of God.

Anti-Zionism, which has existed since the rise of Zionism itself, gained
renewed attention during the Israel-Hamas War, when elements of anti-war
discourse specifically criticized Zionism and those who support it.