HISTORY

OF
ISRAEL

Presented by:
Ibtisam M.Babar
Mechanical 1st Year
ANCIENT ISRAEL

• The land of modern Israel was once conquered by various groups including Persian,
Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Egyptians etc.
• From 1517 to 1917 Israel was ruled by Ottoman Empire and was known as Palestine.
• In 1917 at the height of World War l British James Balfour support in the establishment
of Jewish Homeland in Palestine
• In 1918 World War ended and British won and 400 year Ottoman Empire rule ended.
• The Balfour Declaration over Palestine were approved by the League of Nations in
1922.
• Arabs vehemently opposed the Balfour Declaration, concerned that a Jewish homeland
would mean the subjugation of Arab Palestinians.
• The British controlled Palestine until Israel, in the years following the end of World War
II, became an independent state in 1947.
CONFLICT BETWEEN JEWS AND ARABS

Throughout Israel’s long history, tensions between Jews and Arab Muslims have
existed. The complex hostility between the two groups dates all the way back to
ancient times when they both populated the area and deemed it holy.

Both Jews and Muslims consider the city of Jerusalem sacred. It contains the Temple
Mount, which includes the holy sites al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, the Dome of
the Rock and more.

Much of the conflict in recent years has centered around who is occupying the
following areas:

• Gaza Strip: A piece of land located between Egypt and modern-day Israel.
• Golan Heights: A rocky plateau between Syria and modern-day Israel.
• West Bank: A territory that divides part of modern-day Israel and Jordan.
THE ZIONISM MOVEMENT
In the late 19th and early 20th century, a political movement known as Zionism emerged
among Jews.
Zionists wanted to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Massive numbers of Jews
immigrated to the ancient holy land and built settlements. Between 1882 and 1903, about
35,000 Jews relocated to Palestine. Another 40,000 settled in the area between 1904
and 1914.
Many Jews living in Europe and elsewhere found refuge in Palestine and embraced
Zionism. After the Holocaust and World War II ended, members of the Zionist movement
primarily focused on creating an independent Jewish state.
Arabs in Palestine resisted the Zionism movement, and tensions between the two groups
continue. An Arab nationalist movement developed as a result.
ARAB NATIONALIST MOVEMENT
The Arab Nationalist Movement had its origins in a
student group led by George Habash at the
American University of Beirut which emerged in the
late 1940s. In the mid-1950s Habash and his
followers joined a larger student group led by
Constantin Zureiq.
Its stated aim was "raising the level of the Arab
nation to the level of modern nations.“
ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE
The United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state in
1947, but the Arabs rejected it.

In May 1948, Israel was officially declared an independent state with David Ben-Gurion, the
head of the Jewish Agency, as the prime minister.

While this historic event seemed to be a victory for Jews, it also marked the beginning of
more violence with the Arabs.
David Ben Gurion
ARAB-ISRAELI WAR
Following the announcement of an independent Israel, five Arab nations—Egypt, Jordan, Iraq,
Syria, and Lebanon—immediately invaded the region in what became known as the 1948
Arab-Israeli War.

Civil war broke out throughout all of Israel, but a cease-fire agreement was reached in 1949.

As part of the temporary armistice agreement, the West Bank became part of Jordan, and the
Gaza Strip became Egyptian territory.
ARAB ISRAELI CONFLICTS
SUEZ CRISIS
Relations between Israel and Egypt were rocky in the years following the 1948 war. In 1956,
Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser overtook and nationalized the Suez Canal, the
important shipping waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. With the
help of British and French forces, Israel attacked the Sinai Peninsula and retook the Suez
Canal.
SIX-DAY WAR

In what started as a surprise attack, Israel in 1967 defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria in six
days. After this brief war, Israel took control of the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, the West
Bank, and Golan Heights. These areas were considered “occupied” by Israel.
YOM KIPPUR WAR

Hoping to catch the Israeli army off guard, in 1973 Egypt and Syria launched air strikes
against Israel on the Holy Day of Yom Kippur. The fighting went on for two weeks, until the
UN adopted a resolution to stop the war. Syria hoped to recapture the Golan Heights during
this battle but was unsuccessful. In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, but Syria
continued to claim it as territory.
LEBANON WAR
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and ejected the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
This group, which started in 1964 and declared all Arab citizens living in Palestine up to 1947
to be called “Palestinians,” focused on creating a Palestinian state within Israel.
FIRST PALESTINIAN INTIFADA

Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank led to a 1987 Palestinian uprising and
hundreds of deaths. A peace process, known as the Oslo Peace Accords, ended the Intifada
(a Arabic word meaning “shaking off”). After this, the Palestinian Authority formed and took
over some territories in Israel. In 1997, the Israeli army withdrew from parts of the West Bank.
SECOND PALESTINIAN INTIFADA

Palestinians launched suicide bombs and other attacks on Israelis in 2000. The resulting
violence lasted for years, until a cease-fire was reached. Israel announced a plan to remove
all troops and Jewish settlements from the Gaza strip by the end of 2005.
ISRAEL TODAY

Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians are still commonplace. Key territories of land are
divided, but some are claimed by both groups. For instance, they both cite Jerusalem as their
capital.

Both groups blame each other for terror attacks that kill civilians. While Israel doesn’t officially
recognize Palestine as a state, more than 135 UN member nations do.
Theodor Herzl (the visionary of Israel)
 Israel Flag

Adopted on Oct 28, 1948

Reuven Rivlin
10th President
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