Overview
The Story in One Minute
In 1947 the UN General Assembly recommended partition. War followed, Israel was established, and more than half of the Palestinian Arab population fled or was expelled. Palestinians remember this mass displacement as the Nakba. In 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Later uprisings and negotiations changed institutions but did not produce a final settlement.
history
Before 1947: Ottoman Rule and the British Mandate
In the Balfour Declaration of 1917, Britain supported establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. The declaration also said that the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities should not be prejudiced. The League of Nations Mandate incorporated this policy in 1922. Jewish immigration grew, especially as European Jews fled persecution. Palestinian Arabs sought independence and opposed policies they believed threatened their political and national rights. The period included protest, rebellion, communal attacks, and violence by multiple armed actors.
history
1947-1949: Partition, War, and the Nakba
Fighting began before Britain left. Israel declared independence in May 1948, and neighboring Arab states entered the war. During the conflict, roughly 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled, with circumstances varying by place. Palestinians call this mass displacement and dispossession the Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe.” The United Nations Nakba overview documents the scale while fuller histories examine local causes and decisions.
history
1967: Occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross treats the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza as occupied territory. The International Court of Justice held in 2024 that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza did not entirely release it from occupation-law obligations; those obligations remain commensurate with its effective control. Israel disputes the post-2005 characterization of Gaza. The legal disagreement should be stated, but it does not remove the protections that international humanitarian law gives civilians.
history
1987-2000s: Uprisings and the Oslo Process
In 1993, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Oslo Declaration of Principles. It created a framework for limited Palestinian self-government during an interim period and left Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security, and borders for later talks. It did not end the occupation or create a sovereign Palestinian state.
The Second Intifada erupted in September 2000 amid rising tensions and failed final-status talks. Its causes should not be reduced to one meeting or event. It included attacks on Israeli civilians, armed clashes, Israeli military operations, and severe harm to Palestinian civilians. A truthful account does not excuse attacks on civilians by any side.
interpretation
How a Muslim Should Read This History
Quran 5:8 gives Muslims a demanding rule: hatred must not push a believer away from justice. That means refusing denial of Palestinian dispossession, refusing hatred of Jews as a people, and refusing excuses for attacks on civilians. Supporting Palestinian freedom and dignity is strongest when it is joined to accuracy, mercy, and accountability before Allah.
Key passage
Quran
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَآءَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ ٱعْدِلُوا۟ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
سورة المائدة · الآية ٨
O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
Quran 5:8
Translation: Saheeh International
summary
Key Takeaways: Palestine's Modern Timeline
Sources
Sources and further reading
Primary texts and works cited in this article.
The Quran — Tanzil Uthmani text with Saheeh International translation
quran
Source linkUthmani-script Arabic text from Tanzil with the Saheeh International English translation.
The Holy Bible, World English Bible (public domain)
bible
Source linkPublic-domain English translation from the World English Bible.
History of the Question of Palestine
other | United Nations | United Nations
Source linkA continuously maintained institutional overview of the Mandate, partition, 1948, 1967, and later UN involvement; use it as a documented UN chronology, not as the only historical interpretation.
Palestine Plan of Partition with Economic Union — Resolution 181 (II)
other | United Nations General Assembly | United Nations | 1947
Source linkThe primary text of the General Assembly's partition recommendation and its proposed arrangements for Jerusalem and the two states.
Security Council Resolution 242
other | United Nations Security Council | United Nations | 1967
Source linkThe primary resolution that framed later diplomacy around withdrawal, peace, security, and a just settlement of the refugee problem.
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements
other | Government of Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization | United Nations Peacemaker | 1993
Source linkThe Oslo Declaration of Principles; it established an interim framework and deferred permanent-status questions.
Responsibilities of an Occupying Power in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
book | International Committee of the Red Cross | ICRC | 2024
Source linkExplains the ICRC's legal position on the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza and the humanitarian protections that flow from occupation law.