100 years ago began a regional conflict

that would quickly become one of the

world's most complex and controversial

a conflict between two very different

people for the same territory

to better understand its reasons and

underlying issues

let's retrace the israeli-palestinian

conflict on a map

we are in 1917 during world war one

the central powers were opposed to the

so-called triple anton and its allies

both sides suffer heavy losses and

desperately seek additional support

the then british foreign affairs

minister arthur balfour

wrote an open letter promising a jewish

homeland in palestine

in return for support from the growing

zionist movement

meanwhile the british tried to weaken

the ottoman empire

by supporting the arab rebellion and

promising them independence in liberated

territories

at the end of the war the ottoman empire

was defeated and its land carved up by

european powers

the british give more independence to

iraq and trans jordan

it is in what remains of palestine that

britain wants to create a jewish

homeland where the jewish community

was a small minority but immigration

grows rapidly due to the tense situation

in europe

especially in germany where the

anti-semitic nazi party

came into power

[Music]

[Applause]

in september 1939 germany invades poland

britain and france respond by declaring

war sparking the beginning of world war

ii

in five years the conflict claims more

than 60 million lives

including almost 6 million jews targeted

by the holocaust

following the war jewish immigration to

palestine grows

increasing tensions with arabs

overwhelmed by the situation

the british begin their withdrawal from

the area

the u.n takes over and proposes to

divide the region

into two states with jerusalem being

given a special status of an

international zone

the proposal was accepted by zionists

but rejected by palestinian arabs

followed by a civil war between the two

communities

the arab league puts together a

liberation army of several thousand

volunteers who fight against the

zionists

for their part the jews organize an army

by giving military training to its

population

and sending agents to europe to retrieve

world war ii military stocks

and sign arms contracts

on may 14 1948 britain completes its

withdrawal from palestine

while the jews proclaim independence of

the state of israel

in response the arab league declares war

during the conflict

two truces would allow the israeli army

to strengthen its position

and gradually take over finally

the armistice agreements were signed

israel seized new territory

including western jerusalem egypt

received the gaza strip

and the west bank was annexed from

transjordan to form jordan

this conflict causes large-scale

displacement on the one hand

more than 700 000 arabs were expelled or

fled israeli territory to refugee camps

on the other jewish communities in arab

countries

sometimes with a history of over 2 000

years are forced to take refuge in

israel or elsewhere in europe

eventually many european jews were

reassured by the victory of israel

and choose to settle there

[Music]

in 1967 following tensions with its

neighbors

israel declares war on egypt jordan and

syria

in six days israel dominates the war and

triples its territory

by seizing the egyptian sinai the syrian

golan heights and the west bank

israeli settlers begin to move into

palestinian territories

the u.n reacts and adopts resolution 242

condemning the israeli occupation

six years later egypt and syria launched

a surprise attack

to try and recover land initially the

israeli army is routed

and fails to repel the attack under the

influence of the cold war

the soviet union and arab countries

support the offensive

while the united states sends emergency

supplies of 22

000 tons of weaponry to israel

with this boost the israeli army further

continues to push its borders

after a ceasefire oil exporting arab

countries

decide to punish the us and israel's

allies by increasing the price of oil

by 70 and decreasing production by 5

this causes the first oil crisis of

1973.

israel under international pressure

ceded sinai back to egypt

and a part of the golan to syria but

retains control over the palestinian

territories where colonization

accelerates especially in east jerusalem

[Music]

in 1980 israel proclaims jerusalem as

its indivisible capital

but this decision was condemned by the

un security council

in the west bank tension mounts over

water supply as israel has the upper

hand on resources
which are unevenly distributed between

israeli settlements

and palestinian areas in 1987

the palestinian population rebels and

takes to the streets

mostly armed with stones this was the

beginning of the first intifada

an arab term meaning uprising in this

context

arises hamas a palestinian islamist

movement fighting israel

meanwhile the palestinian liberation

organization set up in 1964

by the arab league and in exile in

algiers proclaims an independent state

of palestine

on november 15 1988.

jerusalem would be its capital and

palestine would progressively be

recognized by 136 states

after six years of conflict a fragile

piece is signed with the oslo agreements

which provide for mutual recognition it

also lays the foundation

of introducing autonomy in the gaza

strip and the city of jericho

in 1995 a west bank partition plan was

signed

providing for palestine control areas

mixed areas

and the rest under israeli control but

the two parties are unable to agree on

thorny issues

such as the status of jerusalem and the

return of palestinian refugees

negotiations fail and violence reignites

in jerusalem a visit by the head of the

israeli opposition

to the holy site of the temple mount

triggers the second intifada

marked by numerous suicide bombings

israel begins construction of a wall in

the west bank to protect the country

but in doing so encroaches upon

palestinian territories

the wall is declared illegal by the

international court of justice

to try to calm the situation the israeli

government in 2005

decided to remove jewish settlements

from the gaza strip but retains control

over its borders

in the years that follow tensions focus

around the gaza strip

mainly against hamas which came into

power israel imposes a blockade in the

region

while hamas regularly fires rockets into

israeli territories
several clashes take place and violence

by both sides

builds up until 2014 when israeli

warplanes pound the area

and destroy 50 000 houses 100 schools

dozens of hospitals and the region's

only power plant

the population stuck in gaza faced a

humanitarian disaster

[Music]

today the situation remains complicated

and lasting peace is nowhere on the

horizon

on one hand the west bank is divided up

between palestinian towns and villages

and more than 150 israeli colonies

so striking a deal to carve out a

palestinian homeland

seems more complicated than ever then

there is the status of jerusalem

which both sides view as their capital

in 2018

the united states announced it would

move their embassy to jerusalem

recognizing the city as the capital of

israel

this decision was condemned by the u.n

by a large majority

while the palestinians announced that

the united states no longer has a

mediator role in the peace process

which at present seems indefinitely

[Music]

[Music]

stalled

[Music]

you