India reiterated its stance on the UN-backed two-state solution to resolve ages old Israel-Palestine conflict which has resulted in countless deaths and tragedies on both sides of the fence.

Israel-Palestine conflict: Nearly 500 civilians were killed in the gory recent episode of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict when a hospital in the war-hit Gaza strip was hit by a missile even as Hamas and Israeli forces blamed each other for the carnage. Meanwhile, on Thursday, India reiterated its stance on the UN-backed two-state solution to resolve ages old Israel-Palestine conflict which has resulted in countless deaths and tragedies on both sides of the fence. Addressing media persons, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that the international community must come together in combatting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Furthermore,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the President of the Palestine Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and conveyed his condolences over the killing of 470 people in the bombing of a hospital in Gaza.

Although the contemporary dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict are widely recognized, with Palestinians asserting that Israel was established in their homeland through force, and Israel asserting its legitimate right to exist in its Biblical homeland, it’s essential to understand the origins of Jewish migration to ‘Israel.’ Before the official proclamation of Israel’s creation in May 1948, what were the factors that paved the way for it? What roles did the British and other Arab powers play in this historical context? Read this full article.

Anti-semitism and Zionism

As per the Hebrew Bible, ‘Israel’ is the name God gave to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, who is considered the patriarch of all three ‘Abrahamic’ religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The offspring(descendants) of Abraham established their roots in Canaan, an area that approximately corresponds to the present-day territory of Israel.

Fast forward to the late 19th century, and Canaan, previously governed by a series of empires including the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Crusaders, and various Islamic powers, found itself under the rule of the Ottoman Sultanate. During this period, the Jewish community, known as Jews, was dispersed across numerous nations, often thriving as prosperous minorities but susceptible to persecution, particularly in Europe.

During the 1880s in Imperial Russia, there were violent pogroms directed at the Jewish population. In France, the Dreyfus affair of 1894, involving the false conviction of a Jewish soldier for allegedly sharing crucial information with Germany, brought to the forefront the widespread anti-Semitic biases of the era. Consequently, within the Jewish community, a sense began to develop that their safety and security would only be assured if they had a nation of their own. This movement, aimed at establishing a Jewish homeland, became recognized as Zionism.

In 1896, Theodor Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian individual, released a pamphlet titled ‘Der Judenstaat,’ outlining his vision for a Jewish nation. This pamphlet gained significant recognition, establishing Herzl as the pioneer of political Zionism. In the initial stages, various regions including Uganda and Argentina were contemplated as potential sites for this homeland. Nevertheless, consensus eventually gravitated toward Palestine, the biblical homeland of the Jews, housing numerous sacred sites from their heritage.

Before World War 1

In due course, Jewish migration, known as Aliyah, to Palestine was set in motion. The initial influx, spanning from 1881 to 1903, is referred to as the First Aliyah. These newcomers started to acquire extensive land holdings and engaged in agriculture. It wasn’t long before the presence of these arrivals began to impact the native Palestinian population, although it would take several years before the conflict would be explicitly characterized in these divisive terms.

During this era, Palestine was simply a single province within the sprawling and often poorly administered Ottoman Empire. The inhabitants did not inherently consider themselves as ‘Palestinians,’ but rather identified with broader categories such as Ottoman subjects, Arabs, and Muslims, or aligned themselves along clan and familial affiliations. A prevailing practice was absentee landlordism, whereby land was sold to Jews by property owners who were not resident in those areas, as well as by Ottoman officials who were susceptible to bribery. The local residents, who were the actual cultivators of the land, were typically rural, economically disadvantaged, and had limited literacy, and consequently, they had limited influence in these transactions.

With the arrival of these new settlers, it swiftly became apparent that they had no intention of assimilating into the local culture. Unlike the Jewish communities that had longstanding roots in Palestine, these recent arrivals had limited knowledge of Arabic and were primarily associated with their own community. While in the past, Arab laborers were employed to work on their farms, the increasing influx of Jewish immigrants made this practice less common. Furthermore, previously, when the land changed ownership, the tenants typically continued working under the new landlord. However, when the land was purchased by a Jewish owner, Arab tenants were often displaced, losing their homes and communities in the process.

The Jewish population distinguished themselves from the local inhabitants in various ways, often asserting their perceived superior status. They introduced mechanized agriculture and brought in electricity, aligning with their mission to establish an ideal homeland. They did not readily adopt local customs, and their towns and settlements, exemplified by Tel Aviv founded in 1909, reflected European sensibilities, standing in stark contrast to the modest Arab neighborhoods.

The enterprise in Israel received substantial funding from wealthy Jewish benefactors abroad, including notable figures like the Rothschild family. As the Jewish presence in Palestine expanded, local apprehension and resentment toward these newcomers intensified. While Ottoman officials did prohibit the sale of land to foreign Jews, this decree was not effectively enforced. In 1908, following the overthrow of the Ottoman Sultan in the Young Turks revolution, Jewish migration efforts became more organized and systematic. Simultaneously, Jews in other countries worked to garner international support for their cause.

The Balfour Declaration

One pivotal moment that potentially reshaped the landscape of West Asia was the Balfour Declaration of 1917. In this landmark event, a letter from a British official to a wealthy British Jew played a decisive role in determining the future of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

British Mandate and World War II

Following the downfall of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of World War I, its erstwhile domains were divided among the Allies, with the eventual aim of promoting self governance.

UN Resolution and Wars

In November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem placed under UN administration. According to Black’s book, “The proposed Jewish state was allocated 55 percent of the territory, including the sparsely populated Negev desert, and it was expected to be home to around 500,000 Jews and 400,000 Arabs. The Arab state was designated to possess 44 percent of the land and had a minority population of 10,000 Jews.” The Arab areas encompassed the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian side rejected this resolution, leading to Israel declaring independence on May 14, 1948.

This period was marked by civil war, witIsraeli military groups forcibly displacing many Palestinians. For Palestinians, the establishment of Israel is remembered as the Naqba, or the catastrophe, symbolizing the day they lost their homeland.

Israel faced invasion from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon after declared independence. Nevertheless, with unwavering support from the US, Israel successfully repelled these major attacks. This was followed by more Arab-Israeli wars, resulting in Israel gaining control over significant territories. It is worth noting that, Today, out of the 193 UN member states, 139 recognize Palestine, while 165 recognize Israel. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank remain under Israeli military control.