Pre-Islamic History of Palestine: Landmarks
500,000 B.C.: The first traced form of human life started in Palestine.
12,000 B.C.: Palestinian man started a communal life, depending on herding animals and producing handicrafts, in a civilization known as the Natufian Civilization. This period, known as the (Mesolithic period), falls in the Middle Stone Age.
8,000 B.C.: The first city built by man on earth, Jericho, was built by the inhabitants of Palestine, indicating that the first trace of human civilization started on this land. The city depended on agriculture and animal breeding at that time.
4,000 B.C.: Several other cities were built during the period called the Metallic Stone Age. Traces of the first decorated pottery known in history were found in the site of the ancient cities of Megiddo and Beisan.
4,000 B.C.: The first Semitic wave of migration started from the Arab Peninsula to the North, mainly to the areas of Palestine and Iraq.
2,500 B.C.: Semitic migration reached its peak, bringing different tribes: The Amorites to Eastern Jordan, and the Canaanites to Palestine and Lebanon, while the tribes known as the Phoenicians, a subgroup of the Canaanites, settled by the coast in North Palestine and Lebanon. Another Canaanite subgroup, known as the Jebusites, settled in central Palestine and built the city of Al Quds (Jerusalem) that they called Jebus. The Canaanites became the dominant group in the land that was named after them for a long time.
2,500-2,000 B.C.: The Canaanites established a blooming civilization in Palestine, and, by the end of this period, the Land of Canaan had more than 200 cities and villages, many of which exist until our present day. Most of these cities are now major cities in Palestine, including: Shechem (Nablus today), Beisan, cAskalan (Known in Hebrew as Ashkelon), cAkka (Acre), Haifa, Al Khaleel (Hebron), Asdud, Bait Lahm (Bethlehem), Beir Al-Sabec (Beersheba).
1805 B.C.: Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) who was probably an Amorite living in Ur, Babylon, migrated to Harran (North Syria) and subsequently settled in Palestine. He had two sons from two wives: Ismacel (Ishmael), the grandfather of the cAdnanis, a main branch of the Arabs, from Hajar, and Ishaq (Isaac), the grandfather of the Jews, from Sarah. Ibrahim (Abraham), his wife Sarah and his son Ishaq (Isaac) were buried in a cave they bought from the Canaanites, known as Makfeela Cave, on whose site the Mosque of Al Khaleel was built.
1656 B.C.: Prophet Yacqoub (Jacob, Known also as Israel) migrated to Egypt with his sons from whom the Jewish tribes descended. They stayed in Egypt until 1250 B.C. when Prophet Musa (Moses) came to them with the divine order to go to Palestine.
1675 B.C.: The Hyksos invaded Egypt. They are believed to be of Semitic origin and composed of Canaanites, Amorites and other groups. They lived in Syria, where they introduced horses, military chariots and other armaments to the area, and governed Egypt for nearly 100 years. The Hyksos were expelled in 1557 B.C. by the Egyptian leader Ahmose who chased them to Palestine and Syria.
1511 B.C.: The Egyptians marched to Palestine under the leadership of Thutmose III and subjected the land of Canaan to their rule for approximately four centuries. However, the Egyptian rule over Palestine was unstable, and the Pharos were forced to dispatch several campaigns to subdue the Canaanites.
1227 B.C.: The sons of Jacob (Bani Israel) continued to live in Egypt and grew in number until Prophet Musa (Moses) was ordained to take them to Palestine. However, he died before entering Palestine.
1225 B.C.: The Aegean Philistines started flowing from the Greek islands, mainly Crete, to the coastal areas of Egypt and Syria, settling mainly in the coastal cities of Palestine. The Philistines, who formed the majority of the coastal population, introduced the craftsmanship of metal weapons. They had great influence on the civilization of the Canaanites, and the land eventually took their name.
1086 B.C.: Prophet Musa (Moses) died and Joshua (Yushac) became the leader of the Jews. He led their struggle to enter Palestine, managed to cross Jordan River from the east and captured Jericho, thus making the first Jewish presence in Palestine.
1004 B.C.: After the death of Shaul, Hebrew tribes divided over the issue of leadership until 1004 B.C. when Prophet Dawud (David) assumed the throne and consolidated his Kingdom. On his death in 963 B.C., his son Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) succeeded him. He built the famous temple that took his name and expanded the Kingdom. He died in 923 B.C.
923 B.C.: Jewish tribes were once more divided over the succession of Solomon. The Kingdom was divided into two parts: Israel and Judah, that were engaged in a fierce war in which both sides looked for help from other neighboring kingdoms.
923-721 B.C.: The Kingdom of Israel was established in the northern part of the Kingdom of Solomon, with Samaria as its capital. It was twice as big as the other Kingdom, and had thrice its population. The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in the year 721 B.C., and most of its Jewish inhabitants were transferred to northern Iraq.
932-586 B.C.: The Kingdom of Judah was established in the southern part of the Kingdom of Solomon, with Jerusalem as its capital. For most of its life, this Kingdom was fragile and subjected to strong foreign influence until it finally fell at the hands of the Chaldeans (Babylonians), led by Nebuchadnezzar, who took 50,000 Jewish captives.
516 B.C.: The Persians seized Babylon and their king, Cyrus II, ordered the return of Jews to Jerusalem. These returnees managed to restore the Temple. A form of autonomy was allowed to them during this period.
332 B.C.: Alexander the Great conquered Palestine, this terminating a 200 years rule by the Persian Empire. First he conquered Jerusalem then marched to Gaza, the last stronghold in greater Syria, which he conquered after a fierce battle in which he was injured.
323 B.C.: On the death of Alexander in Babylon, his generals contended the throne, and the empire was thus divided into two main parts: Syria and the Eastern regions under the Seleucids, and Egypt and Palestine under the Ptolemaic dynasty. The latter ruled Palestine until 198 B.C.
198 B.C.: The Seleucids managed to expel the Ptolemaic rulers and replaced them in Palestine.
198-141 B.C.: The Seleucids continued to rule Palestine and forced the Jews to abide by the Greek traditions, customs and language. It is said that the conquest of Alexander the Great and the rule of the successor kingdoms had generally resulted in a great Greek cultural influence in the area.
141 B.C.: Soon, however, the Jews waged a rebellion to establish their own autonomous rule, which they did under the Maccabeans whose Kingdom attained independence at some point. The Maccabeans, in turn, forced the local population to convert to Judaism, and committed horrible massacres to achieve this goal.
63 B.C.: The Romans seized all the properties of the successors of Alexander the Great, and reached Palestine by the year 63 B.C. The Romans rebuilt some of the major cities in the area, like Samaria, and stripped the Maccabean King from his title, although they invested on him with some internal autonomous powers.
27 B.C.: On the outbreak of war between the Roman generals, following the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Persians took advantage of this instability to return Palestine to their rule. Soon afterwards, however, Anthony, the Roman general who governed Syria, managed to retain Roman control over Palestine. He entered Jerusalem in the year 27 B.C. and executed the last Maccabean King.
27 B.C.: Anthony appointed Herod Bin Antepas as the ruler of Palestine. Herod, who converted to Judaism, restored many ancient cities and sites including the Temple of Solomon. He killed Prophets Yahya (John) and Zakaria (Zacharias).
6 B.C.: The Romans placed Palestine under their direct rule.
4 B.C.: Prophet cIsa (Jesus Christ) was born about this time. He lived and grew up in Nazareth, and at the age of thirty he started traveling throughout Palestine preaching the unification of God as well as his mercy and love for mankind. Jesus faced rejection from the Jews, who finally plotted, in cooperation with one of his apostles, to hand him to the Roman ruler for execution.
66 C.E.: A Jewish revolt broke, the Roman leader, Titus, besieged Jerusalem, entered it in 70 C.E., and burned the Temple.
131-135 C.E: Hadrian, the Roman Emperor, crushed the last Jewish revolution in Palestine. Hadrian annihilated Jerusalem, rebuilt the city calling it Aelia Capitolina and erected a statue for Jupiter upon the ruins of the Temple of Herod. It was at this time that Jewish ties to Palestine were brought to an end.
267-272 C.E.: The armies of Palmyra, under the leadership of Zenobia, controlled Palestine for almost five years until the Roman emperor, Aurelius, defeated the Kingdom in 272 C.E. The people of Palmyra were Arabs like the Nabateans of Petra, who controlled Palestine for sometime before the emergence of Palmyra.
326 C.E.: Constantine, the Roman Emperor, accepted Christianity and his mother, Queen Helena, visited Palestine where she built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection) in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
395 C.E.: The Roman Empire was divided into two: the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) with Constantinople as its capital, and the Western Roman Empire with Rome as its capital. Greater Syria, including Palestine, was under the former.
529 C.E.: The Ghassanis, Yemeni Arab tribes that adhered to Christianity during the fourth century, entered the Byzantine political arena. The Romans used them to quell one of the rebellions in Palestine, and as a front defense line against the Persians who, in turn, used other Arab tribes known as Al-Manathera for the same purpose.
570 C.E.: A great man, whose message will have decisive influence on the history of Palestine and the world, was born in Mecca, Prophet Mohammad (SAWS).
610 C.E.: Revelation came to Prophet Mohammad (SAWS).
610 C.E.: Heraclius took charge of the Byzantine empire, and during his reign the armies of Chosroes, the Persian King, attacked Syria and advanced to Palestine, occupying Caesarea.
614 C.E: Chosroes entered Jerusalem burning the Church of the Nativity to the ground, and killing 90,000 local Christians.
619 C.E.: Prophet Mohammad was taken in the nightly journey known as (Isra’) to Al Quds (Jerusalem), where he led the Prophets in a prayer and started his journey to heaven (Al Micraj). Al Quds is honored for being the starting point for this journey to heaven in which the Prayers were ordained to all Muslims. Al Quds (Jerusalem) had been the direction to which Muslims prayed before they were ordered to face Al Kacba in Mecca.
627 C.E.: Heraclius marched against the Persian forces in Greater Syria, and managed to recapture the whole area, including Palestine, to his rule.
634 C.E: Muslim campaigns to open Greater Syria to the new faith started in the period of the first rightly-guided Caliph Abu Bakar. He dispatched an expedition to Palestine under the leadership of cAmr Bin Al cAs who defeated the Byzantines in several battles, of which the most important was Ajnadeen that brought southern Palestine to Muslim control.
636 C.E.: During the period of the second Caliph, cOmar Bin Al Khattab, Muslims, under the leadership of Abu cUbaidah bin Al Jarrah and Khalid Bin Al Waleed, achieved a decisive victory over the Byzantines in the Battle of Al-Yarmouk, northern Jordan, bringing the whole Greater Syria, including Palestine, under their rule.
Palestine During the Islamic Period: Landmarks
636 C.E.: During the period of Caliph Omar Bin Al Khattab, the second campaign marched to Greater Syria under the leadership of Khalid Bin Al Waleed. This campaign resulted in a decisive Byzantine defeat in the Battle of Al-Yarmouk, in northern Jordan, thus the whole Greater Syria, including Palestine, became under Muslim rule that continued until 1917 C.E.
Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, conditioned that the city to the Caliph in person in order to surrender. Thus, Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab came to Al Quds and gave a written undertaking to its people that granted them safety, freedom of religion and the right to keep their churches intact. The document was known as “The Covenant of Omar” or (Al-cUhdah Al-cUmarriya).
685-705 C.E.: Caliph Abdel Malek ibn Marwan built the Dome of the Rock, and started a new project to build Al-Aqsa Mosque in its vicinity. Both, along with the surrounding area, became known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (the Holy Sanctuary). Most of the population of the area has accepted Islam and the Arabic language became the official language after being the spoken language only.
750 C.E.: The Abbasids took over the Muslim Caliphate, and Palestine, became a part of the Abbasid State.
861 C.E.: The first Abbasid reign ended by the assassination of Caliph Al-Mutawakkil. Turkish Saljukis took advantage of their privileged administrative positions, as ministers and chief ministers, to control the state, and the Abbasid Caliph became a mere figurehead. At the same time, local governors, or Walis, expanded their authorities at the expense of the central administration in Baghdad. This decline of the Abbasid authority progressively continued until the local rulers, who were previously appointed to their positions, established their own local dynasties, declared independence and expanded their territories at the expense of the Abbasid Center.
875-905 C.E.: The Toloni family established, under the nominal rule of the Abbasids, its own local monarchy in Egypt, and expanded to Palestine at the expense of the Abbasids.
935-969 C.E.: The Ikhshidi family followed the footsteps of the Tolonis, and established its own monarchy in Egypt, and subsequently extended its rule to Palestine.
969 C.E.: By this year, the Fatimids established their rule in Egypt, and managed to control Palestine.
1071 C.E.: The Turkish Seljukis seized Palestine from the Fatimids.
1095 C.E.: the Roman Pope, Urban II, called for a rescue operation of Jerusalem from the Muslims, and began his preparations for the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns sent to Palestine and the Levant (The term then used for the East) to capture as much territory as possible.
1096 C.E.: The Crusade armies assembled and marched east by land.
1098 C.E.: On the eve of the Crusades, the Fatimids managed to retain control over Palestine.
1099 C.E.: While Muslim rulers were in the midst of greedy wars for power, the Crusaders’ armies conquered Al Quds (Jerusalem) in 15 July 1099 C.E. and massacred 70,000 of the population. They established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, as well as three other duchies in the rest of Greater Syria.
1144 C.E.: The ruler (Wali) of Mosul in Iraq, Imad al-din Zanki, launched a liberation war to counter the crusades, and managed to recapture the Christian duchy of Al-Ruha (Urra). After his martyrdom in 1146, his son Nur Al Din Mahmoud (1146-1174) successfully continued his father’s project of Jihad and unification.
1147 C.E.: The second Crusade started with a military advance from Europe towards the east, but with less success this time.
1171 C.E.: Based on the directive of Nur Al Din Mahmoud, his successor, Salahuddin Al Ayyubi (Saladin) on 10 September, abolished the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt uniting both Egypt and Syria in one Muslim state, and resumed the preparation of a huge military campaign to liberate Al Quds (Jerusalem) and its holy sites.
1187 C.E.: On 4 July, the Battle of Hittin took place against a crusader alliance under the leadership of King Ghe of Jerusalem. This was a great victory for Salahuddin who regained control of the main cities, and finally besieged Al Quds, which surrendered in the 2 October of that same year. He showed great religious tolerance by allowing the defeated Crusaders to leave the city without their weapons, and after paying a small ransom.
1189-1192 C.E.: This conquest of Jerusalem led to the third Crusade, led by King Richard (the Lionhearted) of England, King Philip Augustus of France and Frederick, the Emperor of Germany. The Crusaders occupied cAkka (Acre) in 1191, and a three years and three months peace deal, known as the Treaty of Al-Ramlah, was concluded in 1 September 1192 between Salahuddin and King Richard. The agreement left Al Quds under the control of the Muslims, though the Christians were allowed to make pilgrimage to the city. The coastal strip between Yafa (Jaffa) and cAkka (Acre) remained under the Crusaders’ control, but the rest of the coast, from cAsqalan (Askelon) southwards, remained under Salahuddin’s rule.
1193 C.E.: March, 4, Salahuddin died in Damascus. Later on, conflicts started among his successors, which paralyzed the liberation project.
1228-1229 C.E.: The sixth Crusade, under Frederick II, Emperor of Germany, was launched to recapture Jerusalem. After lengthy negotiations between the Emperor and Al-Kamel Al-Ayyoubi, Yafa agreement was concluded in 8 February 1229, by which Frederick took control of Al Quds on condition that Muslims would be entrusted to run the affairs of the Islamic holy sites in the city. Bethlehem and Nazareth were also among several other cities that came under Frederick’s control, while the rest of Palestine remained in Muslim hands.
1244 C.E.: Al-Saleh Al Ayyoubi of Egypt regained control over Al Quds (Jerusalem) from the crusaders.
1250 C.E.: The Mamluki Sultanate was established in Egypt.
1258 C.E.: The Mongols occupied Baghdad and destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate. They occupied Damascus in March 1260 and tried to advance southwards.
1260 C.E.: September 6, the Sultan of Egypt, Mahmoud bin Mamdud “Qutuz”, defeated the Mongols and blocked their advance at the battle of cEin Jalut, near Beisan in Palestine.
1291 C.E.: On 18 May, the Mamluki Sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil ibn Qalawoon, evicted the Crusaders, liberated the last occupied city, cAkka (Acre), and expelled all the Crusade forces from Palestinian lands, and forever.
1516 C.E.: The Ottoman Sultan Salim I defeated the Mamluks and captured Greater Syria. Palestine became part of the Ottoman State for the next 400 years.
1749-75 C.E.: Sheikh Zaher Al-Omar managed to establish an autonomous rule in north Palestine (1749-75), and planned to have his own independent dynasty there. But he was killed near cAkka (Acre).
1799 C.E.: Napoleon Bonaparte issued a written call on 20 April for the return of the Jews to Palestine. He occupied southern Palestine, entered Yafa (Jaffa) and strove to control Greater Syria. However, his siege of cAkka (Acre) failed after heroic resistance by its military forces under the leadership of Ahmad Pasha Al Jazzar. This defeat at the Gates of cAkka signaled the failure of Napoleon’s campaign, and constituted his first taste of defeat.
1831 C.E.: Mohammad Ali Pasha of Egypt sent his son Ibrahim Pasha to Palestine in a campaign to gain control of Greater Syria.
1840 C.E: With British help, the Ottomans, managed to recapture Greater Syria, including Palestine, leaving to Mohammad Ali the control over cAkka (Acre) only.
1876 C.E: Palestine dispatched deputies to the first Ottoman parliament
1908 C.E.: The Young Turks (Committee of Union and Progress), who were under strong Jewish influence, seized control over the Ottoman State and adopted policies of Turkification and secularization. Many Arab leaders, including those of Palestine, demanded reforms and spoke about independence at a later stage, which was unthinkable at that time when no challenge to the Muslim official leadership was even conceived.
Modern History of Palestine: Landmarks
Sixteenth century: Calls for the “restoration” of the Jews to Palestine appeared among Protestant thinkers and led, together with several later developments, to the emergence of Zionism, which called for the establishment of a home for the Jews in Palestine.
Nineteenth Century: Some Jewish thinkers such as Y. Alkalai, Z. Kalischer, M. Hess and J. Pinsker called for the “return” of the Jews to “their” homeland, Palestine, a trend that gradually gained increasing popularity among the Jews. In 1882 organized Jewish immigration started following anti-Semitism campaigns in Russia that forced large number of Jews to migrate in the quest of safety, mostly in the U.S. Of the 2,367,000 Jews who migrated from Russia during 1881-1914, only 55,000 (2.3%) chose Palestine as their destination.
1895 C.E.: The total population of Palestine was then approximately 500,000. Of this population, around 47,000 were Jews, of whom some were part of the indigenous population and the remaining were small groups that had migrated to Palestine for purely religious reasons.
27-29 August 1897 C.E.: The first Zionist Conference was held in Passle, Switzerland. It established the World Zionist Organization (WZO) to achieve the Zionist aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine.
1901-1902: The President of WZO, Theodore Herzl, tried to persuade the Ottoman Sultan, Abdulhamid II, to allow Jewish immigration to Palestine; in return for WZO’s financial help to the ailing Ottoman State. The Sultan categorically rejected the offer.
16 May 1916 C.E.: Negotiations between Britain, France, Russia, and later Italy, lead to the secret Sikes-Picot Agreement that allocated Ottoman Arab territories to different European Powers. Since sacred sites to the three major world religions existed there, an international regime had been initially envisaged for Palestine.
1916 C.E.:(May) Jamal Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Greater Syria, hanged in Beirut and Damascus 21 Arab leaders and intellectuals, including 2 Palestinians.
10 June 1916 C.E.: Sherif Husein, the prince of Mecca, launched what came to be known The Great Arab Revolution against the Ottoman rule in Arab provinces. The British forces managed to capture Greater Syria and Iraq with the help of the forces of the Sherif. Contrary to a British solemn promise to the Sherif, Arab countries fell under British and French colonization instead of becoming independent.
2 November 1917 C.E.: The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Arthur James Balfour, issued the famous Balfour Declaration that stated: “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this objective, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” The Declaration was approved by the Cabinet.
9 December 1917 C.E.: British Forces occupied southern and central Palestine, including Al Quds (Jerusalem). Many Palestinians had initially viewed them as allied forces that helped the Arab revolution, but their real colonial intentions were soon realized, and resistance erupted.
4-10 April 1920 C.E.: The first Palestinian uprising against the Zionist project took place in Prophet’s Musa Festival in Al Quds (Jerusalem).
26 April 1920 C.E.: The St. Remon Conference convened on 25 April and, as a compromise, the Allied Supreme Council decided to place Palestine, which was destined under the Sikes-Picot agreement to be under international administration, under British tutelage.
1-15 May 1921 C.E.: Within a year of Palestine’s coming under British civil administration, in May 1921, an uprising broke out in Yaffa (Jaffa). 47 Jews were killed and 146 injured; while 48 Arabs were killed and 73 injured.
1922 C.E.: The British government issued a statement on 1 July, referred to as the “Churchill Memorandum”, which disclaims “wholly Jewish Palestine” or, to effect “the subordination of the Arab population, language or culture in Palestine”. But, at the same time, the statement made it clear that the Balfour Declaration is not susceptible to change, which meant a continued increase of the Jewish community through immigration.
1922 C.E.: The text of the mandate was approved by the League of Nations on 24 July. It incorporated the Balfour Declaration and recognized the “historic connection of the Jewish people with Palestine” as a prelude for reconstituting their “national home” in Palestine.
1922 C.E.:(October) The First British census in Palestine showed that its total population amounted to 757,182 (only 11% Jewish).
4 March 1924 C.E.: The Islamic Caliphate system was officially abolished in Istanbul. Though it had only nominally been practiced for centuries. This was the first time since the establishment of the Muslim state in Medina (622 C.E.) that Muslims did not have a caliph. It also indicated a new direction since the time of the Medina State to separate Islam from the state.
25 March 1925 C.E.: Palestinian general strike to protest against a private visit by Lord Balfour to Jerusalem.
15 August-2 September 1929 C.E.: “Al Buraq” Revolt broke out as Palestinians defended the Western Wall of Al Aqsa Mosque; new Jewish immigrants had raised claims that this wall was a holly Jewish site, named the Wailing Wall, and planned to seize it. 133 Jews were killed and 339 injured; 116 Palestinians were killed and 232 injured, most Palestinian causalities resulted from attacks by British forces.
1930 C.E.:(October) The British government published the Passfield White Paper, which stated that Jewish immigration and land purchases should be restricted.
13 February 1931 C.E.: A letter (McDonald’s Letter) sent by the British Prime Minister to Weizman made it clear that Palestine would be governed in accordance with the Churchill Policy of 1922, and that the restrictions suggested by Lord Passfield on Jewish immigration and land transfers would not be applied.
1931 C.E.:(November) Second British census of Palestine showed a total population of 1,035,154 (16.9% Jewish).
1933 C.E.: The new Nazi government in Germany signed the secret treaty of “Ha’afara” with the WZO to facilitate the transfer of the Jewish population to Palestine.
1933 C.E.:(October) Palestinians reacted violently to the huge influx of immigrants, clashes erupted mainly in Al Quds (Jerusalem) and Yafa (Jaffa), 35 Palestinians were killed and 225 were injured. This was the first Palestinian revolt that had mainly targeted the British colonizers for their patronization of the Zionist project.
20 November 1935 C.E.: Sheikh cIzz al-Din al-Qassam, the founder and leader of “Al Jihadiyyah” organization martyrized in action against British security forces.
1936-1939C.E.: Palestinian resistance against foreign rule and colonization developed into a major revolution that virtually lasted until the outbreak of World War II. A new union of Palestinian political parties was formed- the Arab Higher Committee, under the chairmanship of the Mufti of Al Quds, Al Haj Amin Husseini. The Committee led a six months general strike (20 April-12 October 1936) in support of Palestinian demand for a national government. Meanwhile, British troops and posts, as well as on Jewish settlements were continuously attacked. In retaliation, Jewish illegal paramilitary groups reacted in a wave of terror throughout Palestine that was accompanied with extremely oppressive British policies against the Palestinian Arabs. British military courts ordered the hanging of 58 Arab citizens in one year. In 1938, the Palestinian Revolution reached its peak controlling the Palestinian countryside and some cities; and Great Britain redeployed tens of thousands of its full-fledged Imperial troops to suppress the revolution and reoccupy Palestine.
1936 C.E.: A British Royal Commission was established to investigate the “disturbances” and its report, the “Peel Report” of July 1937 admitted the fairness of the Palestinian demands for independence, and, contrary to the previous official position, acknowledged that the “dual obligations”, undertaken by the British government, were not reconcilable. The Commission recommended the partition of Palestine.
1939 C.E.: (May) Due to their two irreconcilable commitments, the British faced strong local resistance in Palestine as well as Zionist pressure in Europe. The McDonald White Paper was issued; it disclaimed any intention to create a Jewish state and rejected Arab demands for an independent Arab state in Palestine. Instead, it envisaged the termination of the mandate by 1949, with Palestine becoming an independent Arab state, but with a shared Palestinian-Jewish government. The paper, also, stipulated that Jewish immigration would end after the admittance of another 75,000 immigrants over a period of five years, and that the British government would strictly regulate the transfer of land.
1939 C.E.: Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe led to a surge in the number of Jewish immigrants from Europe to Palestine.
8 May 1942 C.E.: The Zionist Conference convened in Biltmore, the first Zionist conference to be held outside Europe. The Palestinian revolution of 1936 and the British reaction in the form of the McDonald White Paper constituted a set back to Zionist ambitions. At the same time, the emergence of the U.S. as a new superpower, after World War II, triggered the Zionists to shift their strategic alliance to the U.S.
1944 C.E.: The British High Commissioner narrowly escaped death in an ambush outside Jerusalem. Three months later, on 6 November, the British Minister of State in the Middle East was assassinated in Cairo. The two crimes were committed by the Stern Zionist terrorist group.
1945 C.E.: Zionist pressure in the U.S. increased, particularly after the declared support of many Congressmen to the Zionist position. President Harry Truman called upon the British government to open up the gates of Palestine to an additional 100,000 “homeless” European Jews.
14 November 1945 C.E.: British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, officially abolished the McDonald’s White Paper of 1939.
20 April 1946 C.E.: The Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry published a report recommending the admission of another 100,000 Jewish immigrants into Palestine.
22 July 1946 C.E.: Irgun and Stern Zionist terrorist groups blew up King David Hotel in Al Quds (Jerusalem), killing 91 people and injuring 46.
1946 C.E.:(July) The British issued a special White Paper on Terrorism in Palestine that accused the Jewish Agency of being involved in acts of terrorism along with Irgun and Stern Zionist Gangs.
29 November 1947 C.E.: the United Nations tried to settle the issue of previously held British mandated areas by a Partition plan (Resolution 181) to create a Jewish and a Palestinian State in Palestine. It assigned 54% of Palestine, including most of the fertile and coastal areas, to the Jewish immigrants, who formed 31.7% of the population and officially owned 6.5% of the land only. (Map). All Palestinians rejected the Plan for obvious reasons (Map), while the Jewish Agency accepted it; War erupted between the Palestinians and the Zionists.
1948-1949 C.E: By March 1949, the Zionist guerillas captured 77% of Palestine, expelled 900 thousands of the local Arabs and committed more than 34 Massacres. Map
14 May 1948 C.E.: The “State of Israel” was declared over the acquired lands. When we say “Israel” we refer to this land that was gained in the above background.
11 December 1948 C.E.: The U.N. General Assembly passed resolution 194 (III), which established a Conciliation Commission, headquartered in Jerusalem, to continue the functions of the Mediator and the Truce Commission. The resolution reiterated the call for an international regime for Jerusalem and demanded that “. . . the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return, and for the loss or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Government or authorities responsible. . .”
8 December 1949 C.E.: the United Nations established the Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to assist the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in makeshift camps in bordering countries.
1950 C.E.:(March) “Israel” issued the “Absentee Property Law”; whereby any person who on 29 Nov. 1947 was a citizen or resident of the Arab States, or a Palestinian citizen who had left his/her place of residence even to take refuge within Palestine, is classified as an “absentee”. The Absentee’s property would be vested in the Custodian of Absentee Property who then “sells” it to the Development Authority authorized by the Knesset. The theft of the property of a million Arabs seized by “Israel” in 1948 was thus authorized by this “law”.
1950 C.E.:(April) Unification of the West Bank and the Kingdom of Jordan; the Gaza Strip came under Egyptian administration.
1950 C.E.:(July) “Law of Return” passed by Knesset whereby any Jew, from anywhere in the world, is entitled to full “Israeli” citizenship.
20 July 1951 C.E: King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated in Al Quds (Jerusalem) by a nineteen-year-old Palestinian.
15 October 1953 C.E.: An “Israeli” army unit, commanded by Ariel Sharon, crossed the armistice line into the West Bank, and attacked the village of Qibya, near Al-Khaleel (Hebron), massacring 53 Palestinian civilians.
28 February 1955 C.E.: “Israel” attacked Gaza killing 39 and injuring 33.
1956 C.E.: The trio British-French-“Israeli” aggression was launched against Egypt in retaliation of the decision of Nasser; the Egyptian President, to nationalize Suez Canal. The war resulted in the occupation of Gaza Strip for the first time, but could not achieve its basic aim. During the war, the “Israeli” administration imposed a total curfew on all Arabs under its control, and committed two massacres in Kafr Qasem (Killing 49 Palestinian civilians) and Khan Yunus (Killing 250 Palestinian civilians in the first attack and 275 in the second).
1957 C.E.: By the end of this year, Fateh was established by Yaser cArafat, Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad). Later, Khalil Al Wazir issued in Lebanon the clandestine Fateh magazine “Filisteenuna”.
1958 C.E.:(February) Egypt and Syria proclaimed union and the United Arab Republic (UAR) was formed.
1961 C.E.:(August) Kamal Rifcat, a member at the Egyptian Presidential Council, contacted Palestinians in Gaza Strip, Jordan and Lebanon suggesting convening a conference to establish the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF).
1961 C.E.:(September) A Syrian military coup d’etat broke up the UAR.
28 May-1 June 1964 C.E.: The first Palestinian National Council (PNC) convened, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established under the chairmanship of Ahmad Al-Shuqairi.
1 January 1965 C.E.: The Al-cAsifa military wing of the Fateh movement started the armed struggle against “Israel”.
13 November 1966 C.E.: “Israeli” military units attacked the village of Al-Samuc, to the south of Al Khaleel (Hebron), causing extensive damage, 18 were killed and 134 injured.
5-10 June 1967 C.E.: War erupted between six ill-equipped and ill-organized Arab armies on one side and “Israel” on the other side. The result was a catastrophic Arab defeat; after which “Israel” occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai and the Golan Heights. Map.
11 December 1967 C.E.: The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued its first communiqué and emerged as a leftist organization to become the second largest Palestinian movement for a long time.
1968 C.E.:(January) Fateh declared its political program calling for the establishment of a democratic state in Palestine where Arabs and Jews live together without discrimination.
21 March 1968 C.E.: A group of 500 Palestinian militants, covered with a Jordanian artillery brigade managed to counter an “Israeli” massive offensive across the Jordanian borders. Within 48 hours of this victory, Fateh received 5000 applications for membership.
1968 C.E.:(July) Fateh and other resistance movements took over the PLO and amended its charter.
1969 C.E.: In February, Yasser Arafat of Fateh was selected by the Palestinian National Council (PNC) to be the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO.
1970 C.E.:(September) the Jordanian army successfully waged a full-fledged military campaign to root out the Palestinian (PLO) forces. Yasser Arafat left Jordan and the Palestinian forces left Amman for the northern part of the country. By July 1971, Palestinian resistance was completely uprooted from Jordan.
6 October 1973 C.E.: War erupted with Egypt and Syria launching a surprise attack on “Israel”, who was unable to effectively and immediately respond to the threat. It demanded help from the NATO and received it through an air bridge between the U.S. and “Israel”. The war did not end with “Israeli” or Arab decisive defeat, though in its beginning it was in the favor of the Arabs. “Israel”, however, managed to revert the equation to its favor by the end of the war. Map.
1-8 June 1974 C.E.: The 12th PNC passed a 10-Point Program in which the demand for a democratic secular state in all of Palestine was dropped. The stated goal becomes “an independent Palestinian state”.
4 April 1975 C.E.: The start of the civil war in Lebanon.
1975 C.E.: UN Resolution 3379 defined Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination.
12 August 1976 C.E.: the Palestinian Refugee Camp of Tel-al-Zactar, Lebanon, fell into the hands of the Christian Maronite militias after a two-month siege that killed 4280 Palestinians.
1977 C.E.: The right wing Likud party came to power in “Israel” for the first time, ending Labor party’s long dominance of the “Israeli” polity.
14-21 March 1978 C.E.: “Israel” launched an offensive against the Palestinian resistance bases in Lebanon, but could not achieve its aims, resistance continued.
17 September 1978 C.E.: Peace treaty was signed between Egypt and “Israel”, known as Camp David Accords.
30 July 1980 C.E.: “Israeli” Knesset adopted the Jerusalem Basic Law, “officially” annexing the eastern part, occupied in 1967, to “Israel”.
1981 C.E.:(June) “Israeli” aircrafts bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor.
6 October 1981 C.E.: President Sadat of Egypt was assassinated during a military parade celebrating the 1973 October War. The main motive behind the assassination was anger over the peace treaty which he signed with “Israel” in 1978.
1981 C.E.:(December) The Golan Heights, an area of 500 squared miles (1150 km2), was annexed to “Israel”.
1982 C.E.:(Summer) Another “Israeli” offensive was launched in June by Ariel Sharon (then Defense Minister) on Palestinian forces in Lebanon. The offensive resulted in massive civilian Lebanese and Palestinian losses (19,000 killed and 80,000), and the PLO was forced to leave Lebanon in August to spare the lives of innocent civilians targeted by the “Israeli” army. After the departure of the PLO, the way was cleared for the “Israeli” army to target the Palestinians of Lebanon who lost their military shield.
16-18 September 1982 C.E.: One of the worse massacres after WWII was committed in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps killing around 3297 Palestinians by the local Maronite militia under the protection and logistic support of the “Israeli” forces. Sharon was held responsible by the “Israeli” fact-finding Committee (Kahan Committee), and was forced to leave office, though he did not face any criminal charges.
1 October 1985 C.E.: “Israel” bombed the PLO headquarters in Tunisia killing more than 50 people.
1987-1993 C.E.: The First Palestinian Uprising, Intifada, started in 9 December 1987, with Civil Disobedience as its main resistance activity. The Intifada ended after six years during which 1540 Palestinians were killed by “Israeli” forces, 130,000 wounded and 116,000 imprisoned for different periods.
14 December 1987 C.E.: The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, issued its first military communiqué declaring itself as the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.
1988 C.E.:(January) “Israel” announced that the Intifada will be met with an “Iron Fist Policy”, which involved severe beating (termed the “breaking of bones”), mass arrests and detentions, deportations, home demolitions, destruction of private property, and the use of live ammunition and rubber bullets.
16 April 1988 C.E.: Khalil Al Wazir, the key military commander of Fateh, was assassinated in his house in Tunisia by a commando unit from the “Israeli” intelligence (Mossad).
1988 C.E.:(May) Unified Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU) declared national disobedience in Palestine.
31 July 1988 C.E.: King Hussein announced disengagement with the West Bank.
15 November 1988C.E.: The Palestinian National Council (PNC) declared in its 19th conference in Algiers the INDEPENDENCE OF PALESTINE. One day after this declaration, 20 countries recognized the State of Palestine. In the same meeting, the PNC recognized UN Security Council resolutions 181 and 242.
1988 C.E.:(December) After one year of the intifada: 318 Palestinians were killed, 20,000 wounded, 15,000 arrested, 12,000 jailed, 34 deported, and 140 houses demolished. 8 “Israelis” were killed (6 civilians, 2 soldiers).
1989 C.E.: The Soviet Union allowed its Jewish citizens to migrate to “Israel”. The flow of Soviet Jews continued throughout the decade, in the largest immigration wave in the history of “Israel”. By May 2000, the number of immigrants from the former USSR reached one million.
2 August 1990 C.E.: Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait marking the beginning of Gulf War II which polarized and split the Arab countries and severely harmed the Palestinian cause.
8 October 1990 C.E.: Jewish extremist groups tried to lay the foundation for the Temple they aspired to establish in place of Al Aqsa Mosque, 5000 Palestinians gathered to defend the mosque, and “Israeli” army opened fire indiscriminately killing 21 and wounding 150 Palestinians. .
30 October 1991 C.E.: Middle East Peace conference convened in Madrid under the guardianship of the U.S. and U.S.S.R, with delegations from Egypt, Syria, Jordan-Palestine, Lebanon, “Israel”, the U.N. and the E.U.
17 December 1992 C.E.: “Israel” deported 415 Palestinian freedom fighters, 385 from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and 30 from the Islamic Jihad.
1993 C.E.: During the last stages of the intifada, the PLO and “Israel” explored the possibility of a peace agreement, the secret negotiations in Oslo ended with the initial Oslo agreement of 1993. The detailed agreement was signed in Washington 13 September 1993.
25 February 1994 C.E.: An “Israeli” settler opened fire at worshippers in Al Ibrahimi Mosque, the total death toll, after the clashes that followed the attack, reached 29 martyrs and 350 wounded.
1994 C.E.:(July) Arafat returned to Gaza establishing the headquarters of his authority there.
4 May 1994 C.E.: the PLO and “Israel” signed Agreement on the Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities, first in Cairo, then, in details, in Gaza. Map.
26 October 1994 C.E.: Jordan signed a peace treaty with “Israel” in Wadi cAraba.
28 September 1995 C.E.: The PLO and “Israel” signed in Washington, D.C. the “Israeli”-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (Known as Oslo II). Map.
26 October 1995 C.E.: The secretary general of the Islamic Jihad, Fathi Al Sheqaqi, was assassinated by the “Israeli” Mossad in Malta and was succeeded by Dr. Ramadan Abdullah Shallah.
4 November 1995 C.E.: “Israeli” Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv by an “Israeli” extremist; the motive was protest against the peace agreements he signed with the Palestinians.
5 January 1996 C.E.: The legendary leader of Al Qassam brigades, Yahya cAyyash, known as “The Engineer”, was assassinated by the “Israeli” Internal Intelligence (Shabak).
20 January 1996 C.E.: General elections were held in the areas handed to the Palestinian National Authority, 88 representatives were elected for the legislative council and Yasser Arafat was confirmed as Chairman of the Authority. The Islamic political movements, Hamas and Jihad, along with 11 other national movements, boycotted the elections.
24 September 1996 C.E.: The “Israeli” government opened a tunnel near Al Haram Al-Sharif in the Old City in East Al Quds (Jerusalem). The “Israeli” army uses tanks and gun helicopters against both Palestinian police and civilians. The events resulted in killing 62 Palestinians and injuring 1500, as well as killing 15 “Israeli” soldiers.
15 January 1997 C.E.: The Palestine Authority and “Israel” concluded the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron. Map.
23 October 1998 C.E.: The Wye River Memorandum was signed by Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu in a ceremony at the White House that was witnessed by President Clinton and King Hussein. Map.
17 May 1999 C.E.: The Labor party came back to power in “Israel” with Ehud Barak as the Prime Minister. Hopes of the Palestinian officials to reach a final settlement were revived again.
July 2000 C.E.: Peace talks reached a deadlock after the failure of two-week negotiations at Camp David that were facilitated by the American President Bill Clinton. In these talks Ehud Barak, told Arafat that: “the concessions he gave were the most he had and the most that the Palestinians can get”, but this “most” did not meet the Palestinian minimum demands. Palestinian public was very frustrated by this proposal, which it considered unfair and humiliating. After eight years of negotiations, Palestinians realized that they got almost nothing. Map.
28 September 2000 C.E.: Ariel Sharon, the leader of the opposition party, entered Al Aqsa Mosque, the Muslim holiest shrine in Palestine and the Third holy Mosque of Islam. Protected by around 2000 “Israeli” soldiers, Sharon’s visit to the holy area of the Mosque was an explicit and rude challenge to the feelings of the Muslims worldwide, especially the Palestinians who were frustrated by the failure of Camp David over the sensitive issue of Al Quds (Jerusalem). The Intifada of Al Aqsa erupted in response.
6 February 2001 C.E.: Ariel Sharon, a retired “Israeli” general who fought in the five Arab-“Israeli” wars and led one of them, and an extremist who led several massacres of which the most infamous was Sabra and Shatila in 1982, became the “Israeli” Prime Minister by a decisive vote. He came to power with an unrealistic military program to guarantee the security of “Israel” and bring the Palestinians to their knees in 100 days. He failed.
2002 C.E: “Israeli” forces launched a large-scale campaign to reoccupy the West Bank and some parts of Gaza strip, that led to high causalities among civilians. But the intifada did not end as Sharon planned and hoped. Two years after the intifada, the Palestinians were still in their quest for a home…a free one.