Overview
This section is not an explanation of specific actions of Israelis and Palestinians as to why there is no current compromise between the two groups, but the historical process that resulted in the creation of Israel and the failed compromises. It does not include the many problems that have made this issue so complicated. Commissions and attempts at peace treaties are included, only.
General Resources
Peel Commission
The first attempt to create a separate Jewish and Arab state occurred after the repeated attacks in the 1920s and 30s by the Arabs on the Jewish immigrants and the Jews who had been living in the area for centuries, if not millennium. Although the plan was approved by the British authorities, it was ultimately never used, but it did lay a groundwork for the later UN partition plan.
The British White Paper
The White Paper was the next attempt by the British in 1939 to resolve continuing disputes between the Arab and Jewish inhabitants of Palestine. Although the talks ultimately failed also, they did come to list the grievances of both parties.
UN Partition Plan
The UN Partition Plan was a decision by the UN General Assembly in a vote of 33-13 with 10 absentions to divide the land called Palestine into a Jewish area called Israel and an Arab area called Palestine. Thus, at this time, the Arabs did have their own state.
The War of Independence
The War of Independence or the War of 1948 was an attempt by Arab nations to destroy any attempt at a Jewish state in the Middle East. The Arabs attacked first, yet ultimately lost. Israel was not the size that it is today with Jordan controlling the West Bank and Egypt controlling Gaza.
The 1967 War
The Six Day War was a continuation of the 1956 War and the 1948 War. In this case, Egypt blockaded the Israeli port of Eilat, effectively starting the war under international law. During this time, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was established. The Israelis won the war, and the aftermath was the first Intifada and UN Resolution 242, which required all nations of the Middle East to participate in peace talks. This would become more important during later peace talks.
The Camp David Accords
During the Camp David Accords, a format for dealing with the creation of Gazan and Samarian autonomy was created.
The Oslo Accords
The next attempt at creating a Palestinian state was in Oslo, which ultimately failed, again. This time, Israel agreed to transfer power to the PLO, but terrorism in Israel did not end.
Camp David II
In 2000, another attempt was tried at creating a Palestinian state. This time, Yasser Arafat rejected any proposal by the Israelis, and instead, increased terrorist attacks on Israel.
Current Attempts at Resolving the Palestinian Issue
Several different attempts have come in the past few years in a hope that the Palestinian issue will be resolved. Israel removed all non-Israelis from Gaza; Israel has attempted to give Gaza to Egypt and the West Bank to Jordan. Israel has cut off ties with Gaza. All of these are in an attempt to stop terrorist attacks on Israel.
Number of Attacks Thwarted
