A Concise History of Palestine: Colonialism, Resistance, and Displacement
1880-1904: Ottoman Rule and the Birth of Zionism
Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, where local populations had thriving cultural and political life and were beginning to shape ideas of self-rule.
In Europe, rising antisemitism led Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl to found the Zionist movement, advocating for a Jewish homeland.
Zionist leaders initially considered Argentina, Kenya, and Cyprus for settlement but ultimately chose Palestine due to its historical and religious significance in Judaism.
The goal of Zionism was to establish a Jewish-majority state, which inherently required the displacement of the Indigenous Palestinian population.
1904-1917: Early Zionist Colonization and British Involvement
Zionist settlers, backed by European funding, began arriving in Palestine with the explicit intention of creating a Jewish ethnostate.
Britain and France secretly divided the Middle East between themselves through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, betraying their previous promises of independence to Arab nations.
In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, pledging support for a "Jewish homeland" in Palestine while entirely disregarding the Palestinian people, who made up over 90% of the population at the time.
Britain took formal control of Palestine in 1920, actively facilitating Zionist settlement while suppressing Palestinian resistance and political movements.
1920-1936: Palestinian Resistance and British Suppression
Palestinians protested both British colonial rule and Zionist land purchases, which led to the mass displacement of Palestinian farmers and workers.
The 1936-1939 Arab Revolt was a large-scale uprising against British rule and Zionist expansion. Palestinians engaged in strikes, boycotts, and armed resistance.
The British response was brutal: they carried out mass executions, home demolitions, and imprisonments while arming Zionist militias for future control of Palestine.
1937-1947: Partition and the Road to the Nakba
The British Peel Commission (1937) proposed partitioning Palestine, a plan that overwhelmingly favored Zionist settlers despite their being a small minority.
Palestinians rejected this partition as unjust and an extension of colonialism. Meanwhile, Zionist paramilitary groups escalated violent attacks.
In 1947, the United Nations imposed a partition plan, granting 56% of Palestine to a Jewish state, despite Jews owning only about 7% of the land at the time.
Palestinians rejected this imposed partition, while Zionist militias used it as justification to begin their ethnic cleansing campaign.
1947-1949: The Nakba (Catastrophe) and the Forced Displacement of Palestinians
Even before Israel declared itself a state, Zionist militias launched systematic attacks, expelling 750,000 Palestinians - about 80% of the Indigenous population - from their homes.
Over 500 Palestinian villages were deliberately destroyed to prevent refugees from returning, a direct violation of international law.
Massacres such as Deir Yassin were used to instill terror and drive Palestinians from their land.
In May 1948, Israel unilaterally declared itself a state, and after a war with neighboring Arab countries, it seized control of 78% of historic Palestine.
1949-1967: Apartheid and Continued Palestinian Expulsions
Palestinians who remained within the newly created Israel were placed under strict military rule and stripped of fundamental rights.
The West Bank and Gaza became home to Palestinian refugees, with Jordan and Egypt administering them but failing to secure Palestinian sovereignty.
Israel passed laws formally prohibiting Palestinian refugees from returning, despite international law upholding their right to do so.
1967: The Naksa (Setback) and the Intensification of Israeli Occupation
In 1967, Israel launched an aggressive war, seizing the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights (Syria), and the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt).
An additional 300,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced, many becoming refugees for the second time.
Israel immediately began illegal settlement construction, a strategy of land theft that continues to this day.
1970s-1980s: Palestinian Resistance and Israeli Brutality
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emerged as the leading force for Palestinian self-determination.
In 1987, the First Intifada (uprising) broke out, characterized by mass protests, civil disobedience, and strikes against Israeli occupation.
Israel responded with extreme violence, instituting the "Break the Bones" policy - directly ordering soldiers to crush the limbs of Palestinian demonstrators.
1993-2000: The Oslo Accords and the Entrenchment of Occupation
The PLO, under immense pressure, agreed to recognize Israel in exchange for a promise of limited Palestinian self-rule under the Oslo Accords.
However, the agreement merely created a Palestinian Authority with no real power, while Israel continued expanding settlements, tightening military control, and violating Palestinian rights.
Rather than leading to peace, the Oslo Accords further entrenched Israel’s apartheid policies.
2000-2005: The Second Intifada and Military Repression
In 2000, Palestinians protested Israeli settler aggression and military control, triggering the Second Intifada.
Israel’s response was ruthless, using live ammunition, airstrikes, and mass arrests to suppress the uprising, killing thousands of Palestinians.
Israel accelerated illegal settlement expansion and built the Apartheid Wall, further fragmenting Palestinian communities.
2006-2014: The Gaza Blockade and Repeated Massacres
After Hamas won the 2006 elections, Israel imposed a suffocating blockade on Gaza, turning it into an open-air prison.
Israel launched full-scale assaults on Gaza in 2008-2009 and 2014, killing thousands of civilians and destroying essential infrastructure.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsened, with over 80% of the population dependent on aid.
2015-2020: Escalating Settler Violence and Global Palestinian Advocacy
Israeli settlers, backed by military forces, intensified violent attacks against Palestinians, stealing land and burning homes.
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement gained traction globally, exposing Israel’s apartheid policies.
The Trump administration further emboldened Israel by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, dismissing Palestinian sovereignty claims.
2021-Present: The Unity Intifada and Palestinian Resilience
In 2021, protests erupted in Sheikh Jarrah as Israel attempted to forcibly remove Palestinian families from their homes.
This led to a wave of resistance, known as the Unity Intifada, as Palestinians across historic Palestine rose in collective defiance.
Israel responded with devastating airstrikes on Gaza, mass arrests, and increased violence, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
By 2023-2024, Israeli military attacks on Gaza reached new levels of brutality, displacing millions, killing estimated hundreds of thousands of people, and creating an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
Despite relentless oppression, Palestinian resistance continues through grassroots organizing, legal battles, and international solidarity movements.
Further Reading, References & Resources:
Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
Noura Erakat on Upstream Podcast
Let’s Talk About Palestine Podcast 100 Year History
Ilan Pappé, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Edward Said, The Question of Palestine
Noura Erakat, Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine
Mohammed El-Kurd, Rifqa
The Palestine Chronicle (Independent Palestinian News Source)
Al-Haq Reports (Palestinian Human Rights Organization)
