STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU II

To have any understanding the struggle in Palestine it is necessary to understand the people. What follows here is an historical view of Palestine from the Arab side of the river.

I copied the dates and comments, straight from the Palestinian source in Google. I cannot take responsibility for its accuracy. What editing I did was primarily to shorten the length and soften the hyperbole. But you will be unable to miss the point of view and tone. Many of the facts are quite interesting. Equally interessting is which facts they chose to include.

THE ARAB PRESENCE IN PALESTINE

1,250 B.C.
Israelite conquest of Canaan
965 - 928
King Solomon (Sulayman), construction of the temple in Jerusalem.
586
Judah defeated by Babylonians, Jews deported to Babylon, and destruction of the Temple.
63 A.D.
Incorporation of Palestine into the Roman Empire.
70
Destruction of the second Temple by Romans, Jews exiled.
132-135
Suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Jews barred from Jerusalem and Emperor Hadrian builds a pagan city on its ruins.
330-638
Palestine under Byzantine rule, Christianity spreads.
661-750
Palestine administered from Damascus, construction of the Dome of the Rock Mosque ('Abd al-Malik
750-1258
Palestine administered from Baghdad by the 'Abbasid caliphs.
1099-1187
The Crusaders establish the "Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem".
1516-1917
Ottoman Empire administers Palestine from Istanbul.
1878
First Zionist settlement established under the guise of agricultural community.
1882-1903
First Zionists (25,000) enters Palestine as illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe.
1896
Theodor Hertzl, a Viennese publishes Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), advocating the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine or elsewhere.
1896
Jewish Colonization Association starts aiding Zionist settlements.
1901
Jewish National Fund set up by the 5th Zionist Congress to acquire land (in Palestine) and 'make it Jewish'.
1904-1914
Second wave of Zionist illegal immigrants increas Jewish population to 6%.
1909
First Zionist Kibbutz established north of Yaafa.
1916
- January: Hussein-McMahon talks regarding steps leading to Arab countries/provinces' independence from the Ottoman empire.
1917
The Balfour declaration supports a Jewish state in Palestine.
1918
- September: British forces occupy Palestine
- October: World War I ends.
1919- 1923
- 35,000 more Zionists raise percentage to 12%, with 3% land ownership.
1920
- Fears of more immigrants causes five Jewish deaths, 200 injuries.
1921
- March: formation of the Haganah, Jewish underground terror organization - May: Anti-immigration protests cause 46 Jewish casualties.
1922
- June: White Paper excludes area east of Jordan river from the Balfour declaration, calls for organizing Zionist immigration according to economic capacity of Palestine.
- July: League of Nations approves British Mandate over Palestine.
- - Zionist Party calls for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine and east of the River Jordan. Stresses military aspects of Zionism.
1929-1939
- 250,000 more Zionists, now 30% of pop., 5.7% land ownership
1931
- Formation of Irgon, another Jewish terrorist organization,
1933
- -UK report concerns resettling Palestinian farmers expelled in favor of Zionist immigrants.
- December: UK development director publishes a report about Palestinian Arabs who lost their land thanks to Zionist settlements.
1935
- October: Zionist revisionists leave the World Zionist Organization and establish a new one aiming at "liberating" Palestine and East Jordan.
- 1936
- August: Fawzi Qawikji, along with 150 volunteers enter Palestine from Lebanon to help fight against the British occupation.
- 1937
July: Peel report recommends partitioning Palestine into Jewish state (33%) on best areas and one for Palestinian Arabs in addition to British protectorates including Jerusalem. Suggests forced transfer of Palestinians from the 'Jewish' sector if needed.
- July: Arab Higher Committee rejects recommendations, calls for Independence of whole Palestine with protection for the rights of all. Revolution continues.
- September: Arab National Conference rejects partition plans, calls for an end to British Mandate, Zionist immigration and transfer of land ownership.
October: British dissolve Arab Higher Committee and the rest of Palestinian political organizations. Five leaders expelled, Haj A. Husseini escapes to Lebanon.
1939
May: British House of Commons votes in favor of a white paper calling for: conditional independence of a Palestinian state after ten years, acceptance of 15,000 Zionist immigrants a year for 5 years, then by Arab agreement. 3,500-4,000 Palestinians killed in the revolt, plus 500 Jews/Zionists
1940 - 1945
- Over 60,000 Zionist/Jewish immigrants enter Palestine (over 20,000 'illegally'). Jewish population now 31%, land control 6%.
1942
- May: Baltimore conference for Zionist leaders convenes in NY, calls for "making Palestine a Jewish homeland"
1947
- September 26: Britain decides to end its mandate over Palestine.
- September 29: Arab Higher Committee rejects the partition plan.
- October 2: Jewish Agency accepts the partition plan.
- October 7 - 15: Arab League warns of Zionist danger after Mandate.
- November 27: Arab League warns of inability of Palestinians to face the Zionist armies without help and organization.
- December 21 - March 1948: Irgon and Haganah start coastal ethnic cleansing of Palestinian villages.
1948
- January - March: Jewish National Fund encourages the expulsion of Arabs from Haifa.
- - March 18: President Truman promises to support declaration of Jewish State on May 15.
- May 15: British mandate ends. Israeli state declaration takes effect.
- May 15 - 17: Lebanese soldiers enter north border, restore 2 villages.
- - May 15 - 28: Arab Army (East Jordan) crosses the river and takes positions in Jerusalem, captures areas from the Haganah.
- May 15 - June 4: Iraqi units enter Palestine and take position in Jenin-Nablus-Tulkarm triangle. Haganah expel villagers, occupies Jenin. Kicked out on June 3 -4 .
- - May 15 - June 7: Egyptian units cross the border and reach Isdod (coastal town). Some volunteers connect with Jordanian units near Bethlehem.

The next piece will look at the Jewish presence in Palestine.