The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (51 page)
Read The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Online
Authors: Ilan Pappe
Tags: #History, #Middle East, #Israel & Palestine, #General, #Modern, #20th Century
1948 | |
| ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni returns to Palestine after ten-year exile to form a group to resist partition |
20 | Britain plans to hand over areas of land to whichever group is predominant in the region |
February | |
| War breaks out between Jews and Arabs |
18 | Hagana announces military service and calls up 25–35 year old men and women |
24 | US delegate to UN announces that the role of the Security Council is peacekeeping rather than enforcing partition |
March | |
6 | Hagana announces mobilization |
10 | Plan Dalet, the Zionist blueprint for the cleansing of Palestine, finalised |
18 | President Truman pledges support to the Zionist cause |
19–20 | Arab leaders decide to accept a truce and limited trusteeship rather than partition, as suggested by UN Security Council. Jews reject the truce |
30 March–15 May | |
| Coastal “clearing” operation undertaken by Hagana, expelling Palestinians from the coastal area between Haifa and Jaffa |
April | |
1 | First delivery of Czech arms arrives for Hagana; includes 4,500 rifles, 200 light machine guns, 5 million rounds of ammunition |
4 | Plan Dalet launched by Hagana. Villages along the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem road captured and residents expelled |
9 | The massacre of Deir Yassin |
17 | Security Council resolution demands a truce |
20 | Palestine trusteeship plan submitted to UN by US |
22 | Haifa cleansed of its Palestinian population |
26–30 | Hagana attacks an area of East Jerusalem, and are forced to hand it over to the British. Hagana captures an area of West Jerusalem. All Palestinians in West Jerusalem expelled by the Jewish forces |
May | |
3 | Report claims that between 175,000 and 250,000 |
| Palestinians have been forced from their homes |
12–14 | Czech arms arrive for Hagana |
13 | Arab Legion attacks Jewish communities in retaliation for Jewish military action |
13 | Jaffa surrenders to Hagana |
14 | Israel declares independence as British Mandate ends. |
| President Truman recognizes State of Israel |
20 | Count Bernadotte appointed as UN mediator in Palestine |
22 | UN Security resolution demands ceasefire |
11 June–8 July | First Truce established |
July | |
8–18 | Fighting breaks out anew as IDF capture Lydd and Ramla |
17 | IDF launch an offensive but fail to capture Old City of Jerusalem |
18 July–15 Oct | Second Truce established, broken by the capture of several villages by IDF |
September | |
17 | UN mediator Count Bernadotte assassinated by Jewish terrorists in Jerusalem. New UN mediator is Ralph Bunche |
October | |
29–31 | Thousands of Palestinians are expelled during Operation Hiram |
November | |
4 | UN Security Council calls for immediate truce and withdrawal of forces. UN adopts Resolution 194 on Palestinian refugee right of return Israel blocks return |
November – 1949 | IDF begins to expel villagers from settlements inside the Lebanese border |
1949 | |
24 February | Israeli–Egyptian Armistice |
end February | Between 2000 and 3000 villagers expelled from the Faluja pocket by IDF |
23 March | Israeli–Lebanese Armistice |
3 April | Israeli–Jordanian Armistice |
20 July | Syrian–Israeli Armistice |
This map, showing the area of Palestine claimed by the World Zionist Organisation, was officially presented to the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Peel Commission Partition Plan, 1937. This became the Palestine Partition Commission Plan A the following year
Palestine Partition Commission Plan B, 1938
Palestine Partition Commission Plan C, 1938
United Nations Partition Plan, adopted as General Assembly Resolution 181 (29 November 1947)
1949 Armistice Agreement
Palestinian villages depopulated, 1947–1949
TABLE 1: PALESTINE: PALESTINIAN AND JEWISH LAND OWNERSHIP IN PERCENTAGES BY DISTRICT, 1945
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TABLE 2: PALESTINE: DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION BY DISTRICT SHOWING PERCENTAGES OF PALESTINIANS AND JEWS, 1946
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