Palestine, officially recognized as a state by 147 United Nations member countries, remains one of the most contested territories in the world. Its land includes the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Though the declared capital is Jerusalem, Ramallah serves as the administrative seat, while Gaza City was the most populous urban center before mass displacements in 2023.
At the heart of its history lies an enduring conflict with Israel, driven by competing national claims, forced displacement, and military occupation. Palestine’s borders and political future remain unresolved more than seven decades after the 1948 war, which forced most of the Arab Palestinian population into exile an event Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe.
Displacement history
Palestine’s modern political crisis began during British colonial rule. After World War I, Britain gained control of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire under a League of Nations mandate. Increased Jewish immigration and British backing of a Jewish homeland fueled tension with the Arab Palestinian population.
In 1947, the UN proposed a partition plan dividing Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accepted it; Palestinian leaders and Arab states rejected it. Fighting erupted, and when Britain withdrew in 1948, Israel declared independence. The move triggered a regional war, during which Israel expanded its territory beyond the UN plan. Over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled.
Shifting borders governance
In the aftermath, Egypt occupied Gaza, while Jordan took the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In 1967, Israel seized these territories during the Six-Day War. The United Nations called the Israeli occupation illegal under international law, a stance reaffirmed in later resolutions.
That same year, Israel began building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Today, more than 670,000 Israeli settlers live there settlements widely condemned by international legal bodies.
In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared an independent state in exile, gaining broad international recognition. “Palestine is the homeland of the Palestinian Arab people,” the declaration stated. That same year, Jordan renounced claims to the West Bank in favor of Palestinian self-determination.
Oslo Accords between Israel
A breakthrough came in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO. It led to the formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA), with limited administrative control in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Yasser Arafat became the PA’s first president in 1994.
While Oslo raised hopes of a two-state solution, implementation stalled. Contentious issues like the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees’ right of return, and the fate of Israeli settlements remained unresolved.
Extremist violence intensified. In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who signed Oslo was assassinated. The peace process unraveled amid suicide bombings, military crackdowns, and rising distrust.
Second Intifada and Gaza Takeover
The Second Intifada erupted in 2000 following provocative visits and clashes in Jerusalem. The uprising claimed thousands of lives and led to sweeping Israeli military actions. President Arafat died in 2004, and Mahmoud Abbas was elected president the following year.
Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005, though it retained control over its borders and airspace. In 2006, Hamas won parliamentary elections. A violent power struggle followed. By 2007, Hamas had seized full control of Gaza, while the PA maintained authority in the West Bank.
Since then, Gaza has faced a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade, widespread poverty, and repeated wars. According to UN data, most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times, especially during the 2023-2024 war.
A national crisis
The most recent war, sparked by attacks from Hamas in October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent invasion, has devastated Gaza. UN officials and human rights organizations have accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in its military campaign. Majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with widespread shortages of food, medicine, and clean water.
“The destruction is total. Families are living in rubble,” stated a UN special committee report from July 2025, citing the collapse of essential services and the high death toll among civilians.
The division between Hamas and Fatah continues to undermine Palestinian governance. Reconciliation attempts have repeatedly failed, leaving Palestinians with fractured leadership and no unified negotiating body.
Despite the devastation, Palestine maintains observer status at the UN and is a member of regional bodies like the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It continues to call for recognition of East Jerusalem as its capital and demands the return of refugees displaced since 1948.
While international pressure grows for a resolution, including fresh support for Palestinian statehood from governments such as United Kingdom, France ,Spain, Norway, and Ireland, the ground reality remains grim. Israel’s settlement expansion, military occupation, and internal Palestinian political division have paralyzed peace efforts.
For Palestinians, the path to statehood remains entangled in unresolved history, daily hardship, and the ongoing battle for recognition and sovereignty.
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