This dossier traces the modern origins and major stages of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from the late nineteenth century to today: national movements, the British Mandate, Israel’s creation and the Nakba, wars, occupation and settlements, Palestinian mobilization, peace efforts, political divisions, humanitarian crises and international proceedings. Each published occurrence includes its sources and distinguishes established facts, attributed statements and judicial findings. The timeline needs further detail on local settlement developments, some regional episodes and negotiations; it does not claim to catalogue every incident.
As of 4 November 2026, the dossier contains 109 dated occurrences beginning in 1882. Following the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October 2025 and the release of the last twenty living Israeli hostages on 13 October, entries for October and November 2026 document continuing strikes and severe humanitarian difficulties in Gaza. Recent UN reports address displacement, access to health care and waste collection. Casualty figures remain attributed to their sources, with verification limits stated. The West Bank situation and regional developments require more detailed coverage.
On 11 December 1948, the General Assembly adopts Resolution 194 (III), establishing a conciliation commission for Palestine.
Paragraph 11 calls for refugees wishing to return home and live at peace with their neighbours to be allowed to do so at the earliest practicable date. It also provides for compensation for those not returning and for losses or damage. Adoption does not amount to implementation of these provisions.
On 17 September 1948, UN mediator Folke Bernadotte and French observer André Sérot are assassinated in Jerusalem.
The UN mission attributes the assassination to members of Lehi, a Zionist paramilitary group. The attack strikes an international mediation effort during the war and underscores the risks facing attempts to secure a truce.
On 15 May 1948, intervention by Arab armies widens the war in former Mandatory Palestine following Israel’s proclamation.
During the 1948 war, more than 700,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled from their homes: this exodus and destruction of their society constitute the Nakba. Displacement begins before 15 May and continues afterward; it is not a one-day event. Gaza comes under Egyptian administration and the West Bank under Jordanian control.
On 14 May 1948, David Ben-Gurion proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel as the British Mandate ends.
The United States recognizes the provisional government that day. The proclamation follows months of fighting between Jewish and Palestinian Arab forces and precedes the entry of Arab armies into the former Mandate territory. It settles neither the refugee question nor final borders.
On 9 April 1948, Irgun and Lehi forces attack Deir Yassin near Jerusalem and kill Palestinian inhabitants, including civilians.
ICRC delegate Jacques de Reynier enters the village on 11 April and describes bodies and survivors in his 13 April report. Early estimates differ and are not repeated here as a definitive death toll. This entry distinguishes the attack date from the humanitarian visit.
On 29 November 1947, the General Assembly adopts Resolution 181 (II), recommending Jewish and Arab states linked by an economic union.
Jerusalem is to have a special international regime. The Jewish leadership accepts the plan’s principle, while Palestinian Arab leaders reject it. The vote does not itself bring both states into existence; fighting intensifies in Palestine while it remains under the Mandate.
On 18 July 1947, British forces intercept Exodus, carrying more than 4,500 Jewish refugees, including Holocaust survivors, towards Palestine.
Passengers are subsequently sent back to Europe under British immigration restrictions. The episode exposes the plight of displaced people after the Nazi genocide. It occurs while the Mandate’s future and UN proposals are being debated.
On 22 July 1946, the underground Zionist organization Irgun bombs a wing of Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, killing more than 90 people.
The building houses Mandatory administration offices and British military headquarters. Civilians are among the victims. The bombing forms part of the armed campaign against continued British rule, before Britain takes the Palestine question to the United Nations.
On 17 May 1939, Britain publishes a new Palestine policy providing for 75,000 Jewish immigrants over five years, with subsequent immigration dependent on Arab agreement.
The White Paper envisages an independent state within ten years with Arabs and Jews sharing government, and provides for land restrictions. The Jewish Agency rejects the policy. The restrictions come as Nazi persecution makes finding refuge increasingly urgent.
The Peel Royal Commission report, issued on 7 July 1937, recommends partitioning Palestine following the violence of the Arab Revolt.
The proposal envisages Jewish and Arab states and an area remaining under British control, and considers population transfers. Palestinian leaders reject partition. This British proposal is distinct from the plan adopted by the UN General Assembly ten years later.
On 19 April 1936, an Arab national committee forms in Nablus and calls a strike amid deadly attacks and reprisals.
The movement spreads against British rule, Jewish immigration and land sales. An Arab Higher Committee is established on 25 April. The strike and subsequent armed rebellion continue in phases until 1939; British repression includes arrests, expulsions, demolitions and executions.
