Palestine background wanted?

[Vee]

Why isn't Palestine recognized as a State?

I know Palestine is a corruption of Philistine.

Is Israel recognized as a state?

I know Israel was reformed in 1948 as concessions after WWII but I'd like to know the details. what countries gave up what, etc?

As you can see I am quite unschooled in this area.

[Nono]

Palestine isn't entirely unrecognized as a state (bilateral recognition from a number of other states, membership in a number of organizations). It's certainly a lot further ahead in this respect than previously, with the "autonomous territories" now officially under Palestinian control.

Israel has diplomatic relations with a large number of states and is a full member of the UN. That's state recognition.

[Nono]

Originally posted by Vee I know Israel was reformed in 1948 as concessions after WWII but I'd like to know the details. what countries gave up what, etc?

I'm no expert, but here's what I think is the case.

What is now Israel/Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire when WWI erupted. The Turks were allied with Austria/Germany. The Brits were ensconced next door in Egypt. The Brits set about arming and training Arabs who were very interested in giving the Turks a good kick in the balls (see T.E. Lawrence). The Brits made a lot of promises to the Arabs about When All This Is Over.

At the same time, the Zionist movement had begun in Europe in the 1800s, and while Palestine was by no means its target from the start, a number of European Jews had been trickling in. The Brits made promises to them too (see Balfour Declaration).

With the Trukish defeat and the setting up of the League of Nations following WWI, the British were given control of the territory under a League mandate. As the years went by, there was increasing friction between the resident Arabs and Jews (exacerbated by increased Jewish immigration due to Hitler's anti-Semitic policies, among other things) as well as friction between both parties and the Brits. A mess.

Following WWII and the dawning recognition of what had been done to the Jews in Europe, the Zionist movement grew tremendously in strength. Jewish survivors went to Palestine in large numbers and there was unprecedented agitation for a Jewish state. Some of the more militant groups engaged in what would today be called terrorism against the Brits to make them leave.

In '48 the Zionists got their state and war was immediately declared on them by the surrounding Arab states. They survived that and three subsequent conflicts ('56, '67 and '73).

Since in 1948 the territory was British-controlled under international mandate, no state gave anything up as such. But a lot of Arabs got kicked off their land.

And round and round it's gone ever since.

[Vee]

Thank you.