Original article (in Albanian) was published on 2/8/2024; Author: Vjolanda Peca
Claim: Video showing Israel’s invasion of Palestine via the coastline.
Verdict: False
A video circulating on social media claims to depict Israel’s occupation of Palestine, with Israeli forces advancing from the sea and gradually occupying Palestinian territory up to 2023.
However, this video does not accurately represent the historical occupation of Palestine, as it was not taken over via the coastline. In fact, Israelis did not reach the coast in 1948.
The video uses animation and does not correctly depict the gradual occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel since 1948, as Israelis were present in these areas well before 1800. Consequently, the video’s portrayal of the conflict is fictional.
Historical Context
The colonization of Palestinian land began in the late 19th century with two waves of Jewish immigration, known as Aliyahs, in 1880 and after 1904. Through the Jewish National Fund, land in Palestine was acquired and allocated primarily to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, who were facing widespread persecution in their home countries.
After World War I, Palestine was placed under British mandate. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration expressed British support for establishing a Jewish state in the historical territory of Palestine.
A further wave of Jewish immigrants arrived in the 1930s due to anti-Semitic policies in Nazi Germany. The increase in Jewish immigration led to unrest and contributed to the Arab Revolt. In 1937, Britain proposed a partition plan to create separate Jewish and Arab states, but neither side was content with the proposal.
After World War II, many Jews who were left without homes sought refuge in various countries, including Palestine.
In 1948, the State of Israel was established. Immediately after the declaration of independence, a coalition of Arab nations attacked Israel. In this conflict, Israel defended its new state and gained control of some territories initially allocated to the Arabs by the UN.
During this period, Jewish settlers moved into Palestinian lands, leading to the displacement or death of many Palestinians.
In 1978, the Camp David Accords were signed, resulting in Israel returning the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. In return, Egypt recognized Israel and signed a peace treaty, which was the first such agreement between Israel and an Arab state.
The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 and 1995, created a framework for Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Despite this, the final status of the Palestinian territories remains unresolved.
Territorial Changes in Israel and Palestine
Thus, the video illustrating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict depicts an imagined series of events. Jewish immigration to Palestine began before the official creation of the State of Israel. Following Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, several armed conflicts led to territorial changes, but there was no continuous war as shown in the video.
This claim has been verified by our colleagues at Demagog.cz.
