ACTUAL POSSESSION
Up to 1947, proto-Israelis (zionists) were buying land legally from their owners. However, some of those lands were inhabited already (a minority, as the Jewish Agency avoided purchasing settled agricultural land), while they were being sold by absentee great landlords, and by local landowning families.
Obviously, local population removed from these lands bought were not pleased, but it was legal, and anyway, much of the land Jews bought was not inhabited before, but was malarial swamp or dunes. Note however that Jews were buying land mostly in the most fertile, or potentially fertile, regions of Palestine, and then in border areas, like the Upper Galilee and the Negev desert.
Compare this Israeli map of soils
With this 1946 map of Jewish-bought land, by the British Survey of Palestine.
And you’ll see a clear correlation. And there’s nothing suprising. Obviously they were buying the best land they could get. Why would they buy desert when they had much better options. But note that this land was potentially fertile; much of it needed a lot of reclamation and irrigation work, and this work wasn’t done before. And, as I mentioned, this land was acquired legally, even if it meant suffering for some Palestinian Arabs in those few areas that were inhabited before by tenant farmers.
The problem is not this, no-one questions these land purchases, the problem is, when it comes to owhership of the land:
- The expulsion / not letting back in of at least 0,6 mln Palestinians during the conflict spanning really from 1947 to 1949. Their land was taken over by Israel and is held for Jewish use mostly, or distributed among Israeli Jews.
Here you have a map of Palestinian Arab villages that existed prior to the conflict. The ones in red are the ones which were depopulated during this conflict, and the ones in green are the ones that still exists.
Israel doesn’t want to let Palestinian Arab refugees back in, or their descendants (apart from 50 thousands out of milions), doesn’t want to pay them compensation - nothing. Few people, perhaps apart from the refugees themselves in part, believe Israel will ever allow them to return, so it’s still not what this issue is about.
Apart from this, over the time, in Israel proper, Israelis or Israel bought some more land, and this is accepted.
2. The actual problem are the illegal Israeli civilian settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel occupied this area in 1967, during Six Day War. International law forbids civilian settlements in occupied areas. Neverheless, Israel actively builds them and encourages Jewish population to move in, to change the ethnical structure of the land. Moreover, it is on Palestinian-owned land, which is confiscated by Israel illegally. And this is what this “land theft” is about, when it comes to actual land possession.
Here you have an Israel map of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
POLITICAL POSSESSION
Now, that is when it comes to actual possessing of the land. When it comes to political possession:
This was the initial Peel Comission proposal of dividing Palestine into Jewish (Israel) and Arab parts, as well as international zone. It was not accepted by Arabs, though.
Like it or not, Israeli existance was confirmed in the areas assigned to it by UN in 1947. here’s a map of this territory.
Here is a map of the territory given to Israel by UN in 1947, in blue, from official Israeli site.
However, the war that ensued changed these borders, which is in theory a violation of international law, but in reality was accepted by UN and international community. here’s a map of the 1949 armistice lines, from official Israeli site.
Note: while Palestinian independance was declared in Gaza, in reality this state was limited to Gaza, and later on ceased functioning, while West Bank was taken by Transjordan, whose ruler announced himself king of Palestine and united his possessions into Jordan.
Here is a nice map showing the Israeli territorial gain during this first war (shown in red)
In 1967, in a new war, Israel occupied West Bank and Gaza, apart from other Arab lands, which I’ll ignore, as they are not part of the main story here. Out of these lands, Israel announced first unoficially, then (in 1980) officially, annexation of East Jerusalem (which includes holy places of three religions), which was however not accepted outside Israel.
Here is a map from Israeli ministry. You’ll see a small increase in Israeli territory in this sticking out part. That’s Eastern Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel unilaterally (note: it also shows Golan and Sheba as Israeli, but it’s another matter).
Here is a map comparison of it all until this point..
The rest of West Bank remained occupied since 1967 until now. But Israel wishes to annex the above mentioned Israeli settlements, and Trump’s so-called peace proposal allows them to do just that.
This is Trump’s map here.
This is how Israeli borders would change. Please note, however, that both maps show unilaterally annexed by Israel territories in Syria (Golan Heights) and Lebanon (Sheba Farms) as part of Israel, which is not accepted internationally, although it is accepted by Trump’s administration.
Here’s how Israel’s borders would change if Trump’s peace plan is enacted
This map is even better, it shows the proposed “land swaps”. Please compare it f.e. with the soil map provided by me to ascertain what kind of lands Palestinians are offered mostly: desert.
Land swap in south, population swap in north: Israel and Palestine according to Trump
As you see, Israel got much more land from UN in 1947 then it was proposed initially by Peel comission. Then in 1949, it captured and annexed even more land than it was awarded to it by UN. Then in 1967, it captured even more land, part of which (East Jerusalem) it subsequently (officially in 1980) annexed even more land (East Jerusalem). And now it wants to annex some more of the occupied territory.
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