Historical documentation spanning three millennia demonstrates Gaza has never been under Palestinian control, challenging the foundation for international recognition of Palestinian statehood over the territory.
Thread: Historical Control of Gaza & the West Bank 🧵
These areas have never been part of an independent Palestinian state.
In recent times, they have been controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Jordan and Israel (1/20) pic.twitter.com/eaHVcDZsLv
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2025
Central European news outlet Visegrad 24 published comprehensive evidence showing Gaza remained under continuous foreign rule from Ancient Israel through modern times, with no documented period of Palestinian sovereignty. The investigation emerges ahead of United Nations sessions where several countries plan to recognize Palestinian statehood, including Gaza.
After WWI, the British Mandate (1920–1948) governed Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank.
The Mandate was established by the League of Nations to prepare the region for self-governance, but the Arab locals never accepted a two state solution (3/20) pic.twitter.com/vxi0YaQRej
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2025
The historical timeline reveals that Gaza's control began with the Kingdom of Israel (1047-930 BCE), inhabited by Philistines who disappeared 1,900 years ago. Subsequently, the territory passed through Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and various Islamic administrations from the seventh through the 16th centuries, interrupted by nearly 100 years of Crusader rule.
Ottoman control lasted from the 16th century until World War I, when Britain received the mandate over the territory now comprising Israel and Jordan. Following Israeli independence in 1948, Egypt annexed Gaza while Jordan captured the West Bank, maintaining control until 1967.
Neither Arab nation ever proposed Palestinian statehood in these territories. Egypt notably refused Gaza's return alongside Sinai in the 1979 peace agreement. International figures, including Che Guevara, visited Egyptian Gaza without advocating political independence.
The Palestine Liberation Organization, established in 1964, claimed to represent Palestinians against unelected foreign rulers but focused exclusively on violent struggle against Israel. The founding conference included Jordan's unelected Hashemite king, revealing the organization never sought a two-state solution but rather one state without Jews.
Israel's 1967 capture of territories between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea intensified Palestinian claims to lands that never constituted independent states, even under sympathetic Arab control. The 1993 Oslo Accords granted Palestinians their first autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza.
In 1948, after Israel's independence, Egypt occupied Gaza, and Jordan annexed the West Bank.
These territories were controlled by Arab states, not a Palestinian state, until 1967.
(4/20) pic.twitter.com/i3sIDVo13E— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2025
Twenty years ago, Israel completed its disengagement from Gaza, evacuating all settlements and military installations. This marked the first time Palestinians achieved independence over any territory. The European investigation argues that recognizing Palestinian statehood rights now would reward historical revisionism and terrorism rather than correcting historical injustice.
