Occupied territories
An
occupied territory is a region that has been taken over by a sovereign power after a military conquest (see
military occupation). In most cases the period of occupation is temporary, pending the signing of a peace treaty, the resolution of specific conditions outlined in a peace treaty, or the formation of a new government. Examples of occupied territories include
Germany and
Japan after
World War II; the
Sinai Peninsula (until 1979),
Gaza Strip (until 2005),
Golan Heights, and
West Bank by Israel after 1967;
Cambodia by
Vietnam from 1979 until 1989; and
Iraq after the fall of the government of
Saddam Hussein.
Most nations in the world are in some way an occupier of a previous inhabitant's land. Generally, any disputed territory can be seen as occupied by the party that lacks control over it at that moment. Thus, the Germanic tribes displaced the Celtic population of
Europe;
Egypt was conquered and absorbed in the 7th century by
Arabs who were not its original population. This is particularly true of the region between Egypt and
Turkey where repeated population movements and military conquests have occurred during the past several thousand years. See
Occupation of Palestine.
Additionally,
occupation has two distinct meanings:# The state of being lived in (as in: "
Isle of Man is occupied by the Manx", or this house is occupied by the Smith family);# The state of military control following conquest by war.Although (1) and (2) are obviously distinct, they are sometimes
intermingled. Under (1), the territory in question is under normal civilian law; under (2) the territory is usually under military law within the terms of the
Laws of war, such as the
Fourth Geneva Convention.
For a more complete list, see the
list of military occupations and the
list of territorial disputes.
Occupied Territories under International Law since 1948
* 1947-present:
occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by India. Under the
United Nations 1949 cease-fire it had rebelled against the barbaric
Dogra rule, when
Pakistan gained
Independence the
Kashmiris allied themselves with the collaboration of fellow
Muslim brothers and was liberated against the
Hindu majority further pushing back the aggressors; now known as
Azad Kashmir (
disputed territory).
* 1948 - 1967:
Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt. Under the
United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 it had been allotted to the proposed
Arab state in
Palestine.
* 1948 - 1967:
Occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan. The territory had been annexed by Jordan, a step recognized only by
Britain and perhaps
Pakistan. Under the
United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 it had been allotted to the proposed
Arab state in
Palestine.
* 1967 - present: The
West Bank was captured and occupied by
Israel from
Jordan during the 1967
Six Day War.
*1967 - 1979: The
Sinai Peninsula was captured by
Israel from
Egypt during the 1967
Six Day War and returned under the
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.
* 1967 - 2005: The
Gaza Strip was captured and occupied by
Israel from
Egypt during the 1967
Six Day War; Israel unilaterally removed its forces in 2005, although Israel still controls the borders and airspace.
* 1967 - present: The
Golan Heights were captured and occupied by
Israel from
Syria in 1967. Israel effectively annexed the area in 1981 but the Security Council in
Resolution 497 ruled the annexation illegal and declared the region still occupied [
1].
* 1974 - present: Northern
Cyprus is occupied by
Turkey. Turkey officially disputes this, saying that the legal government of this area is the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and that the Turkish army is supporting this government. However no other country recognizes the TRNC.
* 1975 - 1999:
East Timor was occupied by
Indonesia* 1976 - present: Most
Western Sahara is occupied by
Morocco,
the rest is administered by the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
* 1978 - 2000: The
southern (including the
Nabatiye Governorateand other parts of
Lebanon by
Israel. For more info, see
1982 Lebanon War.
United States of America and Canada
Historically, all of the
territory of the United States of America was originally the territory of a multitude of
Native American indigenous peoples tribes, and nations. However, the source of this situation goes back several centuries, and includes land taken from Native Americans by the
Spanish,
French,
Russians,
Dutch,
Danish and
British. Likewise, many of those tribes had, themselves, displaced earlier tribes from their lands.
It is incorrect to hold that the federal government of the
United States of America, which only came into existence in 1776, is responsible for the initial issues. However, there is reportedly Native American territory that is currently considered by some to be illegally occupied by the United States. This is said to be true because this land legally belongs to various Native American groups due to legally binding treaties signed between the USA and particular tribes, which the tribes believe that the United States of America later violated. This includes the state of
Hawaii, which many
Native Hawaiians believe is an
occupied territory of the U.S.
The United States does occupy several territories outside of its original "eminent domain", like
Puerto Rico, an
Arawakan island, claimed by the Spanish in 1493, then occupied by the United States after the
Spanish-American War in 1898.
Guam is also an occupied territory of the US dating from the same time. The United States also occupies
Guantanamo Bay in
Cuba via a perpetual lease stipulated in the
Cuban-American Treaty.
In the case of
Canada, most of the native treaties were signed on behalf of the
British Crown, which is still recognized as the head of the contemporary Canadian government. This means, unlike the United States, the government of Canada is expected to honor the terms of many more treaties, some of which are hundreds of years old. Some lands occupied by the Canadian government were never settled as a result of treaties, and are thus considered by some
native leaders to be illegally occupied. This has historically made native issues and land claims a much more complicated issue in Canada.
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