How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Began | History. Content Warning.
Jewish people faced oppression and persecution. They started emigrating to Palestine in the 1880s. By 1914, over 75,000 Jews lived there. After WWI, Britain took control of the area. In 1922, the League of Nations approved a British declaration for a Jewish homeland. However, it took over two decades to fulfill this promise. WWII erupted in 1939, resulting in the Holocaust and displacement of millions of Jews. In 1947, the UN decided to divide Palestine into two states, Israel and Palestine. Arab residents saw this partition as unfair and violence erupted. On May 14th, 1948, Israel was established, but the Arab League rejected it and attacked. Israel fought back and occupied the designated Arab state. This victory caused 720,000 Arabs to flee or be expelled from their homes. Tension between Jews and Arab Muslims persisted for decades. Fighting continued between Israel and its Arab neighbors for the next 60 years. In 1987, the First Intifada began with Palestinian militias leading a violent uprising.
