The Full Story of Israel and Palestine

A Homeland Torn Apart: The Origins of the Conflict

The story of the Israel-Palestine conflict begins over a hundred years ago.

In the late 1800s, much of the Middle East, including Palestine, was part of the Ottoman Empire.

At the same time, in Europe, a new movement called Zionism was gaining momentum. Zionists, mostly European Jews, sought to establish a national homeland for Jewish people — and many believed Palestine, the ancient land of their ancestors, was the rightful place.

By the early 20th century, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased.

Meanwhile, the local Arab Palestinian population, Muslim and Christian, had lived there for centuries.

After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and Britain took control of Palestine under a League of Nations mandate.

The British made conflicting promises:

To Arabs: Independence in return for fighting the Ottomans.

To Jews: A "national home" in Palestine, through the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

Inevitably, tensions exploded.

As Jewish immigration increased — especially with Jews fleeing European anti-Semitism — clashes between Jews and Arabs became common.

Palestinians feared being displaced from their land.

Jewish settlers feared for their survival amid growing hostility.

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The Partition Plan and the Birth of Israel (1947–1948)

By 1947, Britain was exhausted and handed the problem over to the newly created United Nations.

The UN proposed a Partition Plan:

56% of the land for a Jewish state,

43% for an Arab state,

Jerusalem as an international city.

Jews accepted the plan — though some were disappointed they didn’t get more.

Arabs rejected it outright, feeling it was unfair to the Arab majority population.

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel.

Immediately, armies from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded.

Thus began the First Arab-Israeli War.

When the fighting ended in 1949, Israel controlled even more territory than originally proposed by the UN.

For Israelis, it was a miraculous victory — a homeland at last.

For Palestinians, it was a catastrophe — known as the Nakba ("catastrophe") — as over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, creating a massive refugee crisis.

The land that was supposed to become an Arab Palestinian state was divided between Israel, Jordan (which took the West Bank), and Egypt (which took Gaza).

No Palestinian state was created.

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Wars and Occupation: 1956, 1967, and 1973

After 1948, Israel found itself surrounded by hostile Arab nations.

Instead of peace, a cycle of wars began.

The Suez Crisis (1956)

In 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.

In response, Britain, France, and Israel coordinated a military attack on Egypt.

Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula but withdrew under U.S. and Soviet pressure.

The Six-Day War (1967)

In 1967, Israel preemptively struck Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.

In just six days, Israel captured:

Gaza and Sinai from Egypt,

The West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan,

The Golan Heights from Syria.

This dramatically changed the region.

Jerusalem — including its holy sites — came under full Israeli control.

Palestinians now lived under Israeli military occupation, with no nation and little hope.

The Yom Kippur War (1973)

In 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

After early setbacks, Israel regained ground.

This war led to American-brokered peace efforts and paved the way for Egypt’s future peace treaty with Israel.

But for Palestinians, the dream of statehood remained distant.

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The Rise of the PLO and Intifadas: A New Phase of Resistance

Feeling abandoned by Arab states, Palestinians took matters into their own hands.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by Yasser Arafat, became the main voice for Palestinian nationalism.

In the 1980s, frustration erupted into the First Intifada — a grassroots uprising marked by:

Street protests,

Civil disobedience,

Stone-throwing.

Israeli forces cracked down hard.

The world watched in horror, and pressure grew for a peace deal.

In 1993, secret talks resulted in the Oslo Accords:

Israel recognized the PLO.

The PLO recognized Israel.

Limited Palestinian self-rule was created.

Hope soared.

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The Second Intifada and the Collapse of the Peace Process

But peace proved elusive.

In 2000, after failed negotiations, a provocative visit by Israeli politician Ariel Sharon to the Al-Aqsa Mosque sparked the Second Intifada.

This uprising was far bloodier:

Suicide bombings,

Airstrikes,

Mass deaths.

The peace process collapsed.

Israel began building a separation wall, deepening divisions.

Hope dimmed.

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The Gaza Wars and the Rise of Hamas

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza.

But in 2006, Hamas — an Islamist group — won elections in Gaza.

Conflict with Israel escalated:

Hamas fired rockets into Israel,

Israel launched devastating military campaigns into Gaza,

Thousands of civilians died.

Gaza became a humanitarian disaster.

Meanwhile, the West Bank remained under Israeli occupation, increasingly fragmented by settlements.

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The Endless Cycle of Pain

Today, the Israel-Palestine conflict remains locked in tragedy.

Palestinians dream of freedom and a sovereign nation.

Israelis dream of peace and security.

Decades of war, occupation, terrorism, and injustice have fueled endless cycles of hatred and fear.

Extremists on both sides often drown out the voices calling for peace.

But hope endures.

Because ordinary people — Palestinians and Israelis — who believe in peace, justice, and coexistence still exist.

And as long as they do, the dream of peace, though battered, remains alive.

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Conclusion

The Israel-Palestine conflict is more than news headlines.

It’s a human story — of lost homes, lost dreams, and desperate hope.

Understanding its history is the first step toward building empathy — and maybe, one day, achieving peace.

Because both peoples deserve a future free from fear, pain, and endless war.