The conflict between Israel and Palestine is among the
world’s most enduring and complex disputes, with roots extending over a
century. It involves a struggle over land, identity, and political rights,
producing waves of violence, warfare, uprisings, and diplomatic efforts that
have shaped modern Middle Eastern geopolitics.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory known as
Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, home to a majority Arab population
alongside smaller Jewish communities. Following World War I and the defeat of
the Ottomans, Britain took control of Palestine under a League of Nations
mandate. The period saw increasing Jewish immigration, motivated by the Zionist
movement and, later, by the horrors of European anti-Semitism and the
Holocaust.
In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour
Declaration supporting the creation of a "national home for the Jewish
people" in Palestine. This promise clashed with the aspirations of
Palestinian Arabs who sought self-determination in their ancestral land. Rising
immigration and land purchases by Jewish settlers increased tensions, leading
to communal violence.
The Creation of Israel and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
The United Nations proposed partitioning Palestine in 1947
into separate Jewish and Arab states, leaving Jerusalem as an internationally
administered zone. While Jewish leaders accepted the plan, Arab leaders
rejected it, arguing it disproportionately favored the Jewish population.
On May 14, 1948, Israel declared independence, prompting
immediate military intervention by neighboring Arab countries. The resultant
1948-49 war left Israel in control of most of the territory designated for the
Jewish state plus additional areas. Meanwhile, approximately 750,000
Palestinians were displaced or fled, an event Palestinians call the Nakba
("catastrophe"), resulting in a long-standing refugee crisis.
Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip, Jordan annexed the WestBank and East Jerusalem, and Israel held West Jerusalem. This division sowed
the seeds for ongoing territorial dispute and conflict.
The 1967 Six-Day War and Its Consequences
Israel’s 1967 conflict with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, known
as the Six-Day War, dramatically altered the region’s boundaries. Israel
captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from
Syria, and the West Bank along with East Jerusalem from Jordan. These
territorial acquisitions exposed about one million Palestinians to Israeli
military occupation, significantly changing the political landscape.
While Israel later returned Sinai to Egypt following a peace
treaty, it annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, a status not widely
recognized internationally. The West Bank and Gaza remain highly contested,
subject to military control and settlement expansion, with Palestinians
demanding these areas as part of a future independent state.
Jerusalem: A City at the Heart of Dispute
Jerusalem carries deep religious and symbolic significance
for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Israel claims the entire city as its
capital, having controlled West Jerusalem since 1948 and capturing East
Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their
prospective state.
The city's holy sites, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
(Temple Mount to Jews), are flashpoints for tension and violence. The
international community generally recognizes East Jerusalem as occupied
territory subject to final status negotiations.
The Gaza Strip: Blockades, Governance, and Conflict
The Gaza Strip is
a densely populated coastal enclave bordered by Israel, Egypt, and the
Mediterranean Sea. Administered by Egypt after 1948, Gaza came under Israeli
occupation after 1967. Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005 but
continues to control its borders, airspace, and maritime access.
Hamas, an Islamist political and militant group, won Gaza’s
2006 elections and ousted the rival Palestinian Authority, leading to an
Israeli and Egyptian blockade citing security concerns. Repeated conflicts
between Hamas and Israel have caused extensive loss of life and humanitarian
crises, making Gaza a focal point of suffering and international concern.
Palestinians, Refugees, and the Right of Return
The Palestinian refugee issue remains a core conflict
dimension. Millions descended from those displaced in 1948 and subsequent wars
live in refugee camps primarily in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West
Bank. Palestinians insist on the right of return to their ancestral homes, a
claim Israel rejects as a demographic threat.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) provides
aid and services to these refugees, but its mandate and operations face
political and financial challenges, further complicating the refugee crisis.
The Peace Process and the Two-State Solution
International efforts to resolve the conflict have focused
on a two-state solution envisioning Israel and Palestine as two sovereign
states coexisting peacefully. The Oslo Accords of the 1990s initially set a
framework for peace negotiations and limited Palestinian self-rule.
However, subsequent talks have repeatedly stalled, with
disputes over borders, settlements, Jerusalem, security, and refugees remaining
unresolved. While the Palestinian Authority supports statehood, groups like
Hamas reject Israel’s existence. Israeli governments vary in their stances,
with some promoting settlement expansions and others pursuing negotiations.
The Current Situation and Prospects for Peace
Recent years have witnessed escalations in violence,
including the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and ensuing military offensives
resulting in widespread casualties. International organizations have condemned
violence on both sides and emphasized the humanitarian crisis, especially in
Gaza, with warnings of famine and shortages of essential supplies.
Efforts by countries and international bodies call for
renewed dialogue and de-escalation, but the conflict persists as
deep mistrust, historical grievances, and competing nationalisms complicate a
durable resolution.
- A
century-long dispute rooted in competing Jewish and Palestinian national
aspirations, intensified by British Mandate policies and Jewish
immigration.
- The
1948 creation of Israel led to war, Palestinian displacement, and contested
territorial boundaries.
- The
1967 Six-Day War expanded Israeli control, leaving Palestinians under
occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
- Jerusalem
remains a highly charged symbol and contested capital for both peoples.
- Gaza
struggles under blockade and conflict, governed by Hamas, with harsh
humanitarian conditions.
- Refugee
rights and returns remain central, unresolved issues.
- Multiple
peace efforts, including the Oslo Accords, have yet to achieve a final
two-state solution.
- Ongoing
violence and political deadlock continue to fuel instability and
suffering.