This is part 1 of a two-part series, and covers the origin of the conflict. In Part 2, we look at events that have led to continuing violence over the years.
Ottoman Empire was a state that controlled most of what is known as the Middle East today.
Their control of the region started in the 14th century and lasted pretty much till WWI.
Under the Ottoman Empire, modern-day Israel wasn’t Israel—it was Palestine and was mostly inhabited by Arab Muslims.
Now, towards the end of the 19th century, regions in Europe which identified with each other were coming together to form countries (e.g., Italy was founded in 1861 through the unification of city-states, republics, and other independent entities).
While all of this was happening, Jews also started a movement called Zionism (1897) which said Jews deserved a nation of their own.
Jews, by that time, had faced centuries of persecutionHostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs and believed a country of their own was the only hope for a safe future.
Now, the land of Israel has always been considered the holiest city by Jews, and between 1900 & 1910, thousands of Jews moved there.
After WWI, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and the control of the Middle East was divided between France & Britain.
The region of Palestine (called the British Mandate for Palestine) came under Britain, which allowed Jews migration to Israel.
Arab Muslims, who had so far dominated the area, felt threatened, and acts of violence became common.
By 1930, the British—trying to end violence—stopped Jews’ migration; Jews, who were upset with Britain’s change of stance, formed military groups to fight Arabs and resist Britain’s control.
Then when the German Nazi regime murdered millions of Jews (the holocaust) in Europe in 1941-1945, more Jews fled Europe to seek refuge in the region.
Suddenly, a “separate Jewish state” gained international support, and with more Jews arriving in Israel, the violence between the Arab Muslims & the Jews worsened.
This led to the United Nations dividing the region into two parts—one for Jews (Israel) and one for Arabs (Palestine); the British left and the city of Jerusalem, which has holy sites for Christians, Jews, and Muslims, was declared an international zone.
Arabs felt cheated with this UN proposal and declared war on Israel in 1948 to create a unified Arab Palestine.
Israel won the war, took control of much more land than was given to them under the UN proposal, and expelled huge Palestinian populations.
