IsraelinPalestiinan

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a long-standing dispute over territory, sovereignty, and national identity primarily involving Israel and the Palestinian territories. The roots of the conflict trace back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Jewish immigrants began settling in the Ottoman Empire’s Palestinian region, then known as Palestine. After World War I, the region came under British control as part of the League of Nations mandate, with the British administration fostering Jewish immigration while also managing Arab-majority populations.

In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international control. The Jewish leadership accepted the plan, while Arab leaders rejected it. This led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, resulting in Israel’s declaration of independence and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event known as the *Nakba* ("catastrophe") in Palestinian history. Israel gained control of more territory than originally allocated, while neighboring Arab states occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In 1967, the Six-Day War led to Israel’s capture of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. The occupation of these territories remains a central issue, with Palestinians advocating for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, while Israel maintains control over security and settlement expansion. The 1993 Oslo Accords aimed to establish a framework for Palestinian self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza, but negotiations have since stalled, with ongoing tensions over settlements, security, and borders.

The conflict has been marked by multiple wars, including the 2008–2009 Gaza War, the 2014 Gaza conflict, and periodic clashes in the West Bank. Key issues include the status of Jerusalem (claimed as the capital by both Israel and Palestine), the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and the future of settlements in the West Bank. International efforts, including peace initiatives and UN resolutions, have sought to address these disputes, but no permanent resolution has been achieved. The conflict continues to shape regional and global politics, with ongoing humanitarian concerns, displacement, and calls for a two-state solution or alternative frameworks.