Significance of Jerusalem

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Overview

On January 7, Israel announced that it had successfully destroyed the fighting forces of Hamas in northern Gaza. After that Israel shifted its focus to the central and southern parts of Gaza to do the same. More than 85 % of the people in Gaza fled their homes when Israel began its military operation there. Attacks on medical infrastructure and a lack of basic supplies also reduced the number of functioning hospitals. Meanwhile, the United States has conducted shuttle diplomacy to reduce regional tensions. Israel has killed so many Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. It also increased its air strikes against Iran-linked targets those are located in Syria. Iran also backed the groups who have launched so many attacks on U.S. military positions in Iraq and Syria. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted missiles at Israel and many commercial ships in the Red Sea as well....

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Ancient History

Ancient history of Israel mainly known from the Hebrew Bible. Israel’s origins traced back to Abraham, father of Judaism and Islam. Abraham’s descendants enslaved by Egyptians before settling in Canaan (modern-day Israel). King David ruled around 1000 BCE, Solomon built First Temple in Jerusalem around 957 BCE. Region divided into Israel (north) and Judah (south) around 931 BCE. Assyrians invaded and destroyed Israel around 722 BCE. Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 6th century BCE, destroyed First Temple, exiled Jews. Jews allowed to return to Judah by Emperor Cyrus of Achaemenid Empire in 538 BCE, rebuilt Second Temple. Romans destroyed Second Temple in 70 CE during Jewish-Roman War. Hadrian expelled Jews from Jerusalem after Bar Khokba Revolt (132-136 AD), renamed Judea to Syria Palaestina. Israel conquered and ruled by Persians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Ottomans, among others, over centuries....

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Background

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has its origins in the late nineteenth century. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, also known as the Partition Plan, with the aim of dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was established, triggering the first Arab-Israeli War. The conflict concluded in 1949 with Israel emerging victorious, however, it resulted in the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians and the division of the territory into three parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip....

Mandatory Palestine

After World War I, the British established Mandatory Palestine, intending to govern until Palestinians were ready for self-rule. Jews from Europe migrated to Palestine, seeking to create their homeland, encouraged by the British supporting the Balfour Declaration. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Jewish population in Palestine increased significantly with British support. Tensions rose between the growing Jewish communities and the Arabs during this time. In 1936, Palestinian Arabs revolted against the British, viewing themselves increasingly as a nation. The British suppressed the revolt with the help of Jewish militias. Post-revolt, the British issued a white paper limiting Jewish immigration and proposed a joint Jewish-Arab state in ten years. During World War II, many Jews fleeing the Holocaust were illegally brought to Palestine by Jewish organizations due to immigration restrictions. Tensions continued to rise, leading the British to hand the issue over to the United Nations. In 1947, the UN proposed separate Palestinian and Jewish states in Palestine, but the plan was rejected by the Arabs....

Formation of the State of Israel

In May 1948, Israel became an independent state, with David Ben Gurion serving as Prime Minister. Shortly after this declaration, the Arab-Israeli War erupted in 1948, with five Arab states Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt invading Israel. A ceasefire was declared in 1949, resulting in Jordan controlling the West Bank and Egypt gaining control of the Gaza Strip. However, Israel, having emerged victorious, ended up with more territory than originally planned by the UN. East Jerusalem came under Jordanian control. Over 700,000 Palestinians fled the area, becoming refugees in neighboring Arab nations. Palestinians refer to this war as the Nakba, meaning catastrophe, as they were left stateless. Tensions rose again in 1956 when Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, leading to the Suez Crisis. Israel attacked the Sinai Peninsula and regained control of the canal with support from Britain and France....

Significance of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is claimed by both Israel and Palestine as their own, with Israel asserting it as its capital and Palestinians advocating for freedom and self-determination. The city holds religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with numerous sacred sites. After Israel’s independence in 1948, Jerusalem was divided into western and eastern parts....

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Concerns

After conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, President Joe Biden voiced strong support for Israel. On the same day, the United States announced plans to send more weapons and move its warships closer to Israel in the Mediterranean Sea....

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Recent Developments

In early October 2023, conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza since 2006, marking a major escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas fighters launched rockets into Israel and invaded southern Israeli cities and towns near Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 1,300 Israelis, injuries to 3,300, and the capture of numerous hostages....

Israel-Palestine Conflict – Past Major Wars

Here are the past major wars before Israel Palestine Conflict as mentioned below....

FAQs – Israel-Palestine Conflict

What is the Israel Palestine conflict in simple terms?...