Part 1: Israel-Palestine: Unraveling a Century-Old Conflict

The Jewish connection to the land of Israel dates back to ancient times, as recorded in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. According to these religious texts, God chose the Jewish people as His special people and promised them a homeland, the land of Israel. This covenant established a profound spiritual and territorial bond between the Jewish people and the land, which would shape Jewish identity and aspirations for millennia.

Around the 6th century BCE (Before Common Era), however, this bond was violently disrupted when Israel was conquered by the Babylonians. This event marked the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora, a period during which the Jews were exiled from their homeland and scattered across the globe. Over centuries, Jews faced significant hardships, including persecution and massacres, as they lived without a nation-state to call their own.

By the late 19th century, after enduring centuries of oppression, a movement known as Zionism began to take shape among influential Jewish leaders. The goal of Zionism was clear: the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel, the historical and biblical homeland of the Jewish people. In 1897, the World Zionist Organization was founded, and many Jews began to emigrate to Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, to lay the groundwork for this state.

However, the land they sought to settle was not empty. Palestine was already home to a significant Arab population, and tensions between Jews and Arabs began to escalate. After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and Palestine came under British control. In 1922, Britain was officially granted the mandate for Palestine, and Zionists saw an opportunity to advance their cause.

The turning point came in 1917, with the Balfour Declaration, in which the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, expressed support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This declaration provided the Zionist movement with a sense of legitimacy and a powerful endorsement from a major world power.

By 1945, the Jewish population in Palestine had grown significantly, constituting about 30% of the population. The horrors of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, underscored the urgent need for a Jewish state where Jews could live in safety and self-determination. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with 56% of the land allocated to the Jews and 43% to the Arabs.

On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was officially declared, fulfilling a long-held dream of the Jewish people. However, this declaration was met with immediate resistance from the surrounding Arab nations, leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which Israelis refer to as the War of Independence. The war ended in 1949 with a ceasefire, and Israel’s territory expanded beyond the original UN partition plan.

The Six-Day War in 1967 further altered the landscape, with Israel capturing additional territories, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Today, there are around 130 Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas that both Jews and Palestinians consider integral to their identities and aspirations.

Jerusalem, a city of immense religious significance to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, remains a focal point of the conflict. It is claimed as the capital by both Israel and Palestine, contributing to ongoing tensions and conflict. Israel’s key ally in this geopolitical struggle has been the United States, which provides diplomatic, military, and economic support.