Israel and Palestine

The ancient homeland of the Jews was the land around Jerusalem. The Jews were expelled from Israel during the diaspora in AD 70 and settled in other parts of the world. The land, now called Palestine, had for many years been part of the Ottoman empire. The Jews’ desire to return to their homeland led to a long conflict with the people living there.

Most Palestinians were Arabs. Small numbers of Jews, known as Zionists, began to settle in Palestine during the 1880s. In 1917, Britain declared its support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Ottoman empire was breaking up following Turkey’s defeat in World War I. The new League of Nations gave Britain its mandate (permission) to rule Palestine in the short term.

Jews continued to settle in Palestine, especially during the 1930s when the Nazis in Germany began to persecute German Jews. To escape imprisonment or murder, those Jews who could began to leave Germany. Some moved to Palestine.

The growing numbers of immigrants led to fighting between Jews and Arabs, and Britain tried to restrict the numbers of settlers allowed in.

After World War II, many more Jews wanted to move to Palestine. Britain took the matter to the United Nations and, in 1947, it was decided to split Palestine into two states, one Jewish and the other Arab. Jerusalem would become an international city, because it was scared to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The Jews agreed to this, but the Arabs did not. Britain gave up its mandate on 14 May, 1948 and, on the same day, the Jewish leader David Ben-Gurion announced the founding of the state of Israel. The Arab League (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Egypt) declared war on Israel and attacked. Israel quickly defeated them, gaining even more territory.