The ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians stands as one of the world’s most enduring and intensely contested disputes. Spanning over a century, its origins are deeply embedded in complex historical, political, and territorial claims. This enduring struggle has manifested in numerous wars between Israel and neighboring Arab nations, Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation, and forceful Israeli responses, shaping a cycle of violence and resentment that continues to this day. The core issues of land ownership, border demarcation, and fundamental rights remain unresolved, fueling the latest confrontations, including the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and impacting the lives of millions.
The Genesis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Palestine Before 1948
Prior to 1948, the region known as Palestine was under British control, a consequence of the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in World War I. For centuries before, this land was part of the Ottoman Empire. Within Palestine, diverse communities coexisted, with an Arab majority alongside a Jewish minority and other ethnic groups.
However, tensions began to escalate following the UK’s 1917 Balfour Declaration, which expressed support for the establishment of a “national home” for Jewish people in Palestine. While Jewish people held historical connections to the land, Palestinian Arabs also possessed long-standing ties and vehemently opposed the proposition. The British government, while making this pledge, also stated that the rights of existing Palestinian Arabs must be protected, creating a contradiction that would become increasingly difficult to manage.
Between the 1920s and 1940s, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased significantly, driven by factors including rising antisemitism and persecution in Europe. The horrors of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were systematically murdered, amplified the urgency for a secure homeland for Jewish people. By 1947, the Jewish population in Palestine had grown to approximately 630,000, representing over 30% of the total population.
In 1947, amidst escalating violence between Jewish and Arab communities and growing unrest against British rule, the United Nations (UN) proposed a partition plan. This plan called for dividing Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem designated as an international city. Arab nations rejected the UN plan, arguing it unfairly allocated a larger portion of land to the Jewish population, who were still a minority. Britain abstained from the UN vote and announced its withdrawal from Palestine, setting the date for the end of its mandate as 14 May 1948, effectively passing the responsibility to the UN.
As British rule drew to a close, Jewish leaders in Palestine declared the establishment of the independent State of Israel just hours before the mandate expired. Israel gained UN recognition the following year.
The 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Israel’s War of Independence and the Palestinian Nakba
The day following Israel’s declaration of independence, the newly formed state found itself under attack from the combined armies of five Arab nations. This conflict became known in Israel as the War of Independence.
By the time armistice agreements were reached in 1949, Israel had expanded its control over a significant portion of the territory. The agreements left the Gaza Strip under Egyptian control and the West Bank and East Jerusalem under Jordanian control, while Israel controlled West Jerusalem.
The 1948 war had a profound and lasting impact on the Palestinian population. An estimated 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in what became Israel, becoming refugees. This event is known to Palestinians as the Nakba, meaning “the Catastrophe.”
In the years following the 1948 war, a parallel movement occurred as hundreds of thousands of Jews were displaced from or chose to leave Muslim-majority countries across the Middle East and North Africa, with many immigrating to Israel.
The 1967 Six-Day War: A Turning Point
The 1967 Middle East war, also known as the Six-Day War, dramatically reshaped the geopolitical map of the region and had far-reaching consequences for Palestinians. The war pitted Israel against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.
The conflict erupted when Israel, perceiving an imminent threat from Egypt and Syria, launched a preemptive strike against the Egyptian air force. In the ensuing six days of fighting, Israel achieved a decisive victory, capturing the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan.
As a result of the Six-Day War, approximately one million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem came under Israeli control, marking the beginning of a prolonged military occupation that continues to this day in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
While Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 and withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, it annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, incorporating them into Israel. These annexations remain unrecognized by most of the international community.
The West Bank: Occupation and Settlements
The West Bank, situated between Israel and the Jordan River, is currently home to an estimated three million Palestinians. Together with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the West Bank constitutes what are widely termed the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Palestinians strongly oppose Israel’s presence in these territories and aspire to establish an independent Palestinian state encompassing these areas, a position supported by the overwhelming majority of the international community.
While Israel maintains overall control of the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority, established in the 1990s as part of the Oslo Accords, exercises limited governance over Palestinian towns and cities within the West Bank.
Adding to the complexity of the situation are approximately 150 Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, housing around 700,000 Jewish settlers. Palestinians demand the removal of all settlements, viewing them as illegal under international law.
However, the Israeli government disputes the illegality of the settlements, asserting historical rights to the land and considering the larger settlement blocs as permanent. Furthermore, the Israeli government does not recognize the Palestinian right to statehood, claiming the West Bank as part of the historical Jewish homeland. Since 2022, the Israeli government has pursued policies to expand settlement construction. It argues that a Palestinian state would pose a security threat to Israel.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest court, issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is illegal. The ICJ called for Israel to withdraw all settlers and declared Israel in breach of international agreements concerning racism and apartheid.
Jerusalem: A City Divided and Disputed
Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, making the city a central point of contention in the conflict.
Israel, which already controlled West Jerusalem, occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and subsequently declared the entire city as its unified and eternal capital, asserting that Jerusalem should never be divided again.
Conversely, Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. East Jerusalem’s population is predominantly Palestinian, with only a small fraction having acquired Israeli citizenship.
Jerusalem is also home to highly sensitive holy sites that lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The most revered site, known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is located in East Jerusalem.
The UN and the majority of the international community consider East Jerusalem to be Palestinian territory occupied by Israel.
The Gaza Strip: Blockade and Conflict
The Gaza Strip is a narrow territory bordered by Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. With a length of 41km (25 miles) and a width of 10km, it is one of the most densely populated areas globally, home to approximately 2.3 million people.
Even prior to the latest war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza faced severe socio-economic challenges, including extremely high unemployment rates, widespread poverty, and reliance on international food aid.
Gaza’s boundaries were established after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, during which it came under Egyptian control. Israel occupied Gaza during the 1967 war, establishing settlements and imposing military rule over the Palestinian population.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza. However, it maintained control over Gaza’s borders, airspace, and coastline, effectively controlling the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory. The UN still considers Gaza to be occupied territory due to Israel’s continued control.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, won Palestinian elections in 2006 and subsequently seized control of Gaza in 2007 after clashes with rival Palestinian factions. In response, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza, with Israel controlling the majority of goods permitted to enter.
Since then, Hamas and Israel have engaged in multiple major conflicts, including wars in 2008-09, 2012, and 2014, and a significant escalation in May 2021. Each conflict has resulted in casualties on both sides, with Palestinians in Gaza suffering disproportionately.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack from Gaza into Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and the abduction of over 250 hostages.
This attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis. As of June 2025, more than 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Despite ongoing international efforts to mediate a ceasefire, the conflict continues, causing immense suffering and destruction.
The Question of Palestinian Statehood
In May 2024, a significant majority of United Nations General Assembly members, 143 out of 193, voted in favor of a resolution supporting Palestinian full membership in the UN, a status reserved for states.
Palestine is currently recognized at the UN as the “State of Palestine” with “Permanent Observer State” status, granting it participation rights but not voting rights in the General Assembly.
However, several countries, including some European nations and the United States, do not recognize Palestinian statehood, maintaining that recognition should only come as part of a comprehensive political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
While the UK Parliament voted in favor of recognizing Palestine in 2014, the UK government has not officially extended recognition. In 2021, the government stated that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state “at a time of our choosing, and when it best serves the objective of peace.”
Israel fundamentally opposes the creation of an independent Palestinian state, particularly in the West Bank, citing security concerns and historical claims to the territory.
The Plight of Palestinian Refugees
Approximately 5.9 million Palestinians are registered as refugees with the UN. These refugees are descendants of Palestinians who were displaced from their homes in the territory that became Israel during the 1948-49 war.
The majority of Palestinian refugees reside in Jordan, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon, often living in refugee camps and facing precarious living conditions.
Palestinians assert the right of return for refugees to their former homes, a key demand in peace negotiations. However, Israel has consistently rejected this right, arguing that it would alter Israel’s demographic character and pose security challenges. Israel also criticizes the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for extending refugee status to subsequent generations of descendants.
The Two-State Solution: A Path to Peace?
The “two-state solution” is a widely endorsed framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It envisions the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting peacefully alongside Israel.
Despite international support, Israel rejects the two-state solution as a pre-condition, insisting that any final settlement must be reached through direct negotiations with the Palestinians, without preconditions on statehood.
While the Palestinian Authority supports the two-state solution, Hamas opposes the existence of Israel and, therefore, rejects this framework. Hamas has indicated a willingness to consider an interim Palestinian state based on 1967 borders without formally recognizing Israel, contingent upon the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Past attempts to resolve the conflict include the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, which aimed to establish a framework for peace talks. However, these talks ultimately collapsed, with both sides blaming each other for the failure to achieve a lasting peace. The question of why Israel and Palestine are at war is therefore not simple, but deeply rooted in history, territorial disputes, and unresolved grievances that continue to fuel the conflict.
