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Changes In The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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In the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history, dating back to when the region was dominated by British rule. Beginning long before the formation of the state of Israel in 1948, Israel and Palestine have clashed over who can claim the holy land. The Israelis believe that they should solely have possession of the holy land, being a gift from God to Abraham to Isaac, according to the Bible. Contradicting the Israelis, the Palestinians believe the holy land was given to Ishmael from Abraham, who is an ancestor to the Muslim people. From 1914 to modern times, Israel has underwent positive changes between the Israelis and Palestinians through the formation of declarations …show more content…

Beginning in 1917, the British seized Palestine from the Ottoman empire, followed by the signing of the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour Declaration stated that Palestine would become the “national home for the Jewish people”. Besides allowing the Jewish people to live in Palestine, the declaration also protected the rights of non-Jewish people in the region. For nearly 22 years, Jews fled into Palestine, forcing the British to set a limit on the amount of Jews entering Palestine. The British government established the “White Paper”, limiting the amount of Jews entering Palestine to 10,000 a year, except in cases of emergencies. The “White Paper” was the first time there would become a limit on the amount of Jews able to enter Palestine, since the Jews were allowed to enter Palestine in …show more content…

As the Nazis began killing Jews by the mass in Europe, Jews starting fleeing to Palestine in large numbers. Jewish armed groups began emerging in Palestine, fighting British authorities in pursuit of an independent Israeli state. The fighting in Palestine led to the United Nations dividing Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947. In less than a year, the British mandate ended and Israel declared independence. Beginning in 1948, the first Arab-Israeli war occurred and Israel gained more land than expected, including western Jerusalem. This war resulted in about two-thirds of the 1.2 million Arabs living in Palestine to flee the country. One major change occurring in Israel in 1956 was the reopening of the Suez Canal. Israel, along with Britain and France, invaded Europe in the Suez Crisis, opening back up shipping into Israel. In 1957, Israel with the help of France, began the construction of a large nuclear reactor, which became the basis of the country’s unconfirmed nuclear weapons program. In 1962, Israel began relations with President John F. Kennedy and the United States, who sold missiles to Israel. As the independent state of Israel began gaining power, they launched an attack on Egypt because the Straits of Tiran were closed, ending shipping from

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