Explainer: The History of the Israel-Palestinian Conflict – Reuters

Israel and Hamas have been engaged in conflict since October 7, when militants from Hamas launched an attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 253 hostages, according to Israeli data.

In retaliation, Israel initiated a military operation in Gaza, which has reportedly claimed the lives of over 41,500 Palestinians, based on figures from health authorities in Gaza. The crisis has led to the displacement of nearly the entire population of 2.3 million in the region, and extensive destruction of infrastructure.

This ongoing war in Gaza marks one of the deadliest phases in a longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has persisted for seven decades, contributing to instability throughout the Middle East.

Additionally, recent weeks have seen an escalation of hostilities along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where the Iran-supported group Hezbollah has stated it is acting in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lie in competing nationalisms and territorial disputes. In 1947, during the British mandate over Palestine, the United Nations proposed a partition plan to create both Arab and Jewish states, including international administration for Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab League.

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel just prior to the expiration of British rule, creating a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution and seeking a national homeland. Violence erupted soon after, culminating in an invasion by neighboring Arab states the day after Israel’s declaration.

The aftermath of the war saw around 700,000 Palestinians displaced, with many ending up in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. This event is referred to by Palestinians as the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, although Israel contests the claim that it forcibly expelled Palestinians.

Although fighting ceased with armistice agreements in 1949, no formal peace treaty was established. The descendants of Palestinians who remained in land that became Israel today make up about 20% of the country’s population.

Several significant wars and conflicts have occurred since then, including the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, among other territories. The Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 further escalated tensions.

Hamas, a Palestinian faction, gained control of Gaza after winning parliamentary elections in 2006, and subsequent major confrontations between Hamas and Israel have occurred intermittently since then.

Efforts to negotiate peace have seen limited success. Egypt was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by the Oslo Accords in 1993, which aimed to establish limited Palestinian autonomy. A peace summit in 2000 failed to produce a conclusive agreement.

A renewed focus on peace initiatives was seen during the Trump administration with the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, though Palestinian leaders refused to engage following the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Currently, ongoing discussions regarding a Gaza truce have yet to yield concrete results, as key issues such as the status of hostages, control of borders, and the release of Palestinian prisoners continue to hinder progress. The Biden administration has sought a broader peace agreement that involves Israel and Saudi Arabia, contingent on movement towards a Palestinian state, which Israeli leadership has dismissed.

The primary contentious issues remain the possibility of a two-state solution, Israeli settlements in occupied territories, the status of Jerusalem, agreed-upon borders, and the fate of Palestinian refugees, who number approximately 5.6 million today, many living in refugee camps and lacking citizenship. Palestinians continue to advocate for the right of return for refugees and their descendants, while Israel insists such resettlement must happen outside its borders.