Israel how long has it been a country

The British government hoped that the formal declaration—known thereafter as the Balfour Declaration —would encourage support for the Allies in World War I. Arabs vehemently opposed the Balfour Declaration, concerned that a Jewish homeland would mean the subjugation of Arab Palestinians. The complex hostility between the two groups dates all the way back to ancient times when they both populated the area and deemed it holy.

Both Jews and Muslims consider the city of Jerusalem sacred. In the late 19th and early 20th century, an organized religious and political movement known as Zionism emerged among Jews. Zionists wanted to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Massive numbers of Jews immigrated to the ancient holy land and built settlements. Between and , about 35, Jews relocated to Palestine. Another 40, settled in the area between and Many Jews living in Europe and elsewhere, fearing persecution during the Nazi reign , found refuge in Palestine and embraced Zionism.

Arabs in Palestine resisted the Zionism movement, and tensions between the two groups continue. An Arab nationalist movement developed as a result. The United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state in , but the Arabs rejected it. In May , Israel was officially declared an independent state with David Ben-Gurion , the head of the Jewish Agency, as the prime minister.

While this historic event seemed to be a victory for Jews, it also marked the beginning of more violence with the Arabs. Following the announcement of an independent Israel, five Arab nations—Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria , and Lebanon—immediately invaded the region in what became known as the Arab-Israeli War.

Civil war broke out throughout all of Israel, but a cease-fire agreement was reached in As part of the temporary armistice agreement, the West Bank became part of Jordan, and the Gaza Strip became Egyptian territory. Numerous wars and acts of violence between Arabs and Jews have ensued since the Arab-Israeli War. Some of these include:. Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians are still commonplace. Key territories of land are divided, but some are claimed by both groups.

For instance, they both cite Jerusalem as their capital. Both groups blame each other for terror attacks that kill civilians. Several countries have pushed for more peace agreements in recent years.

Many have suggested a two-state solution but acknowledge that Israelis and Palestinians are unlikely to settle on borders. The Star of David symbolizes the gathering of the Jewish People from all corners of the world, including Georgia country of birth of the artist , Morocco, Russia, America, China, Ethiopia, Europe and other countries joining together and dancing in celebration. Other images inside the star symbolize modern Israeli industry, agriculture and military.

The images on the margins of the picture symbolize the major threats that the Jewish People faced in Exile starting from the Exodus from Egypt, followed by Romans, Arabs, and culminating in the gas-chambers of the Holocaust in Europe. Written by: Israel Hanukoglu, Ph. Quote from Charles Krauthammer - The Weekly Standard, May 11, "Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3, years ago.

The Greeks generally allowed the Jews to run their state. The actions of the Greeks led to the initiation of a revolt by the Maccabean family. Their rebellion succeeded, and the Maccabean family established an independent rule. The events related to this victory against the Greek army are celebrated during the Hanukah holiday.

Jews were then exiled and dispersed to the Diaspora. Subsequently, the Romans decimated the Jewish community, renamed Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina and Judea as Palaestina to obliterate Jewish identification with the Land of Israel the word Palestine, and the Arabic word Filastin originate from this Latin name.

The remaining Jewish community moved to northern towns in the Galilee. Later, the Jewish community in Jerusalem expanded by immigration of Jews from Europe.

The population of the Jewish community in Jerusalem increased. They split the Palestine mandate into an Arab state, that has become Jordan, and Israel. Britain, unable to find a practical solution, referred the problem to the United Nations, which in November voted to partition Palestine. The Palestinian Arabs, aided by volunteers from other countries, fought the Zionist forces, but by May 14, , the Jews had secured full control of their U.

On May 14, Britain withdrew with the expiration of its mandate, and the State of Israel was proclaimed. The Israelis, though less well equipped, managed to fight off the Arabs and then seize key territory, such as Galilee, the Palestinian coast, and a strip of territory connecting the coastal region to the western section of Jerusalem. In , U. The departure of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs from Israel during the war left the country with a substantial Jewish majority.

In , Israel and Egypt signed a historic peace agreement in which Israel returned the Sinai in exchange for Egyptian recognition and peace. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process moved slowly, however, and throughout the 21st major fighting between Israelis and Palestinians has resumed in Israel and the occupied territories.

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