The history of Israel and Palestine is one of the most complex and contested stories in modern geopolitics. To understand the ongoing conflict, it is essential to examine the events surrounding Israel’s establishment in 1948, the wars that followed, the dispute over the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the repeated failures to achieve a lasting peace.
The Birth of Israel and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Following the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany and its collaborators murdered approximately six million Jews, the demand for a secure Jewish homeland became increasingly urgent. Many Jewish survivors faced displacement, antisemitism and difficulties rebuilding their lives in postwar Europe.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, recommending the partition of British Mandatory Palestine into independent Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under a special international administration. The Jewish leadership accepted the partition plan, while Arab Palestinian leaders and neighbouring Arab states rejected it, arguing that it violated the rights and aspirations of the Arab majority living in Palestine.
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel. The following day, armies from Egypt, Transjordan (now Jordan), Syria, Lebanon and Iraq entered the conflict. Israel survived the war and expanded beyond the boundaries proposed in the UN partition plan. However, the war also resulted in the displacement and flight of approximately 700,000 Palestinians, an event Palestinians remember as the Nakba, or catastrophe.
The establishment of Israel was therefore both a defining moment of Jewish national self-determination and the beginning of a profound Palestinian national tragedy. Both histories are essential to understanding the conflict today.
The West Bank Before and After 1967
The West Bank takes its name from its location on the western side of the Jordan River. Following the 1948 war, Jordan controlled the territory and later annexed it, extending Jordanian citizenship to many Palestinians living there. No independent Palestinian state was established in the West Bank during that period.
However, it would be historically inaccurate to suggest that Palestinians did not exist as a people before 1967. Palestinian Arab national identity had developed earlier, and Palestinians had already expressed political aspirations for self-determination. The absence of an independent Palestinian government did not mean the absence of a Palestinian people.
The situation changed dramatically during the Six-Day War of June 1967. Israel fought Egypt, Jordan and Syria and captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Israel subsequently withdrew from Sinai under its peace agreement with Egypt, but the West Bank and East Jerusalem remained central to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Since 1967, the territory has remained at the heart of competing national claims, Israeli security concerns, Palestinian demands for statehood and international disputes over occupation, settlements and borders.
Why History Matters to Christians
For Christians, understanding this history is important because the land is deeply connected to biblical history, Jewish heritage and the origins of Christianity. Praying for the Jewish people, supporting their right to live in safety and opposing antisemitism are meaningful expressions of concern for their welfare.
At the same time, compassion should extend to Palestinian civilians who have endured displacement, conflict and uncertainty for generations. Supporting peace does not require denying either people's history or suffering.
The central lesson is that historical grievances, competing national claims and religious attachments cannot be resolved through violence alone. A durable settlement must protect the security of Israel, uphold Palestinian rights and provide a credible path towards peace.
Understanding history is not about choosing which people's suffering matters. It is about understanding how the conflict began, why it continues and what is necessary to bring it to an end.
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