The History of Israel 

During the rule of the Arabs and the Ottoman Empire, the Jewish nation had dispersed throughout the
world. Many millions lived in European countries. During World War II, Nazi Germany had hoped to
exterminate the Jewish people through the Holocaust. Millions of Jewish people were executed and
killed in concentration camps.
After the end of World War II the United Nations divided up Israel between Arab and Jewish states.
The Arabs rejected this division. On May 14, 1948 the Jewish people in the area proclaimed
independence, naming their country Israel. Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon immediately attacked and
the 1948 Arab-Israeli War began. After a year of fighting a ceasefire was declared and temporary
borders were established.
Hostilities continued between the Arabs and the Israelis in a series of wars including the Yom Kippur
War in 1973. Today the tensions and hostility still exists between the two.

Zionism Movement

Several events from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries proved that Jews were not
welcomed as equals. In Russia, violent pogroms (a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or
expelling an ethnic or religious group,) and economic instability pushed over two million people to
emigrate in the 1880s. The vast majority fled to North America, and a small fraction of pioneers
traveled to Palestine, the site of ancient Judaism’s origins. Some Jewish leaders, responding to the
growing nationalism and antisemitism. The modern political movement, known as Zionism, united the
religious impulse to “return” with secular ideas about constructing a European-style nation for Jews. It
is important to note that Zionism was but one form of Jewish nationalism that took hold in the
nineteenth century. Some Jews fought for territorial and political autonomy in different parts of the
globe, others fought for cultural autonomy in the nations where they lived. These Diaspora nationalist
movements mostly disappeared in 1948 when Israel became an independent state.

What is the Balfour Declaration?

The Balfour Declaration was a public pledge by Britain in 1917 declaring its aim to establish “a
national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. The statement came in the form of a letter from
Britain’s then-foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, addressed to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a figurehead of
the British Jewish community. It was made during World War I (1914-1918) and was included in the
terms of the British Mandate for Palestine after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The system
transferred rule from the territories that were previously controlled by the powers defeated in the war
– Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria – to the victors. The case of
Palestine, however, was unique. Unlike the rest of the post-war mandates, the main goal of the British
Mandate there was to create the conditions for the establishment of a Jewish “national home” Upon
the start of the mandate, the British began to facilitate the immigration of European Jews to Palestine.
Between 1922 and 1935, the Jewish population rose from nine percent to nearly 27 percent of the
total population. Though the Balfour Declaration included the caveat that “nothing shall be done which
may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”, the
British mandate was set up in a way to equip Jews with the tools to establish self-rule, at the expense
of the Palestinian Arabs. 
 How was it received by Palestinians and Arabs?

The British decision to settle Jews in Palestine was met with strong opposition from Palestinians and
Arabs, who saw it as a violation of their rights and a threat to their sovereignty. Arab leaders saw the
British support for Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine as a betrayal of the promises they
had made to support Arab independence during World War I. In 1920, Palestinian Arabs staged a
series of protests against Jewish immigration, which were met with violent repression by British
authorities. The conflict between Jews and Arabs over land and resources in Palestine continued to
escalate throughout the 1920s and 1930s, leading to increased violence and tension between the two
groups. Arab nationalist movements emerged, calling for an end to British rule and the establishment
of an independent Arab state in Palestine. These movements were fueled by resentment over the
British support for Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine. The situation came to a head in
1947, when the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.
Palestinian and Arab leaders rejected the plan, arguing that it violated their rights and would lead to
the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs from their homes. The resulting
conflict, known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, led to the establishment of the State of Israel and the
displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. The conflict over Palestine
continues to this day, with ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over land, resources,
and national identity.

Obstacle to peace 
The Arab-Israeli conflict is further complicated by preconceptions and demonizing of the other by both
sides. The Israelis see around them mostly undemocratic Arab states with underdeveloped
economies, backward cultural and social standards and an aggressive religion inciting hatred and
terrorism. The Arabs consider the Israelis colonial invaders and conquerors, who are aiming to control
the entire Middle East. There is resentment concerning Israeli success and Arab failure, and Israel is
viewed as a beachhead for Western interference in the Middle East. Polls on both sides show that
majorities among Israelis and Palestinians accept a two state solution, but Palestinians almost
unanimously stick to the right of return of the refugees to Israel, and most Israelis oppose a
Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.  

Research Topics: Events related to the creation of Israel  

Research the following topics and make brief notes in your pamphlet

● Zionism movement 

● The Balfour Declaration 

● White Paper 

● How did Arabs living in Palestine in 1948 feel about the creation of the new state of Israel?
● What was the outcome of the 1948 war between the new state of Israel and the Arab living in

and around Palestine?

● What is a refugee?

● In the Balfour Declaration (1917) the British promised their support for the establishment of

what?

● Britain took control over Palestine as a what?