The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a long-standing military and political conflict in the Levant that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced many millions of people. The conflict has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the birth of major nationalist movements among the Jews and among the Arabs, both geared towards attaining sovereignty for their people in the Middle East. The conflict pits Israeli demands for security in what it has long regarded as a hostile region against Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own. The following are some key events that have contributed to the conflict:

• 1947 UN Partition Plan: The United Nations voted to partition land in the British mandate of Palestine into two states – one Jewish, one Arab – following the destruction of much of European Jewry in the Holocaust. Neither the Palestinians nor the neighboring Arab countries accepted the founding of modern Israel.

• 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Fighting between Jewish armed groups and Palestinians escalated until the armies of Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, and Syria invaded after Israel declared independence in May 1948. The war ended in 1949 with Israel’s victory, but 750,000 Palestinians were displaced, and the territory was divided into three parts.

• 1967 Six-Day War: In 1967, Israel launched what it said was a pre-emptive defensive war against Jordan, Egypt, and Syria, as they appeared to be preparing to invade. The attack caught Arab governments by surprise and saw Israel achieve rapid victories, including seizing the Sinai peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan.

• Oslo Accords: The Oslo accords established the Palestinian National Authority, granting limited self-governance over patches of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Further negotiations were intended to resolve issues such as the status of Jerusalem, the future of the Israeli settlements, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

• Current conflict: Currently, Israel is at war with Hamas, a conflict following a horrific rampage on October 7, 2023, in which militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched attacks that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and took more than 240 hostage. Israel has responded with widespread bombardment of the Gaza Strip and a ground incursion, killing and injuring tens of thousands of Palestinians.

The conflict is complex and multifaceted, with many factors contributing to its longevity. Some of the key issues at the core of the dispute include a two-state solution, Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, and refugees.