The conflict between Israel and Palestine 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 following are some key events that led to the current conflict:

• Balfour Declaration: In 1917, the British government issued a public statement announcing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

• United Nations Partition Plan: In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.

• Arab-Israeli War of 1948: The United Nations resolution sparked conflict between Jewish and Arab groups within Palestine. Fighting began with attacks by irregular bands of Palestinian Arabs attached to local units of the Arab Liberation Army composed of volunteers from Palestine and neighboring Arab countries. These groups launched their attacks against Jewish cities, settlements, and armed forces. After Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, the fighting intensified with other Arab forces joining the Palestinian Arabs in attacking territory in the former Palestinian mandate.

• Six-Day War: In 1967, Israel launched a preemptive attack on Egyptian and Syrian air forces, starting the Six-Day War. After the war, Israel gained territorial control over the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt; the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan; and the Golan Heights from Syria.

• First Palestinian Intifada: The first Palestinian Intifada erupted in the Gaza Strip in December 1987 after four Palestinians were killed when an Israeli truck collided with two vans carrying Palestinian workers. Protests spread rapidly to the West Bank with young Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli army tanks and soldiers. It also led to the establishment of the Hamas movement, an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that engaged in armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.

The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of lives lost and many millions of people displaced. The issues that the two sides cannot agree on include what should happen to Palestinian refugees and whether Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank should stay or be removed.