This is a summary of the history of the land of Israel that I have gathered from various sources and jumbled together:
The origins of Israel can be traced back to Abraham, who is considered the patriarch of both Judaism (through his son Isaac) and Islam (through his son Ishmael). Abraham's descendants are believed to have been enslaved by the Egyptians for several centuries before settling in the region of Canaan, which roughly corresponds to modern-day Israel. The name "Israel" is derived from Jacob, Abraham's grandson, who was renamed "Israel" by the Hebrew God as mentioned in the Bible.
Around 1000 B.C., King David ruled the region, and his son King Solomon is credited with the construction of the first holy temple in ancient Jerusalem. In approximately 931 B.C., the region was divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
In 722 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel was invaded and destroyed by the Assyrians, while in 568 B.C., the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the first temple. It was subsequently replaced by a second temple around 516 B.C. Over the following centuries, the land of modern-day Israel saw various rulers, including the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Fatimids, Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, Egyptians, Mamluks, Islamists, and others.
From 1517 to 1917, the region that encompasses present-day Israel, along with much of the Middle East, was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign, a diaspora of Jewish people from their homeland occurred, leading to widespread oppression of Jews worldwide. In response, the Zionist movement was sparked in 1880, as Jews slowly began to migrate back to Israel.
After World War I ended in 1918 with an Allied victory, the 400-year rule of the Ottoman Empire came to an end, and Great Britain assumed control over what would later become known as Palestine (encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan).
Zionists sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leading to significant Jewish immigration and the establishment of settlements. Between 1882 and 1903, approximately 35,000 Jews relocated to Palestine, with an additional 40,000 settling in the area between 1904 and 1914. Many Jews, fearing persecution during the Nazi era, found refuge in Palestine and embraced Zionism.
Following the Holocaust and the end of World War II, the focus of the Zionist movement shifted toward creating an independent Jewish state. This endeavor encountered resistance from the Arab population in Palestine, leading to ongoing tensions. An Arab nationalist movement emerged in response.
In 1947, the United Nations decided to partition Palestine into two states: a Jewish state of Israel and an Arab state of Palestine. While Israel agreed to the partition, the Arab nations rejected it, leading to violence initiated by the Arab Palestinians.
Almost immediately, the Arab League, consisting of states such as Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, rejected the UN's partition and launched an attack. It is essential to clarify that the Arab states initiated the conflict, not the Jewish state of Israel.
Israel defended itself, and after more than nine months of conflict, Israeli forces took control of most of the land designated by the UN for Palestine. Egypt assumed control of the Gaza Strip, while Jordan (then TransJordan) took over the West Bank. The original plan for a Palestinian state was abandoned due to Palestinian actions.
While many Jews saw this as a victory, many Palestinian civilians were displaced and fled their homes. It is crucial to emphasize that the responsibility for this displacement lies with the Arab nations. These refugees sought refuge in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, leading to escalating tensions in the following decades, including intermittent fighting caused by extremist Islamic terror groups targeting Israeli civilians.
In 1964, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (P.L.O) was formed to consolidate the power of various small Palestinian groups fighting against the Jewish state of Israel. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel successfully defended against attacks from Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, resulting in significant territorial gains, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula.
In 1987, a collision between an Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) truck and a civilian car led to the outbreak of the First Intifada, a violent uprising led by Palestinian militias. The ensuing violence resulted in around 200 Israeli deaths and approximately 1,500 Israeli civilian casualties. Israel's defensive actions also led to significant casualties among Palestinian militia groups.
Following the First Intifada, Israel agreed to a temporary peace treaty with the P.L.O, extending until the year 2000. It's worth noting that this agreement came after the P.L.O had initiated attacks in response to a car accident. Subsequent peace talks after 2000 failed to yield an agreement, primarily due to disputes over issues such as the status of Jerusalem, the rights of refugees, and the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.
In 2000, Ariel Sharon, who would later become Israel's Prime Minister, visited the Temple Mount, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, an action perceived as offensive by many Palestinians. This led to violent protests, riots, attacks, and suicide bombings, sparking the Second Intifada, which lasted for nearly five years and effectively ended prospects for peace. The violence ceased in 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, returning the land to Palestinian control, despite earlier attacks.
In 2006, Hamas, a militant Sunni Islamist group, won the Palestinian legislative elections. Many countries, including Israel, consider Hamas a terrorist organization due to its use of tactics like suicide bombings and its call for the destruction of Israel. Tensions and clashes between Hamas and Israel continued.
In 2017, Hamas called for the formation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, but this call did not formally recognize Israel as a state. Consequently, Israel did not accept the proposal, as it would essentially threaten its existence as a nation.
In my opinion, according to history, Israel is more justified in their attack on Hamas in Palestine.
But I would like your thoughts and opinions.
