A Historical Perspective on Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
In the literature of international relations, there are numerous perspectives on the origins of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Some articles focus on the prolonged wars over the lands considered sacred by both Jews and Muslims, while others emphasize the Arab-Israeli conflicts over the last 75 years since the establishment of Israel.1 Although the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict extend back in time, its escalation originates from tensions between Jewish settlers and local Arab residents in the early 20th century. The publication of the Balfour Declaration by the British government in 1917, which supported the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, and the establishment of the British mandate over Palestine in 1920 following World War I, intensified the conflict between the parties. The intermittent conflicts that continued until 1947 took on a new dimension with the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 181.2 The partition of the Palestinian territories into two states by the 1947 Partition Plan did not provide a lasting solution; instead, it became a catalyst for conflict. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which began with the establishment of the State of Israel, was an inevitable result of the longstanding hostilities and tensions between Zionism and Arab Nationalism.3 The war, which concluded in 1949 with Israel’s victory, had significant consequences not only for regional politics but also for international relations.4 Following the war, Israel expanded its territories beyond the boundaries set by the UN Partition Plan, while the Palestinian territories were occupied by Israel, Jordan (West Bank), and Egypt (Gaza Strip). While Israel, having declared its independence in 1948, became a state with internationally recognized borders, Palestine had to struggle for recognition as a nation. Alongside this legal imbalance between Israel and Palestine, the issue of Palestinian refugees, which emerged after the 1948 War, also awaited resolution.5
