Balfour Declaration
World War I dramatically altered the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. In 1917 British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour came to submit a letter of intent. The letter was supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The letter was done at the height of WWI. The hope was that a formal declaration would encourage support for the Allies in WWI. It is still known as the Balfour Declaration.
World War I ended in 1918 with an Allied victory. With it came the end of the 400-year rule of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain took control over what became known as Palestine. That is what is known today as Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
The Balfour Declaration and the British mandate over Palestine were approved by the League of Nations in 1922. Muslim majority nations vehemently opposed the Balfour Declaration. Their concern; a Jewish homeland subjects Muslim Palestinians to non-Muslim control. The British controlled Palestine until Israel became an independent state in 1947.
https://www.thoughtco.com/balfour-declaration-1778163
Has there ever been peace?
Throughout Israel’s long history, tensions have existed between Jews and Muslims. The complex hostility between the two groups dates all the way back to ancient times. Both groups populated the area and deemed it holy. Both Jews and Muslims consider the city of Jerusalem sacred. Jerusalem contains the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount includes the holy sites of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock… and more.
Much of the conflict in recent years has centered around who is occupying the following areas: The Gaza Strip which is a piece of land located between Egypt’s Suez Canal and modern-day Israel. The Golan Heights which is a rocky plateau overlooking northwestern Israel. And the West Bank which is a territory dividing southeastern Israel and Jordan.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11117/middle-east-tribal-culture
Zionism
Zionism emerged among the Jews in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was an organized religious and political movement. Zionists wanted to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. A large number of Jews immigrated to the ancient holy land where they built settlements. Between 1882 and 1903, about 35,000 Jews relocated to Palestine. Another 40,000 settled in the area between 1904 and 1914.
Fearing persecution during the Nazi reign many European Jews found refuge in Palestine. There they embraced Zionism. The Zionist movement focused on creating an independent Jewish state after the Holocaust at the end of World War II.
Muslims in Palestine resisted the Zionism movement. Tensions between the groups continue. A Muslim nationalist movement developed as a result. The United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Muslim state in 1947. The Muslims rejected it.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/a-definition-of-zionism
Independent Statehood
In May 1948, Israel was officially declared an independent state. David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency was the prime minister. This historic event seemed to be a victory for Jews. But it marked the beginning of more violence with the Muslims.
Following the announcement of an independent Israel five Muslim nations invaded. Those invading nations were Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. That invasion became known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Civil war broke out throughout all of Israel. A cease-fire agreement came in 1949. As part of the temporary armistice the West Bank became part of Jordan, and the Gaza Strip became Egyptian territory.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/state-of-israel-proclaimed