The Arab-Israeli conflict is a broad term for conflicts involving Israel, Palestinians, and several neighboring Arab countries. Over time, Israel made peace with some neighboring countries, but the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians remained unresolved.
The land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River has been home to different peoples for thousands of years. Jewish people and Palestinian Arabs both have deep historical, cultural, and religious connections to this land.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, political movements developed among both groups. Zionism supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the land historically connected to the Jewish people. The movement grew partly in response to antisemitism and persecution of Jews in Europe. Palestinian Arabs also developed national movements seeking political independence and opposed increasing Jewish immigration and the creation of a Jewish state.
After World War I, Great Britain governed the area, then known as Palestine. Tensions between Jewish and Arab communities increased. Jewish immigration grew, especially as Jews fled persecution in Europe before and during World War II and after the Holocaust.
In 1947, the United Nations proposed dividing Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem placed under international administration. Jewish leaders accepted the plan. Palestinian Arab leaders and surrounding Arab countries rejected it.
War and the Creation of Israel
In May 1948, Jewish leaders declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Armies from several neighboring Arab countries entered the fighting, beginning the first Arab-Israeli War. By the time fighting ended in 1949, Israel controlled more territory than the United Nations partition plan had proposed for the Jewish state.
The war had very different consequences for Israelis and Palestinians. For Jewish Israelis, 1948 marked the establishment and survival of an independent Jewish state. For Palestinians, the war brought widespread displacement. More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes. Palestinians refer to this displacement as the Nakba, an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe.” Many Palestinian refugees settled in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and neighboring countries. What should happen to Palestinian refugees and their descendants became one of the major unresolved questions of the conflict.
The Six-Day War
Another major turning point came in 1967. Israel fought Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in a conflict known as the Six-Day War. Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, as well as the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.
The war greatly changed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Large numbers of Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza came under Israeli control. Israel later returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt as part of a peace agreement, but the status of other territories remained disputed.
Israel also established settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United Nations and most countries consider these settlements to violate international law. Israel disputes this interpretation. The settlements remain one of the major disagreements between Israelis and Palestinians.
Attempts at Peace
Palestinians continued to seek greater political independence. The Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, became a major organization representing Palestinian national goals. Beginning in 1987, a Palestinian uprising known as the First Intifada challenged Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza.
In the 1990s, Israeli and Palestinian leaders entered direct negotiations. The Oslo Accords created the Palestinian Authority, which received limited self-government in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. The agreements were an important attempt at reaching peace, but they left several difficult questions unresolved, including Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders, and security.
Violence continued in the decades that followed. A second Palestinian uprising began in 2000. In 2005, Israel removed its settlements and permanent military forces from inside Gaza. Israel continued to control Gaza’s airspace, coastline, and most access across its borders, while Egypt controlled its border crossing with Gaza.
In 2007, Hamas, a Palestinian political and armed organization, took control of Gaza after fighting with its Palestinian rival Fatah. Israel and Egypt then placed major restrictions on movement into and out of Gaza. Hamas and other armed groups carried out attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks, while Israel conducted military operations in Gaza.
Hamas does not represent all Palestinians, and Palestinians hold a wide range of political views. Israelis also disagree with one another about their government’s policies and about how the conflict should be resolved.
A New War
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups attacked communities and military sites in southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 people were taken hostage. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Israel responded by launching a major military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
The war caused widespread destruction and displacement in Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including civilians and fighters. A ceasefire that began in October 2025 greatly reduced the large-scale fighting and led to the return of the remaining hostages and hostage remains. However, violations of the ceasefire, violence, and serious humanitarian and political problems have continued.
Why Has the Conflict Continued?
There is no single cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It developed over many decades as Israelis and Palestinians pursued national goals connected to the same land. Wars, displacement, security concerns, terrorism, military control, settlements, and failed negotiations added new problems over time.
Several major questions remain unresolved. Where should the borders of Israel and a possible Palestinian state be drawn? What should happen to Palestinian refugees and their descendants? What should the political status of Jerusalem be? How can Israelis be protected from attacks? How can Palestinians achieve self-determination and greater control over their political future? What should happen to Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
Israelis and Palestinians do not all agree about these questions or about how the conflict should be resolved. Understanding the history of the conflict helps explain why events that happened decades ago continue to shape the region today.