The creation of the state of Israel amid the Middle East conflicts

Abstract

The calendar of Israeli statehood does not begin with the creation of the state on May 14, 1948; it has a much deeper past. After the expulsion of the Jews from the Roman Empire, they no longer had their land, living in small groups in different countries, where they often experienced persecution and discrimination. Jews have always wanted to create a nationalist state, for the creation of which an active movement was laid in Europe at the end of the 19th century. The strengthening of anti-Semitism and national consciousness gave rise to several groups that laid the foundation for the return of Jews to "Eretz Israel."The basis for the return of Jews to Palestine, or the old homeland, as the Jews called it, was laid by the nationalist movement that arose in Eastern and Central Europe, which is known as "Zionism." It was in the 90s of the XIX century, along with the strengthening of anti-Semitic attitudes in Europe and Russia, that the Zionism movement was conceived, the main goal of which was the return of the Jews to their historical homeland - Palestine.The Jews called Jerusalem "Zion"; that is where the movement's name originates. It was based on settling the Jews scattered in many countries in Palestine and creating a state there.Zionism preached that the Jews should return to the land of their ancestors and establish a state in the geographic area known to Jews for centuries as the historic Land of Israel. Already later, with the efforts of the Zionists, funds were mobilized, which were used for the purchase of land by the Jews in Palestine. Later, Jewish settlements and farms were established on the mentioned lands. In 1885, the Austrian journalist Nathan Birnbaum coined the term "Zionism" in his founded magazine "Selfemancipation." The formation of "Zionism" as a political organization is connected with the name of the Austrian Jewish journalist and political activist Theodor Herzl. Herzl himself was a witness of European, brutal anti-Semitism and came to the conclusion that "assimilation is desirable, but it is impossible to implement it; the Jewish people cannot survive without their own country; they can have a normal existence only by concentrating in one territory." Jewish immigration to Palestine took a massive form in the 30s of the 20th century; against the background of the anti-Semitic wave in Eastern Europe and the rise of Hitler, the number of the Jewish population of Palestine doubled. At the same time, resistance and dissatisfaction among local Arabs grew stronger. For centuries, Jews and Arabs coexisted peacefully in Palestine; however, after the Jewish immigration or "aliyah" to Palestine began in 1881, initiated by the Zionist organization, and when the Jewish part began to grow slowly and steadily at the beginning of the 20th century, the situation changed radically. From 1881 to 1939, five aliyahs of Jews took place in Palestine, and from the same period, the conflict between Jews and Palestinians began, which has been going on for dozens of years. The main population in this area called Palestine in the Middle East was Jews and Arabs.The Arabs were the indigenous population of Palestine and represented most of the population, while the Jews were the minority. The migration was soon reflected in the number of Jews in Palestine. If by 1931, the number of Jews in the territory of Palestine was only 17%, by 1935, it had already increased to 30%. The Jews were actually able to return to the "Promised Land" and later created a sovereign nation-state. "Jewish settlements and the state of Israel arose and developed in constant struggle with the Arab population of Palestine and the neighboring Arab countries that support it. This process also shaped the character and self-awareness of the Arabs, who today consider themselves not only Arabs but also Palestinians, although they had their own Palestinian national self-awareness even before the intensification of this struggle.Among the conflicts in the world, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most challenging and unresolved problems. This conflict has not lost its relevance for decades. Both regional and non-regional countries are involved in the resolution of the conflict. However, the disagreement between Israel and Palestine still needs to be resolved. In addition, in the background of the conflict, the threat of terrorism has also increased, and this region remains one of the hot spots not only in the Middle East but also in the world.For decades, many international-level events and meetings have been held on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, its causes, and settlement of the conflict; various methods and recommendations for solving the problem have been developed, but to no avail. Depending on the topic's relevance, our goal is to analyze the causes of the mentioned conflict and make possible recommendations for its resolution.