: ''Main Article: [[Israel#History|History of Israel]]''
: ''Main Article: [[Israel#History|History of Israel]]''
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Originally inhabited by a loose bonding of [[Canaan]]ite tribes, the Israelites settled into the area after [[the Exodus]] from [[Egypt]] and were partially succesful in driving out the Canannites and making it their home. Migrations from the 'Peoples of the Sea' led to a strong [[Phillistine]] presence on the coastline, but they were generally subdued by [[King David]] and [[Solomon]] during the height of ancient Israel. The kingdom was subsequently divided into the [[Northern Kingdom]] and [[Judea]] upon the death of Solomon. The Northern Kingdom, and the remenants of the Philistine kingdoms, were conqured by the [[Assyrian]]s in the late 8th century B.C. and the kingdom of Judea fell under [[Babylonian]] control in the late 7th century and lost their independence completely in 586 B.C. with the fall of [[Jerusalem]], their capital. The Jews were allowed to return under the [[Persian Empire]] and the entire area was conqured by [[Alexander the Great]] around 330 B.C. When his empire broke apart at his death and consolidated into four different regions, it was the [[Ptolemies]] centered in Egypt who controlled the region for the better part of the next two centuries, but conquest by the [[Seleucids]] led to a harsh religious persecution on the Jews in the region. The Jews revolted and had their independence for almost 100 years before a civil war courted Roman intervention and the area came under Roman control and eventually became the province of Palestine. Byzantine rule was forcefully removed by the great Islamic waves of the 7th century A.D. Portions of Palestine were reclaimed under Crusader control from the late 11th century until the mid 13th century, but the overall region was under Islamic control for over 1000 years.