Difference between revisions of "Israel"

Revision as of 13:20, May 10, 2007

David Ben Gurion, the First Prime Minister of Israel, publicly pronouncing the Declaration of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948, Tel Aviv, Israel, beneath a large portrait of Theodore Herzl, founder of modern political Zionism, in the old Tel Aviv Museum of Art building on Rotshild St.

Israel is a nation located in the Middle East. It is the world's only Jewish state, allowing citizenship to anybody its government considers to be Jewish. It also contains Arab Muslim and Arab Christian minorities who are remnants of the pre-1948 Arab majority, along with a small Druze community.

History

Though the state of Israel was founded in 1948, many interpret it as a continuation of the biblical Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

The origins of these kingdoms date back to the migration of the Hebrews from Egypt out of Egypt, at the end of the second millennium BC. It is the location of Jesus' birth and many other major Biblical events.

It was conquered by the Romans in 200 B.C, starting the period of the Jewish diaspora. By the fifth century the region was Christianized, under the Byzantine empire, a situation which continued until the Arab invasions of the 7th and 8th centuries. The Arabs brought with them the Islamic faith which, due to its many similarities with Christianity and Judaism and the social advantages it brought, was gradually adopted by the population. However, Jewish and Christian citizens continued to live in the region, in relative peace, until the crusades.

The crusades led to the destruction of of these Jewish communities (including that of Jerusalem, where Arab Christians, Muslims and Jews were murdered indiscriminately by the Christian Crusaders) and the temporary expulsion of muslims who refused baptism from much of what is now Israel. The fall of the last crusader kingdom in 1290 gave way to Mameluk then Ottoman domination of the territory, which lasted until the territory came under British mandate of Palestine in 1920.

The British and late Ottoman authorities permitted the resettlement of Jews from Europe, many of them looking to establish a Jewish state in the region, part of a movement called Zionism. In the last years of British mandate the number and strength of the Jews in Palestine increased, with many adopting extremely radical tactics to achieve there goal of an independent Jewish state. Terrorist organizations such as Irgun and Lehi attacked British and Arab targets, killing civilians of all faiths in the process. Britain's occupation became too expensive and they handed control to the united nations.

Th Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

The UN came up with a partition plan, which was generally accepted by Jews in Palestine, but rejected by the Arab majority. Israel declared itself independent on 14 May 1948, which was followed by the invasion of Palestine by Arab nations, leading to the war of 1948. Israel won that war and has been independent ever since. Many Muslim inhabitants fled the new state, or were driven out by Israelis, which, along with immigration from the Jewish diaspora, led to the creation of a Jewish state in fact as well as name.

Israel is the location of intense territorial disputes between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs (see Arab-Israeli conflict).

History of Conflict

External links

Internet Jewish History Sourcebook