Israel-Palestine conflict explainer

Images

Small Israel and Palestine flags pinned on a map at the region of Israel, Gaza Strip, and West Bank, highlighting their geographic proximity and areas of conflict.

Map showing the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1300 to its greatest extent in 1683-1699, with regions color-coded by the period and ruler under which they were acquired. The empire stretches from North Africa and southeastern Europe across the Middle East, including key cities such as Istanbul, Cairo, and Baghdad, with labeled seas and geographic features. A red outline marks the empire's maximum boundaries.

Map showing the gradual dissolution of the Ottoman Empire from 1807 to 1924, with shaded regions indicating the empire's boundaries in 1807 and successive territorial losses through 1924. The map covers southeastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, labeling modern countries and major cities, and highlights the shrinking territory that became Turkey by 1924.

Map illustrating the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 1916, showing the division of the Middle East into zones of British, French, and Russian control or influence after World War I. Areas are color-coded: British rule in pink, French rule in blue, Russian rule in orange, and regions under various protections or joint control in lighter shades. Modern countries shown include Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, and surrounding regions.

A black and white portrait of the British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour in a black suit, white shirt, and solid dark tie looking to the left.

A black and white image of Anglo-Jewish leader Lionel Walter Rothschild, who is bald with a thick mustache and medium-length beard. He is wearing a black coat with a white shirt and a necklace and is looking directly at the viewer.

A black and white photo of Hussein ibn Ali, emir of Mecca. He is seated with his hands in his lap and his body is angled to the right of the photo. He is wearing a traditional headdress and a black coat and has a thick white beard. In front of him is a small table or tray with unidentied objects.

Black and white photograph of Arthur Henry McMahon (1862–1949), British high commissioner in Egypt.

Map showing the British Mandate of Palestine, with the area under direct British administration until 1948 shaded in purple, covering present-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. The area labeled as the Transjordan emirate, east of the Jordan River, is marked with yellow and purple stripes, including cities such as Amman and Ma'an. Surrounding countries-Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt-are labeled, and major cities like Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, and Nablus are indicated within the mandate.

Palestinian Arabs rallying in the village of Abu Ghosh (near Jerusalem) to take part in the Arab Revolt in 1936

Israel-Palestine conflict explainer: Media

What is the history of the conflict?

Images

Small Israel and Palestine flags pinned on a map at the region of Israel, Gaza Strip, and West Bank, highlighting their geographic proximity and areas of conflict.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

What is the history of the conflict?

© Rokas/stock.adobe.com

Map showing the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1300 to its greatest extent in 1683-1699, with regions color-coded by the period and ruler under which they were acquired. The empire stretches from North Africa and southeastern Europe across the Middle East, including key cities such as Istanbul, Cairo, and Baghdad, with labeled seas and geographic features. A red outline marks the empire's maximum boundaries.

The territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1300 to 1699

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map showing the gradual dissolution of the Ottoman Empire from 1807 to 1924, with shaded regions indicating the empire's boundaries in 1807 and successive territorial losses through 1924. The map covers southeastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, labeling modern countries and major cities, and highlights the shrinking territory that became Turkey by 1924.

The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, which included the land that would later become the subject of territorial disputes

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map illustrating the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 1916, showing the division of the Middle East into zones of British, French, and Russian control or influence after World War I. Areas are color-coded: British rule in pink, French rule in blue, Russian rule in orange, and regions under various protections or joint control in lighter shades. Modern countries shown include Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, and surrounding regions.

The May 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement divided the Ottoman Empire among British, French, and Russian rule

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A black and white portrait of the British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour in a black suit, white shirt, and solid dark tie looking to the left.

Arthur James Balfour, the British foreign secretary who issued a statement of support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A black and white image of Anglo-Jewish leader Lionel Walter Rothschild, who is bald with a thick mustache and medium-length beard. He is wearing a black coat with a white shirt and a necklace and is looking directly at the viewer.

Lionel Walter Rothschild, a leader of the Anglo-Jewish community, was tasked with communicating the Balfour Declaration to the Zionist Federation

BBC Hulton Picture Library

A black and white photo of Hussein ibn Ali, emir of Mecca. He is seated with his hands in his lap and his body is angled to the right of the photo. He is wearing a traditional headdress and a black coat and has a thick white beard. In front of him is a small table or tray with unidentied objects.

Hussein ibn Ali, emir of Mecca, corresponded with British high commissioner in Egypt Henry McMahon about an independent Arab state

© The Print Collector/Heritage Images—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Black and white photograph of Arthur Henry McMahon (1862–1949), British high commissioner in Egypt.

Henry McMahon, British high commissioner in Egypt, corresponded with Hussein ibn Ali, emir of Mecca, about an independent Arab state

© Keystone Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Map showing the British Mandate of Palestine, with the area under direct British administration until 1948 shaded in purple, covering present-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. The area labeled as the Transjordan emirate, east of the Jordan River, is marked with yellow and purple stripes, including cities such as Amman and Ma'an. Surrounding countries-Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt-are labeled, and major cities like Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, and Nablus are indicated within the mandate.

British mandate of Palestine

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Palestinian Arabs rallying in the village of Abu Ghosh (near Jerusalem) to take part in the Arab Revolt in 1936

Palestinian Arabs rallying in the village of Abu Ghosh (near Jerusalem) to take part in the Arab Revolt in 1936

Matson Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (2019708823)

Jewish families fleeing Jerusalem's Old City amid rioting during the Arab Revolt in 1936

Jewish families fleeing Jerusalem's Old City amid rioting during the Arab Revolt in 1936

Matson Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (2019708833)

William Robert Peel (second from left) leaving the Office of the Palestine Royal Commission after hearing evidence from the Arab Higher Committee, 1937

G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-matpc-18255)

The ship SS Polonia arriving at Haifa from Poland, October 6, 1936

The ship SS Polonia arriving at Haifa from Poland, October 6, 1936

At the time Jewish emigrants from Poland were reportedly reaching Haifa at the rate...

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A crowded group of Jewish immigrants, including children and adults, wait on the deck of a ship in Haifa port.

Jewish immigrants wait on the ship Jewish State in the Haifa port for their deportation to Cyprus by British authorities, October 30, 1947

© Pinn Hans/GPO—AFP/Getty Images

Map showing the United Nations partition plan for Palestine adopted in 1947, with areas color-coded to indicate proposed Jewish state, Arab state, and a separate Jerusalem district. The map includes key cities and regions, borders with Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, and Egypt, and highlights the Mediterranean coast.

1947 UN partition plan

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Oswaldo Aranha, president of the United Nations General Assembly, stands at a podium announcing the adoption of the 1947 plan to partition Palestine, with two officials seated beside him.

President of the UN General Assembly Oswaldo Aranha announcing the assembly's adoption of the proposal to partition Palestine, November 29, 1947

© Bettmann/Getty Images

Large group of Arab men, many wearing keffiyehs, gather around and board a truck with rifles, preparing to leave their village in Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Stone buildings and hills are visible in the background.

Palestinian Arab villagers heading to attack a Jewish village in retaliation for an earlier assault by the Haganah, the predominant military organization of the Jewish community, January 10, 1948

© Intercontinental—AFP/Getty Images

Israeli Defense Forces tank unit with soldiers atop several tanks lined up on a dirt road, preparing to advance during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

A tank unit of the Israeli Defense Forces preparing to continue its advance during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Universal Images Group/Getty Images

View of Nablus, West Bank, showing densely packed buildings on hillsides with a green-domed mosque prominent in the foreground.

Nablus, with its main mosque in the West Bank

© sanchezgrande—iStock/Getty Images

Political map of the West Bank showing its boundaries, major cities including Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron, as well as the Dead Sea to the southeast. The map includes a locator inset highlighting the West Bank's position relative to Israel, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt.

The West Bank

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of the Gaza Strip showing its boundaries with Egypt and Israel, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and major cities including Gaza, Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. An inset locator map highlights Gaza Strip's position on the eastern Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Israel.

The Gaza Strip

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles enter a city street in Gaza during the Six-Day War, June 6, 1967, with street signs and buildings visible in the background.

An Israeli armored unit entering Gaza on June 6, 1967, during the Six-Day War

© The State of Israel Government Press Office

Israeli tanks advancing on the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War, June 10, 1967

Israeli tanks advancing on the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War, June 10, 1967

Assaf Kutin/© The State of Israel Government Press Office

Arab prisoners at the Egyptian fortress at Tiran after its capture by Israeli forces, June 12, 1967

Arab prisoners at the Egyptian fortress at Tiran after its capture by Israeli forces, June 12, 1967

Keystone—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat (left) addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem during his historic visit to Israel, November 20, 1977, as Israeli Premier Yitzhak Shamir (center) and Pres. Ephraim Katzir listen

Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat (left) addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem during his historic visit to Israel, November 20, 1977, as Israeli Premier Yitzhak Shamir (center) and Pres. Ephraim Katzir listen

Ya'acov Sa'ar—The State of Israel National Photo Collection/The State of Israel Government Press Office

President Jimmy Carter stands smiling between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin as Sadat and Begin shake hands at Camp David.

U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter (center) with Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David

MPI—Archive Photos/Getty Images

From left: Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat, U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin celebrating the signing of the Middle East peace treaty, the result of the Camp David Accords, on the White House Lawn, on March 26, 1979

From left: Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat, U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin celebrating the signing of the Middle East peace treaty, the result of the Camp David Accords, on the White House Lawn, on March 26, 1979

Ya'acov Sa'ar—The State of Israel National Photo Collection/The State of Israel Government Press Office

Palestinian youths throw stones toward two Israeli soldiers in the foreground during a street protest in Beit Omar, West Bank, with a crowd gathered in the background.

Violence broke out between Israeli and Palestinian fighters in the West Bank during the first intifada, February 1988

© Patrick Robert/Sygma—Corbis/Getty Images

US President Bill Clinton stands between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat as Rabin and Arafat shake hands outside the White House.

U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton stands between PLO leader Yasser Arafat (right) and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzahk Rabin as they shake hands for the first time, on September 13, 1993, at the White House, after signing the historic Oslo Accords

© J. DAVID AKE—AFP/Getty Images

The Israeli settlement of Gilo with clusters of white houses and red roofs sits on a hilltop, separated from the foreground by the tall concrete panels of the West Bank barrier.

The barrier built by Israel during the second intifada complicated a two-state solution by closing off areas considered important for a contiguous and viable Palestinian state

© Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Shutterstock.com

A large tower crane stands over multiple apartment buildings under construction in the Gilo settlement, with hills and greenery of Beit Jala visible in the background.

Gilo, an Israeli settlement in mainly Palestinian East Jerusalem in the West Bank, June 6, 2019

© Thomas Coex—AFP/Getty Images

Map highlighting the Middle East, showing Israel in blue, the West Bank and Gaza Strip in purple, and Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen in orange to indicate the Iran-backed axis of resistance. An inset zooms in on Israel, Lebanon, and surrounding areas, marking key locations such as the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, and West Bank, with Lebanon labeled for Hezbollah and Yemen for the Houthi movement. The map

Israel and Iran's Axis of Resistance

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: