Israel, Palestine and a deadly impasse: A brief history

Tensions that have raged since the Middle Eastern state's founding in May 1948 date back much further.

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A 100-year issue 

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Britain took control of the area known as Palestine, which was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority. Tensions grew when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a "national home for the Jewish people."

For Jews it was their ancestral home, but Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and opposed the move.

Between the 1920s and 1940s, the number of Jewish immigrants grew, with many fleeing persecution in Europe and seeking a homeland after the Holocaust of World War Two.

Friction grew both between Jews and Arabs, and against British rule.

In 1947, the United Nations voted for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem becoming an international city.

That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented.

The creation of Israel