How did it start?
Bethlehem in the early 20th century
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionBethlehem in the early 20th century
A 100-year-old issue
Britain took control of the area known as Palestine after the ruler of that part of the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, was defeated in WW1.
The land was inhabited by a Jewish minority and Arab majority.
Tensions between the two peoples grew when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people.
For Jews, it was their ancestral home, but Palestinian Arabs also claimed the land and opposed the move.
Haganah (Jewish Underground) fighter just before the start of the Israeli War of Independence 1948
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
image captionA Haganah (Jewish Underground) fighter just before the start of the Israeli War of Independence 1948
Between the 1920s and 40s, the number of Jews arriving there grew, with many fleeing from persecution in Europe and seeking a homeland after the Holocaust of WWII.
Violence between Jews and Arabs, and against British rule, also grew.
In 1947, the UN 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.
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