Summary: Reading Time: 15 minutesRead most modern accounts of the history of the Middle East and you will quickly learn to believe that everything started with the creation of the state of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. This is not true! In fact, so much of the modern historical accounts of the region are unnaturally tilted toward the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This conflict carries enormous emphasis in the west and within Israel and Palestine but it is not true of the wider region.<br> <br> The historical conflict between Israel and Palestine has the dangerous habit of becoming a cause used to stir up agitators for political ends. It is often difficult to discern facts from agendas in what we know and learn about the conflict today. Consider the following:<br> <br> <br> * Until very recently (probably 2010) most of the American media and academic community was significantly tilted in favor of Israel when it came to this conflict. This affected the way news was reported, history was written, and perspectives were formed.<br> * Many believe this is a conflict that stretches back to the beginning of time. It doesn’t. This conflict is less than 100 years old.<br> <br> <br> This look at the history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is designed to give you, the reader, an honest and fact-based accounting of the history of the conflict. Like all of my studies and papers here at the End of History I am NOT looking for an American perspective. I am looking for the truth. As you read this you will find additional resources, links and tool to learn more and stay up to date on the conflict. Feel free to leave your feedback and thoughts.<br> Ha’eretz<br> To understand the nature of the conflict between Israel and Palestine we have to understand the significance of the land itself. That’s a dangerous statement and I hesitate to say it because it sounds real close to supporting a view of “holy land.” I don’t believe in holy land. Land is land. Dirt is dirt. Rocks are rocks. One piece of ground is no more special than another piece of ground relatively speaking. What changes that is a person’s relationship with the land.<br> One thing we will see over the course of this series is the uniqueness of the relationship between the people of Israel and Palestine and the land. There is a way that a modern Israeli sees the land, and a way that a Jew sees the land. These are two different perspectives but both really relevant to the story of the conflict. These two perspectives partly explain why modern Israelis and Jews are so committed to the land which they call Ha Eretz. They have a historical connection. For some that connection started thousands of years ago. For others it started around 1948, or maybe a bit earlier with the Zionist movement.<br> <br> The Palestinians and Muslims also have a connection to the land. This is the home of their fathers and forefathers. There is also a difference between Palestinians and Muslims. For Muslims, Jerusalem specifically represents one of their holy cities and they have a historical relationship with the land over the last 1000+ years of warding off invaders from their homeland. For Palestinians who are not Muslim but might be Christian or atheist, the land is the symbol of their freedom and also their oppression since the declaration of the state of Israel. It is the basis of their nationalist identity.<br> We have to get the importance of the land in order to “get” the nature of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.<br> Abraham and the Land of Promise – Israel<br> The story begins with Abraham some 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Abraham would become one of the most famous people in all of history and certainly the most famous in the Middle East. All three of the world’s largest faiths claim him as the father of their faith. The Jews and Muslims (which means Israel and large segments of modern Palestine) both look to him as their for...
