Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Israel and the Palestinians have been in an ongoing conflict over land and self-determination in the area that was once Mandatory Palestine. The conflict includes questions about Palestinian refugees, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, security, water, the permit regime in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian freedom of movement, and the Palestinian right of return.

The conflict began with the rise of Zionism in Europe in the late 1800s. This movement wanted to create a Jewish state through colonization in the region of Palestine. In 1917, Britain, a powerful empire, supported the Zionist movement in the Balfour Declaration. It promised to help create a "Jewish homeland" in Palestine. After British forces took control of the Ottoman region during World War I, Mandatory Palestine was set up as a British mandate. Many Jewish people moved to the area, and the Yishuv, or Jewish community in Palestine, grew quickly. This led to tensions and conflict between Jews and Arabs over land and jobs. In 1936, an Arab general strike led to an investigation by the Peel Commission. It also started the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, which called for an end to British rule and its support for Zionism. The British government could not solve these problems, so the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was created. In 1947, the United Nations voted to adopt its recommendations as a partition plan. The Arab Higher Committee and the Arab League rejected the plan, which led to the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine.

During the 1948 Palestine war, the State of Israel was founded. Many Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes by Israeli forces. Palestinians call this event the Nakba. By the end of the war, Israel controlled most of the former mandate's land. Gaza was controlled by Egypt, and the West Bank was controlled by Jordan. Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These areas are known together as the Palestinian territories. Palestinians rose up against Israel and its occupation in 1987 and 2000. These were the first and second intifadas.

Israel's occupation led to Israel building illegal settlements in the territories. Israel also created a system that treated Palestinians unfairly under its rule. This is called Israeli apartheid. The unfair treatment includes Israel refusing to allow Palestinian refugees to return and refusing to let them have their lost properties. Israel has faced criticism from around the world for violating the human rights of the Palestinians. Most of the international community, though not the United States or Israel, has agreed since the 1980s that the conflict should be settled with a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and a fair solution for Palestinian refugees. The United States and Israel prefer that the two sides talk directly. In recent years, fewer people have supported a two-state solution. In 2007, Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip and officially chose to separate Gaza from the West Bank. Since then, Israel has described its relationship with Gaza using the laws of war, instead of as an occupying power. In a July 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel continues to occupy the West Bank and Gaza Strip illegally.

Since 2006, Israel has fought several wars with Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip. In October 2023, Hamas-led armed groups attacked Israel, and many people were killed. These attacks were followed by another war. This war has caused great damage, loss of life, mass population displacement, a humanitarian crisis, and a famine in the Gaza Strip. Some international law experts, genocide scholars, and human rights organizations have described Israel's actions in Gaza during this war as a genocide. For the current phase of the conflict that began in October 2023, see Gaza war. For the wider regional conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict.

Main article: History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Further information: Military operations of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

History

The conflict began in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when Zionism grew and Zionist settlers arrived in Palestine. During World War I, Great Britain promised Arab leaders an independent state in Arab areas of the Ottoman Empire. Palestine was left out of that promise. In 1917, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, which supported a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. After the war, the British Mandate in Palestine began, and more Jewish people moved to the area. Arab Palestinians protested against British rule and Jewish settlement in the Arab revolt from 1936 to 1939. Britain later proposed a small Jewish state. However, its White Paper of 1939 rejected a Jewish state and limited Jewish immigration. This hurt relations with the Zionist movement.

In 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations recommended dividing Palestine into an Arab state, a Jewish state, and an international city of Jerusalem. Palestinian Arabs opposed the plan, and fighting broke out. After Israel declared its independence in May 1948, the Arab League sent its forces in, which started the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Many Palestinian Arabs were forced to leave their homes. This event is known as the Nakba. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel took control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Fighting continued during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the First Intifada, an uprising from 1987 to 1993. The Oslo Accords of 1993 aimed for peace, but the Second Intifada began in 2000. In 2023, after a surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas-led groups, Israel started the Gaza war. A ceasefire has been in effect since 10 October 2025, although some fighting has continued.

Attempts to reach a peaceful settlement

For the PLO to join peace talks, it had to reject terrorism and accept that Israel has a "right to exist." By the late 1970s, Palestinian leaders in the occupied territories and most Arab states supported a two-state solution. In 1981, Saudi Arabia proposed a two-state plan with support from the Arab League, but the Israeli cabinet still opposed a Palestinian state. The following year, Israel invaded Lebanon to try to weaken the PLO. In 1988, the Palestinian Declaration of Independence officially set the goal of a Palestinian state made up of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Arafat then rejected terrorism and accepted Israel's right to exist. However, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir refused to negotiate with the PLO or accept a Palestinian state.

The term "peace process" describes a step-by-step way of working toward peace. It was first used for talks between Israel and Arab countries such as Egypt. Big issues like borders, resources, and the right of return were saved for later "final status" talks, which never took place. The Oslo Accords of 1993 and 1995 built on earlier talks, but trust between the two sides dropped, and Israel grew its control over Palestinian areas. Meron Benvenisti noted that life became harder for Palestinians. The Wye River Memorandum introduced a "zero tolerance" policy on violence. Human rights groups criticized it, while Dennis Ross praised its results. In 1993, Israel's Yitzhak Rabin and the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by Yasser Arafat, signed the Declaration of Principles. It left key issues for "final status" talks. The agreements did not recognize Palestinian statehood or follow UN Resolution 242. The process ended after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and failed talks at Camp David in 2000 with Ehud Barak. George J. Mitchell led a fact-finding committee, and its committee's findings were published in 2001. The Second Intifada began in 2000. Talks at the Taba Summit in Taba, Egypt ended without agreement in January 2001. Ariel Sharon of the Likud party then became prime minister, and his government did not restart high-level talks. A 2002 Quartet plan, the Road Map for Peace, did not get past its first phase. The 2007 peace conference at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland aimed to restart the Israeli–Palestinian peace process and carry out the "Roadmap for peace," but no agreement followed. The Arab Peace Initiative (Arabic: مبادرة السلام العربية) was first proposed by Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the Beirut summit in 2002. It was agreed again at the Riyadh summit in 2007. It offered normal relations with Israel if Israel withdrew from occupied lands, including the Six-Day War territories and the Golan Heights. The Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and others supported it, and Barack Obama was asked to adopt it. The Islamist party Hamas, the elected government of the Gaza Strip, was divided and mostly rejected it. Palestinians criticized the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement and another with Bahrain in 2020. Israeli leaders responded differently over time. Ehud Olmert gave a cautious welcome, and Benjamin Netanyahu gave tentative support in 2015 before rejecting it as a basis for talks in 2018.

Main article: Israeli–Palestinian peace process

Main article: Oslo Accords

Main article: 2000 Camp David Summit

Main article: The Clinton Parameters

Main article: Road map for peace

Main article: Taba Summit

Main article: Arab Peace Initiative

Current status

Main article: Israeli apartheid

See also: Israeli-occupied territories, West Bank § Status, Positions on Jerusalem, and Status of territories captured by Israel

Main article: Israeli settlement

Main article: Military Police Corps (Israel)

See also: Blockade of the Gaza Strip, Gaza War (2008–2009), 2014 Gaza War, and Economy of the Gaza Strip § Israeli policies and their impact

See also: Blockade of the Gaza Strip, Structural abuse, and Structural violence

Main articles: International recognition of the State of Palestine and Palestine and the United Nations

In 2021, Human Rights Watch said that the policies of Israel towards Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza amount to the crime of apartheid. Amnesty International made a similar claim in 2022. Others disagree, and the International Committee of the Red Cross rejects this charge. Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories, which include the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, since the 1967 Six-Day War. In 2024, the International Court of Justice said that this occupation and Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. It also said Israel should pay full reparations to the Palestinian people. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, but Israel disagrees. As of 2023, about 500,000 Israeli settlers lived in the West Bank, and about 200,000 lived in East Jerusalem.

Since 2006, Israel has followed a policy of "separation" between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This includes strict limits on imports, exports and travel. Critics say this weakens Palestinian unity and economic life. After the Hamas led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel declared war on Hamas on 9 October 2023 and tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Military Advocate General of Israel said that Israel is allowed under international law to impose a blockade for security reasons. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has described the blockade as collective punishment of the population. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has campaigned for full member status for the state of Palestine at the UN. The UN General Assembly has approved de facto recognition of Palestine by giving it non-member state status. Both sides have also been criticized for schoolbooks and teaching that encourage hatred of the other side.

Issues in dispute

The main issues in this conflict are the status of Jerusalem, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, security concerns, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and borders. In 1982, the PLO recognized Israel's "right to exist". After this, most of the world agreed on a way to solve the conflict based on international law. The main exceptions were the United States and Israel. Each year, the UN General Assembly supports a resolution saying that the Israeli settlements and the taking of East Jerusalem are illegal. It also calls on Israel to leave the land it has occupied since the Six-Day War in 1967, and it calls for a fair solution to the refugee problem. Israel unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, which goes against international law. Jerusalem is also important to the Abrahamic religions, so its status is a very sensitive question.

Actions taken by one side alone, along with strong words from hardline political groups and some violence, have increased anger and distrust on both sides. Since the talks broke down, many Israelis have become more concerned with jobs, housing, and corruption than with security. Israeli policy has shifted toward managing the conflict and the occupation of Palestinian land, rather than finding an agreed solution. Because Israeli settlements keep growing in the West Bank, many Palestinians believe that Israel wants long-term control over this land rather than a real agreement.

Fatalities

See also: Israeli casualties of war, Palestinian casualties of war, and Gaza genocide

Different studies give different totals for how many people have been killed in the conflict. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that many Israelis and Palestinians died between 1948 and 1997. Other estimates count even more deaths up to 2009. During the 1982 Lebanon War, many Palestinians and Lebanese were killed, and many more died in the Sabra-Shatila Massacre. According to B'tselem, many Palestinians and Israelis lost their lives during the first intifada, which lasted from 1987 until 2000. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – occupied Palestinian territory (OCHAoPt) counted many Palestinians and Israelis killed from 2008 to September 2023, before the Gaza war. These counts include civilians and security forces in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. They do not include deaths that were only indirectly linked to the conflict, or cases where the circumstances are unclear or disputed. Israel's International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism argued that human rights groups overestimated how many civilians were among the dead. During Operation Cast Lead, people also disagreed about whether Gazan police were fighters. Because there is no complete record of land mine and explosive remnants of war injuries in the Palestinian territories, the United Nations Mine Action Centre has reported its own figures. These include people killed and injured since the Gaza War. The Palestinian National Security Forces also lack maps of the minefields.

Between 29 September 2000 and 2010, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reported that many Palestinians and Israelis were killed. Many of the Palestinians who died were not taking part in fighting. Palestinians also killed many Israelis, including many civilians. The October 7 attacks in 2023 led to many deaths among Israelis and foreign nationals, and some people were taken hostage. In the ensuing Gaza war, many Palestinians in Gaza have been reported as killed, and many of them were women and children. Many more were injured. A study in The Lancet estimated many deaths from injuries by June 2024. It noted that the number could be higher if "indirect" deaths are included. Israel's tightened blockade of Gaza cut off basic necessities and caused a severe hunger crisis. There was a high risk of famine as of May 2025.

Public opinion

For reactions to the Gaza war specifically, see International reactions to the Gaza war § Opinion polling.

Many people have become less hopeful about peace. In a Pew Research Center poll in June 2025, fewer Israelis believed they could live peacefully with Palestinians. In 2013, 50% thought so. In 2025, only 21% did. Support for a two-state solution also dropped among Palestinians. It fell from 39% in April 2021 to 29% in October 2021, around the time of the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. Among both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, support fell from 53% and 51% in 2016 to 34% and 33% in 2022. A Gallup poll in August 2025 found that 33% of people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem supported a two-state solution. In Israel, the number was 27%. Only 23% of people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and 21% in Israel, believed permanent peace is possible.

Opinions in other countries also vary. In a 2016 Gallup poll of Americans, 62% felt more sympathy for Israelis. 15% felt more sympathy for Palestinians, and 23% felt neither, both, or had no opinion. In a 2022 Pew poll, most Americans had a positive view of both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. They felt less positive about the Israeli government and the Palestinian government. A YouGov poll in July 2023, before the Gaza war, found that most people supported a two-state solution in every country surveyed. A Gallup poll in July 2025 found that American support for Israel's military actions in Gaza had dropped from 50% to 32% over 17 months. A Quinnipiac survey in August 2025 found that at least half of the people surveyed thought Israel's actions in Gaza were genocide. In a Pew survey of 25 countries in spring 2025, only Kenya, Nigeria, and India viewed Israel more favorably than unfavorably.