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The Arab-Israeli conflict (, ) spans about a century of political tensions and open hostilities. It involves the establishment of the modern State of Israel as a Jewish nation state, as well as the relationship between the Arab nations and the state of Israel (see related Israeli-Palestinian conflict). Some uses of the term Middle East conflict refer to this matter; however, the region has been host to other conflicts not involving Israel (see List of conflicts in the Middle East). Since 1979, the conflict involves the Islamic Republic of Iran (a non-Arab state, not highlighted on the map) as well. Despite involving a relatively small land area and number of casualties, the conflict has been the focus of worldwide media and diplomatic attention for decades. Many countries, individuals and non-governmental organizations elsewhere in the world feel involved in this conflict for reasons such as cultural and religious ties with Islam, Arab culture, Christianity, Judaism, Jewish culture or for ideological, human rights, or strategic reasons. Because Israel is a democracy with a free press, the media has access to the conflict which also increases media coverage. While some consider the Arab-Israeli conflict a part of (or a precursor to) a wider clash of civilizations between the Western World and the Arab or Muslim world, others oppose this view and claim that the religion dimension is a new matter in this conflict. Animosity emanating from this conflict has caused numerous attacks on supporters (or perceived supporters) of one side by supporters of the other side in many countries around the world.
History The conflict began to form around the beginning of the 20th century. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, at the end of World War I, the region known as Palestine was controlled by British colonial forces. Jewish immigration increased during this period. The influx of Jews alarmed Arab inhabitants in the region, and Muslim religious leaders helped to foment hatred for the inhabitants which led to periodic violence. At the end of World War II the conflict became a major international issue. Great Britain, the United Nations along with the United States, and the USSR determined to initiate a two-state solution. The UN mandated partition was put into effect in 1948, but was rejected by the Arab states and was the beginning of the first major Arab-Israeli War. Israel was able to achieve a decisive victory. Today many parts play major roles in the conflict among those are the Quartet on the Middle East. The conflict included a great number of major wars including 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 1956 Suez War, 1967 Six Day War, 1970 War of Attrition, 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, as well as a number of lesser conflicts. The conflict has also been the source of two major Palestinian intifadas (uprisings). Al-Qaeda, a Muslim (and largely Arab) organization, has cited the conflict among its justifications for attacks on targets in the West. See also Further reading General sources Government and official sources Israeli Arab Translations from Arabic into English and other languages Think tanks and strategic analysis Peace proposals See main article: List of Middle East peace proposals Maps | |||||||||||
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