What does Israel say about the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Israelis have a word to describe the 100-year conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors: hamatzav. In Hebrew this means "the situation". Hamatzav. Israelis deliver this phrase with a shrug of the shoulders and a sense of resignation, as if to say, "There's nothing to be done. We'll manage."

When did the Israeli-Palestinian conflict start and end?

The sectarian conflict within the British Mandate between Palestinian Jews and Arabs escalated into a full-scale Palestinian Civil War in 1947.

Why are Israel and the Palestinians still fighting?

The Israelis hoped that they could exchange the land they won with Arab countries that recognized Israel's right to exist and an end to the fighting. Israel finally left Gaza in 2005, but soon after a group called Hamas won the elections and took control there. A large part of the world calls Hamas a terrorist organization.

What was the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem?

That plan was accepted by Jewish leaders, but rejected by the Arab side and never implemented. In 1948, unable to resolve the issue, British rulers left and Jewish leaders declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Many Palestinians protested and a war ensued. Troops from the neighboring Arab countries invaded.

What are the proposed solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian problem?

Some have proposed land swaps, whereby Israel would give up some of Israel proper to compensate for parts of the West Bank it would keep in a peace deal. But the problem of settlements that exist deep in the heart of the potential Palestinian state remains.

Why is Jerusalem a problem in a two-state solution?

Jerusalem will always be a sticking point in a two-state solution. When looking at the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem always becomes the single issue where negotiations end. The global preference for this idea is to split the city in half so that each side can reserve a portion for itself.

What did Israel control before and after the Six Day War?

Before and after the Six-Day War; after that, Israel controlled the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. The 1948 war was a conflict fought between the newly established state of Israel and a coalition of Arab armies.