The political aspect is only about 150 years old. The root of the conflict is the discriminatory rejection by some of the local Muslim middle class and leadership in the Ottoman-ruled Levant from allowing Jews to be equal property owners, with equal civic and political rights, once the progressive Tanzim civic reforms gave rights to non-muslim residents of the Ottoman Empire.
Jews living in and returning to the historic Land of Israel (Administratively divided into 4 districts under the Ottomans) could now legally purchase a new property, expand outside of the walled cities of Jerusalem and Tiberias, build new neighborhoods in the 1850s, establish new farming communities in the 1860s, new towns, and cities (e.g. Tel Aviv) at the turn of the 20th century, etc.
Once Arab national political movements arose during and immediately after WW1, in the 1920s, as a response to the Balfour Declaration, the Muslim Brotherhood began to foment against acceptance of any Jewish political rights and equal coexistence in what had been Muslim-ruled land since the 7th century.
Most Israelis do not “hate" Palestinians per se. We do hate the terrorists, the stabbers, and the violently Jew-hating leaders who want to subjugate or exterminate the Israeli population. Keep in mind that the peace-loving Israeli Arabs, Druze, etc. will not be spared if Israel falls.
Some of the responders ignore the historical, religious political aspects of this conflict, casting it as some sort of “colonialistic” endeavor. Denying the well-documented and accepted historic presence and connection of Jews in what became the British British Mandate of Palestine, or even claiming that today's Jews are somehow “fake”.
Some of the responders ignore also the historical subjugation of Jews (and other non-Muslims) living in the Levant, pretending that it was rosy and peaceful for the Jewish population. This is all from ideological expediency, casting Jews as a European transplant to what is their indigenous homeland.
Some of the responders also ignore that EVERY new Jewish-owned parcel of land or property was purchased legally from their Arab or Ottoman owner. The desolate and sparsely settled land began to repopulate as Jews returned and Arab farm workers, laborers, shopkeepers, and businessmen came to earn a living from the new economy being rapidly established by the Ottoman and later Palestinian Jews. This is also well-documented in Ottoman and British surveys and records.
Most of the local Arabs, including many leaders, had good relationships with their Jewish neighbors, coworkers, and authorities. Only a small and marginalized minority among the Palestinians [Jews] believed that co-existence was not likely to succeed. The majority believed that the economic, social, educational, and healthcare benefits offered by the Palestinian [Jewish] civil authorities would encourage the Arabs of Palestine towards co-existence. As attacks and massacres (well documented) by the minority of Nationalistic and later Nazi-sympathetic Arab leaders, such as Amin el Husseini, increased in frequency and scope, this optimism among the Palestinians [the Jews] diminished.
Bottom line, there would have been NO fleeing of over 400,000 Arabs from Palestine, NO expulsion of other combatant Arabs from active war zones, etc. if the hostile Arab leadership in Palestine and the surrounding Arab states had accepted any kind of Jewish polity with the Palestinians [the Jews] as part of the Partition plan. Israel can't be held accountable for the Arab refugees (not called “Palestinian”, until starting in 1964), as this was a purposeful political strategy by the surrounding Arab nations, part of the Arab League. No other refugee population in the world passes on this status from generation to generation, richly supported by the UN and many donor nations.
It's important to remember that every square inch of land owned or settled by the Palestinians/Israelis until 1948 was either historically in their possession, or purchased legally. People often purposely “forget" the fact that most land in Palestine was “State Land”, that was forfeited to Israel after the Arab attack on the newly-declared state.
As a clarification, I am referring to the Jewish residents of Mandate Palestine, as “Palestinians”, since this is what they called themselves and were known to the world politically, in the press, and in literature. The Arabs of Palestine called themselves, either “” Arabs” or “Syrians", or by their local town, village or clan (Hamoula) affiliation. Anyone who can show ANY reference by the Arabs of Palestine to themselves as “Palestinians" (not just “Arabs of Falastin”, etc.) Prior to 1964, please do share.
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