by Joe Manzo

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is nothing new. It goes all the way back to the end of World War I.
After France and England won World War I in 1918, France took control of the northern Middle East, where Lebanon and Syria currently exist. Britain, in what was called to Palestinian Mandate, took Palestine.

Four years later, Transjordan, later changed to Jordan, became a nation on 75 percent of Britain’s land. The only land Britain had left is where Israel is currently located. The land was populated by both Muslims and Jews.

The next 25 years were relatively peaceful compared to what would come later. When the United Nations voted to have two separate states in 1947, one for Jews and one for Muslims. The Jews accepted the deal but the Muslims refused. In May 1948, Israel declared its independence, and the Arab states (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt) attacked the Jewish state from every direction.

Israel won the war though, and because the Palestinians refused their own state, they were not given one. Large populations of Muslims lived in Israeli territory in the West Bank and Gaza, which were controlled by Jordan and Egypt. Muslims living in Jewish territory emigrated into the surrounding states, Gaza or the West Bank.

In May 1967, Egypt began mobilizing its forces to attack Israel. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq also mobilized troops. In response, Israel launched a strike. Starting June 5, the Israeli air force destroyed Egypt's planes while still on the ground. Enabled by air superiority throughout the region, Israeli tank columns and infantry captured the Sinai Peninsula in three days. Elsewhere, the Israelis overran the Golan Heights, the West Bank, including the Old City of Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Israel more than doubled its territory during this war, taking the Sinai Peninsula, which is connected to the southwest corner of Israel. But as a sign of good faith, Israel gave the land back to Egypt in 1978 in return for peace. Egypt agreed to accept Israel’s right to exist. The move did not satisfy other Muslims throughout the region though.

Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organization, a terrorist group, continued to attack the Israelis in the North. In response, Israel entered Lebanon to create a security zone. The move failed, and Israel left the zone without a peace deal with Lebanon and Syria, possible showing the terrorists that they can accomplish their goals through terror.

“Once you give in to terror, the terrorists will never stop,” Barry Haimo, a member of Gators for Israel, said.