The Arab-Israeli Conflict History

A JEWISH STATE

Arabs and Jews lived together peacefully in Palestine for centuries until about 100 years ago. In Europe, Jews were a people without a country. Persucuted or banned in most countries, Jewish people longed for a homeland. In 1896, a Jewish journalist, Theodore Herzl, published "The Jewish State". Herzl wrote, "We naturally move to those places where we are not persecuted, and there, our presence produces persecution. This is the case in every country." Jews began to immigrate to Palestine at his suggestion. Arabs living in Palestine became alarmed when thousands of Jewish immigrants arrived.