This is a five-decade old conflict and is still ongoing. Israel and Palestine are at loggerheads over various issues like mutual recognition, borders, security, control of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements. Innumerable attempts have been made to broker a two-state solution with the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel which has failed. Prospects of resuming negotiations is very dim with the last round of peace talks having failed two years ago. Palestinians have been demanding an independent state and a majority of the Jews feel it is just.
In the late 19 and early 20 century, both the Arabs and the Jews wanted to attain sovereignty for their people in the Middle East. The conflict between these two forces in southern Levant and the emergence of Palestinian nationalism escalated into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1947.
After the World War II, six million Jewish people were killed. The remaining people wanted their own country. A large part of Palestine was given to them and the Jews believed that it was their traditional home. Arabs who were already living in the Palestine area were not able to accept the new country.
War broke out in 1948 and post that Gaza was controlled by Egypt and the West Bank by Jordan. Palestine fled from the area which was now the home to Jews and came to be known as Israel.
Another war broke out and following that in 1967 Israel occupied these Palestinian areas and their troops stayed there for years.
Israel finally left Gaza in 2005 and a group called Hamas won elections and took control there. Hamas refuses to recognise Israel as a country and wants Palestinians to be able to return to their old home. It has vowed to use its violence to achieve its arms.
Now, Palestinians are moving into their first planned city in West Bank after nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation. West Bank, according to Palestinians is part of their independent state along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza strip. The Palestinian government rules about a third of the territory and the rest is under Israeli control.
Source : http://www.thehindu.com/in-school/news-bytes/decoding-israelpalestine-conflict/article8752075.ece
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