100 Years of Violent Conflict in Israel: Territorial Division and the Rise of Hamas

The conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas has recently caught the attention of the world. In November 2022, Hamas fighters carried out a devastating attack in the Gaza Strip, killing over 1,200 people, including women and children. The atrocities committed by Hamas have shocked the world. Some Muslim communities have even celebrated these crimes, which has further enraged many people.

After news of the attack appeared in Hungarian media, many Hungarians were left in shock and disbelief. Hungary has been going through its own challenges since its independence, making it difficult for its people to keep up with events happening beyond their borders.

The Israelis have had their own country with Jerusalem as its capital for over three thousand years. The name “Palestine” only emerged later on, after Emperor Hadrian renamed the Jewish land of Judea to Palestine. Despite this, there has never been a state of Palestine or a Palestinian people, identity, culture or language.

The mass migration of Jews to Palestine began at the end of the 19th century. Although the land was barren and poor, the Jews quickly created conditions that were attractive for settlement. However, this relatively peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs was disrupted when radical Islamic groups began attacking Jews. In 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt and quickly spread throughout the Arab world.

The United Nations General Assembly voted to partition Palestine between Arabs and Jews in 1947, but Arabs rejected this resolution. After declaring independence on May 14th 1948, Israel faced attacks from neighboring Islamic countries that continue to this day.