The hatred between the Israelis and Palestinians runs long and deep, manifested through centuries of violence, invasion, and suppression. Despite such fighting, however, the two nations both derive from the same people: the Canaanites.

The Canaanite people lived in the region now known as Israel and Palestine on the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea around 2000 B.C. At that time, most of the Canaanite people were polytheistic meaning they worshipped more than one god. However, one group of the Canaanite people were unique due to their monotheistic beliefs centered around “Yahweh” or “God” in Hebrew. These people became known as the Israelites and were the founders of the Jewish faith.

Over the succeeding centuries, the Israelites were ruled by numerous empires and nations and subsequently faced diasporas, enslavement, and exile. The last empire to rule over the Israelites was the Ottomans until the end of World War I.

Following World War I, the Jewish people lived in British Mandated Palestine which included all current Palestinian and Israeli territory. While all of the people of Palestine were of one nation, the country was divided between its Jewish and Muslim population as both groups wanted their own independent state.

Following World War II, in 1947, both factions hoped to have their concerns answered when the United Nations voted to terminate the British Mandate and separate Palestine into Muslim ruled Palestine and Jewish ruled Israel. The motivation behind this decision was mainly due to the displacement of European Jews following the Holocaust and their need for a country to call their own. While such a solution appeared to appease both groups, the Muslims were vehemently opposed to such a deal as they would be losing a vast portion of their “Holy Land.”

As a result, a violent war broke out when all of the surrounding Muslim-Arab nations attacked the new state of Israel, starting the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. That same year, in the midst of war, the Arab League, supporting the Palestinian war effort, established the All-Palestinian Government, further promoting the independent state of Palestine during the war.

After a month of fighting, a truce was agreed upon, and in 1949 the Arab states, including Palestine, signed an Armistice Agreement with Israel ending the fighting and establishing temporary borders between the two nations.

Let’s take a second to pause and understand the geopolitical state of the Israeli-Palestinian territory at this time. The territory formerly under control of the British Mandate following World War I was at this time split among four prominent nations. The Arabs controlled the State of Palestine, Jordan controlled a region known as the West Bank, Egypt controlled a region called the Gaza Strip, and Israel controlled the remaining territory.

Over the next two decades, tensions among these four nations increased until 1967 when the Six Day War broke out. During the war the Israelis attacked the Jordanian, Egyptian, and Arab controlled portions of the former British Mandate and vastly expanded their territory.

Another war soon followed called the Yom Kippur war during which Egyptian forces pushed back against the Israelis and effectively regained their previously lost territory.

Violence remained between the two nations until a cease fire allowed the Egyptians and Israelis to begin peace talks moderated by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Out of these talks, an agreement was finally reached in the 1978 Camp David Peace Accords where Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

Later, further negotiations were made between Israel and Israeli-occupied Palestine in the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. Through these negotiations, Palestine was able to regain limited rule over some of their territories helping to clear the future for the prospect of an independent Palestine.

In 2002, further negotiations were needed between Israel and Palestine following a deadly Palestinian uprising referred to as the Al-Asqa Intifada. The agreements reached allowed Palestine to become an independent state as long as Israel could maintain control of Palestinian airspace and seacoast. The U.S., Russia, the UN, and the European Union helped mediate these negotiations.

While the fighting between Israel and Palestine has continued throughout the years, each nation’s passionate religious beliefs means neither country is willing to back down until they come to an agreement that suits each of their particular religious and economic needs.

Currently, Palestine is facing infighting between two political factions. Such violence could see another civil war in the nation’s future, further threatening stability in the region. Any instability could cause Israel to again retaliate against the Palestinians and effectively obliterate any peace negotiations reached in recent decades.