The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most enduring and complex conflicts in modern history, deeply rooted in historical, religious, and political issues. The struggle primarily revolves around the land in the region known historically as Palestine, which includes the modern-day State of Israel and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise of nationalist movements among both Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. Jewish nationalism, known as Zionism, sought the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a region that held deep religious significance for Jews but was predominantly populated by Palestinian Arabs.

Tensions escalated as Jewish immigration to Palestine increased, particularly during the British Mandate period following World War I. 

In 1947, the United Nations proposed a plan to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international control. The Jewish community accepted the plan, but the Palestinian Arabs and neighboring Arab states rejected it, leading to a civil war.

In 1948, Israel declared independence, prompting a military intervention by neighboring Arab countries. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event referred to by Palestinians as the Nakba, or "catastrophe."

The conflict persisted through several wars, including the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The Six-Day War was particularly significant as Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. These territories remain a core issue in the conflict, with Palestinians seeking an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Efforts to achieve peace have been numerous but fraught with challenges. The Camp David Accords in 1978, facilitated by the United States, led to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt but did not resolve the Palestinian issue. The 1993 Oslo Accords marked a significant moment when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mutually recognized each other, and a framework was established for Palestinian self-governance in parts of the West Bank and Gaza.

However, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, ongoing violence, and disagreements over key issues, such as the status of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, hindered further progress.The early 2000s saw the outbreak of the Second Intifada, a period of intense Israeli-Palestinian violence. Subsequent peace initiatives, including the 2003 Roadmap for Peace and the 2007 Annapolis Conference, failed to achieve lasting solutions.