The story of this land began a long time ago, when parts of what we now call Israel was called Canaan. A Hebrew leader named Joshua, took over the land.

Then the Romans took over the land. In 70 C. E, they destroyed much of Jerusalem except the Western Wall. The Romans also expelled Jews from the region that they called Palestina.

During the time when Jews were treated badly in Europe, Arthur Balfour, the British foreign secretary, made a promise known as the "Balfour Declaration" this promise was made to the leaders of the Jewish Zionist Movement in 1917. This promise told of Britain's agreement for Jews to establish what was described as a "national home" in Palestine.

From 1920 to 1936, the British authorities kept their word and allowed Jewish immigration into Palestine. As persecution of Jews in Europe grew, the immigration of Jews also grew. Finally, in 1936 the Palestinian Arabs demanded the Jewish immigration be stopped.

The British agreed to their demands. By this time the Arab population was more than a million and the Jewish population about half a million with more Jews coming in daily.

After the Holocaust the Jews wanted a safe homeland. In 1947, the United Nations voted to divide Palestine into two separate states: a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews supported this plan. The Palestinian-Arabs and the Arab Nations did not support the plan.