The Zionist movement, calling for an independent community for Jews in Palestine , began in the 19th century, and in 1917 Britain declared its support for the idea . In 1920 the League of Nations placed Palestine under British administration , and the British government was immediately faced with the rival claims of Jews who wished to settle there and the Arabs who opposed them. In 1937 Britain proposed separate Arab and Jewish communities ; this was accepted by the Jews but not by the Arabs, and fighting broke out between them.

In 1947 the British plan for partition was supported by United Nations, and when Britain ended its Palestinian mandate 1948, an Israel was proclaimed , with David Ben-Gurion as prime minister. Neighbouring Arab states sent forces to crush Israel but failed, and when a cease-fire agreement was reached 1949, Israel controlled more land than had been originally allocated to it. The remaning of Palestine, known as the West Bank, was controled by Jordan, and Gaza Strip wa controled by Egypt.

The creation of Israel encouraged Jewish immigration on a large scale , about 2 million having arrived from all over the world by 1962 . Hundreds of thousands of Arab residents fled from Israel to neighbouring countries, such as Jordan and Lebanon. In 1964 a number of Palestinian Arabs in exile founded the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), aiming to overthrow Israel.