The country of Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C.E.. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E., the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years. The land of Jerusalem is of great importance to the Israeli people, and has been for centuries. It is mentioned in the Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures, over seven hundred times. King David, one of the great leaders in Israeli history, founded the city of Jerusalem.
             The issue of Arab refugees has been one of great concern. By giving the Israeli people ownership of land inhabited by Arab people, the problem of displaced people arises. However, the number of Arab refuges who left Israel in 1948 was estimated to be about 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, which is a tremendous feat considering its size is comparable to that of New Jersey.
             From the Jewish perspective, the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is unnecessary. Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. In contrast, there exists only one Jewish nation. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with weapons. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, however, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
             The desire to establish an Israeli state has persisted for generations. Unfortunately, it required the horror of the Holocaust to open the eyes of the world to this tremendous need. The abomination of the events of the Holocaust gave the Jewish people a public forum for their grievances, through which they obtained both political power and a justification
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