Up to 100,000 Arabs, from the urban upper and middle classes in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem, or Jewish-dominated areas, evacuated abroad or to Arab centres eastwards. Israel carried out Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip from 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009 in response to rocket attacks from Hamas militants,[353] leading to a decrease of Palestinian rocket attacks. It also participated in the failed Gallipoli Campaign. [172] In 1244, Jerusalem was sacked by the Khwarezmian Tatars who decimated the city's Christian population, drove out the Jews and razed the city. Today marks Independence Day in the Nation of Israel. In the late Middle Bronze Age, the Nile Delta in Egypt was settled by Canaanites who maintained close connections with Canaan. Great Depression Facts & Impact | What Caused the Great Depression? In 1947, only two years after the end of WWII, the newly formed United Nations passed a resolution calling for the creation of two states - one Arab and one Jewish - out of the British mandate of Palestine. [176], The expulsion of the Jews of Spain is regarded by Jews as the worst catastrophe between the destruction of Jerusalem in 73 CE and the Holocaust of the 1940s. During this period, food, clothes and furniture had to be rationed in what became known as the Austerity Period (Tkufat haTsena). These 10 Bible prophecies were fulfilled in 1948 when Israel became an independent, united nation for the second time in history, and for the first time in 2,900 years. 3. Some of the Israeli desalinization plants are the largest of their kind in the world.[342]. Violence broke out between the sides, escalating into civil war. Unfortunately, this meant the eastern Mediterranean region was very desirable and made it incredibly difficult for the small Jewish kingdoms to maintain autonomy from invading powers. [387] The coalition failed by December due to a dispute over the budget and new elections were called for March 2021. It is where the Hebrews and Israelites established and developed Israel and Judah, and is also thought to be the region of development for the completed form of the Hebrew Bible; Jews, alongside the Samaritan people, are accredited as ethnic groups originating from the Israelites. By more than 1,000 years, "Israel" predates "Palestine.". Between the 7th and 11th centuries, Jewish scribes, called the Masoretes and located in Galilee, Jerusalem and Babylonia, established the Masoretic Text, which became the orthodox text of the Hebrew Bible. Although the Arab conquest was relatively peaceful and did not cause widespread destruction, it did alter the country's demographics significantly. China's Communist Revolution Cause & Impact | How Communism Rose in China, Overview of the Middle East: 1945-Present. "[229] In 1938, the US called an international conference to address the question of the vast numbers of Jews trying to escape Europe. [375], On 6 December 2017, President Donald Trump formally announced United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,[376] which was followed by the United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel on 25 March 2019.