Who are the different groups and lands in and around Palestine?

There’s a long history of the conflict dating 50–60 years back. Check out this for more details.

It really goes back to over 3000 years ago with the Hittites and Egypt.

Two books:

1) A History of the Middle East by British historian Peter Mansfield(historian)

2) ”The Arab World”:, by American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher Edward T. Hall.

The first book is a comprehensive political, cultural, and religious history of the Middle East from the advent of Islam to Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt up to the Arab Spring. It is a very well written page turner. It is not dry material although it is used as a text in many college courses.

“One of the most crucial, volatile, and complex regions of the modern world, the Middle East has long confounded the dreams of conquerors and peacemakers alike. This now-classic book, fully updated to 2012 and still the essential work on the subject, follows the historic struggles of the Middle East from Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt and Syria, through the slow decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the history of Islam and its recent resurgence.

“In the latest fourth edition published in 2013, Economist correspondent Nicolas Pelham contributes an extensive new section examining recent developments throughout the Middle East, including the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the situation in Iran, the region’s relations with the United States under President Obama, the Arab Spring, and more.”

The second book is equally interesting and informative. It covers Arab cultural and social development from ancient times to the present.

“In his book The Arab World, Edward Hal attempts to analyse the difference between the cultures of the West and the East, in communication as well as behavior. Since the two are so immensely different in nature, the book makes for an interesting read, especially if seen in the context of psychological examination. There is a clear and precise understanding of the Arab world and its contribution to the rest of the world, and how the Western world sees it. ”

Sadly, this book appears to be out of print. You might search Ebay and other places for it.

The people in Palestine are mostly Arabs. Since the 20th century, there’s also a significant Jewish population living in a walled-in apartheid state.

The conflict (like the many previous conflicts in the area) is largely about control over Jerusalem, a city considered holy by the three monotheist religions and therefore cursed by its own mojo.

50–60 years?! No. Even the most recent reason for conflict goes back to the UN votie making Israel its own country in 1948. Europe had had control over the region, and the Palestinians/Arabs felt the land that became Israel was theirs. Some Jews had already been moving back, many of them zionists believing that land was Jewish land first over 5,000 years ago. Jews are the oldest of the Abrahamic religion.

The Arabs felt pushed out of their home. They resent it, they put it all together with Judaism and not just the land, but it’s really mostly about land. Not only Israelis, but the UN like I said, and especially Europe decided these things. Imagine if China decided that BC will now be Russia. Except maybe worse than Russia in your point of view.

That idiot holocaust denier the former Iranian president used to say if the Jews were given Israel because of the holicaust, which is partly right, then why is it justified to give Arab land? Why weren’t they given half of Germany. In my mind it seems rather reasonable for an Arab or Persian person to ask that. From their perspective it wasArab land for over a thousand years. Plus, I do think it’s true that Europe was happy to create Israel hoping Jews would leave Europe. It wasn’t all some altruist act. So the Europeans played chess with the people.

Israel has thrived while the territories where the Palestinians live hasn’t done as well. There are Arabs who continue to live in Israel. They do not really have equal rights which creates problems. They cannot serve in the army, there is as with most countries, division in neighborhoods. So, it’s like the Arabs live in their own parts of town. I’ve never been there so I don’t know how extreme it is.

Discussions about giving the Palestinians an official country fall apart, because the Palestinians want more land than Israelis want to give up.

It’s a shame.

What would have happened if the Arabs there had welcomed the Jews at the time of Israel and built a country together? A democracy. The only one in the Middle East? What would have happened if the Jews had been given other land outside of the Middle East? Would the Arabs still have fought among themselves?

^^Yes the Arabs would have fought among themselves and did constantly—long, long before the Balfour Resolution and the legal purchase of settlement land by the Rothschilds. There were constant wars between the different sects of Islam as to interpretation of the Kuran and as to whom were the rightful heirs to the throne of Mohammed, between which tribe would control and care for the Holy cities (see Husseins), water rights, sea access, tribal control of the fertile lands and which land would contain the rightful seat of the caliphate… and on and on.

There is so much information and misinformation being promulgated about the Middle East conflict,. I don’t know enough to give you a succinct and accurate response, nor does anyone else here. I suggest you go to the library and do some reading; for an overview, try a good encyclopedia but not Wikipedia which will not be vetted. Nothing is simple about Israel and the Palestinians.

At rock bottom the conflicts are between people with relatively minor cultural differences who don’t like each other. This applies to both Jews and Muslims and Sunnis and Shiites. If you take any two orthodox followers of any of these beliefs, they will have more in common in their lifestyles than any of them do with more secular believers. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that Israel has a Western style democracy while the Muslim-controlled nations are mostly autocracies resistant to Western values, most especially equal rights for women.

I have to agree with @janbb that if you are really interested you should do some serious research and reading. It’s such an incredibly complicated issue. An emotional issue also for so many people that there is often bias or drastically different perceptions and interpretations of events in that region. You asked about the groups and lands surrounding the area and that is just as complicated. Some don’t even acknowledge Palestine or the Palestinian people. They see both as a recent creation or label.

Thanks @all. Sorry I took to long to reply.