The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s longest-running and most controversial conflicts. At its heart, it is a conflict between two self-determination movements — the Jewish Zionist project and the Palestinian nationalist project — that lay claim to the same territory. But it is so, so much more complicated than that, with seemingly every fact and historical detail small and large litigated by the two sides and their defenders.
This guide is designed to give you an entry point into understanding this immensely complicated conflict. If you’re wondering about the very basics of the conflict — like how it got started or the role the city of Jerusalem plays into it — then you’ve come to the right place.
My hope is that, regardless of your view of who’s right in the conflict, you can read this guide and feel like you’ve gotten an honest, clear guide to the basics of the situation. And if you don’t know anything about it, then you can come away feeling like you’re basically up to speed.