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The Holy Land is many things to many people. It is an amazing place where history, politics and religious faith are all woven together into a fabric that is called Israel. The State of Israel became a nation in 1948 after more than 50 years of efforts to establish a homeland for the Jewish people, who incidentally had been without an official country for nearly 2000 years! This new idea of “returning” was initiated by Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism.
After World War I, the region came under British control. As Jews continued immigrating throughout the 1920s, 30s and 40s, British authorities attempted to restrict their entry. At the same time, there was growing international support for Jewish national aspirations after their near-extermination by the Nazis during World War II. Global support led to the 1947 UN partition plan, which could have sliced the land into separate Jewish and Arab states. According to the plan, Jerusalem would be neither Jewish or Arab controlled, instead, it would be administered by the UN and remain a neutral international zone. It was not to be.
On May 14, 1948, Great Britain left the region and the State of Israel was born! She was immediately invaded by armies from neighboring Arab states, which rejected the UN partition plan. This conflict, Israel's War of Independence, was concluded by armistice agreements between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in 1949 and resulted in a 50% increase in Israeli territory.
Israel’s political landscape, military campaigns and security struggles are varied, complicated, and continue down to today. This land has a rich history of art, archaeology, cultural influence and religious expression. Though you may try, you will never be able to take it all in. That is certainly part of the appeal. Your friends at AMI Travel encourage you to join us in celebrating our history, both contemporary and from centuries past! To learn more, Click Here.
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