Conflict between Israel and Palestine dates back decades.
Under a United Nations resolution the Jewish people were given a homeland, Israel, in Palestinian territory in 1948.
But with Arab neighbors rejecting the establishment of a Jewish state conflict arose between newly born Israel and neigboring countries such as Egypt and Syria.
As Israel rose victorious it occupied almost 80-percent of Palestinian land while about 700-thousand Palestinians were driven out into refugee camps in Jordan, Egypt and other regions.
Another conflict in the 1960s lead to Israel seizing key pieces of land from its Arab neighbors including the Gaza strip.
Palestinian outrage over Israeli occupation was voiced through the Intifada in the 1980s a protest movement that resulted in thousands of Palestinian casualties and many innocent civilians killed on both sides.
In the early 1990s a positive atmosphere was created in the region as Israel recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization under the Oslo Peace Accord and withdrew from the Gaza Strip ending 27 years of occupation.
But this atmosphere was short lived as the Israeli prime minister who had been involved in the peace process was assassinated and replaced by Benjamin Netanyahu an opponent to the Oslo Peace Accord.
With Palestinian suicide bombings terrorizing Israeli citizens Israel started to build a large security fence in the West Bank to stop terrorists from entering the country.
With tension brewing in the region once again the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine known as Hamas won over the Palestinian public winning a parliamentary majority in 2006 after which it violently seized control of Gaza.
Israel meanwhile has upped its campaign against Hamas the chief organization behind the attacks.
Last June, Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce but this unstable calm was sometimes shaken by factions in Gaza blasting rockets into Israel's border settlements.
With Hamas stepping up the rocket attacks last month and announcing the end of the truce the recent bloodshed that started over the weekend was long expected.
With Israel showing no signs of backing down the recent conflict is expected to continue possibly becoming one of the major issues the new incoming administration in the United States will have to deal with.
Kim Nari, Arirang News.
DEC 31, 2008
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Arirang Town
Wednesday, FEB 10, 2010, (KST) 
