The Holy Land is a significant place for all Christians. It’s the places where Jesus walked and host to places of importance, including Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, and more. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop conflict from happening. The one constant over the years of conflict is that peace prevails.

The Tension Begins

By the end of World War Two in 1945, the Jewish population was displaced and needed a home. The United Kingdom forces occupied parts of the northern Arab nations since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 and were tasked to carry out the United Nations Resolution 181 [1]. They were to establish a home for the Jews after the horrors of the holocaust. Parts of Palestine were chosen to be the home for the Jewish people, displacing the Arab people that lived there. The resolution from the United Nations mandated the partition of Palestine to establish the Jewish nation of Israel in 1947. In 1948, the British forces withdrew from Palestine and Israel, but conflict only grew without an established border and land ownership [1].

The First War After The World Wars

The partition sparked conflict almost immediately after it was formed. From 1948 to 1949, Israel’s war of independence, called Nakba or “Catastrophe” by the Arab people, saw many attacks from both the Arab and Jewish nations [1]. The surrounding countries also fought for borders. By the middle of 1949, multiple armistice agreements created temporary borders between the West Bank occupied by Jordan, Israel, and Gaza occupied by Egypt [2]. Tensions remained high as a peace agreement was never reached. Eventually, the West Bank and Gaza became the places for the Palestinian people to call home. Israel maintains their state as a Jewish country, not allowing Palestinian descendants to be citizens [2].

Years With Conflicts

Over the years, there were many other conflicts that involved the Holy Land. The Suez Crisis in 1956 mostly remained to the south, but the Six-Day War in 1967 ravaged much of the lands from the Bible, especially the Golan Heights [1]. At the end of those six days, Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza, gaining lands originally in Syria and Egypt. There were intermittent fights from then on until 1973 with the Yom Kippur War [1]. To end the conflict, The Purple Line ceasefire was signed with Syria in 1974 [3] and a peace treaty was signed with Egypt in 1979 [1]. Normal diplomatic relations were carried out between these countries afterward, leaving the Holy Land in peace for a while. However, the first and second Lebanon Wars in 1982 and 2006 hit these places hard. These wars were slow to end as the militant group Hezbollah continued to attack Israel in the first one until 2000 and the second until 2008 [1]. 

Peace Shall Prevail

Even after all of these conflicts, the Holy Land still stands. There are still the places where Jesus walked, like the Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor, the Mount of Olives, and many other sites. Christians can continue to have faith that no matter what comes to the Holy Land, the importance will never fade.

[1] Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024, May 10). Arab-Israeli wars. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Arab-Israeli-wars

[2] Writers of the British Broadcasting Corporation (2024, May 5). Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained. British Broadcasting Corporation. https://bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396

[3] Abuaita, Tony (2017, August 17). 10 Fun and Surprising Facts about the Golan Heights. Good Shepherd Travel. https://www.tourtheholylands.com/holy-land-tour-locations/holy-land-tours/golan-heights