Israel and Judah have a long and rich history that goes back to the pre-biblical times. This region was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of Islamic caliphate in the 7th century. This area was a place of bloodshed during the Crusades. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of World War I, Palestine was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations. For the centuries, Palestine has been a land inhabited by three major religions. With turbulences, they co-existed somehow. In the twentieth century, the desire for a Jewish homeland was slowly growing. The increased persecution of Jews around the world and Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany triggered Jewish migration into the region. Tensions with the native Palestinian Arabs increased and United Nations came with the plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors. Israel state was formed.
Palestinian territories
In the second half of the 20th century, Israel fought a series of wars against neighboring Arab states. As the result, Palestinian territories are under Israel control today. In many places, the two nations are separated by a high wall and barbed wire.
