Palestine is considered an area in the Middle East bordered by Syria and Saudi Arabia located east of the Mediterranean Sea. It was under Turkish rule from the years of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century until the end of World War I in which the Turks were defeated and Palestine was handed over to the French and eventually to the British. The British Empire ruled over Palestine for approximately thirty years; from 1917 to 1948 and it began with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the League of Nations Mandate of 1922. The Balfour Declaration was a letter from the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour addressed to Walter Rothschild, a leader in the British Jewish Community expressing support of a national home for the Jewish …show more content…
This led to the war of 1948 between the Jewish and Arab communities that would later be known as the War of Independence in Israel. Considering the British rule had come to an end, it allowed Israel to declare independence as a nation on May 14, 1948. This was just the beginning of the violence that was to come in this region of the Middle East, as Israel, now an established Jewish homeland fought to expand their territory among its neighboring nations. These nations included Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon. It resulted in Israel stretching its borders across the West Bank directly east of Jordan. Western powers officially recognized Israel as a nation, however many surrounding nations did not due to the growing attempts to establish settlements and create a stable, powerful nation. Nations of the west including the United States aided Israel in hopes they would gain security and protect themselves from resentful nations close in proximity. The Israeli government and military began to gain strength and in return they were of significant assistance to the United States following the Cold War when it came to controlling Soviet influences. Following independence, many immigrants fled to Israel and economic problems were in