I tried to trace this conflict back through history to find a root cause, and I made it to the Russian revolution era without finding one.

The Balfour Declaration was what started the specific conflict in the region, because the British wanted to grow their sphere of influence through a growing population of Jews there. The Zionists were response for terror attacks in the region for decades after the Declaration, and their motivation was the formation of a Jewish state.

Tracing it back, that motivation was actually very pure at first. A Jewish intellectual in Europe concluded that Jewish people would not be respected or able to live in peace unless they had a country of their own. This was because of the persecution and pogroms European Jews faced. The belief was corrupted into radical terror over time.

And it’s ironic since the Palestinians are in a similar situation because of Israelis. Europeans to Jewish people, Israelis to Palestinians. They just want safety and security. They all had/have the pure desire to live peaceful, safe lives with their families. And Jews and Palestinians all deserve to have that.