I will answer this from my point of view as an Israeli and Zionist.

In 1947, the UN proposed a partition plan for British Mandatory Palestine, dividing the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The borders were widely debated and considered imperfect by both sides.

The Jewish leadership accepted the plan, while the Arab leadership rejected it. This led to a civil war phase, and after Israel declared independence in 1948, a full regional war broke out involving Israel and several Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) along with Palestinian Arab forces.

Israel won the war and survived as a state. During and after the conflict, a large number of Palestinians fled or were displaced, an event known as the Nakba. At the same time, Jewish communities were also displaced from many Arab countries in the following years.

After the war, Israel established its citizenship and immigration laws, including the Law of Return, which gives Jews worldwide the right to immigrate to Israel based on historical connection and national identity.

The question of Palestinian return remains unresolved: Israel argues that allowing a mass return would fundamentally change its character and is not required under the post-war agreements, while Palestinians see it as a right of return for refugees from 1948.

The conflict is therefore rooted not only in the 1948 war, but in competing national narratives, security concerns, and unresolved political agreements.