The current period of aggression started well over 70 years ago, with Arab attacks on Jewish settlements in British-occupied Palestine. Some of these settlers were members of the various Zionist movements who had purchased land there, and others had "always been there". The myth that all of the Israelis...or their ancestors 3 generations ago...were transplanted European deathcamp survivors is just that. Another myth that effects perceptions of this conflict is that all of the Jews ever left - for example, there was a significant Jewish population in the Holy Land during the Crusades, and the European crusaders were perfectly content to slaughter them in addition to the Arab Moslems and Christians. The history of Israel, Palestine and the conflict there is far from a simple one.