Officially established by a 1948 United Nations mandate, which divided the area known as Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, the nation of Israel has remained steadfastly resilient in its short but tumultuous history. The U.N. partition greatly reduced the land held by the Palestinian Arabs and set in motion a series of conflicts between Israel and its border countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Although Israel signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan in 1979 and 1994, respectively, its relationship with neighboring Lebanon and Syria continues to be strained due to those countries' ties with the Islamic political party Hezbollah.

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The birth of modern Israel -- A promised land : an ancient bond endures -- A disputed land : Palestine from the First World War to the Second -- The State of Israel emerges -- Trials and triumphs of the new nation -- War, peace and the PLO -- New violence and a faltering peace process -- Into the twenty-first century : the challenge continues.