Everything about the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is contested, from the events themselves to how far back in history to find a starting point. Some begin with the Romans. Others the late 19th-century Jewish migration to what was then the Ottoman empire and the rise of Zionism. But the start for many is the UN’s vote in 1947 to partition land in the British mandate of Palestine into two states – one Jewish, one Arab – after the destruction of much of European Jewry in the Holocaust. As Chris McGreal tells Nosheen Iqbal, the roots of this conflict continue to inflame it. The horrific attacks by Hamas that killed more than 1,300 Israelis will go down as one of the worst days in Israel’s history. Now, with the Israel Defence Forces pounding Gaza with airstrikes and preparing a ground invasion, the next phase of the conflict promises to be more deadly than any that have gone before it. You can subscribe for free to Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast Full Story on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google podcasts. Read more: ‘Like a terrible dream’: tense wait for Israeli soldiers near Gaza border