You'd be very interested in reading specifically about British Palestine. Jews and Arabs (often those two groups weren't distinct) coexisted in the area for centuries during the Ottoman Empire. British control coincided with the rise of political Zionism and settlement of Palestine by European Jewish immigrants. These immigrants set up their own communities, complete with their own armed soldiers who would do things like burn down the homes of Arab families. It got so bad the UK had to try limiting Jewish immigration into the area, which resulted in the Zionists attacking British military facilities. So on so on, the Zionist Entity declares independence in 1948.