Question: where did the idea of states come from

title: Nation state
text: Israel was founded as a Jewish state in 1948 . Its `` Basic Laws '' describe it as both a Jewish and a democratic state . According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , 75.7 % of Israel 's population are Jews . Arabs , who make up 20.4 % of the population , are the largest ethnic minority in Israel . Israel also has very small communities of Armenians , Circassians , Assyrians , Samaritans , and persons of some Jewish heritage . There are also some non-Jewish spouses of Israeli Jews . However , these communities are very small , and usually number only in the hundreds or thousands .