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War for Israeli independence
On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations decides to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Mounting violence leads to the first Arab-Israeli war in early 1948, when the British withdraw from the region. -
Six-Day War,
The U.N. force is able to prevent major Arab invasions of Israel until the summer of 1967, when Egyptian forces gather in Sinai and Nasser orders the international troops to leave. Egypt also blocks Israeli ships in the Gulf of Aqaba. -
Camp David Accords
Egyptian and Israeli leaders meet at Camp David with President Carter in 1978 to discuss a treaty in which Egypt would regain full control of the Sinai Peninsula. The treaty is signed on March 26, 1979, lending hope to a future of peace in the region. -
Israeli invasion of Lebanon
The treaty with Egypt leads to a "cold" peace, but Israel must now focus on the Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Attacks by the Palestine Liberation Organization from the Lebanon border add to the tensions. -
Palestinian statehood declared,
Yasser Arafat seeks sole leadership of the Palestinian people and proves a prudent diplomat. Arafat declares Palestinian statehood in November 1988 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
