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War for Israeli Independence
The United Nations decides to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish State. The Arab-Israeli War of 1948 broke out when five Arab nations invaded territory in the former Palestinian mandate immediately following the announcement of the independence of the state of Israel. Under the resolution, the area of religious significance surrounding Jerusalem would remain under international control administered by the United Nations. -
1948 War
Palestinian Arabs regarded the UN action as illegitimate and rejected the state offered to them. Conflicting claims to land lead to repeated violence. There had been tension and conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, and between each of them and the British forces, ever since the 1917 Balfour Declaration and the 1920 creation of the British Mandate of Palestine. -
Suez Crisis
Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez canal. Britain, which owns nearly half of the Suez Canal Company, seeks to prevent the nationalization by joining with France and Israel to gain control of the waterway. When Nasser refuses, Britain and France attack. -
6 Day War
The UN 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. Israel plans pre=emptive strikes June 5th against Egypt, Syria, Joran and Iraq. Jordan launches an offensive in Jerusalem on June 5th. By June 10th, when a UN crease-fire takes effect, it gives Israel a buffer zone. -
Yom Kippur War
Arab nations warn Israel that they will not accept Israeli occupation of lands lost in 1967. Sadat, allied with President Hafez Assad of Syria, attacks Israel on October 6th, 1973 - on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, Israel fights back and gains back most of the ground it lost. -
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. It was signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David. -
Intifada, Hamas and Hezbollah
Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories demand statehood and the right to self-determination. Expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Israel's attack on Lebanon gives rise to security threats. -
Israeli invasion of Lebanon
Attacks by the Palestine Liberation Organization from the Lebanon border add to the tensions. In June 1982, Israel invades Lebanon. Israel carried out a retaliatory aerial attack on PLO and PFLP targets in West Beirut that led to over 100 casualties. The PLO responded by launching a counterattack from Lebanon with rockets and artillery, which constituted a clear violation of the ceasefire. -
Palestinian Statehood Declared
Yasser Arafat seeks sole leadership of the Palestinian people and proves a prudent diplomat. It had previously been adopted by the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Upon completing the reading of the declaration, Arafat, as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization assumed the title of "President of Palestine.". -
Oslo Accords
Failed peace talks in Madrid in 1991 provide the framework for talks in Oslo, Norway, in 1993. Both sides agree to a Declaration of Principles. The accords provide for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. -
Wye Accords
President Clinton hosts Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in talks at Way Mills, Md. The summit ends with a land-for-security deal. Arafat agrees to crack down on terrorism, and Israel agrees to withdraw from a percentage of occupied land. Palestinians agree to withdraw elements of its charter that are hostile to Israel, and both sides agree to a third phase of negotiations. -
Israel Pulls Remaining Troops out of Lebanon
Prime Minister Ehud Barak today declared an end to the ''tragedy'' of Israel's two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon, as the last remaining Israeli troops and pro-Israeli militias pulled out of the border strip once known as Israel's security zone. Israel completed the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 425. -
Camp David
Clinton begins a last-ditch peace effort by hosting Arafat and Barak at Camp David. The summit lasts two weeks, but persistent issues, such as the status of Jerusalem and the relocation of Jewish settlers and Palestinian refugees, block an agreement. -
Palestinian Uprising
Palestinians remain frustrated by the lack of a final peace treaty. Hamas launches several suicide bombing attacks, including one at a Tel Aviv disco that kills 23 people and another at a Jerusalem pizzeria that kills 15. Within the first year of the uprising, nearly eight hundred are dead as a result of the fighting. -
Israel Launches Operation Defensive Shield and Invades and Occupies Much of the West Bank
Operation Defensive Shield involved Israeli troops and vehicles entering cities and imposing curfews. The incursions were accompanied by the entry into nearby villages and refugee camps. (Also Taylor's 2nd birthday) -
Geneva Accords: Palestinian and Israeli Politicians Release Symbolic Peace Agreement
A group of prominent Israeli and Palestinian politicians, working outside official channels, have written a symbolic peace agreement that they hope could be a foundation for future negotiations... The proposal, dubbed by the Geneva Accords, will be formally signed a ceremony planned for the next month in that Swiss city. (Also Sarah's 3rd birthday).
