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Period: to
war for Israeli independence
n Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations decides to partition Palestine1 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. -
Suez crisis
Israeli leadership grows increasingly weary of cross-border attacks from the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip as well as Egypt's attempts to block Israeli shipping in the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aqaba. -
Yom kippur war
Arab nations warn Israel that they will not accept Israeli occupation of lands lost in 1967. After Egypt's Nasser was succeeded by Anwar Sadat, Sadat prepares his country for war, including a contract with the Soviets for more sophisticated weaponry. -
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 -
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. In June 1982, Israel invades Lebanon.
