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In November 1947 the United Nations voted to partition the British mandate of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Clashes broke out almost immediately between Jews and Arabs in Palestine https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
In October 1956 Israel invaded Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. In five days the Israeli army captured Gaza and Rafaḥ taking thousands of prisoners and occupied most of the peninsula east of the Suez Canal. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
Arab and Israeli forces clashed for the third time June 5–10, 1967, in what came to be called the Six-Day War. In early 1967 Syria intensified its bombardment of Israeli villages from positions in the Golan Heights. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
The sporadic fighting that followed the Six-Day War again developed into full-scale war in 1973. On October 6, the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Israel was caught off guard by Egyptian forces crossing the Suez Canal and by Syrian forces crossing into the Golan Heights. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
On June 5, 1982, less than six weeks after Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Sinai, increased tensions between Israelis and Palestinians resulted in the Israeli bombing of Beirut and southern Lebanon, where the Palestine Liberation Organization had a number of strongholds. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
In July 2006 Hezbollah launched an operation against Israel in an attempt to pressure the country into releasing Lebanese prisoners, killing a number of Israeli soldiers in the process and capturing two. Israel launched an offensive into southern Lebanon to recover the captured soldiers. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
Israel launches month long full scale invasion of Gaza to prevent Hamas and other groups from launching rockets. The people discovered of major offshore natural gas deposits. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
May - Prime Minister Netanyahu forms a new coalition government after March elections with right-wing Bayit Yehudi party. Another right-wing party, Yisrael Beitenu, joins the following year. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
February - Parliament passes a law which retroactively legalises dozens of Jewish settlements built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668 -
US says it no longer considers Israeli settlements on the West Bank to be illegal. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29123668