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The Israeli Declaration of Independence
The chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine declared the establishment of the State of Israel. This took land away from the Palestinians, which they were not pleased about. In the meantime, the Haganah, Jewish military, took the oldest part of the city Jaffa, killing over 66,000 people because the Arab countries refuse to recognize the right of Israel to exist. This starts a series of attacks and raids against Israel by fund militant groups. -
Creation of the PLO
This group was very radical and very violent. They pledged to destroy Israel and bring back Palestine. In 1969, Yasser Arafat became their leader. He was a difficult man who did not want peace; he wanted war. He wanted to obliterate Israel. This terrorist group began to launch guerilla attacks against Israel. -
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The Six Day War
Egypt and Syria prepare to attack Israel because they are upset with the UN troops in the Sinai peninsula. Israel expects this and decide to strike first, using air strikes on Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and ground troops that defeat the Arab soldiers. Israel takes control of Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The tensions are high due to a large Palestinian population in these areas. -
Yom Kippur War
Egypt is determined to take back the Sinai Peninsula so there is a surprise attack against Israel on a Jewish holy day. This is partially brought on by the fact that Egypt is a mainly Islamic country and Israel has a female prime minister, Golda Meier. This irritated the Islamic fundamentalists who only saw women as property and contributed to the timing of this attack. In the start of the attack, it looks as though Egypt will win until there is support from the US and NATO. -
OPEC Oil Embargo
Arab members of OPEC impose an embargo as consequence of the United States' decision to help the Israeli military. It also gives them leverage in negotiating peace. The embargo cut off the United States' supply of foreign oil, something they were very dependent on, and it also put strain on the economy. -
Camp David Accords
Egypt and Israel reached a peace agreement where Egypt recognized Israel and Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. This angered many political grouops because they felt like Egypt was admitting deefeat to a country they didn't recognize. The Egyptian Prime Minister was assassinated because of this peace agreement. -
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Intifada
Intifada, meaning rebellion or uprising, was brought on by violence and tension increasing in West Bank, Gaza due to Israel building settlements. Pastinian youths rebelled against Israel. They fight the military and police in street violence far into the 1990s. This rebellion kills about 1,200 Palestinians and about 200 Israelis. There were massive violations of human rights by Israel and for the first time, Palestine showed that there were two sides to this conflict. -
Oso Accords
The Oslo Accords are loosely based on the Camp David Accords,, except they called for peace with Palestine and later Jordan. They would be signed by Arafat and Rabin, but Arafat could not agree on the terms. They originally stated that Palestinen would gain control over governing West Bank, Gaza. Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization were supposed to sign the agreement by 1998, but it fell through and there has been no peace agreements since. -
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The Second Intifada
The Second Intifada was also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada or the Oslo Conflict. This conflict was brought about by the Prime Minister of Israel visiting Temple Mount. This was seen as very provacative so Palestinian protestors threw rocks and were suppressed with tear gas and rubber bullets. Palestinian youths were joined by Palestinian forces with more sophisticated weapons. Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic organization, sent suicide bombers into Israel to attack civilians. -
Yasser Arafat's Death
Yasser Arafat died, effectively ending the second intifada. He is succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas. The loss of the internationallly recognized leader shook the foundation of the PLO, leading to fighting between the factions.