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Israel becomes a nation.
The nation of Israel restored lands to ancestors of the ancient Hebrew people. Since 1948, however, Israel and its Arab neighbors have continued to fight for control of this territory, causing periods of intense violence and animosity between the two groups. -
The Arab-Israeli War begins.
The 1973 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Yom Kippur War, was fought between Israel and the Arab nations surrounding it. Arab states attached Israel to try to regain land they had lost in 1967. This war caused an international oil crisis because Arab states placed an embargo on oil exports to Western countries, such as the U.S. which supported Israel. -
The First Intifada
In 1987 Palestinians in the Occupied Territories carried out an uprising. These were violent riots and demonstrations. Many Arab leaders wanted to stop the uprising. King Hussein of Jordan finally gave up his country's claims to the West Bank and East Jerusalem to promote peace. -
The U.S. begins fighting the Iraq War.
Due to suspicions about Iraq making weapons of mass destruction, the United States invaded this country in March 2003. Military operations lasted for several weeks. After that, a rebuilding phase began. Saddam Hussein was eventually captured, tried and executed by Iraqi officials. The U.S. helped establish a democracy in Iraq with new leadership. All U.S. military personnel returned home by the end of 2011.
