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1948 War
May 15, 1948- March, 1949. Israel declared independence. Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq attacked Israel. Israel gained land. Egypt gained the Gaza Strip and Jordan gained the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Jews became refugees. -
Six Day War or The 1967 War
June 5, 1967- June 19, 1967. Egypt blockaded Israel. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq moved troops to Israel's borders and made threatening statements. Israel launched a preemptive strike. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the Gaza Strip and all of the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. More Palestinians and Jews became refugees. Terrorism became more common. -
Attrition Battles
July 11, 1967- August, 1970. During this war, Israel gained land from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Jerusalem remained a unified city and Israel exchanged other territories for peace, and recognition. Egypt and the PLO gained small attacks on the Israelis. After the wars, Jordan evicted the PLO from their country, and the PLO moved its bade of operations to Lebanon. -
Settlement Construction Begins
The Israeli government approved the building of Israeli communities on land captured during war. They were supposed to be security posts that would prevent attacks on major population centers. The communities have increased greatly over time, from around 3,200 to 300,000 West Bank settlers. People believe the settlements have been placed on land for a future Palestinian state land, but the future of them has not been negotiated by the Israel and the Palestinian Authority's peace agreement. -
The October War or Yom Kippur War
October 6, 1973- October 26, 1973. Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day of the Jewish year. The Israelis pushed back the attack, and the US convinced Israel to withdraw from the territories. The war strengthened strategic importance of the buffer zones. After the war, Israel kept the territories, that were captured, but didn't get any other land. -
Egypt and Israel Sign a Peace Agreement
Egypt became the first Arab Country to recognize Israel and begin a peace treaty with it. If they were to stay at war, it would hurt the Egyptian economy. This peace treaty became the model for Israel's 'land of peace' policy. -
The 1982 Lebanon War
June 6, 1982- June 1982. PLO units in Southern Lebanon attacked communities in northern Israel. Israel then launched an attack back on the PLO units. The PLO leadership was expelled from Lebanon to Tunisia. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in June 1985 and until 2000, maintained a military presence, that served as a buffer zone. Terrorist attacks then occurred from southern Lebanon, to which led to the second Lebanon war in 2006. -
The First Intifada
December 8, 1987- September 13, 1993. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank had engaged in an uprising against the Israeli control. Palestinians then attacked Israelis with firearms from the PLO, and Israel used their military force to contain the violence. Palestinians lost their lives from the Israelis harsh response, but the attacks continued. An equal number of PLO, Palestinians were killed, and their conflict continued until the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. -
The Oslo Accords
August 20, 1993- September 13, 1993. A set of agreements that started in 1993 when Israel and the PLO signed the Declaration of Principles. This led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, and Israel began to withdraw its military presence from the Gaza Strip and an area near Jericho. The Oslo Accords were meant to be an agreement that would lead to a settlement with Israel giving up land. Both Israelis and Palestinians have accused each other for not fulfilling their obligations. -
Israel and Jordan sign a Peace Treaty
October 26, 1994- July 25, 1994. From the peace treaty in 1979 between Egypt and Israel, the US led a diplomatic process to help both Israel and Jordan to achieve peace. Trade, business, relations, tourism, cultural exchanges, and scientific cooperation between both nations has increased, since the agreement has been signed. -
The Camp David Summit
July 11, 2000- July 25, 2000. Bill Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Camp David in July, 2000. It was the first attempt to negotiate an agreement between Israel and Palestine. The negotiations have carried out in secret when Arafat refused and Barak withdrew. The goal of this summit as to have two states living side by side in peace. This goal was not accomplished and conflict arose further. -
The Second Intifada
September 28, 2000- ongoing. Israeli General Ariel Sharon visited the Jewish temple Mount in September 2000, which was a site respected by Jews and important to Muslims. Palestinians claimed that Sharon's visit was irritating and began to riot. The Israelis claimed that Sharon's visit was an excuse for violence. The conflict causes bloodshed and suffering, and the Israelis were terrorized by suicide bombers. Israel's military carried out operations against terrorists, and peace failed. -
Arab Peace Initiative Is Proposed
March 25, 2002- March 28, 2002. During the Beirut Summit of the Arab League, a crown prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed a peace initiative that was signed by all members of the Arab League. It offered Israel peace in return for Israeli to withdraw from all territories that were captured in the 1967 war. The proposal was a major breakthrough because Arab nations ruled out peace, recognition, and negotiations. Israel leaders met with Arab League representatives to discuss the proposal. -
Israel Begins Constructing the West Bank Barrier
June 23, 2002- ongoing. Israel decided to build a security barrier that would separate its citizens from terrorist groups, in the West Bank. The fence has been effective in reducing the number of suicide bombings. The fence has been criticized for dividing Palestinians from their land and places of work and study, and requiring them to pass through security checkpoints. People argue that the barrier is temporary, and can be removed for peace. -
The Roadmap for Peace is Proposed
The Roadmap for Peace was a plan for peace proposed by the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations. It involved steps for Palestinian and Israelis that lead to an independent Palestine state and a secure Israel. The three steps have never been accomplished past the first, but at multiple times it has come up again and taken into reconsideration. The latest being in 2007 at the Annapolis Conference, but no real progress has been made in the roadmap. -
Israel Disengages from Gaza
The Prime Minister Ariel Sharon moved ahead with the policy of "Disengagement," or physical separation of Israel from Palestinian territories. He also determined that Israel would withdraw from the Gaza strip. They removed themselves so the Palestinians living there could govern themselves. But, the Israelis living there did not want to leave their home. Since then, there has been a huge increase on the number of rockets fired by terrorists from Gaza into Israel. -
Hamas is Elected
The majority of Hamas members are elected because many Palestinians, the previous government, thought the PLO party was a corrupt government. The Hamas have been claimed responsibility for hundreds for terrorist attacks and did not accept the previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements. Many western countries have stopped helping Palestinian Authority. But, the western countries would lift these penalties once Hamas realizes that Israel has a right to exist, and except to previous agreements. -
The 2006 Lebanon War
Israel goes to war with a radical Islamist organization, called Hezbollah, that wants to destroy it. It is based in Lebanon but supposedly supported by Iran and Syria. Hezbollah crossed the boarder and attacked, while at the same time shooting off rockets into cities and towers. This war resulted in a loss of lives and property damage. Israel also damaged Lebanon's transportation so they would not be able to resupply. The battling ended with a cease fire that was passed on August 11, 2006. -
The Battle of Gaza
After Hamas won the election, there was hatred in the air coming from both parties. There was tension and minor conflicts coming from the Hamas and PLO. Then, Hamas attacked PLO members throughout Gaza, and in response Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, dissolved the Hamas government. In affect, the western sanctions to the Palestinian Authority were lifted after Hamas was dissolved. -
The Gaza War
Israel attacked Hamas members in Gaza trying yo stop attacks on Southern Israel and to intervene with terrorist infrastructure, and weapon smuggling. Many people were killed, and since Hamas was based in a city location, many civilians were injured or even killed. The buildings and economy of Gaza took a huge hit from this attack. -
Gaza Flotilla Incident
The Hamas gained control, but Israel and Egypt created a blockade from Gaza so they could make sure no weapons were being smuggled in. Six ships set sail to break the blockade, but Israel said that they could not cross without inspection. The ships refused, and Israel attacked and gained control of the ships killing nine people. It was a Turkish ship with goods, and the rest was shipped into Gaza. The countries say the search justified but, lead to a diminishing of their Turkish alliance. -
The Arab Spring
Citizens in Arab states began protesting against oppressive and autocratic governments, not one Arab state had been a democracy. Protest spread like wild fire cross the Arab world. The Tunisian president left the country in January of 2011 and the Egyptian president resigned in February of that same year. This could show the countries' governments giving into the protests, and the start of the many countries plan actually working out. These leaders are leaving, opening a door for the people.
