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Britain seizes Palestine
In support of Zionism, the British took Palestine from the Ottomans in 1917. The British claimed that there would be "no prejudice against non-Jewish communities." This event is highly significant, as it was the beginning of what would eventually become a massive, ongoing conflict. -
Mass Jewish migration to Palestine
Due to the Nazi Holocaust of the Jewish in Europe, a great number of Jewish people began to migrate to Palestine. At this time, Jewish armed forces began conflicts with British authorities in pursuit of an independent Jewish state. The importance of this event is that the large Jewish population became a huge contributor to Israeli occupation. -
United Nations "Partition Plan"
In 1947, the United Nations recommended dividing Palestine into distinct Jewish and Arabic states, with Jerusalem being internationally governed. This event is important because it reflects the majority stance of big international players towards the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. -
Israeli Independence
Israel declared independence in 1948 after British reign finally ended. Shortly after, they officially gained admission to the United Nations under their own name. This event is significant because it strengthened the connection that Jewish people feel towards Jerusalem, and how they came to associate Zionism with independence. -
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First Arab-Israeli War
In order to settle a year long conflict, a truce was made between the Arabs and the Jews. However, the truce came at a cost as it compromised the partition plan recommended by the United Nations, and left Israel with more territory. Towards the conclusion of the war in 1949, Jordan expanded their territory to the West Bank, along with eastern Jerusalem. Egypt also occupied Gaza. At that time, approximately, 750,000 Palestinian Arabs either fled or perished. -
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Mass Settlement
Following the conclusion of the war, many Jewish refugees (the majority of whom were Holocaust survivors) and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries settled in Israel. -
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Egypt Invasion
Along with the combined powers of Britain and France, Israel invaded Egypt. This allowed not only for Israeli shipping to re-open, but also to muffle Palestinian resilience by preventing armed entry by Palestinians from Sinai. -
Israel builds large nuclear reactor
In 1957, Israel began to build a massive nuclear reactor in the Negev desert with help from France. This event is significant as the reactor eventually became the foundation for the Israeli's nuclear weapons program many years later. -
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The United States supplies Israel with weapons
In an attempt to improve relations with Middle Eastern countries and resolve the balance of power, the United States began to sell Israel missiles in 1962. When the French ceased supplying weapons to Israel, the United States further increased the sale of weapons, which expanded and enhanced Israel's military might. -
The Six Day War
Months of escalating tension over territory and border disagreements finally culminated to the "six day war" in 1967. A UN buffer force in Sinai was expelled by Egypt, and Israeli attacked Egypt along with Jordan and Syria. By the end of the war, Israel had obtained controler over east Jerusalem, the West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza and Sinai. This eventually leads to the expansion of Jewish settlements, which are set up in all of these areas over a long period of time. -
Black September Kidnapping
In 1972, a group of Palestinian "Black September" gunmen went to the Munich Olympics and captured the Israeli team, holding them hostage. They murdered two of the athletes, and nine more after German authorities attempted to rescue the hostages. This event is important as it greatly heightened tensions between Palestinians and Jews. -
Egypt and Syria attack Israel
Egypt and Syria launched an assault on Israeli forces in the "October War." Israeli emerged victorious, but they lost a great many people. This event is important because it resulted in a shift in public attitude toward the Labour party that was currently governing. -
The UN deems Zionism racism
In 1975, the UN General Assembly collectively decided to define "Zionism" as a form of racism. However, this resolution was later revoked in 1991. This event is important because it affected the zionist attitude towards the UN and their advice. -
Land Day Events
In 1976, massive numbers of Israeli Arabs protested government attempts to seize land in northern Israel. This resulted in the deaths of six Arab citizens. This is considered a very significant event, and every year, the events of this day are commemorated. -
Likud Party Victory
In 1977, right-wing Israeli politician Menachem Begin became the prime-minister sixth of Israel after the Likud party unexpectedly one the election. The reason that this event is so important is because the victory was partly due to the fact that the party capitalised on tension created by the current government's favourable treatment to European Jews, and the subsequent bitterness that non-European Jews felt towards the government because it. -
Hung Parliament
The 1984 election resulted in a hung parliament, and escalating tensions between the Likud and Labour parties. This eventually resulted in a compromise which decided that the leaders of both parties (Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir) would alternate as prime minister. This event is important because it made the political climate even more unstable than it already was. -
Israeli withdrawel from Lebanon
In 1985, Israeli forces withdrew from the vast majority of Lebanon. However, they continued to occupy territory along the border. This event is important as until that point, Israeli forces were occupying much of Lebanon and majorly affecting the territory. -
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The First Intifida
In December of 1987, the first Intifada uprising occurred in numerous occupied territory. Muslims in Gaza united to form the Hamas movement, which quickly escalated into a violent attack against Israel, and eventually a large-scale Palestinian uprising. This is considered the first time that the Israeli government properly had their authority challenged and is believed to be one of the biggest events of the Palestine/Israeli conflict. -
Soviet Emigration
In 1990, the Soviet Union permitted it's Jewish citizens to emigrate, which resulted in approximately a million ex-Soviet citizens settling in Israel. This event is of significance because it greatly affected population numbers. -
The Labour Party returns to power
The Labour party returned to power in 1992 with Yitzhak Rabin leading. This event is important because at that time, the party formally pledged to halt the Jewish settlement expansion programme. -
The Oslo Declaration is signed
The Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat signed the "Oslo Declaration." This event is important because the declaration was signed in order to plot Palestinian self-government and formally put an end to the First Intifada conflict in 1993. -
Yitzhak Rabin Killed
In November of 1995, a Zionist extremist shot and killed 1995 Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv. Subsequently, Shimon Peres took his place as prime minister. This event is important because it once again escalated public tension regarding the government. -
Likud returns to power
The Likud Party re-assumed the government under the lead of Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996. This event was a huge turning point, as the government pledged to further hold supplies from Palestinians, and they also resumed Israeli settlement expansions. -
Ariel Sharon visits Jerusalem site
In September of 2000, the leader of the Likud party Ariel Sharon paid a visit to a sacred Jerusalem temple, which resulted in huge Palestinian protests and extreme violence. This event is significant as the temple is a sacred place, and Sharon's going there was considered a political stance. -
West Bank Barrier
Israel began building a barrier in and around the West Bank in June 2002. This event once again sparked Palestinian outrage and widespread controversy, particularly regarding the legality of the barrier. Although Israel claimed said barrier was put in place in order to prevent Palestinian attacks, the Palestinians saw it as an Israeli tactic to occupy more land. -
Proposed Palestinian state
In June 2003, an international alliance produced a proposed map in order to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The map proposed an independent Palestinian state. Both the Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority accepted the plan, with a decided to compromise to both freeze the West Bank Jewish settlements and end the Palestinian attacks on Israelis. This event is important because it made both sides feel hopeful that one day there would be peace and resolution. -
West Bank Barrier declared illegal
In July 2004, the International Court of Justice examined the case of the West Bank barrier, and eventually issued an advisory opinion that the Israeli constructed West Bank barrier is illegal. This is an important event because Palestinians felt as though their concerns had been recognised, whereas the Israelis disagreed. -
Proposed "Two-state" solution
The "two-state solution" was introduced for the first time during the Annapolis Conference in November 2007. This event is important as it sowed the seeds of hope for both Palestinians, Israelis and allies alike. -
Israeli and Palestinian discussion
Talks resumed between both Israeli and the Palestinian authorities in September of 2010 in an attempt to resolve conflict. However, these discussions fell flat over settlement skirmishes. This event saw a slight shift in public mood towards the hope for resolution, with many Palestinians becoming more cynical. -
New Jewish Settlement
In June 2017, work began on the first new Jewish settlement in the West Bank in 25 years. This event is important, because it once again diminished Palestinian hope for reconciliation. -
Legalised Jewish settlements
In February 2017, parliament passed a law which effectively legalised a great deal of Jewish settlements built on the private land of Palestinian land-owners in the West Bank. This event is hugely important, as it opened old wounds, and many Palestinians felt violated and angry. -
US recognises Jerusalem as Israeli capital
In December 2017, President of the United States Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and ordered the US embassy to move. This controversial decision is of great significance as it sparked global outrage from both Arabs their Western allies.
