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The Recent History of Israel
A brief overview of the history of Israel from 1955 to the present day. -
Sinai Campaign
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Jul 1956- Egypt threatens British and French interests in the Suez Canal by nationalization
• Israel+ Britain+ France plans to attack the Egyptians
• 29 Oct 1956- Israel attacks
• 31 Oct 1956- Britain & France attack
• US= strong oppostition to the attacks
• 5 Nov 1956- fighting ends -
Adolf Eichmann executed
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Eichmann= credited with creating the ghettos and death camps during WWII
• 11 May 1962- captured in Argentina
• 31 May 1962- hanged
• Only time a civilian court capitally punished anyone in Israel -
PLO is created.
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • PLO= Palestine Liberation Organization
• Founded by the Arab League
• Seeks to better the lives of Palestinians in the Middle East -
Period: to
Six Day War
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Israeli viewpoint on the war: defending themselves against the impending Arab attack
• Israel fought Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq
• Buildup from the Sinai Campaign
• Israel= victorious -
Reunification of Jerusalem
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • 7 Jun 1967- IDF takes control of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall
• 27 Jun 1967- Jerusalem unified -
Period: to
Egyptian War of Attrition
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • 1 Jul 1967- Egypt begins bombing Israeli military positions
• Egypt believed the war wouldn’t last long
• No clear victor -
Period: to
Yom Kippur War
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Yom Kippur= holiest day on Jewish calendar
• Egypt + Syria launched surprise attack on Israel
• Iraq supported Egypt and Syria
• War didn’t go well for Israel at first
• US Secretary of State Kissenger was the arbitrator
• 24 Oct 1973- UN calls for cease-fire -
Camp David Accords
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Both Egypt and Israel want peace
• PLO doesn’t want peace
• Sep 1978- both sides approve the agreement
• 26 Mar 1979- both sides sign a peace treaty -
Israeli- Egypt Peace Treaty
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Ended hostilities between Egypt and Israel
• US President Jimmy Carter mediated the negotiations -
Israeli Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Osirak nuclear plant was being built in central Iraq
• Destroyed in minutes
• Attack condemned by the world -
"Operation Moses"
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Objective: take the Ethiopian Jews back to Israel -
Israel signs Free-Trade Agreement with the United States
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Helps the expansion of trade
• Israel exports: agricultural products (soybeans, wheat, etc.)
• Israel imports: electrical equipment, aircraft, medical equipment, etc. -
Israel attacked by Iraqi SCUD missiles during Gulf War
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • SCUD= Soviet short range missile (could be outfitted to be nuclear)
• Attack resulted in Israel fearing that they had to enter the Gulf War
• Tel Aviv (largest city) and Haifa (major seaport) attacked
• Attack began at 3:00 AM local time
• No one killed, few injured -
Prime Minister Rabin assassinated
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Deemed a “martyr for peace”
• Eulogies included those from Arabs
• Assassin: Yigal Amir (Jewish law student)
• Motive: to stop the peace talks in the Middle East -
Israel commences "Operation Defensive Shield"
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Large-scale military operation
• Objective: to push terrorist organizations out of the West Bank
• Widely thought to be one of the best instances of counter-insurgency warfare -
The "Disengagement Plan" begins
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Israel wanted to withdraw themselves from the Gaza Strip
• They wanted to increase the security and peace-of-mind of the people,
• Allow some pressure to be released from the IDF
• Reduce friction with the Palestinians -
Period: to
The Second War in Lebanon
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • 12 Jul 2006- Hizbullah commandos invade northern Israel
• Israel mainly used air and sea forces
• Israel was ill-prepared for war
• Israel inadvertently increased the political and military power of Hizbullah -
"Operation Cast Lead" begins
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Israeli forces launched a 22-day military attack on the Gaza Strip
• 1,400 Palestinians killed (predominantly civilians)
• UN investigates this attack
• UN discovers that both the Israelis and the Palestinians are guilty of war crimes -
Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Prime Minister
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Birthplace: Tel Aviv, Israel
• Nicknamed “Bibi”
• Grew up in Philadelphia
• Attend MIT
• Degrees in architecture and business administration
• Served as the Israeli delegate to the UN -
Israel joins OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs • OECD= Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Joined along with Chile, Estonia, the Russian Federation, and Slovenia
• 7 Sep 2010- Israel officially joins the OECD
