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1948 War
May 1948- March 1949
What Happened: Israel declared independence. Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq attacked Israel.
What Was The Result: 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. -
Attrition Battles
March 1967- August 1970
What Happened: Israel took land from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria (leaving Jerusalem open for religious journeys). Israel promised to return the land in exchange for peace and recognition from the countries. Egypt began attacking Israel and the PLO began attacking Israelis through terrorism.
What Was The Result: PLO is attacked by the Jordanian army in the "Black September" Fighting continues until Jordan evicts the PLO. The PLO moves its base to Lebanon -
Six Day War or The 1967 War
June 1967-June 1967
What Happened: Israel blockaded Israel. Eqypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq moved troops to Israel's borders and made threatening statements. Israel launched a preemptive strike.
What Was The Result: 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. -
Settlement Construction Begins
What Happened: Israeli government starts building on land captured in the war. They built bases intending to prevent attacks from heavily populated areas of Palestinians. About 3,200 settlers live on the West Bank after construction begins.
What Was The Result: Construction grows and 300,000 settlers now live in the West Bank. Settlements are built on land that may be needed by the Palestinians and protecting the settlements drains the Israeli military. Travel is difficult for Palestinians. -
The October War or Yom Kippur War
6 October 1973-26 October 1973
What Happened: Egypt and Syria attack Israel on Yom Kippur, a sacred Jewish holiday. Arabs start forcefully but Israeli military soon pushes back. US convinces Israel to pull out of the territories it invaded.
The Result: Made Israelis believe in the importance of military bases outside of Israeli settlements. Israel kept territory won in 1967 War and returned the land captured in the October War. -
Egypt and Israel Sign a Peace Argreement
What Happened: Egypt’s President, Anwar Sadat, realized fighting with Israel was damaging Egypt’s economy and citizen moral. US has helped Egypt become the first Arab country to recognize Israel and sign a peace agreement.
The Result: Israel returned the Egyptian land taken in the 1967 war and removed Jewish settlers from Egypt. The “Land for peace” policy was modeled after this peace treaty. -
The 1982 Lebanon War or The First Lebanon War
June 1982-September 1982
What Happened: PLO branches in Lebanon launch small attacks on Israel and Israel fights back, pushing the PLO out of Lebanon.
The Result: Israel suffers from cost and involvement with Lebanese affairs, finally withdrawing in 1985. Israel kept military bases in Lebanon until 2000. -
The First Intifada
December 1987-1993
What Happened: Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza Strip revolted against Israel’s control. PLO supplied the weapons . Suicide attacks against Israel surfaced.
The Result: Approximately equal number of Palestinians and Israel’s died in fight. Fighting continued until the Olso Accords were signed in 1993. -
The Oslo Accords
What Happened: Israel and PLO signed a Declaration of Principals. Creation of Palestinian Authority which has responsibility for the territory under its control. Israel has to remove military presence from Gaza Strip and Jericho.
The Result: Exchange letters of mutual recognition. Peace agreement between PLO and Israel. Accuse each other of not fulfilling obligations. -
Israel and Jordan Sign a Peace Treaty
What Happened: Jordan becomes second Arab country to recognize Israel.
The Result: Trade, business relations, tourism, cultural exchanges, and scientific cooperation has increased slowly. -
The Camp David Summit
What Happened: US President calls Israeli Prime Minister and Palestinian President to meet together to mandate a final agreement between Israel and Palestinians. Palestinian President refuses compromise and withdrew.
The Result: Peace was not achieved and fighting continued. -
The Second Intifada
September 2000-February 2005
What Happened: An Israeli general visited the Jewish Temple Mount (sacred to Jews and Muslims). Palestinians thought it was provocative and started rioting.
The Result: Israelis were attacked by suicide bombers, and Israeli military returned to major population centers. -
Arab Peace Initiative is Propsed
What Happened: Prince of Saudi Arabia proposes peace initiative embraced by all Arab League members. Offers Israel recognition in exchange for land take in 1967.
The Result: Israel likes the proposal but will not cooperate with the demands. Arab League meets with Israeli representatives for the first time. -
The Road Map for Peace is Proposed
What Happened: US, Russia, the European Nations and the United Nations proposed a plan for peace. Goals of an independent Palestinian state and security for Israel.
The Result: Only first phase was completed. Progression stopped when Hamas was elected in 2006, terrorizing Israelis. Palestinian president gets rid of Hamas and peace talk is open again. Little progress has been made since. -
Israel Begins Constructing the West Bank Barrier
What Happened: Israel decides to build a barrier to separate its citizens from terrorist groups in the West Bank.
The Result: Suicides bombs greatly decrease from Gaza Strip and West Bank. Travel is difficult for Palestinians. -
Israel Disengages From Gaza
What Happened: Prime Minister begins to “Disengage”, separating Palestinian territories from Israel. Citizens from Israel did not want to leave their homes in the Gaza Strip.
The Result: Israel withdraws from Gaza and Palestinians living there govern themselves. Rockets fired by terrorists from Gaza to Israel increase greatly. -
Hamas is Elected
What Happened: Hamas calls for the downfall of Israel and murder of Jewish people, rejecting former peace agreements.
The Result: Western nations suspend agreements with Palestinian Authority, will only return if Hamas acknowledges Israel and reaches peace with Israel. -
The 2006 Lebanon War
July 2006-August 2006
What Happened: A radical Islamic organization based in Lebanon, Hezbollah, wants to destroy Israel. The begin attacking Israeli military bases and civilians. Israel launches air strike in defense. Hezbollah uses human shields, causing more destruction.
The Result: Israeli property and civilians perish. Lebanon’s transportation structures are damaged by Israeli fighters. Hostility ends with the UN Cease Fire Resolution 1701 (August 11, 2006). -
The Battle of Gaza
What Happened: Tension rose between PLO leader and Hamas. Hamas soldiers attacked PLO members in Gaza. Palestinian Authority dispelled the Hamas government.
What Resulted: Today Hamas controls Gaza and the Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank. -
The Gaza War
December 2008-January 2009
What Happened: In Gaza, Israel attacks Hamas groups to stop rocket attacks, terrorist attacks and stop weapon smuggling.
What Resulted: Hundreds of soldiers died. Civilians, buildings and economic stability also became casualties as Hamas was centered in urban areas. -
Gaza Flotilla Incident
What Happened: Egypt and Israel blockade Gaza. Anything entering must be inspected for weapons smuggled by Hamas.
The Result: Turkey sent ships to destroy the barrier. Israel inspected the ships by force and redirected them to a checkpoint port, Ashdod in Israel. Turkish lives were lost in the process and have damages the alliance between Israel and Turkey. -
The Arab Spring
What Happened: Citizens in Arab states begin to protest against the oppressive, non-democratic governments. Protests began in Tunisia and spread across the Arab countries.
What Resulted: Tunisian President left the country, Egyptian President resigned. Conflict continues today and long-term impact is not yet clear.
