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First Zionist Congress
ZionismTheodor Herzl, the founder of Zionism, organized this congress to announce their goal of establishing Israel as the legally assured home for the Jewish people. -
Balfour Declaration
Balflour Declaration The British Balfour Declaration approved the Jew's effort to establish a homeland in Israel. -
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British Mandate Established
After WW1, the League of Nations divided the Ottoman lands between the British and the French. Britain was given the Palestine Mandate (on land comprising modern-day Israel), the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jordan. Transjordan was created in 1921 as a subdivision of the mandate in the area east of the Jordan river. The following year, Britain did not allow for Jews to live in the Transjordan section, which decreased the area available for Jewish homeland by more than 75%. -
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World War II and Holocaust
WW2 During the war, Britain refused to allow Jews to enter the Palestine Mandate. After the Holocaust, about 6 million Jews were killed, which increased international sympathy and interest in the cause of Zionism. -
United Nations Partition
United Nations Partition United Nations recommended the partition of Palestine into two states, Arab and Jewish, and the internationalization of Jerusalem. This led to Jews receiving 57% of the land, and Arabs receiving 43% of the land. Jews accepted this partition, but unsurprisingly, the Arabs did not, which led to the attack on Jews from the Arabs. -
Arab-Israeli War
Arab-Israeli War
Arab armies from Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq attacked the new Jewish state. The Israelis won the war, and called it the "war of independence." As a result of the war, 700,000 Arabs had to flee Israeli land, and some Arabs stayed to become Israeli citizens (compromise 20% of Israel's population). Also, 900,000 Jews had to flee Arab lands (2/3 traveling to Israel). -
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The Six-Day War
Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq moved their armies to Israel's borders. Egypt then closed the international water way, the Straits of Tiran, to all Israeli shipping, which was an act of war according to international law. Arab leaders also publicly announced their intentions of destroying Israel. Israel launched an attack against the Arab armies, which started a six-day war. Israel captured land from Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel offered to return the land in offer for peace treaties. -
Yom Kippur War
Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day of the Jewish year. For many Israelites, this war reinforced the strategic importance of the buffer zones gained in 1967. -
Egypt and Israel Sign a Peace Agreement
Thanks to the effort of the United States, Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel and sign a peace treaty with them. Egypt's president realized this on-going war was harming Egypt too much. Israel returned to Egypy all of the Sinai they captured during the 1967 war. Jewish families were also removed from the houses they established there. This agreement became a model for Israel's "land for peace" policy. -
Cairo Agreement
A militant Jewish settler kills 29 Palestinians praying at the main mosque in Hebron, the West Bank. Israel and the PLO reached the "Cairo Agreement" which included Israeli military withdrawal from about 60% of the Gaza strip and the West Bank town of Jericho. -
Israel and Jordan sign a Peace Treaty
United States influenced this peace treaty, but had a more difficult time this time around. Jordan became the second Arab country to recognize Israel. -
Prime Minister
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel hands over 80% of the West Bank town of Hebron to Palestinian rule. -
Israel Begins Constructing a Security Banner
Israel decided to put up a security barrier that would separate its citizens from Terrorist groups in the West Bank. This fence/wall has been criticized for some Palestinians from their land and places of work or study and requiring these individuals to wait to pass through security checkpoints. -
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The Gaza War
Israel attacked Hamas targets in Gaza in order to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel and to disrupt terroritst infrastructure and weapons smuggling. This led to the killing of hundreds of militants. -
Cross-Border Attacks
Egyptian and Palestinian militants attack southern Israel and kill 8 Israelis, including 6 civilians. Five Egyptian soldeiers were also killed. -
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Gaza-Israel Clashes
Gaza militants launched over 300 rockets, Grad missiles, and mortar shells into southern Israel, wounding 23 Israeli civilians. Israel retaliated with air strikes on Gazan weapon storage facilities, rocket launching sites, weapon manufacturing facilities, training bases, posts, tunnels, and terror operatives, killing 22 militants. -
The 2006 Lebanon War
Hezbollah, a radical Islamist organization committed to destroying Israel and is based in Lebanon, is believed to be heavily supported by Iran and Syria. This group crossed the Lebanon-Israel border killing and capturing an Israeli army unit, and at the same time it also begin launching rockets into Israeli cities and towns. Israel fought back with air strikes.
