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Arab-Israeli Conflict
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War for Israeli independence
On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations decides to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Mounting violence leads to the first Arab-Israeli war in early 1948, when the British withdraw from the region. Jewish forces hold their ground and declare Israeli statehood on May 14, 1948. Neighboring Arab nations, including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and then-Transjordan, lend support to the Palestinians. The Egyptians are the last to seek an end to hostilities; an armistice is reached -
Suez crisis
Israeli leadership grows increasingly weary of cross-border attacks from the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip as well as Egypt's attempts to block Israeli shipping in the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aqaba. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's denial of Israel's right to exist and attempts to thwart Western peace initiatives convince the West that Nasser is not an ally. The United States withdraws aid to Egypt for the Aswan Dam Project, infuriating Nasser. He nationalizes the Suez Canal on July 26, 1 -
Six-Day War
The U.N. force is able to prevent major Arab invasions of Israel until the summer of 1967, when Egyptian forces gather in Sinai and Nasser orders the international troops to leave. Egypt also blocks Israeli ships in the Gulf of Aqaba. In the United States, President Johnson tries but fails to secure peace and reopen the gulf. Israel plans pre-emptive strikes June 5 against Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq — nations that had mobilized for war — while moving troops into the Sinai Peninsula and the ca -
Yom Kippur War
Arab nations warn Israel that they will not accept Israeli occupation of lands lost in 1967. After Egypt's Nasser was succeeded by Anwar Sadat, Sadat prepares his country for war, including a contract with the Soviets for more sophisticated weaponry. Sadat, allied with President Hafez Assad of Syria, attacks Israel on Oct. 6, 1973 — on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. Israel fights back and gains back most of the ground lost in the initial attack. Fighting continues for 18 days, when the -
Camp David Accords
Egyptian and Israeli leaders meet at Camp David with President Carter in 1978 to discuss a treaty in which Egypt would regain full control of the Sinai Peninsula. The treaty is signed on March 26, 1979, lending hope to a future of peace in the region.
