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Zionist Movement Begins
Late 1800s: The Zionist movement gained momentum during the late 1800s among Jews living in Europe. They began a quest to re-establish an independent Israel. -
The Jewish State' is published; Zionism grows
1896: Theodor Herzl, a journalist from Vienna, Austria, published The Jewish State. He called for the creation of a Jewish nation as a solution to the Diaspora (the scattering of Jews worldwide) and to anti-Semitism. -
The British gain control of Palestine (Israel)
1917: During World War I, British forces defeated the Turks and gained control of the Biblical land of Israel, which also is known as Palestine. The League of Nations granted the United Kingdom a mandate over Palestine in 1922. Prior to British rule, the land had been controlled by the Turks as part of the Ottoman Empire for about 400 years. -
6 million Jews killed by Nazis
1933 - 1944: During the 1930s and 1940s, Jews in Germany endure intense persecution. About six million Jews died during World War II, due to a program of state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany that targeted Jews and other groups of people. The event becomes known as the Holocaust. The pressure to re-establish a Jewish homeland intensifies. -
Israel declares Independence
This is the first time in 2900 years that Israel is both a sovereign and united nation.The southern kingdom became known as Judah and included the city of Jerusalem. The northern kingdom retained the name of Israel. Judah lost its independence about 2600 years ago. The Maccabean Revolt led to a time, from 164 BC to 63 BC, in which the Jews in Jerusalem and in the surrounding area enjoyed a degree of autonomy, which some commentators regard as a time of sovereignty. -
Surrounding Countries Invade Israel
Within hours of Israel's declaration of independence, the surrounding countries launch an invasion of Israel. The armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq attack Israel. The war becomes known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. -
Israel admitted to United Nations as 59th member
Noting furthermore the declaration by the State of Israel that it "unreservedly accepts the obligations of the United Nations Charter and undertakes to honour them from the day when it becomes a Member of the United Nations", -
Hebrew becomes an official language of Israel
Hebrew was the language of the Jewish people in Biblical times, and most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The language largely dies out over time but is revived in the 1900s. In 1982, it becomes an official language for Israel. Hebrew and Arabic are currently official languages of Israel. -
Oslo Accords.
The PLO and Israel agree to recognize each other's existence. The treaty is known as the Oslo Accords. -
Mount Carmel
In December, a forest fire rages for four days in northern Israel. It is the biggest and deadliest in Israel’s history.The largest forest fire in Israel's history engulfed a bus carrying cadets from the Israel Prison Service's officer course on route to evacuate prisoners from the Damun Prison in the area of the fire, taking 44 lives, including 37 the officers.The fire devastated hundreds of acres of pine forest on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, and was eventually brought under control.
