Israel Timeline Maureen L.

Kingdom of Israel ► 930 BC to 720 BC ► The Kingdom of Israel is the earliest known civilization that inhabited the Israel region. A successor state of the United Monarchy, it existed from roughly 930 BC to 720 BC. It’s population was predominantly Jewish and was also known as the Northern Kingdom. The kingdom was destructed by the Assyrian Empire. An early map of Israel

Zionism and Arab Nationalism ► Late 19 th century ► Zionism and Arab nationalism are the two root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Zionism is the movement by Jewish people to reestablish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This grew popular in the late 19 th century due to Russian and European anti-semitism. Arab nationalism started becoming more prominent due to the new Zionist movement.

Balfour Declaration ► November 2, 1917 ► The Balfour Declaration was basically a promise made by the British to the Jewish people that they would be able to establish a homeland in Palestine. However, the British had already promised that they would help the Arabs if they helped the British fight in World War I. The Declaration was written by Arthur James balfour (the British Foreign Secretary) to Lord Rothschild (the leader of Jewish people in Britain). This became an important arm of the movement to create a jewish state in Palestine.

Jewish Survivors of WWII ► 1947 ► After WWII, many Jewish Europeans were displaced after being put through concentration camps and thrown out of their homes. To aid them, the British government sent thousands of Palestine-bound Jewish survivors of the camps overseas. They were turned away from the land because the Palestinian government felt they needed to keep a demographic balance of Arabs and Jews. In the end, they were sent back to post-war Germany. Jewish survivors of Nazi concentration camps

UN Partition Plan ► November 29, 1947 ► After much deliberation and not knowing what to do, the UN finally voted to create 2 states within the land. They voted with a 2/3 majority and created two separate states for Jewish and Arab people. The Jews’ land was about 75% desert, yet they still accepted it. The Arabs were still upset and did not want to recognize any Jewish entity on Palestinian land. Because of this, they rejected this plan. Despite their rejection, this is how the world views the land as of right now.

1948 War ► 1948 ► This war is known to Israelis as “The War of Independence,” and to Arabs as “The Catastrophe.” The war was started by the Arabs in response to the UN partition plan. It led to the termination of the British Mandate of Palestine. And lastly, it ended with the independence of Israel on May 14, A map of the Sinai Desert, where most of the fighting during this war took place.

Suez Crisis ► July 26, 1956 – October 1956 ► This crisis erupted after the U.S. and Britain decided to withdraw from an agreement in which they said they would aid Egypt in the building of the Aswam Dam. The Western powers didn’t want to aid them because of their ties to the communist east. This was an attack on Egypt by three major powers – Israel, Britain, and France.

Formation of the PLO ► June 2, 1964 ► The Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded as an opposition party to the Israelis in It was founded by 422 Palestinian national figures in a meeting in Jerusalem. Their two main goals were to prohibit the “existence and activity” of zionism and liberate Palestine through an armed struggle.

6-Day War ► 1967 ► Known as the “6-Day War” to Israelis, and the “Arab-Israeli War” to Arabs, this was a battle between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In May 1967, the Egyptian President Nasser, got rid of the UN Emergency Force on the Sinai Peninsula. After this, Egypt became increasingly aggressive to Israel by putting soldiers on their borders and gaining weapons. Israel eventually launched the first attack and war ensued. The result was yet another displacement of Israelis and Arabs. A Middle-Eastern political cartoon of the 6-Day War

Resolution 242 ► November 22, 1967 ► Resolution 242 was drafted by British ambassador Lord Caradon. There were two main points in the resolution – the first being that Israelis needed to withdraw troops from all occupied territories. Secondly, there needed to be a “termination of all claims or states of belligerency.” All that were involved agreed in signing except for Syria, who accepted the resolution in a delayed manner. New lines drawn after 242

Yom Kippur War ► October 1973 ► The Yom Kippur war was an attack on Israel by a coalition of Arab states; namely Egypt and Syria. These two nations launched a surprise attack on the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur. Due to being taken off-guard, the coalition of Arab states was winning after several battles – this boosted their morale. Their success led to a sense of exoneration that helped in the resolution of the War – the Camp David Accords.

Camp David Accords ► September 17, 1978 ► Also known as the “Framework for peace in the Middle East,” the Camp David Accords were secret negotiations made in Camp David, Maryland. They were signed by the Egyptian President and Israeli Prime Minister. There were two main conditions – Israel agreed to return the Sinai to Egypt (which happened one year later). And Both agreed to establish autonomy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (this did not happen until the 90s). Egyptian President: Anwar Al-Sadat, American President: Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister: Kiryat Menachem signing the Accords in Washington, DC

Osirak Bombing ► June 7, 1981 ► This project, “Osirak,” was originally an Iraqi nuclear materials testing reactor. However, once Saddam Hussein came to power, some questioned what it was being used for. Israel bombed it in 1981 on suspicion that Hussein was using it to create nuclear weapons. Damage done by Israeli bombing

PLO and Israeli Recognition ► 1993 ► After a series of letters and much negotiating, Israelis and Arabs moved one step closer towards peace. Israel agreed to accept and recognize the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) as Palestinian Representation. In return, Yasser Arafat, leader of the PLO agreed to recognize the state of Israel. Yasser Arafat

2000 Camp David Summit ► July 2000 ► A meeting between U.S. President, Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and Chairman of the PLO, Yasser Arafat. Yet another peace talk went on at Camp David, however this one was less successful than the previous. The three leaders met to try to establish a “final status settlement” in the Middle East. No agreement was met and the final solution is still up in the air as of today. Ehud Barak, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat

Works Consulted ► "Palestine Liberation Organization," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. ► "Palestine Liberation Organization," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. ► “Suez Crisis.” Military Global Security.org 2 February ► “Suez Crisis.” Military Global Security.org 2 February ► “Israel-PLO Recognition - Exchange of Letters between PM Rabin and Chairman Arafat - Sept ” 9 Sep 1993 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2 February ► “Israel-PLO Recognition - Exchange of Letters between PM Rabin and Chairman Arafat - Sept ” 9 Sep 1993 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2 February ► "Camp David accords." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Encyclopedia.com. 2 Feb Camp David accordshttp:// David accordshttp:// ► "Kingdom of Israel," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. ► "Kingdom of Israel," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation.