History of Israel-Palestine Conflict
History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Below presented is a timeline of the origin of Israel and Palestine conflict since ancient times and how it progressed to modern era.
| Year | Event |
| c. 2000 BCE | Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, arrives in Canaan, the land promised to him by God. He establishes a covenant with God and his descendants become the Israelites. |
| c. 1250 BCE | Moses leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and receives the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. He leads them to the borders of Canaan, but dies before entering the land. |
| c. 1200 BCE | The Israelites conquer parts of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, and settle among the Canaanites. They face resistance from the Philistines, a seafaring people who occupy the coastal plain. |
| c. 1020 BCE | Saul becomes the first king of Israel, uniting the twelve tribes of Israel. He fights against the Philistines and other enemies. |
| c. 1000 BCE | David succeeds Saul as king of Israel, and establishes Jerusalem as his capital. He expands the kingdom’s borders and makes it a regional power. He is succeeded by his son Solomon, who builds the First Temple in Jerusalem. |
| c. 930 BCE | After Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel splits into two: the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital in Samaria, and the southern kingdom of Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem. The two kingdoms often clash with each other and with their neighbors. |
| 722 BCE | The northern kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, and its population is deported and assimilated. The southern kingdom of Judah becomes a vassal of Assyria. |
| 586 BCE | The southern kingdom of Judah is conquered by the Babylonian Empire, and its population is exiled to Babylon. The First Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, or the first Jewish diaspora. |
| 539 BCE | The Babylonian Empire is conquered by the Persian Empire, and the Jews are allowed to return to Judah and rebuild the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Judah becomes a province of the Persian Empire, called Yehud. |
| 332 BCE | The Persian Empire is conquered by Alexander the Great, and the region of Palestine falls under the rule of his successors, the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria. The region is exposed to Greek culture and Hellenization. |
| 167 BCE | The Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes tries to impose Hellenism on the Jews, sparking a revolt led by the Maccabees, a Jewish priestly family. The revolt succeeds in establishing an independent Jewish state, known as the Hasmonean Kingdom. |
| 63 BCE | The Hasmonean Kingdom is conquered by the Roman general Pompey, and becomes a client state of the Roman Republic. The Romans appoint Herod the Great as the king of Judea, who rules until 4 BCE. He is known for his building projects, including the expansion of the Second Temple. |
| 6 CE | After Herod’s death, Judea becomes a Roman province, ruled by governors or procurators. The Jews resent the Roman occupation and taxation, and rebel several times against the Romans. |
| 26–36 CE | Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish preacher and healer, is crucified by the Romans in Jerusalem, under the governorship of Pontius Pilate. His followers believe that he is the Messiah, the son of God, and the founder of Christianity. |
| 66–73 CE | The First Jewish-Roman War breaks out, as the Jews rise up against the Romans. The war ends with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Roman general Titus in 70 CE. The last Jewish stronghold, Masada, falls in 73 CE. |
| 132–135 CE | The Second Jewish-Roman War, or the Bar Kokhba Revolt, erupts, as the Jews rebel against the Roman emperor Hadrian, who tries to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city. The revolt is crushed by the Romans, and the Jews are banned from Jerusalem. The Romans rename the province of Judea as Syria Palaestina, after the Philistines. |
| 313 CE | The Roman emperor Constantine I issues the Edict of Milan, which grants religious tolerance to Christians in the Roman Empire. He also makes Christianity the official religion of the empire, and builds churches in Palestine, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. |
| 614 CE | The Persian Empire invades Palestine, and captures Jerusalem. The Persians are allied with the Jews, who hope to restore their presence in the city. The Persians and the Jews massacre many Christians in Jerusalem. |
| 629 CE | The Byzantine Empire, the successor of the eastern Roman Empire, recaptures Palestine from the Persians, and restores Christian rule. The Jews are expelled from Jerusalem again. |
| 636 CE | The Muslim Arabs, followers of the prophet Muhammad, who died in 632 CE, conquer Palestine from the Byzantines, and establish the Rashidun Caliphate. The Arabs allow the Jews and the Christians to practice their religions, but impose a tax on them. Jerusalem becomes the third holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. |
| 661–750 CE | The Umayyad Caliphate, based in Damascus, rules over Palestine and most of the Muslim world. The Umayyads build the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. |
| 750–969 CE | The Abbasid Caliphate, based in Baghdad, replaces the Umayyads and rules over Palestine and most of the Muslim world. The Abbasids foster a golden age of Islamic culture and science. |
| 969–1099 CE | The Fatimid Caliphate, based in Cairo, conquers Palestine from the Abbasids and rules over it and most of North Africa. The Fatimids are Shi’a Muslims, while the Abbasids and most of the local population are Sunni Muslims. The Fatimids face several revolts and invasions from the Seljuk Turks, who are also Sunni Muslims. |
| 1099–1187 CE | The Crusaders, Christian warriors from Europe, capture Jerusalem and establish the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other Crusader states in Palestine and Syria. The Crusaders massacre many Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The Crusaders face resistance from the local Muslim population and the Seljuk Turks. |
| 1187–1250 CE | The Ayyubid Dynasty, founded by Saladin, a Kurdish Muslim leader, defeats the Crusaders and recaptures Jerusalem and most of Palestine. The Ayyubids allow Christians and Jews to visit and live in Jerusalem. The Crusaders retain a few coastal cities, such as Acre and Jaffa. |
| 1250–1516 CE | The Mamluk Sultanate, based in Cairo, replaces the Ayyubids and rules over Palestine and most of the Middle East. The Mamluks are former slave soldiers who rose to power in Egypt. The Mamluks defeat the Mongols, who invaded the region in 1260, and the last Crusaders, who were expelled in 1291. The Mamluks foster a period of stability and prosperity in Palestine. |
| 1516–1917 CE | The Ottoman Empire, based in Istanbul, conquers Palestine from the Mamluks and rules over it and most of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Europe. The Ottomans are Turkish Muslims, who adopt the Sunni branch of Islam. The Ottomans divide Palestine into several administrative districts, such as Jerusalem, Gaza, Nablus, and Acre. The Ottomans grant a degree of autonomy and protection to the local religious communities, such as Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Druze. The Ottomans also undertake various reforms and modernization projects in Palestine, such as building roads, railways, telegraphs, schools, and hospitals. |
| 1917–1948 CE | The British Mandate of Palestine, established by the League of Nations after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, rules over Palestine and Transjordan (now Jordan). The British are entrusted with the task of facilitating the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, as stated in the 1917 Balfour Declaration, while also respecting the rights and interests of the existing non-Jewish communities. The British face increasing challenges from the conflicting demands and aspirations of the Jewish and Arab populations of Palestine, as well as from the regional and international actors. The British also face several uprisings and terrorist attacks from both sides, such as the 1920 Nebi Musa riots, the 1929 Hebron massacre, the 1936–1939 Arab revolt, the 1944 assassination of Lord Moyne, and the 1946 King David Hotel bombing. The British try to resolve the conflict by proposing various partition plans, such as the 1937 Peel Commission, the 1939 White Paper, the 1947 Morrison-Grady Plan, and the 1947 UN Partition Plan, but none of them are accepted by both sides. The British decide to end their mandate and to refer the matter to the United Nations, which adopts the UN Partition Plan, in November 1947, which proposes the division of Palestine into two states: a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem as an international city. The plan is accepted by the Jewish Agency, the representative of the Jewish community in Palestine, but is rejected by the Arab Higher Committee, the representative of the Arab community in Palestine, and by the Arab League, the regional organization of the Arab states. The plan is followed by the outbreak of the 1947–1949 Palestine War, or the First Arab-Israeli War, which marks the end of the British Mandate and the birth of the State of Israel. |
| 1948 CE | The State of Israel is proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, the leader of the Jewish Agency and the first prime minister of Israel, on May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, following the end of the British Mandate and the adoption of the UN Partition Plan. The declaration of independence is based on the principles of the Jewish national movement, Zionism, which emerged in the late 19th century, and which aimed to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, their ancestral land. The declaration of independence is also based on the values of democracy, equality, and justice, and on the aspiration for peace and cooperation with the neighboring states and peoples. The declaration of independence is recognized by the United States, the Soviet Union, and many other countries, but is opposed by the Arab states and the Palestinian Arabs, who consider it as a violation of their rights and interests. The declaration of independence is followed by the invasion of Israel by the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, which join the local Arab forces in the ongoing Palestine War. The war ends with the signing of the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which establish the ceasefire lines between Israel and its Arab neighbors, known as the Green Line. The war results in the establishment and the consolidation of the State of Israel, which controls more territory than the UN Partition Plan had allocated to it, and which becomes a member of the United Nations, in May 1949. The war also results in the displacement and the dispossession of over 700,000 Palestinians, who become refugees in the neighboring Arab countries, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and who are denied the right to return to their homes and lands by Israel. The war also results in the occupation and the annexation of the West Bank by Jordan, and the occupation and the administration of the Gaza Strip by Egypt, which prevent the establishment of the Arab state that the UN Partition Plan had envisaged. The war also results in the division and the isolation of Jerusalem, which becomes a divided city, with the western part under Israeli control, and the eastern part, including the Old City and the holy sites, under Jordanian control. |
| 1948–1966 CE | The Military Government, a system of martial law imposed by Israel on the Arab citizens of Israel, who constitute about 20% of the population, and who live mainly in the Galilee, the Triangle, and the Negev, is in effect. The military government restricts the movement, the expression, and the association of the Arab citizens, and confiscates their lands and properties, for security and settlement purposes. The military government also discriminates against the Arab citizens in the fields of education, health, employment, and representation, and denies them the full rights and benefits of the Israeli citizenship. The military government faces resistance and opposition from the Arab citizens, who protest and strike against the policies and the practices of the military government, and who demand equality and justice. The military government also faces criticism and pressure from the Israeli civil society and the international community, who challenge the legality and the morality of the military government. The military government is abolished in 1966, following the recommendations of the Hillel Kook Committee, which was appointed by the Israeli government to investigate the situation of the Arab citizens, and which found the military government to be unnecessary and harmful. |
| 1956 CE | The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab-Israeli War, breaks out after Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula, which is controlled by Egypt, in coordination with Britain and France, which aim to regain control of the Suez Canal, which was nationalized by the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, in July 1956. The invasion is also motivated by Israel’s desire to end the Egyptian blockade of the Straits of Tiran, which prevent the Israeli access to the Red Sea, and to stop the Egyptian support for the Palestinian fedayeen, who carry out cross-border raids and attacks into Israel. The invasion results in the occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip by Israel, and the destruction of the Egyptian army and infrastructure by the British and French forces. The invasion is condemned by the international community, especially the United States and the Soviet Union, which pressure Israel, Britain, and France to withdraw their forces and to accept a UN resolution, which calls for the establishment of the UN Emergency Force (UNEF), to supervise the ceasefire and to secure the border. The invasion ends with the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, in March 1957, and the reopening of the Straits of Tiran to the Israeli shipping, under the guarantee of the United States. The invasion also ends with the withdrawal of the British and French forces from the Suez Canal, which remains under the Egyptian control and operation. |
| 1964 CE | The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a political and paramilitary organization that represents the Palestinian people and their national movement, is founded by the Arab League, in Jerusalem, following the first Arab summit, which was held in Cairo, in January 1964. The PLO is composed of various factions and groups, such as Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF). The PLO is led by an executive committee, headed by a chairman, and by a legislative body, called the Palestinian National Council (PNC), which elects the executive committee and adopts the policies and the programs of the PLO. The PLO is based in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the neighboring Arab countries, such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where many Palestinian refugees live. The PLO aims to liberate Palestine from the Israeli occupation and to establish an independent and democratic Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital. The PLO also claims to be the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and to uphold their right to self-determination and return. The PLO adopts an armed struggle and a political diplomacy as its main strategies, and carries out several guerrilla operations and terrorist attacks against Israel and its allies, such as the 1968 Battle of Karameh, the 1970 Dawson’s Field hijackings, the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, and the 1974 Ma’alot massacre. The PLO also participates in several peace initiatives and negotiations with Israel and other parties, such as the 1974 Ten Point Program, the 1982 Fez Plan, the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence, and the 1991 Madrid Conference. The PLO is recognized by over 100 countries, and becomes a member of several international organizations, such as the Arab League, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The PLO is opposed by Israel, the United States, and some of the Western countries, which consider it as a terrorist organization, and by some of the Palestinian factions and groups, such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which reject the PLO’s secular and moderate approach, and which advocate an Islamic and radical alternative. |
| Year | Event |
| 1967 CE | The Six-Day War, or the Third Arab-Israeli War, breaks out after Israel launches a preemptive attack against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, which had formed a military alliance and had mobilized their forces along the Israeli borders, in response to the Egyptian blockade of the Straits of Tiran, the expulsion of the UNEF from the Sinai Peninsula, and the fiery rhetoric of Nasser, who had vowed to destroy Israel. The war results in a decisive victory for Israel, which occupies the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. The war also results in the displacement of over 300,000 Palestinians, who become refugees in the neighboring Arab countries, and the control of over one million Palestinians, who come under the Israeli military occupation. The war also results in the reunification and the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel, which claims the city as its eternal and undivided capital, and which allows the Jews to access the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, for the first time since 1948. The war also results in the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 242, which calls for the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in 1967, the termination of the state of war, and the recognition of the right of every state in the region to live in peace and security. The war also results in the emergence of the land for peace formula, which becomes the basis for the future peace negotiations and agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors. |
| 1967–present CE | The Israeli Settlements, Jewish civilian communities built by Israel in the territories occupied in 1967, such as the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip (until 2005), are established and expanded. The settlements are motivated by various religious, historical, ideological, and strategic reasons, and are supported by various Israeli governments and parties, especially the right-wing and the religious ones. The settlements are opposed by the Palestinians and the PLO, who consider them as illegal and illegitimate, and as an obstacle to the establishment of their state and the resolution of the conflict. The settlements are also condemned by the international community, especially the United Nations and the European Union, which consider them as a violation of the international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the civilian population of the occupying power to the occupied territory. The settlements are also criticized by some of the Israeli civil society and the peace camp, who consider them as a source of violence and injustice, and as a threat to the democracy and the security of Israel. The settlements are also a subject of controversy and dispute between Israel and its allies, especially the United States, which calls for the freezing and the dismantling of the settlements, as part of the peace process and the two-state solution. The settlements are also a target of resistance and protest by the Palestinians and their supporters, who carry out various forms of nonviolent and violent actions against the settlers and the soldiers, such as the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, the BDS movement, and the Knife Intifada. The settlements currently house over 600,000 Israeli settlers, who live in over 200 settlements and outposts, and who constitute about 10% of the Israeli population. |
| 1970 CE | The Black September, a series of violent clashes and confrontations between the Jordanian army and the Palestinian guerrillas, who had established a state within a state in Jordan, and who had challenged the authority and the sovereignty of the Jordanian king Hussein, erupts in Jordan, following the hijacking and the blowing up of four international airliners by the PFLP, a radical faction of the PLO, at Dawson’s Field, near Zarqa, in September 1970. The clashes result in the death of thousands of Palestinians and Jordanians, and the expulsion of the PLO and its armed forces from Jordan, to Lebanon, where they establish their new headquarters and bases. The clashes also result in the intervention of Syria, which tries to support the Palestinians, but is repelled by the Jordanian army, with the help of Israel and the United States. The clashes also result in the signing of the Cairo Agreement, between Jordan and the PLO, which regulates the relations and the responsibilities of the two parties, and which recognizes the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. |
| 1972 CE | The Munich Olympics Massacre, a terrorist attack carried out by Black September, a covert faction of Fatah, the largest and the most moderate faction of the PLO, occurs at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, in September 1972. The attack results in the kidnapping and killing of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, and the death of five Black September members and one German police officer, during a failed rescue attempt by the German authorities. The attack is widely condemned by the international community, especially the Olympic Committee, which suspends the games for a day, and holds a memorial service for the victims. The attack is also followed by the launch of Operation Wrath of God, a covert operation by the Israeli Mossad, which targets and assassinates the Black September members and the PLO leaders, who were involved or suspected in the attack, in various countries, such as Lebanon, France, Italy, Cyprus, and Norway. The attack is also followed by the establishment of the Lillehammer affair, a botched operation by the Israeli Mossad, which results in the killing of an innocent Moroccan waiter, who was mistaken for a Black September member, in Lillehammer, Norway, in July 1973. The attack is also followed by the release of the three surviving Black September members, who were captured by the German authorities, in exchange for the hostages of a hijacked Lufthansa flight, in October 1972. |
| 1973 CE | The Yom Kippur War, or the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, breaks out after a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria against Israel, on October 6, 1973, which coincides with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack aims to regain the territories lost by Egypt and Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, such as the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, and to restore the Arab honor and dignity. The attack results in the initial success and the advance of the Egyptian and Syrian forces, but is soon followed by the counterattack and the turnaround of the Israeli forces, which manage to repel the invaders and to cross the Suez Canal and the Purple Line. The attack is also followed by the intervention of the United States and the Soviet Union, which support their respective allies, and which try to prevent the escalation and the expansion of the war. The attack is also followed by the involvement of other Arab states and actors, such as Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and the PLO, which send troops and aid to Egypt and Syria, and by the participation of Israel’s allies, such as the United States, Britain, France, and Iran, which provide weapons and supplies to Israel. The war ends with the signing of the 1974 Disengagement Agreements, which establish the ceasefire lines and the buffer zones between Israel and Egypt and Syria, and which are supervised by the UN forces. The war results in the death of over 10,000 Egyptians and Syrians, and over 2,000 Israelis, and the injury of tens of thousands of others. The war also results in the recognition of the limits and the costs of the military option, and the realization of the need and the possibility of the diplomatic solution, by both sides. The war also results in the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 338, which reaffirms the UN Security Council Resolution 242, and which calls for the termination of the hostilities and the commencement of the negotiations for a just and durable peace. The war also results in the emergence of the shuttle diplomacy, a mediation process led by the US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who travels back and forth between the Middle East capitals, and who brokers the disengagement agreements and the subsequent interim agreements between Israel and Egypt and Syria. |
| 1974 CE | The Agranat Commission, a national inquiry commission appointed by the Israeli government to investigate the failures and the shortcomings of the Israeli political and military leadership, before and during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, issues its report and recommendations, in April 1974. The report criticizes and blames the Israeli intelligence and the high command, for their complacency and their misjudgment of the Arab intentions and capabilities, and for their delay and their confusion in the response and the mobilization. The report exonerates and absolves the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and the defense minister Moshe Dayan, from any responsibility or liability, and praises their conduct and their decisions, during the war. The report results in the resignation and the dismissal of several senior officers and officials, such as the chief of staff David Elazar, the director of military intelligence Eli Zeira, and the head of the Mossad Zvi Zamir. The report also results in the public outrage and the protest of the Israeli society and the media, who demand the accountability and the accountability of the political leadership, and who accuse the commission of being a whitewash and a cover-up. The report also results in the formation of the Yom Kippur War protest movement, which organizes demonstrations and rallies, and which calls for the resignation of Meir and Dayan, and for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, which would have more authority and credibility than the Agranat Commission. The report also results in the resignation of Meir and the formation of a new government, led by Yitzhak Rabin, the former chief of staff and the ambassador to the United States, who becomes the prime minister of Israel, in June 1974. |
| 1974 CE | The Rabat Summit, a meeting of the Arab heads of state, held in Rabat, Morocco, in October 1974, following the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1974 Arab-Israeli disengagement agreements, issues a declaration and a resolution, which recognize the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and which affirm the right of the Palestinians to establish an independent national authority on any part of the Palestinian territory that is liberated. The summit is attended by the representatives of 26 Arab states and organizations, including Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the PLO. The summit is seen as a diplomatic victory and a political recognition for the PLO, which had been excluded and marginalized by the Arab states in the previous peace initiatives and negotiations, such as the 1967 Khartoum Resolution and the 1973 Geneva Conference. The summit is also seen as a setback and a challenge for Jordan, which had claimed to represent the Palestinians and to have sovereignty over the West Bank, and which had competed with the PLO for the leadership and the representation of the Palestinian cause. The summit is also seen as a reflection of the changing and the diversifying of the Arab positions and interests, and of the emergence of the moderate and the radical camps, within the Arab world. |
| 1974 CE | The Ten Point Program, a political program adopted by the PNC, the legislative body of the PLO, at its twelfth session, held in Cairo, in June 1974, outlines the goals and the strategies of the Palestinian national movement, following the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1974 Disengagement Agreements. The program calls for the establishment of a national authority on any part of the Palestinian territory that is liberated from the Israeli occupation, as a first step towards the liberation of the whole of Palestine, and the exercise of the right to self-determination and return. The program also calls for the continuation of the armed struggle and the political diplomacy, as complementary and parallel methods, and for the enhancement of the relations and the cooperation with the Arab states and the international community. The program is seen as a pragmatic and moderate shift in the PLO’s position, which implies the acceptance of the two-state solution and the recognition of Israel, within the 1967 borders. The program is supported by the mainstream and the moderate factions of the PLO, such as Fatah, the largest and the most influential faction, led by Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the PLO. The program is opposed by the radical and the rejectionist factions of the PLO, such as the PFLP, the DFLP, and the PLF, which split from the PLO and form the Rejectionist Front, which rejects any compromise or concession to Israel, and which advocates the liberation of the whole of Palestine, and the establishment of a secular and democratic state, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians can live together. |
| 1977 CE | The Likud Party, a right-wing and nationalist party, led by Menachem Begin, a former leader of the Irgun, a Jewish paramilitary group that fought against the British and the Arabs, before and during the 1948 Palestine War, wins the Israeli parliamentary elections, in May 1977, defeating the Labor Party, which had ruled Israel since its establishment in 1948. The Likud Party forms a coalition government with several other parties, such as the National Religious Party, the Agudat Israel Party, and the Democratic Movement for Change. The Likud Party adopts a hardline and a revisionist stance towards the Arab-Israeli conflict, and rejects the land for peace formula and the UN Security Council Resolution 242, which it considers as a threat to the security and the sovereignty of Israel. The Likud Party also supports the expansion and the legalization of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, and the annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, which it claims as part of the historical and the biblical Land of Israel. The Likud Party also faces resistance and opposition from the PLO and the Arab states, which consider it as an obstacle to the peace process and the two-state solution, and from the Israeli civil society and the peace camp, which consider it as a source of violence and injustice, and as a threat to the democracy and the security of Israel. The Likud Party also surprises and shocks the world by signing the Camp David Accords and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, with Egypt, in 1978 and 1979, respectively, which mark the first peace agreement and the first diplomatic recognition between Israel and an Arab state. |
| 1978 CE | The Camp David Accords, a set of agreements that establish the framework for the peace between Israel and Egypt, are signed by Begin, the prime minister of Israel, and Anwar Sadat, the president of Egypt, under the auspices of Jimmy Carter, the president of the United States, at Camp David, Maryland, in September 1978, following 12 days of secret and intensive negotiations. The accords consist of two parts: the first part deals with the relations and the issues between Israel and Egypt, and the second part deals with the relations and the issues between Israel and the Palestinians. The accords stipulate that Israel will withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula and return it to Egypt, in exchange for the recognition and the normalization of the relations by Egypt, and the guarantee of the freedom of navigation for Israel in the Suez Canal and the Straits of Tiran. The accords also stipulate that Egypt will use its influence and its leadership to promote the peace and the reconciliation between Israel and the other Arab states and the PLO. The accords also stipulate that Israel will grant a full autonomy to the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, for a transitional period of five years, during which the final status negotiations will take place, and that Israel will freeze the settlement activity in these territories, during this period. The accords are welcomed by the United States and the international community, but are rejected by the Arab League and the PLO, who consider them as a betrayal and a sellout, and who expel Egypt from the Arab League, and move its headquarters from Cairo to Tunis. The accords are also opposed by some of the Israeli and Egyptian public and political factions, who protest and resist against the accords, and who assassinate Sadat, in October 1981, and who attempt to assassinate Begin, in September 1982. The accords are also followed by the signing of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, which implements the first part of the accords, and by the failure of the 1980 Autonomy Talks, which fail to implement the second part of the accords. |
| 1982 CE | The Lebanon War, or the First Lebanon War, breaks out after Israel invades Lebanon, in June 1982, with the aim of destroying the PLO and its armed forces, which had established their headquarters and bases in Lebanon, following their expulsion from Jordan, in 1970, and which had carried out several cross-border raids and attacks into Israel, such as the 1978 Coastal Road massacre, and the 1982 assassination attempt on the Israeli ambassador to Britain, Shlomo Argov. The invasion is also motivated by Israel’s desire to install a friendly and pro-Israeli government in Lebanon, led by Bashir Gemayel, the leader of the Christian Phalange Party, and a member of the Lebanese Front, a coalition of right-wing and nationalist parties, which had fought against the Muslim and the leftist parties, and the Palestinian and the Syrian forces, in the Lebanese Civil War, which had started in 1975. The invasion results in the siege and the bombardment of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, where the PLO and its leader Arafat are trapped and surrounded by the Israeli army, and the intervention of the United States and the United Nations, which broker a ceasefire and a truce between Israel and the PLO, and which supervise the evacuation and the departure of the PLO and its armed forces from Lebanon, to Tunisia and other countries, in August 1982. The invasion also results in the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians, mostly civilians, in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, in Beirut, by the Christian Phalange militia, with the knowledge and the complicity of the Israeli army, which had allowed and facilitated the entry of the militia into the camps, following the assassination of Gemayel, in September 1982. The invasion also results in the occupation and the administration of southern Lebanon by Israel, until 2000, and the creation of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a Lebanese militia allied with Israel, which helps Israel in fighting against the Lebanese resistance and the Palestinian guerrillas, who continue to operate in the area. The invasion also results in the emergence and the rise of Hezbollah, a Shi’a Muslim political and paramilitary organization, which is supported by Iran and Syria, and which becomes the main opponent and the enemy of Israel and the SLA, in southern Lebanon. The invasion also results in the death of over 10,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, and over 600 Israelis, and the injury and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of others. The invasion also results in the establishment of the Kahan Commission, a state commission of inquiry appointed by the Israeli government to investigate the responsibility and the involvement of the Israeli authorities and the army in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, in September 1982. The commission issues its report and recommendations, in February 1983, which find that the Israeli defense minister Ariel Sharon and the chief of staff Rafael Eitan bear personal responsibility for the massacre, and that the Israeli prime minister Begin and the cabinet bear indirect responsibility for the massacre. The commission results in the resignation and the dismissal of Sharon and Eitan, and the public outrage and the protest of the Israeli society and the peace camp, who demand the resignation of Begin and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Lebanon. |
| 1987–1993 CE | The First Intifada, or the Palestinian Uprising, a popular and spontaneous movement of resistance and protest by the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, against the Israeli occupation and the settlements, erupts in December 1987, following a road accident that killed four Palestinians in the Jabalia refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. The intifada is characterized by various forms of nonviolent and violent actions, such as demonstrations, strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, and stabbings, which are mainly carried out by the youth and the women, and which are coordinated by the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU), a coalition of the PLO factions and the local committees. The intifada is met with a harsh and brutal Israeli response, which includes the use of live fire, tear gas, rubber bullets, beatings, arrests, curfews, closures, and deportations, against the protesters, who are mostly unarmed and civilian. The intifada is supported by the PLO, which provides the political and the financial backing, and by the international community, which expresses its sympathy and its solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and which pressures Israel to end the occupation and to negotiate with the PLO. The intifada is opposed by the Israeli government and the army, which try to suppress and to contain the intifada, and which refuse to recognize or to talk to the PLO, which they consider as a terrorist organization. The intifada is also challenged by the emergence and the rise of the Islamic movements, such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which reject the PLO’s secular and moderate approach, and which advocate an Islamic and radical alternative, and which carry out several suicide bombings and attacks against Israel and the PLO, during the intifada. The intifada lasts until 1993, and results in the death of over 1,000 Palestinians and over 150 Israelis, and the injury of tens of thousands of others. The intifada also results in the recognition of the limits and the costs of the military occupation, and the realization of the need and the possibility of the political solution, by both sides. The intifada also results in the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution 43/176, which endorses the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood, and the PNC’s acceptance of the two-state solution and the recognition of Israel, in November 1988. The intifada also results in the initiation of the secret and direct talks between Israel and the PLO, in Oslo, Norway, which lead to the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which mark the end of the intifada and the beginning of the peace process. |
| 1993–2000 CE | The Oslo Accords, a set of agreements that establish the framework for the peace between Israel and the PLO, are signed by Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, and Arafat, the chairman of the PLO, under the auspices of Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, in Washington, D.C., in September 1993, following several months of secret and indirect negotiations, in Oslo, Norway, mediated by the Norwegian foreign ministry. The accords consist of two parts: the first part, known as the Declaration of Principles (DOP), outlines the general principles and the objectives of the peace process, and the second part, known as the Interim Agreement, details the specific arrangements and the mechanisms of the peace process. The accords stipulate that Israel will recognize the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and that the PLO will recognize the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, and that both parties will renounce the use of violence and terrorism, and will resolve their disputes through negotiations and dialogue. The accords also stipulate that Israel will withdraw from parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and will transfer the authority and the responsibility over these areas to the Palestinian Authority (PA), a self-governing body that will be elected by the Palestinians, and that will be headed by Arafat, as the president. The accords also stipulate that the PA will exercise a limited civil and security control over these areas, which are divided into three zones: Area A, where the PA has a full control, Area B, where the PA has a civil control and a joint security control with Israel, and Area C, where Israel has a full control. The accords also stipulate that the PA will cooperate and coordinate with Israel on various issues, such as security, economy, water, and infrastructure, and that the PA will respect and protect the human rights and the civil liberties of the Palestinians and the Israelis, who live or work in these areas. The accords also stipulate that Israel and the PA will enter into the final status negotiations, within five years, which will address the core and the sensitive issues of the conflict, such as Jerusalem, refugees, borders, settlements, and security. The accords are welcomed by the United States and the international community, but are rejected by the Arab League and the Hamas, who consider them as a betrayal and a surrender, and who launch several attacks and campaigns against Israel and the PA, during the peace process. The accords are also opposed by some of the Israeli and Palestinian public and political factions, who protest and resist against the accords, and who assassinate Rabin, in November 1995, and who attempt to assassinate Arafat, in October 1997. The accords are also followed by the signing of several subsequent agreements, such as the 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement, the 1994 Paris Protocol, the 1994 Cairo Agreement, the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, the 1997 Hebron Protocol, the 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, which implement and supplement the accords, and by the failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit and the 2001 Taba Summit, which fail to reach a final status agreement, and which mark the end of the peace process and the outbreak of the Second Intifada. |
| 2000–2005 CE | The Second Intifada, or the Al-Aqsa Intifada, a violent and armed uprising by the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, against the Israeli occupation and the settlements, erupts in September 2000, following the visit of Ariel Sharon, the leader of the Likud Party and the opposition, to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest site in Islam, in Jerusalem, which is seen by the Palestinians as a provocation and a violation of the status quo. The intifada is characterized by various forms of violent and deadly actions, such as shootings, bombings, suicide attacks, rocket attacks, and lynching, which are mainly carried out by the armed wings and the militias of the PLO factions, such as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and the Islamic movements, such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, and which are supported and encouraged by the PA and its leader Arafat, who had rejected the 2000 Camp David Summit and the 2001 Taba Summit, and who had declared the intifada as a legitimate and a justified resistance. The intifada is met with a harsh and brutal Israeli response, which includes the use of tanks, helicopters, fighter jets, and snipers, against the militants and the civilians, and the reoccupation and the siege of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, by the Israeli army, which also conducts several raids and operations, such as Operation Defensive Shield, Operation Determined Path, and Operation Rainbow. The intifada is also met with the assassination and the elimination of the PLO and the Islamic leaders and activists, by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet, such as the 2002 killing of Raed Karmi, the 2004 killing of Ahmed Yassin, and the 2004 killing of Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. The intifada is also met with the construction and the expansion of the Israeli West Bank Barrier, a separation wall and a fence, which is built by Israel along and inside the West Bank, with the aim of preventing the infiltration and the attacks of the Palestinian militants, and of protecting the Israeli settlements and the citizens, but which is seen by the Palestinians as a land grab and an apartheid wall, which cuts off and isolates their towns and villages, and which violates their rights and freedoms. The intifada is also met with the implementation of the 2005 Israeli Disengagement Plan, a unilateral and a partial withdrawal of the Israeli forces and the settlers from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank, which is carried out by the Israeli government, led by Sharon, who had left the Likud Party and had formed a new party, called Kadima, with the aim of ending the Israeli presence and the responsibility in the Gaza Strip, and of creating a new reality and a new opportunity for the peace process, but which is seen by the Palestinians as a ploy and a diversion, which does not end the Israeli occupation and the control of the Gaza Strip, and which does not address the core and the sensitive issues of the conflict. The intifada lasts until 2005, and results in the death of over 3,000 Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis, and the injury of tens of thousands of others. The intifada also results in the recognition of the limits and the costs of the violent and the armed struggle, and the realization of the need and the possibility of the nonviolent and the diplomatic solution, by both sides. The intifada also results in the adoption of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers the recognition and the normalization of the relations between Israel and the Arab states, in exchange for the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in 1967, and the establishment of a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just and agreed solution to the refugee problem, based on the UN General Assembly Resolution 194. The intifada also results in the initiation of the secret and indirect talks between Israel and the PLO, in Geneva, Switzerland, which lead to the signing of the 2003 Geneva Accord, a model final status agreement, which addresses the core and the sensitive issues of the conflict, and which is endorsed by several Israeli and Palestinian civil society and political figures, but which is not officially recognized or implemented by the Israeli government and the PA. |