| 1800 BEC |
Abraham migrates to Canaan according to Jewish tradition. |
| 1300? BCE | Migration and conquest of Canaan by the Philistines and Israelite tribes. Map of Canaan. |
| 1000? BCE | Jewish conquest of Jerusalem; reign of David (maps); After the death of David’s son, Solomon, the kingdom split into two: Israel in the north, Judea in Jerusalem and the south (maps). Brief History of Early Palestine in maps. |
| 721 BCE | Fall of Israel (Northern Kingdom) to Assyria |
| 586 BCE | Fall of Judea (Southern Kingdom) to Babylon and destruction of the first temple |
| About 539 BCE | Fall of Babylon. Jews allowed to return to Judea. Tradition has it that Ezra and Nehemia led this return, and later rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, but the walls were apparently not built until 100 years later. |
| About 519 BCE | Rebuilding of the Second Temple under Persian rule. |
| 331 BCE | Alexander the Great conquers Persia. The land was subject to Egyptian rule after his death, followed by Seleucid Syrian rule. |
| 166 BCE | Revolt of Judah Maccabee against Syrian Hellenic dynasty; Simon. 164 – Liberation of Jerusalem. Judah is named Friend of the Roman Senate and People; Rule of the Maccabees: 166 – Judah 160 -Jonathan 143 |
| 66-73 AD |
First Jewish revolt. Fall of the Jewish Second Temple to Romans in 70 AD. |
| 133-135 | Second Jewish revolt under Bar Kochba crushed. Judea renamed Palestina. Jews are banned from Jerusalem by Hadrianus Caesar. |
| 614 | Persians conquer Judea and Jerusalem.. |
| 628 | Emperor Heraclius defeats Sassanid Persians, reconquers Jerusalem.. |
|
About 638 |
Arab conquest of Jerusalem (slightly earlier or later according to different sources). CaliphOmar provides the Christians of Jerusalem with a Covenant guaranteeing their protection. Land divided into the Jund of filastin, in the south (capital in Al-Lod and later in Ramlah), and the Jund of Urdunn in the north, with capital in Tiberias (Tabariyeh). |
| 1099 | Crusaders conquer Jerusalem, slaughter most Jewish and Moslem inhabitants, expel Jews. |
| 1187 | Saladin (Salah-al-din) reconquers Jerusalem |
| 1291 | Crusaders defeated at Acre and evicted from Palestine. |
| 1517 | Ottoman Turkish conquest of Palestine. |
|
1740 |
Ottoman Sultan invites Rabbi Haim Abulafia (1660-1744), Kabbalist and Rabbi of Izmir, to come to rebuild the city of Tiberias; thousands of Jews immigrate to the land in a wave of Messianic fervor, including Rabbi Moses Haim Luzzatto (1707-1746). |
| 1799 | Napoleon conquers Jaffa but retreats before Acco (Acre); 1799 – Napoleon’s Proclamation of a Jewish State was stillborn, and his declaration of equal rights for Jews was repealed in part in 1806. |
| 1831 | Egyptian Conquest of Palestine area by Mehmed Ali of Egypt, who rebelled against the Ottomans. He was forced to withdraw in 1840 under pressure by European allies. |
| 1843 | First Zionist writings of Rabbi Alcalay and of Rabbi Kalischer, Emuna Yeshara. |
| 1844 | First census in Jerusalem shows 7120 Jews, 5760 Muslims, 3390 Christians. |
| 1856 | Ottoman reforms (Tanzimat) – including requirement to register ownership of land in Palestine and pay taxes on it. |
| 1860 | First Jewish settlement (Mishkenot Sha’ananim) outside Jerusalem walls. |
| 1878 | First Zionist Settlement – Petah Tikwa. |
| 1870s | Formation of Hovevei Tzion in Russia |
| 1881-1885 | Wave of Russian pogroms catalyzes First Aliya (wave of immigration to Israel).. |
| 1882 | Russian May Laws; Leon Pinsker writes Auto-Emancipation in 1882; formation of BILU; beginning of the First Aliya (wave of immigration). |
| 1897 | First Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland. |
| 1903 | Kishinev Pogrom and Russian Pogroms of 1905 catalyze Second Aliya |
| Nov 2, 1917 | British issued the Balfour Declaration, promising a “National Home” for the Jews in Palestine. |
| August, 1929 | Arab Riots and Massacres in Hebron, Jerusalem, Safed, Haifa, Motza and elsewhere. The Jews had set up a dividing screen at the Wailing Wall in Yom Kippur of 1928 to separate men and women worshippers, prompting rumors that the Jews wanted to build a synagogue at wall, which were spread deliberately by Hajj Amin El Husseini. |
| 1936-1939 | Arab Revolt led by Haj Amin Al-Husseini. Over 5,000 Arabs were killed according to some sources, mostly by British. Several hundred Jews were killed by Arabs. Husseini fled to Iraq and then to Nazi Germany. British White Paper (1939) severely restricts Jewish immigration. |
| May 9, 1942 | Biltmore Program – Zionist leaders, headed by Chaim Weizmann and David Ben-Gurion, convene at the Biltmore Hotel in New York and declare their postwar program (known as the Biltmore Program). The program recommended an end to the British Mandate and demand Jewish control over immigration to Palestine with the aim of founding a Jewish “Commonwealth.” wish history, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Timeline, Zionist movement, Israel history, Middle East history |
| May 15, 1948 | Israel War of Independence (1948 War). Declaration of Israel as the Jewish State; British leave Palestine; Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia declared war on Israel. Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian invasion began. |
| April 3, 1949 | Armistice – Israel and Arab states agree to armistice. Israel gained about 50% more territory than was originally allotted to it by the UN Partition Plan. |
| Oct. 29, 1956 | Suez Campaign. In retaliation for a series of escalating border raids as well as the closure of the straits of Tiran and Suez canal to Israeli shipping, and to prevent Egyptian use of newly acquired Soviet arms in a war, Israel invades the Sinai peninsula and occupies it for several months, with French and British collaboration. |
| May, 1964 | PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) founded with the aim of destroying Israel. The Palestinian National Charter (1968) officially called for liquidation of Israel. |
| May, 1967 | Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser closes the straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and dismisses UN peacekeeping force. Negotiations with US to reopen the Straits of Tiran fail. |
| June 5-10,1967 | Six day war – Israel destroys the Egyptian air force on the ground, conquers and occupies Sinai and Gaza, then conquers the West Bank from Jordan, and Golan Heights from Syria. UN resolution 242 called for Israeli withdrawal, establishment of peace. |
| June 19, 1967 | Israeli Cabinet decides on secret offer, to be delivered to Syrians and Egyptians though American diplomats, calling for return of territories conquered in the Six day war in return for peace. |
| Oct. 6, 1973 | Yom Kippur War (October War). In a surprise attack on the Jewish day of atonement, Egypt retook the Suez canal and a narrow zone on the other side. Syria reconquered the Golan Heights. Following massive US and Soviet resupplying of the sides, Israel succeeded in pushing back the Syrians and threatening Damascus. Ariel Sharon was instrumental in the successful crossing of the Suez Canal, which cut off the Egyptian Third Army. Israeli casualties were unacceptably high however, and both Syria and Egypt celebrate the anniversary of the war as a victory. |
| March 26, 1979 | Peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel. |
| June 7, 1981 | Israel destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor in daring raid. |
| Oct. 6, 1981 | Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated while on the reviewing stand of a victory parade. |
| June 6, 1982 | Massive Israeli invasion of Lebanon to fight PLO. |
| Sept. 13, 1993 | Oslo Declaration of Principles – Israel and PLO agree to mutual recognition. |
| Sept 28, 1995 | Oslo Interim Agreement signed. Palestinian Authority to be established. |
| Nov. 4, 1995 | Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin assassinated by right-wing Israeli fanatic Yigal Amir. Rabin is replaced by Shimon Peres |
| June, 1996 | Right-Wing Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu elected Prime Minister in Israel, replacingShimon Peres. |
| Sept, 1996 | Al-Aqsa tunnel riots – Arab sources spread the false rumor that a gate opened in an underground tunnel tourist attraction by the Israeli government, endangered the foundations of the Al-Aqsa mosque. This caused several days of rioting and numerous casualties. |
| Jan 18, 1997 | Israel and Palestinians reach agreement on Israeli redeployment in the West-Bank city of Hebron |
| Oct. 1998 | Wye River Plantation talks result in an agreement for Israeli redeployment and release of political prisoners and renewed Palestinian commitment to correct its violations of the Oslo accords including excess police force, illegal arms and incitement in public media and education. |
| May 17, 1999 | Israel elects Labor party leader and Former General Ehud Barak as Prime Minister in a landslide. Barak promises rapid progress toward peace. |
| March, 2000 | Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations fail when Hafez Assad rejects an Israeli offer relayed by US President Clinton in Geneva. |
| Sept. 28, 2000 | Palestinians initiated riots after Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, which is also the location of the Haram as Sharif holy to Muslims. |
| Feb 6, 2001 | Right-wing Likud leader Ariel Sharon elected Prime Minister in Israel replacing Ehud Barak and promising “peace and security.” |
| Mar.-Apr. 2002 | Israel conducts operation Defensive Wall in the West Bank, following a large number of Palestinian suicide attacks on civilian targets. Saudi peace initiative adopted at Beirut summit. |
| Jan 28, 2003 | Elections in Israel give wide margin (40 seats) to right wing Likud party, returning PM Ariel Sharon for another term. |
| July 9, 2004 | International court of Justice (ICJ) rules that the Israeli security barrier violates international law and must be torn down. |
| Nov 11, 2004 | Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat dies. |
| Jan 9, 2005 | Mahmoud Abbas elected President of the Palestinian National Authority. |
| Jan 2006 | On January 4, Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke, leaving the leadership of Israel and the new Kadima party in the hands of Ehud Olmert |
| Jan 26, 2006 | On January 26, the radical Islamist Hamas movement won an upset victory in Palestinian Legislative Council elections, threatening to end about 40 years of Fateh-PLO leadership of the Palestinians and to completely ruin hopes for peace with Israel. Hamas spokesmen sent mixed signals, but vowed never to recognize Israel and never to give up their claim to all of Palestine. |
| March 28 | Ehud Olmert elected PM of Israel, heading Kadima party coalition |
| July 12 | Second Lebanon War – Hezbollah terrorists cross the blue line border with Lebanon, attack an Israeli patrol, killing 3 and capturing 2 soldiers. Additional soldier dies the following day and several are killed when a tank hits a mine, pursuing the captors. At the same time, Hezbollah began a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel. In subsequent days, Israel carried out massive but selective bombing and artillery shelling of Lebanon, hitting rocket stores, Hezbollah headquarters in Dahya quarter of Beirut (see Beirut Map and al-Manara television in Beirut, and killing over two hundred persons, many civilians. Hezbollah responds with several hundred rocket attacks on Haifa, Tiberias, Safed and other towns deep in northern Israel, killing 13 civilians to July 18 (See Map of Hezbollah Rocket Attacks) , and a Hezbollah Iranian supplied C-802 missile hits an Israeli missile cruiser off the cost of Beirut, killing 4. Hezbollah rocket also sinks at least one foreign neutral ship and damages an Egyptian one. G-8 meeting calls for cessation of violence, return of Israeli soldier and disarmament of Hezbolla in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559 and UN Security Council Resolution 1680. |
| Aug 14, 2006 | Cease fire, based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 |
| Feb. 2007 | Israeli renovations near the Mughrabi gate of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem spark widespread unrest in the Arab world, over false charges that Israel is destroying the mosque. |
| Feb. 8, 2007 | Palestinian Unity Agreement in Mecca. Hamas and Fatah agree to share power, based on vaguely worded agreement. Hamas officials reiterate that they will never recognize Israel. US and Israel insist that the new government must recognize right of Israel to exist, disarm terrorist groups and agree to end violence. |
| Feb. 19, 2007 | Trilateral Israeli-Palestinian-American summit with Secretary of State Rice, PM Ehud Olmert and President Abbas ended with no visible result. |
| March 17, 2007 | Palestinian unity government sworn in. |
| June 2007 | Hamas ousts Fatah from Gaza in bloody coup. |
| Nov. 26-28 | US convenes peace summit at Annapolis, Md. with participation of Arab nations, Quartet, EU members, GCC and others including South Africa. Israelis and Palestinians are forced to agree on a joint statement that vows to implement the quartet roadmap in parallel, with US monitoring performance and the sides negotiating continuously with the aim of concluding an agreement by the end of 2008. See: Joint Israeli-Palestinian Declaration, and its meaning |
| Jan. 2008 | President Bush visit to Middle East; Hamas “breakout” into Egypt at Rafah Crossing. |
| Feb. 12, 2008 | Hezbollah “militant” Imad Moughniyeh killed by car bomb in Damascus. Moughniyeh was a “militancy” mastermind, responsible for attacks on U.S. embassy and US marines in Lebanon in the 80s, for kidnapping of American nationals, for explosions in Israel Embassy and Jewish Center in Argentina and apparently for planning the kidnappings that triggered the second Lebanon War. FBI had a $5 million dollar reward out for Moughniyeh. Israel denies any involvement in the killing of Moughniyeh. |
| Dec 27, 2008-Jan 18, 2009 | Operation Cast Lead – Israeli operation in Gaza to stop Hamas rocket attacks. Over 1,000 Palestinian casualties. |
| April 1, 2009 | Following elections, Likud party head Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Prme Minister. |
| June 4, 2009 | Address by President Obama in Cairo, June 4, 2009 – Historic speech of rapprochement with the Arab and Muslim world also has direct implications for Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since the President calls for an end to Israeli construction of settlements in the occupied territories, as well as Arab recognition of Israel and a two state solution. |
