Timeline Description: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is an ongoing conflict over land, resources, and access to religious sites between Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians. The conflict has repeatedly become quite violent, and remains tense today.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Britain Separated Palestine from Ottoman Empire Following World War I, Britain separated Palestine and voiced support for a Jewish nation, clearly stating however, that nothing should be done to harm the current occupants. |
| 1920 | Palestine Granted to Britain Palestine became a British mandate, preparing for the eventuality of independence. Some amount of Jewish emigration continues to Palestine. |
| 1939 | Limited Jewish Migration to Palestine A British White Paper recommended limiting emigration to Palestine to 10,000 European Jews annually. |
| 1940 | Holocaust of Jews in Europe(1940s) Under Nazi rule, millions of European Jews were murdered in concentration camps. Following the end of the Holocaust, the need for a Jewish state seemed more important to both Jews and European governments. |
| November 29, 1947 | UN Creates Separate Jewish and Palestinian States The UN divided Palestine into a separate Jewish and Arab state, intending to provide both populations with land and resources. |
| 1948 | Israel Proclaims Independence Israel proclaimed its independence from Britain in 1948. Israel was now governed as an independent democracy. |
| 1948 | First Arab-Israeli War(1948 to 1949) While the partition was originally intended to provide lands for both Jews and Palestinians, Jordan claimed lands intended for Palestinians and Israel claimed more land than intended. Some 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes. |
| 1949 | More than 1.25 Million Jewish Immigrants to Israel(1949 to 1960s) Between 1949 and the 1960s, a large number of Jews emigrated to Israel, including 250,000 Holocaust survivors. |
| 1956 | Suez Crisis(1956 to 1957) With Britain and France, Israel invaded Egypt to regain rights to the Suez Shipping Canal. The United Nations intervened in the conflict. This is sometimes called the Second Arab-Israeli War |
| June 5, 1967 | Six Day War(June 5 to June 10, 1967) The Six Day War or the Third Arab-Israeli War occurred when Israel launched airstrikes into Egypt and a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. Syria and Jordan joined Egypt in the fight, which ended with a ceasefire, and significantly higher Arab losses. |
| October 1973 | Attacked by Egyptian and Syrian Forces Egyptian and Syrian forces launch attacks against Israeli forces. Israel eventually prevails. This is sometimes called the October War. This war leads to a change toward more conservative political leadership in Israel. |
| 1974 | Settlement in West Bank With a conservative government in place, Jewish settlers begin moving into the Arab West Bank. This heightens the conflict between the two groups. |
| 1977 | Beginning of Camp David Accords With the support of foreign powers, the first rounds of peace talks begin. These end with the Camp David Accords, signed in the United States at Camp David, between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. |
| June 1982 | Israel Invades Lebanon In June 1982, Israel invades Lebanon in an attack on the Palestinian Liberation Organization or PLO in retaliation for the murder of an Israeli ambassador. Israel maintained a force in Lebanon until 1985. |
| 1987 | Hamas Founded The Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza forms the Hamas movement. The movement soon becomes violent. |
| 1993 | Oslo Declaration Israeli and Palestinian leadership work together to agree to a plan for Palestinian self-government. Violence continues from other Palestinian groups. |
| 2000 | Talks Broke Down(2000 to 2001) Between 2000 and 2001, talks broke down over a number of points of disagreement. In January 2001, newly elected Israeli leader Ariel Sharon refuses to continue talks. |
| March 2002 | Operation Defensive Shield(March to May 2002) Following a number of Palestinian suicide bombings, Operation Defensive Shield sends large numbers of Israeli troops into the West Bank. |
| 2005 | Withdrawal from Gaza In 2005, Israel withdrew Israeli settlers from Gaza. The country maintained control of borders, airspace, and coastlines. |
| December 2008 | Invasion of Gaza Strip Month-long invasion of Gaza Strip was launched to prevent potential rocket strikes from Hamas. |
| 2012 | Attempted Resumption of Talks Following a period of increased violence, both sides began attempting to resume talks and relations. In May, Israel released bodies of Palestinians for burial. This attempt was unsuccessful and violence continued to escalate. |
| July 2014 | Violence Broke Out(July to August 2014) Following months of minor skirmishes and killings, Israel again invaded by air and land. Their stated intent was to destroy rocket sites and attack tunnels, but the devastation was significant. |