Timeline

1516-1918   Ottoman rule over Palestine

1881   March - Assassination of Czar Alexander II of Russia; 
            anti-Jewish pogroms spark Jewish emigration
1882    First Zionist immigrants from Czarist Russia arrive in Ottoman Palestine.

1897    First World Zionist Congress convenes in Basle, Switzerland

1908   July - Young Turk Revolution

1913    May – First Zionist-Arab political contacts in Beirut and Cairo
            June – First Arab Nationalist Congress meets in Paris.

1914    May – Meetings in Cairo between representatives of the Zionist Organization and the Arab Decentralist Party
            August – Outbreak of World War I

1915-16  McMahon-Husayn correspondence

1916    May – Sykes-Picot agreement.
            June - Husayn declares Arab Revolt against the Ottomans

1917    November - Balfour Declaration.

1918    November – World War I ends.

1919    January – Weizmann-Faysal Agreement.

1920    April – League of Nations awards mandates to Britain (Palestine, Iraq) and France (Syria); Arab riots in Jerusalem protesting Jewish rights under the Balfour Declaration

1921    March – Britain creates Transjordan
            May – Arab riots in Jaffa protesting Jewish immigration

1922    July – League of Nations sanctions Mandate for Palestine, to come into force September 1923

1929    August – Arab riots triggered by fears over Jewish designs on holy places in Jerusalem and Jewish immigration to Palestine

1933    January– Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany; increase in Jewish immigration to Palestine

1935    July – Anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws passed in Germany; surge in Jewish immigration to Palestine

1936    April – Arab rebellion and general strike begins in Palestine
            November – Peel Royal Commission arrives in Palestine

1937    July – Peel Report recommends partition of Palestine; Arab rebellion resumes

1938    November – Woodhead Commission's inconclusive report on feasibility of partition of Palestine

1939    February-March – “Round table” conferences at St James’ Palace fail.
May – MacDonald White Paper restricts Jewish immigration, land purchase in Palestine
            Summer – Arab rebellion subsides
            September – Outbreak of World War II

1944    October – Arab Heads of State issue Alexandria Protocol.

1945    March – League of Arab States founded.
            May/August – End of World War II

1946    May – Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry Report recommends immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish refugees to Palestine; secret treaty between Jewish Agency and Maronite Church in Lebanon

1947   February - Britain submits Palestine question to United Nations
           June-July - UNSCOP visits Palestine, recommends partition into Jewish state and Arab state
          November – UNGA resolution 181 calls for the partition of Palestine
          December - fighting erupts between Arabs and Jews within Palestine

1948    May – British leave Palestine; first Arab-Israeli war begins; Israeli independence, Palestinian nakba
December – UNGA resolution 194 urges that refugees be permitted to return home or receive compensation; creates PCC

1949    February – Egypt-Israel GAA
            March – Israel-Lebanon GAA;  Israel-Jordan GAA
            April-September – PCC peace conference in Lausanne, few results.
            May – Israel admitted to membership in the UN
            July – Syria-Israel GAA

1950    January -July – PCC peace conference in Geneva fails.
            February - draft accords between Israel and Jordan
            April – Jordan annexes West Bank

1951    July – Jordan’s King Abdallah assassinated in Jerusalem
            September-November – PCC peace conference in Paris fails.

1952    July – Egyptian army officers overthrow King Farouk

1953    May – Hussein becomes King of Jordan

1956    January-March – Final unsuccessful US mediation attempt to promote secret Egypt-Israel talks (“Project Alpha”)
            July – Nasser nationalizes Suez Canal Company.
            October – Israel, France and Britain attack Egypt.
            November – UNEF takes up peacekeeping mission in Sinai.
            December – last British and French forces withdraw from Egypt

1957    March – Israel completes withdrawal from Sinai.

1958   Palestinian guerilla group Fatah established.

1964    January – Arab League meeting in Cairo creates Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

1965    January – Fatah’s first cross-border raid into Israel 

1967    April-May –Israel-Syria incidents along frontier
May – Nasser mobilizes troops, orders UNEF troops out of Sinai, blockades Straits of Tiran to shipping to/from Israel
June – Decisive Israeli victory against Egypt, Jordan, Syria; Israel captures Sinai, West Bank, Jerusalem and Golan Heights; US President Johnson's speech lays out "principles for peace"
September – Arab League summit at Khartoum rejects recognition of, negotiations or peace with Israel
November – UN Security Council resolution 242 calls for Israeli withdrawal, right of all states to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries; Gunnar Jarring appointed UN Special Representative

1968    March – IDF attacks Palestinian base in Karameh, Jordan; battle involves PLO and Jordanian forces
            July – PLO meets in Beirut, issues revised National Charter

1969    February – Fatah head Yasir Arafat elected chairman of the PLO
            March 1969 (to August 1970) – Egyptian-Israeli War of Attrition
            December – Rogers plan announced

1970    September – Jordanian Army expels Palestinian guerilla groups during “Black September”; PLO headquarters and fedayeen move to Lebanon; Nasser dies, succeeded by Anwar Sadat
            November – Hafez al-Asad takes power in Syria

1971    February – Jarring Mission peace proposal
            March - Hafez al-Asad becomes president of Syria

1972    July – Sadat expels Soviet advisors from Egypt
September – Palestinian “Black September” terrorists kill Israeli athletes at Munich Olympics

1973    October – Egypt and Syria attack Israel; UNSC resolution 338 declares cease-fire and reiterates call for negotiations
            December – Opening session of inconclusive Geneva Conference

1974    January – first Egyptian-Israeli disengagement agreement
            May – Syrian-Israel disengagement agreement
            October –Rabat Declaration recognizes PLO as sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people
            November – Yasir Arafat addresses the UN General Assembly

1975    April – outbreak of Lebanese civil war
September – second Israeli-Egyptian disengagement agreement; US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding regarding conditions for US recognition of and negotiation with the PLO
            November – UN General Assembly resolution 3379 declares Zionism a form of racism

1976    April – Syrian forces enter Lebanon; Syria-Israel “red line agreement” in Lebanon; Saad Haddad declares “Free Lebanon” in southern Lebanon

1977    January – Jimmy Carter assumes US presidency
May – first Likud victory over Labor Party makes Menachem Begin Israel’s prime minister.
            October – US-USSR Joint Communiqué announces Geneva Conference
            September – Secret Egyptian-Israeli talks in Morocco
November – Egyptian President Sadat addresses Knesset, launching peace negotiations
            December – Begin presents plan for Palestinian self-rule

1978    March – terror attack in Israel; Israel invades southern Lebanon to drive Palestinian groups away from the border (“Litani Operation”); UNSC resolution 425 demands that Israel withdraw from Lebanon
June – Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon, UNIFIL peacekeepers take up positions
September – Israel and Egypt sign Camp David Accords (Framework for Peace in the Middle East, Framework for Egyptian-Israeli Peace)

1979    February – Islamic revolution in Iran 
March – Israel and Egypt sign peace treaty; Baghdad Summit resolutions denounce Egypt

1980    September – Iraq attacks Iran, begins the Iran-Iraq war

1981    January – Ronald Reagan assumes US presidency
            June – Israeli jets destroy Iraqi nuclear reactor
            October – Sadat assassinated; succeeded by Hosni Mubarak
            December – Israel “extends law” to Golan Heights

1982    April – Israel completes withdrawal from Sinai
            June – Israeli invasion of Lebanon
            August – first MNF deploys in Lebanon
September – PLO evacuates Lebanon and moves headquarters to Tunis; Reagan Plan; Fez Arab Summit adopts Saudi (Fahd) Plan; President-elect Bashir Gemayel is assassinated, succeeded by brother Amin; Christian Lebanese Forces massacre Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila; second MNF deploys to Lebanon

1983    February – Kahan Commission report on Sabra and Shatilla massacres
            April – US embassy in Beirut bombed
            May – Israel and Lebanon sign the 17 May Agreement
            August – Begin resigns as Israeli Prime Minister, succeeded by Yitzhak Shamir
            October – suicide attack against US marines in Beirut

1984    February – US marines “redeploy” out of Lebanon; Hizballah emerges in southern Lebanon
            March - President Amin Gemayel abrogates Israel-Lebanon Agreement
September – Israel unity government with rotation; Shimon Peres is prime minister

1985    February – King Hussein-PLO agreement
June – Israeli troops withdraw from most of Lebanon; IDF supports SLA in southern Lebanon

1986    February – King Hussein announces failure of agreement with PLO
April - secret meeting between King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin in London
            August - Israeli law passed making contact with PLO illegal
October – Israel national unity government rotation: Shamir replaces Peres as prime minister

1987    April - King Hussein and Peres draft “London Document”; Gorbachev hosts Asad in Moscow
            May - Peres brings London Document to Israeli cabinet, no vote.
            July - secret meeting between King Hussein and Shamir in London
            December – outbreak of first Palestinian Intifada.
           
1988    February – First appearance of Hamas movement
            March - Shultz Initiative
            July – King Hussein announces Jordan’s disengagement from West Bank
            August - Hamas Covenant adopted; Iran-Iraq War ends
            November – PNC Meeting in Algiers declares Palestinian statehood
December – Arafat addresses UN General Assembly in Geneva, meets terms for opening US-PLO dialogue

1989    January – George H. W. Bush assumes US presidency
            October – Taif Agreement ends Lebanese civil war.

1990     June – US suspends dialogue with PLO
            August – Iraq invades Kuwait

1991 – January-February – US-led coalition drives Iraq out of Kuwait (first Gulf War)
March – Gulf War ends; President Bush delivers “New World Order” speech
            October – Madrid Peace Conference
December – Bilateral Arab-Israeli talks commence in Washington DC; dissolution of the USSR; UNGA resolution 4686 repeals “Zionism is racism” resolution.

1992 – January – First Madrid multilateral talks open in Moscow
            May – “non-PLO” Palestinian Madrid team attends PLO meeting in Tunis
June – Rabin succeeds Shamir as prime minister
            Summer – PLO and Israel begin back-channel talks in Oslo, Norway
            October – Jordan and Israel sign a draft agenda for peace

1993 – January – Bill Clinton assumes US presidency; serious back-channel talks accelerate between Israeli and PLO representatives in Oslo; Knesset repeals ban on contact with PLO
            July – Israel launches “Operation Accountability” in southern Lebanon
August – Rabin gives “pocket commitment” to Christopher, then shifts Israeli attention from the Syrian track to the Palestinian track.
September – Rabin and Arafat sign letters of mutual recognition; Israel and PLO sign Declaration of Principles (Oslo Agreement); Israel and Jordan sign “Common Agenda”

1994 – February – Baruch Goldstein massacres Muslims in Hebron mosque
            May – Israel-PLO Cairo Accord (Gaza-Jericho); creation of the PA, Palestinian self-rule begins in Jericho and Gaza
July – “Washington Declaration” ends state of war between Israel and Jordan; Arafat returns to Gaza
October – Israel and Jordan sign peace treaty; first Middle East economic conference, Casablanca, Morocco; Clinton visits Syria
December – Israeli and Syrian chiefs-of-staff meet in Washington; Rabin, Peres and Arafat receive Nobel Peace Prize

1995 – May – Syrian-Israel “Aims and Principles” non-paper; Rabin shifts Israeli attention from Syrian to Palestinian track
            September – Oslo II agreement between Israel and PA
October - second Middle East economic conference, Amman; Beilin-Abu Mazen document; Israel assassinates Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki
November – Rabin assassinated, Peres succeeds him as Prime Minister
            December – Israeli-Syrian talks at Wye Plantation

1996 – January – Arafat elected president of the PA in first Palestinian elections; Israelis assassinate Hamas bomb “engineer,” Yahya Ayyash
            February – Hamas suicide bombing of bus in Jerusalem
March - Hamas suicide bombers hit four Israeli buses in one weekend; Israel joins anti-terrorism “Summit of the Peacemakers” in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
April – Israel launches “Grapes of Wrath” operation in southern Lebanon; PNC meeting in Gaza amends PLO charter by voice vote
            May – Benjamin Netanyahu becomes prime minister
September – first Netanyahu-Arafat meeting; Jerusalem tunnel incident leads to Palestinian-Israeli clashes
            November – third Middle East economic conference, Cairo

1997 – January – Netanyahu and Arafat sign Hebron Protocol; IDF redeploys from Hebron
            March - Hussein-Netanyahu exchange of letters
September - failed Mossad assassination attempt on Khaled Meshal in Amman
November - fourth Middle East economic conference, Doha, Qatar; Jordan-Israel Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement

1998 – August – secret meetings between Ronald Lauder and Asad
            October – Netanyahu and Arafat sign Wye River Memorandum
            December - Clinton addresses Palestinian assembly in Gaza

1999    February – King Hussein dies, succeeded by son Abdallah II
May – Ehud Barak succeeds Netanyahu as prime minister, adopts “Syria first” approach, shifts Israeli attention away from Palestinian track; Asad exhibits new interest in Israel talks; Cairo Agreement deadline for final Israel-Palestinian agreement missed
            September – Israel-Palestinian accord signed at Sharm el-Sheikh
            December – Syrian-Israel talks at Shepherdstown

2000    January – Clinton presents draft Israel-Syria peace treaty as Shepherdstown talks end without agreement
            March – Clinton-Asad summit in Geneva; Barak shifts Israeli attention from Syrian track to Palestinian track
            May – Israel unilaterally withdraws IDF from southern Lebanon
            June – Hafez al-Asad dies, succeeded as president by his son Bashar
            July – Camp David II summit ends without results
September – Oslo II deadline for a final agreement missed; Arafat and aides dine with Barak at Barak’s home; Ariel Sharon visits Temple Mount; second Palestinian Intifada begins.
            October – Sharm el-Sheikh summit fails to quell violence      
December – Palestinian-Israeli talks at Bolling Airforce Base; Clinton outlines “Parameters” (“Bridging Proposal”) for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

2001    January – George W. Bush assumes US presidency; Israeli-Palestinian talks at Taba, Egypt, no agreement reached.
            March – Ariel Sharon succeeds Barak as prime minister
            April – Mitchell Report assesses causes for second Intifada
June – Tenet Plan aims to restore cease-fire and Palestinian-Israeli security cooperation
            September – al-Qaeda 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington
            October – US topples Taliban government in Afghanistan
November – Secretary of State Colin Powell speech recommitting US to Arab-Israel peace process

2002    March – Terrorist upsurge against Israeli civilians; Israel reoccupies much of West Bank; Saudi peace proposal endorsed by Arab League meeting in Beirut; UN Security Council resolution 1397 endorses two-state solution
            June – President Bush gives two-state solution speech
            July - Nusseibeh-Ayalon Statement of Principles

2003    March – US invades Iraq
April – Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) becomes first Palestinian prime minister; Quartet (US-Russia-UN-EU) unveils “Roadmap” peace plan
June – Sharon and Abu Mazen attend summit meeting in Aqaba, Jordan; Israel begins construction on “security fence;” Palestinian hudna goes into effect
October – unofficial Israeli and Palestinian negotiators unveil Geneva Accord
November – UNSC resolution 1515 endorses Roadmap and two-state solution

2004    April – Sharon announces plans for unilateral disengagement from Gaza  
August – secret Israel-Syria talks, mediated by Turkey; unofficial “track II” Israel-Syria negotiations via private American intermediaries result in “non-paper”
September – UNSC Resolution 1559 calls on Syria to leave Lebanon, Lebanese militias to disarm
October - Sharon presents Gaza disengagement plan to Knessset
            November – Arafat dies in Paris; Bush re-elected to second term
            December – Egypt-Israel QIZ agreement

2005    January – Abu Mazen elected president of the PA
February – former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri assassinated in Beirut, anti-Syrian demonstrations in Lebanon.
            April – Syria withdraws troops from Lebanon
            August – Israel removes troops and settlers from Gaza Strip
            November - Sharon quits Likud, creates centrist Kadima Party

2006    January – Israeli PM Sharon suffers stroke, replaced by Ehud Olmert; Hamas wins majority in Palestinian parliamentary elections
June –  Hamas and Hizballah capture Israeli soldiers in separate border incidents
            July – Israeli-Hizballah “Second Lebanon War”
            August – UNSC Resolution 1701 institutes Hizballah-Israel ceasefire

2007    March – Riyadh Declaration re-endorses Arab League peace plan
June – Hamas takes control of Gaza from Fatah in civil war; Mubarak, Olmert, Abdallah II, Abu Mazen meet in Sharm el-Sheikh
            July – Arab League representatives visit Jerusalem to promote peace plan
            September – Israel bombs suspected Syrian nuclear site
            November – Annapolis Peace Conference

2008    January – Winograd Commission report on second Lebanon War
      May – Turks mediate Syria-Israel talks
December – Olmert announces intention to resign under criminal indictments; UNSC 1850 endorses Roadmap, two-state solution; Israeli “Operation Cast Lead” in Gaza

2009    January – Barack Obama assumes US presidency
      March - Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Israeli prime minister

      June - Obama addresses Muslim world in Cairo speech

      September - Goldstone Report on 2008 Gaza fighting released

      December - Obama receives Nobel Peace Prize