An Extremely Concise Timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

1897—World Zionist Organization founded in Switzerland

1917—Balfour Declaration (British) promises “National Home” for Jewish people in Palestine

1919—Fall of the Ottoman Empire; Region under British control

1948—Al-Nakba (or Israel War of Independence): declaration of Israel as the Jewish nation-state (UN Partition Plan);  British withdrawal from Palestine; Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia declare war on Israel.

1949—Armistice between Israel and Arab states; Israel gains 50% more territory than originally allotted in UN Partition Plan

1956—Suez Campaign: Israel invades Sinai Peninsula with French & British.  Fear of Egyptian alliances with the Soviet Union

1964—Palestinian Liberation Organization founded; previously were only considered to be refugees or were under the jurisdiction of either Egypt or Jordan

1967—Six Day War (June 5^th-10^th): Israel invades and occupies Sinai and Gaza (from Egypt), the West Bank (from Jordan), & Golan Heights (from Syria).  UN Resolution 242 calls for Israeli withdraw from occupied territories base on UN Partition Plan

1967—Allon Plan proposed

1968—PLO Covenant: “Palestine with the boundaries it had during the British mandate is an indivisible territorial unit”

1973—The Yom Kippur War: Syria & Egypt lead invasion of Israeli occupied territories

1974—Rabat Summit & UN General Assembly Resolution 3236: PLO named sole representatives for the Palestinian people; Palestinian National Council Program: Palestine willing to consider a solution other than full return of all territory

1976—Palestinians achieve observer status in UN

1974-88: Arab states represent Palestine in conflict resolutions

1979: Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty: Egypt first Arab country to officially recognize Israel

1987-1992—First Intifada: civil disobedience, violence, against Israeli occupation of Palestine

1988—formal withdrawal by Jordan from West Bank affairs; independent State of Palestine proclaimed by the Palestinian National Council

1992-2000—Continued peace negotiations, sectarian resistance/violence

1993-95—Oslo Accords: Israel and PLO mutual recognition; Palestinian authority to be established

1993—Declaration of Principles signed by Israel & Palestine: two-state solution

1994—Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty

2000-2009—Second Intifada: continued resistance to Israeli occupation, encroachment of territory