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War for Israeli independence 1947-1949
On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations decides to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Mounting violence leads to the first Arab-Israeli war in early 1948, when the British withdraw from the region. Jewish forces hold their ground and declare Israeli statehood on May 14, 1948. Neighboring Arab nations, including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and then-Transjordan, lend support to the Palestinians. The Egyptians are the last to seek an end to hostilities; an armistice is reached -
Suez crisis 1956
sraeli leadership grows increasingly weary of cross-border attacks from the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip as well as Egypt's attempts to block Israeli shipping in the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aqaba. -
Six-Day War, June 5-10, 1967
The U.N. force is able to prevent major Arab invasions of Israel until the summer of 1967, when Egyptian forces gather in Sinai and Nasser orders the international troops to leave. Egypt also blocks Israeli ships in the Gulf of Aqaba. In the United States, President Johnson tries but fails to secure peace and reopen the gulf. -
Camp David Accords, 1978-1979
Egyptian and Israeli leaders meet at Camp David with President Carter in 1978 to discuss a treaty in which Egypt would regain full control of the Sinai Peninsula. The treaty is signed on March 26, 1979, lending hope to a future of peace in the region. -
Oslo Accords, 1993
Failed peace talks in Madrid in 1991 provide the framework for talks in Oslo, Norway, in 1993. Both sides agree to a Declaration of Principles, which is signed in Washington on Sept. 13, 1993. The accords provide for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Both sides formally recognized one another; Arafat agrees to Israel's right to exist, and Israel accepts the Palestinians' right to self-determination. Two years later, leaders meet again at the White House and
