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McMahon second letter
McMahon writes: "The districts of Mersin and Alexandretta, and portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo, cannot be said to be purely Arab, and must on that account be excepted from the proposed delimitation."Subject to that modification, and without prejudice to the treaties concluded between us and certain Arab chiefs, we accept that delimitation. -
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Britain and France sign a secret pact outlining their spheres of control in the Middle East after the first world war. Palestine is designated for international administration pending consultations with Russia and other powers. The agreement is seen by Arabs as a betrayal of the Hussein-McMahon correspondence. -
Balfour Declaration
Arthur James Balfour, Britain's foreign secretary, sends a letter to Lord Rothschild, president of the Zionist federation, stating the government's support for the establishment of "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, the area consisting of today's Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jordan. -
The new kings of Jordan, Syria and Iraq
In the aftermath of the war the sons of Hussein were made the kings of Transjordan (later Jordan), Syria and Iraq. (the dates are not accurate for they are not specified) -
Britain administer Palestine
The League of Nations gives Britain a mandate to administer Palestine. Britain expresses an interest in Zionism, and describes its intention to develop a Jewish state. -
1929-1939 Jews arrive in Palestine
In large part because of the rise of fascism in Europe, about 250,000 Jews arrive in Palestine during this period. (the dates are not accurate for they are not specified) -
Arguments between Muslims and Jews
Arguments between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall. More than 130 Jews killed and 339 wounded (mainly by Arabs), 116 Arabs killed and 232 wounded (mainly by British-led personnel).
(the dates are not accurate for they are not specified) -
Arab rioters kill 67 Jews in Hebron
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1930-1935 Violent activities
Violent activities of the Black Hand Islamist group led by Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam against Jews -
1936-1939 Arab revolt
Arab revolt to protest against Jewish immigration to Palestine led by Haj Amin al-Husseini. More than 5,000 Arabs are killed, mostly by the British. Several hundred Jews are killed by Arabs. (the dates are not accurate for they are not specified) -
Bombing of the King David hotel
Bombing of the King David hotel in Jerusalem, which housed the British civil, military and police command in Palestine, by members of Irgun, a Zionist organisation. Ninety-one people are killed, 28 British, 41 Arab, 17 Jewish and five from other countries. -
United Nations general assembly
United Nations general assembly passes a partition plan dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into two states. Accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by the Arab leadership. -
Deir Yassin massacre
Between 100 and 254 Palestinian villagers, mainly women, old people and children are killed during and after an attack on the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem by Irgun members -
Declaration of Israel as the Jewish state.
British withdraw from Palestine. Arab-Israeli war. Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon declare war on Israel. Egypt, Jordan and Syria invade Israel -
Israel and Arab states agree an armistice.
Israel has taken about 50 per cent more land than was originally allotted to it by the UN partition plan. (the dates are not accurate for they are not specified) -
1947-1949 The Nabka
The Nabka, meaning "disaster" or "cataclysm" in Arabic. Up to 900,000 Palestinians flee or are expelled from their homes in the part of the land that becomes the state of Israel. (date is not accurate) -
France, Britain and Israel plan invasion of Egypt
Egypt nationalises Suez Canal (July 26). France, Britain and Israel plan invasion of Egypt. Israel invades the Sinai peninsula (October 29). Pressure from the US and USSR force France, Britain and Israel to withdraw. -
The Palestine Liberation Organisation
May, 1964: The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) is founded in Cairo by the Arab League. The PLO states its goal as the destruction of the Israel through armed struggle, and the restoration of an "independent Palestinian state" between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea. (the day is not accurate) -
Six Day war
Israel launches a pre-emptive attack on Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Israel captures Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. In this year, Israel begins settlement programme in areas captured during the Six Day war. (the day is not accurate) -
1968-1970 War of Attrition
Limited war fought between Egypt and Israel in which Egypt attempts to regain the Sinai Peninsula lost in the Six Day war. The war ended with a ceasefire in August 1970 with the same frontiers as at the start.
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Yasser Arafat is appointed chairman of the PLO
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Palestinian group Black September
Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team and one German police OFFICER are killed by Palestinian group Black September at the Munich Olympics. -
Yom Kippur war (October war)
In a surprise attack on the Jewish Day of Atonement, Egypt and Syria retake the areas in Sinai and the Golan Heights that were lost in the Six Day war. Despite initial gains they are soon forced to retreat by Israeli forces. -
Yasser Arafat makes his first appearance
As thousands protest outside, Yasser Arafat makes his first appearance before the UN General Assembly, delivering his "olive branch and freedom fighter's gun" speech. -
The PLO is granted observer status at the UN.
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Camp David Accord
Menachem Begin, Israel's prime minister, and Anwar Sadat, Egypt's president, sign the Camp David Accord, with Israel agreeing to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula in exchange for peace and a framework for future negotiation over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. -
Peace deal between Egypt and Israel.
Egypt becomes the first Arab country to recognise Israel. Later in this year, Arab League suspends Egypt's membership of the league following Egypt's peace agreement with Israel. The organisation moves its headquarters to Tunis. -
The PLO supports Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
Kuwait responds by severing ties with the PLO and cutting its financial backing. After Iraqi forces are defeated, Kuwait expels some 400,000 Palestinians who had been living in the emirate.
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Sadat is assassinated
Sadat is assassinated by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation, while reviewing a military parade, in retaliation for Sadat's recognition of Israel. -
Israel invades Lebanon
Israel invades Lebanon to remove PLO fighters who it says are threatening its border. PLO relocates to Tunis as it is driven out of Lebanon by Israel during the six-month invasion of the country. Remains active in Lebanon but not to the same extent as before 1982. -
Sabra and Shatila massacre.
Lebanese Phalangists (members of a Christian paramilitary group) kill up to 2,750 Palestinians in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila.
(the day is not acuurate) -
The Israeli army withdraws
The Israeli army withdraws from most of Lebanon, maintaining a self-proclaimed "security zone" in the south.
(the date is not accurate) -
Three Israelis are killed
Three Israelis are killed on their yacht off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus, by Force 17, a commando group from Fatah, the largest organisation in the PLO. -
Israel's Operation Wooden Leg
Israel's Operation Wooden Leg attempts to kill Arafat with an air raid on his headquarters in Tunis. He survives, but 60 members of the PLO are killed including much of the leadership. -
First intifada (uprising) starts.
Palestinians begin general strikes, riots and civil disobedience campaigns across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli army replies with tear gas, plastic bullets, and live rounds. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin creates Hamas from the Gaza wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. -
Yasser Arafat unilaterally proclaims a State of Palestine
At a meeting of the Palestine National Council in Algeria, Yasser Arafat unilaterally proclaims a State of Palestine. -
The Madrid conference,
The Madrid conference, hosted by the Spanish government and co-sponsored by the US and Soviet Union, begins.
(the day is not accurate) -
Oslo declaration of principles.
PLO and Israel agree to recognise each other. -
Baruch Goldstein,
Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli settler, enters the Cave of the Patriarchs, a religious site in Hebron, and kills 29 Palestinians, injuring another 125. -
Israel and Jordan sign a peace treaty
Israel and Jordan sign a peace treaty ending 45-years of hostility. Israel agrees to recognise the special role of Jordan over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem -
Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated
Yitzhak Rabin, Israel's prime minister, is assassinated by Yigal Amir, an Israeli orthodox Jewish student who is against the Middle East peace plan. Shimon Peres takes over as prime minister -
The Camp David summit
The Camp David summit between Ehud Barak, Israel's prime minister, and Arafat, the CHAIRMAN of the Palestinian Authority, aimed at reaching a "final status" agreement ends after Arafat refuses to accept a proposal drafted by US and Israeli negotiators. -
Palestinians riot after Ariel Sharon visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Palestinians riot after Ariel Sharon, of the Likud party in Israel, visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Second initifada begins.
(the date is not accurate) -
February 6, 2001: Sharon is elected the leader
February 6, 2001: Sharon is elected the leader of Likud and refuses to continue negotiations with Arafat. -
A Hamas suicide bomber attacks a nightclub.
Twenty-one Israelis killed, mainly teenagers, more than 100 injured. -
Rehavam Zeevi is shot dead
Rehavam Zeevi, Israel's tourism minister, is shot dead in Jerusalem by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. -
Sharon sends troops into Ramallah
Sharon sends troops into Ramallah shelling and surrounding the Palestinian government's West Bank headquarters; Arafat is unable to leave.
(the day is not accurate) -
Israeli army launches Operation Defensive Shield
Israeli army launches Operation Defensive Shield, the country's biggest military operation in the West Bank since the Six Day war in 1967. In the same year, Israel begins construction of separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel, but for some of its length it serves to annex large areas of Palestinian land.
(the day is not accurate) -
Beirut summit between heads of Arab nations
March 27, 28:Beirut summit between heads of Arab nations to discuss plans to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Arafat is unable to attend as Israel will not guarantee he will be able to return. Arab leaders collectively offer Israel peace, recognition and normal relations in return for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured since 1967, the restoration of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and a "fair solution" for the 3.8 million Palestinian refugees. -
Sheikh Yassin is assassinated
Sheikh Yassin, the founder and leader of Hamas, is assassinated by an Israeli helicopter gunship. -
Abd al-Aziz al-Rantissi is killed by the Israeli army.
Abd al-Aziz al-Rantissi, the co-founder of Hamas and successor to Yassin, is killed by the Israeli army. -
International Court of Justice rules
International Court of Justice rules that the Israeli separation barrier violates international law and must be removed -
Arafat dies.
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Mahmoud Abbas is elected president
Mahmoud Abbas is elected president of the Palestinian National Authority. -
Sharon creates government of unity
Sharon creates government of unity with Labour and United Torah Judaism parties. -
Completion of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from Gaza and four West Bank settlements
Completion of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from Gaza and four West Bank settlements
(the day is not accurate) -
Hamas wins a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections.
Hamas wins a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections. The US, Israel and several European countries cut off aid to the Palestinians as the Islamist movement rejects Israel's right to exist -
Palestinians cross the border from the Gaza Strip
Palestinians cross the border from the Gaza Strip and capture Corporal Gilad Shalit, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding four others. -
Violence erupts between Fatah and Hamas parties
Violence erupts between Fatah and Hamas parties in the Gaza Strip. Abbas attempts to prevent civil war. Abbas's Fatah movement supports a Palestinian state alongside Israel, while Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist.
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Eight people are killed in Gaza in factional infighting
Eight people are killed in Gaza in factional infighting between Hamas and Fatah as a new wave of violence erupts. -
A number of mediation conferences are held.
A number of mediation conferences are held. Egypt and Qatar send their foreign ministers to meet with both sides. Other Palestinian groups like the Islamic jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mediate between the two sides to stop the clashes. (the day is not accurate) -
Following talks between Hamas and Fatah
Following talks between Hamas and Fatah, both sides agree to form a unity government unaligned with either movement. Muhammad Shbeir, a Gaza academic who is close to Hamas but not a party member accepts, the offer to head the government. -
Hamas accuses Fatah of involvement in a gun attack on Ismael Haniya
Hamas accuses Fatah of involvement in a gun attack on Ismael Haniya, Palestinian prime minister, as he crosses the border from Egypt into Gaza. -
Abbas calls for new elections as a solution to the ongoing crisis.
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Abbas meets Khaled Meshaal
Abbas meets Khaled Meshaal of Hamas in Damascus in response to an invitation by Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian president. -
Fatah and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement
Fatah and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement mediated by Egypt after a series of clashes that lead to the death of 32 Palestinians. Both sides welcome a Saudi initiative to meet in Mecca -
Hamas and Fatah agree on a deal in Mecca to end factional warfare
Hamas and Fatah agree on a deal in Mecca to end factional warfare that has killed scores of Palestinians and to form a coalition, hoping this would lead Western powers to lift crippling sanctions imposed on the Hamas-led government. -
The Quartet welcomes the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Quartet welcomes the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in reaching the agreement to form a Palestinian National Unity government but later reaffirms that it must obey international demands to recognise Israel, renounce violence and abide by previous peace agreements. -
Ismail Haniya and his cabinet resign
Ismail Haniya and his cabinet resign. Haniya is re-appointed by President Abbas and begins the process of forming a new Palestinian unity government. -
Israel refuses to talk to the coalition, Hamas-Fatah violence erupts in Gaza, and Ehud Olmert describes Ismail Haniya as a "terrorist".
Israel refuses to talk to the coalition, saying it fails to meet international demands - renouncing violence, recognising Israel and honouring past peace deals.
Hamas-Fatah violence erupts in Gaza, leaving one Fatah fighter dead, and seven people wounded, in the first deadly clash between the two groups, since the unity government was formed.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, describes Ismail Haniya, his Palestinian counterpart and senior Hamas leader, as a "terrorist". -
Palestinians reach agreement on the formation of the government
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The new Palestinian unity government holds its first cabinet meeting
The new Palestinian unity government holds its first cabinet meeting in Gaza City, with ministers in the West Bank participating from Ramallah via video link. -
Israel plans Gaza invasion and The US gives Mahmoud Abbas $60m
Israel plans Gaza invasion, a day after Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister, calls for a regional peace conference with Arab states.
The US gives Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, $60m to boost his presidential guard and for other security expenses. The money would also be used for security improvements at Gaza's main commercial crossings with Israel, for logistics and communications equipment, and other security expenses.
(the day is not accurate) -
Israel presses ahead with air raids on Gaza
Israel presses ahead with air raids on Gaza, launching five attacks after dark. The strikes came after Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, said that Israel would continue its crackdown on Hamas following Qassam rocket attacks on Sderot that killed one Israeli civilian and injured one. -
Hamas issues Gaza arms ultimatum and tightens its grip and control on the territory.
Hamas issues Gaza arms ultimatum and tightens its grip and control on the territory. Abbas issues new government, and announces Salam Fayyad, an economist, as the emergency government head. Abbas swears in new emergency government, by passing Hamas.
(the day is not accurate)
Palestinian aid embargo lifted. The US and the European Union resume aid to Palestine. Abbas announces it is time to resume peace talks with Israel. -
George Bush hosts peace talks between Palestine and Israel
George Bush, US president, hosts peace talks between Palestine and Israel at Annapolis, Maryland, while Hamas still holds control over Gaza.
(the date is not accurate) -
Israel steps up military actions on Gaza and Hamas
Israel steps up military actions on Gaza and Hamas, killing seven Palestinians. Olmert vows to hit back after Hams rocket attacks in Israel. Israel continues powerful incursion on Gaza, leaving Palestinians in a humanitarian crisis without fuel, power, food and water.
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Palestinians blow up part of the border at Rafah, going into Egypt.
Palestinians blow up part of the border at Rafah, going into Egypt. The border breach came several days after Israel had imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, with Egyptian backing, in response to a rocket barrage from Gaza on Israeli border towns.
(the days is not accurate) -
Ismail Haniya has meanwhile said the group would not allow the border to be resealed.
Ismail Haniya, Hamas leader and one-time prime minister, has meanwhile said the group would not allow the border to be resealed. The border crossing had been opened on the orders of by Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. It had allowed Palestinians trapped in Gaza to purchase important basic necessities that were unavailable due to the Israeli blockade.
