Timeline

Balfour Declaration

British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour writes to Lord Walter Rothschild expressing the government's support for 'the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.'

British Mandate for Palestine confirmed

The League of Nations formally confirms the British Mandate, incorporating the Balfour Declaration's terms into international law.

1929 Palestine riots

Inter-communal violence centred on Jerusalem and Hebron kills 133 Arabs and 116 Jews. The riots deepen Jewish–Arab divisions and trigger a British policy review.

Arab Revolt begins

Three years of armed revolt by Palestinian Arabs against British rule and Jewish immigration. The revolt is suppressed but shapes the political landscape before 1948.

The UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 181 by 33 to 13, recommending partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Accepted by the Jewish Agency; rejected by Arab leaders. Civil war begins the next day.

Israel declares independence

David Ben-Gurion proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, hours before the British Mandate expires at midnight.

1948 Arab–Israeli War

Forces from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon enter Palestine the day after independence. War ends in 1949 with armistice agreements and Israel controlling more territory than the partition plan allocated.

1949 Armistice Agreements

Israel signs separate armistice agreements with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, establishing the Green Line — the boundary of Israel until 1967.

Suez Crisis

Combined Israeli–British–French operation against Egypt following Nasser's nationalisation of the Suez Canal. Israel captures Sinai; withdraws under US and Soviet pressure.

Six-Day War

Israel defeats Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in six days, capturing the Sinai, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights. UN Resolution 242 calls for withdrawal from 'occupied territories' in exchange for peace.

Yom Kippur War

Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Initial Arab advances are repelled; Israel crosses the Suez Canal. The war reshapes Israeli strategic thinking.

Camp David Accords

US-brokered framework between Begin and Sadat establishes the basis for the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the first between Israel and an Arab state.

Israel and Egypt sign a formal peace treaty on 26 March 1979. Israel withdraws from Sinai. Egypt becomes the first Arab state to recognise Israel.

First Intifada begins

Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza begins after a traffic accident kills four Palestinians in Gaza. Six years of civil unrest shape the political context for Oslo.

Oslo Accords signed

Israel and the PLO sign the Declaration of Principles on the White House lawn, establishing mutual recognition and a framework for Palestinian self-governance.

The Wadi Araba Treaty converts the 1949 armistice line into a recognised international border. Jordan becomes the second Arab state to make peace with Israel.

Rabin assassination

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is killed by a Jewish extremist at a peace rally in Tel Aviv on 4 November. His death reshapes the Israeli political landscape.

Second Intifada begins

Five years of sustained violence beginning September 2000, following the collapse of Camp David II negotiations. Over 1,000 Israelis and 3,200 Palestinians are killed.

Gaza disengagement

Israel withdraws all soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Hamas takes control of Gaza in 2007 after defeating the Palestinian Authority in fighting.

Abraham Accords

Normalisation agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco — the first Arab–Israeli peace agreements since Jordan in 1994, brokered by the United States.

October 7 Hamas attack

Hamas launches the largest attack on Israeli civilians since the state's founding, killing approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and taking around 250 hostages into Gaza. Israel declares war.