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2008 *A historic U.S. election takes the world by storm as Democratic candidate Barack Obama, the first African-American to run for office, promises a message of hope rivaling Republican candidate John McCain hailed as another Bush.
*The world suffers its worst economic meltdown since the 1929 Great Depression. Stock markets plummet as leading investment banks go bankrupt and high oil prices lead to high food prices and worldwide inflation. |
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2007 Hamas takes over the Gaza Strip. |
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2006 *Conflict erupts between the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, as they vie to assume political control of the Palestinian Territories.
*A 33-day war rages between Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military in Lebanon, killing thousands of Lebanese civilians.
*Iraq's former president Saddam Hussein is executed. |
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2003 The United States invades Iraq ostensibly "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism and to free the Iraqi people," three months later the U.S. declares victory against Saddam Hussein. |
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2001 *A series of coordinated al-Qaeda attacks hit the U.S. killing nearly 3,000 people; days later, U.S. President George W. Bush launches the “War on Terror”.
*U.S. and U.K. forces, with some coalition allies, invade Afghanistan to remove al-Qaeda forces and oust the Taliban regime. |
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2000 The Second Intifada, also known as al-Aqsa Intifada, begins and Israel re-occupies the West Bank. The Intidafa leaves more than 5,300 Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis dead. |
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1993 The Oslo Accord is finalized and signed by Yasser Arafat for the Palestine Liberation Organization and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for the Israel presided over by U.S. President Bill Clinton. |
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1990 Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. |
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1987 The first Palestinian uprising The First Intifada (Palestinian Uprising) against Israel beings, resulting in an estimated 1,100 Palestinian deaths and 160 Israeli deaths. |
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1982 The Lebanon War starts after Israeli Defense Forces invade southern Lebanon in response to the assassination attempt against Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom. |
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1980 Neighboring states Iran and Iraq go to war, which lasts about eight years. |
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1978 Egypt and Israel make peace The Camp David Accords are signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. |
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1973 A coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launch the October War, known as the Yom Kippur war, against Israel, days later Egypt accepts a ceasefire. |
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1967 The Six day war begins and ends *The Six-Day War (also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli war or al-Naksah) started between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces.
*The war ends after six days, with Israel in control of the Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem. |
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1956 Egypt is attacked by Israel *Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal
*Britain, France and Israel launch military attack on Egypt.
*The British and French withdraw from Egypt under U.S. and Soviet pressure. |
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1948 The State of Israel is proclaimed. |
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1947 Resolution 181 partitioning The United Nations General Assembly voted (resolution 181) to partition Palestine between a Jewish and an Arab state and declares the State of Israel, which becomes known to Arabs as "al-Nakba", the catastrophe. |
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1920 The League of Nations enshrines the Balfour Declaration in a mandate. |
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1917 The Balfour Declaration by the British government in 1917 said that a "national home for the Jewish people" would be founded in Palestine, while preserving the "civil and religious" rights of non-Jewish communities there. |
