Timeline
Look at the brief history of the events that led to creation of the State of Israel and the major events that have taken place since then.
This historical timeline of Israel-Palestine is also available for download 
.
1897: First Zionist Congress
Though the concepts of Zionism and Jewish Territorialism had been around for a while this was the first event that really had a major effect of moving the agenda forward. It was held in Basel, Switzerland and was headed by Theodor Herzl. This congress drafted the Basel program which stated explicitly that creating a Jewish homeland in Eretz Israel (Palestine) was the goal of Zionism.
1915-1916: Hussein-McMahon Correspondence
The British High Commander in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon, and the Sharif of Mecca, Hejazi (Arab) leader Hussein ibn Ali, exchange letters that offer the Arab people a vague area of land if they will help the British in fighting the Ottoman Empire in WWI. After the war, it is debated what land was actually offered. Palestine was a hotly contested area.
1917: Balfour Declaration
Britain declares that it will help the Jewish people found a homeland in Palestine that does not hinder the lives of the current population.
1919: Sykes-Picot Agreement
France and England divide up the falling/fallen Ottoman Empire. Britain takes control of the area known as Palestine and starts honoring the Balfour Declaration.
1930s-1940s: Rise of anti-Semitism and Hitler in Europe
WWII and the Holocaust increase the number of Jewish immigrants to Palestine, or Eretz Israel, and the desire for a sovereign Jewish state.
1937: Peel Commission
The Palestine Royal Commission headed by Earl Peel makes a recommendation for ending the British Mandate of Palestine and splitting the land up into an Arab state and a Jewish state, with the area around Jerusalem and Nazareth left under the Mandate. The Arab leadership rejected the plan. The Jewish leadership officially rejected the plan, but wanted to continue discussing the issue.
1947: UNSCOP Partition Plan
Britain, having troubles in Palestine, turns to the UN to find a solution. The UN puts together UNSCOP (United Nations Special Committee On Palestine). This committee puts forth a partition plan as a solution to the problem. This plan is accepted by the Zionist Congress and rejected by the Arab Higher Committee.
1947: Britain Decides To Leave Palestine
Both the Arab and Jewish populations in Palestine have been dissatisfied with Britain’s presence in the area. Because of these sentiments, which sometimes led to violence, the British decide to pull out of Palestine by May 1948.
1948: Israeli War of Independence / Palestinian Naqbah
After Britain leaves, Israel declares itself a sovereign state and is recognized by the United Nations. The surrounding Arab countries attack Israel but are defeated. Hundreds of thousands of Arabs living in the area of the new state leave or are driven from their homes. The fighting officially ended in 1949 when Israel signed separate armistices with Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan and Syria.
1948: UN Resolution 194
Towards the end of the war the UN General Assembly passes Resolution 194. One of the most contentious statements of this resolution involves the status of the Palestinian refugees. The agreement declares that in the context of a general peace agreement "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so" and also "compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." The arguments stem from defining what constitutes a "general peace agreement", who is a refugee, whether descendants can be included in that category, and whether they can live in peace with their neighbors, and how much is a fair monetary compensation.
1949: Jordan Grants Citizenship to Palestinian Refugees
King Abdullah I of Jordan becomes the first, and only, Arab leader to offer citizenship to the Palestinian refugees of the war. At this time, Jordan was in control of the West Bank.
1956: Suez War
Israel attacks Egypt with the backing of Britain and France because Egypt was intending to nationalize the Suez Canal and was putting restrictions on Israel’s port access. Israel took over the Sinai Peninsula but the US and USSR spoke out against the attack and forced the three countries to retreat. It was at this point that the UN created the UNEF (United Nations Emergency Force) that was used to control the Sinai Peninsula until the Six-Day War.
1964: PLO Founded
The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) is founded by the Arab League with the goals of the destruction of the State of Israel through armed struggle, the right of return of Palestinian refugees and the self-determination of the Palestinian people.
1967: Six-Day War
Sensing provocation and a possible invasion by Egypt, Israel launches a preemptive strike on Egypt, destroying Egypt’s Air Force while it was still on the ground. Over a period of six days, Israel easily routs the Arab armies and takes control of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and all of Jerusalem. After the war, the National Unity Government of Israel voted to return the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights for peace treaties.
1967: UN Resolution 242
In the aftermath of the Six-Day War, the UN Security Council adopts UN Resolution 242. The most contentious portion of this resolution is Operative clause 1(i), which calls for: "Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict." The contention is mainly around the lack of the definite article in the English translation (the French translation reads "from the territories"). Some argue that the lack of the article does not mean anything and that the intention is for Israeli forces to withdraw from ALL the occupied territories, while others argue that it means only certain portions need to be returned to satisfy the resolution.
1967: Khartoum Resolution
In response to the Six-Day War, eight Arab countries come together to draft a response. The most well known portion of this resolution is paragraph three which contains “The Three Nos”: No peace with Israel, No recognition of Israel, No negotiations with Israel.
1971: Black September
In September the PLO attempted to assassinate the King Hussein of Jordan and overthrow his monarchy. King Hussein thwarts the attempts and eventually quells the PLO, though many Palestinian refugees and their descendants are killed in the process. When the conflict ends in 1971, the PLO and thousands of Palestinians are expelled from Jordan and the West Bank. These refugees (some for a second time) end up moving mainly to Lebanon.
1973: Yom Kippur War
Syria and Egypt launch a surprise attack on Israel on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. After suffering initial losses, Israel’s military repels Egypt and Syria and takes back control of the Sinai Peninsula.
1978: Camp David Accords
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visits Jerusalem in 1977 and Egypt becomes the first Arab state to recognize Israel’s right to exist. President Jimmy Carter negotiates a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1978 at Camp David. This agreement is seen as a breaching of the Khartoum Resolution, and Egyptian radicals opposed to the treaty later assassinate Sadat.
1982: Israel Invades Southern Lebanon
In response to missiles being launched across the Lebanese border from the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yassir Arafat, Israel invades Lebanon in an effort to drive the PLO out. Israel is successful in this effort and forces its leaders to relocate to Tunis. Israel eventually withdraws from Lebanon in 1985 under public pressure from the then newly formed Israeli movement, Peace Now.
1987: First Intifada
The first Intifada or “uprising” breaks out in the West Bank and Gaza Strip involving Palestinians protesting extra-judicial killings, mass detentions, house demolitions and deportations. The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) responded forcefully with arrests and beatings. An estimated 1,100 Palestinians and 160 Israelis are killed. The violence lasted until several years until the signing of the Oslo Accords.
1990: Gulf War
Saddam Hussein attempts to draw Israel into the war by launching Scud missiles at Israel. At the request of the US, Israel does not respond.
1991: Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Fall of the Soviet Union allows tens of thousands of Russian Jews to immigrate to Israel.
1993: Oslo Accords
Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin and Palestinian President Yassir Arafat sign a “Declaration of Principals” on the White House lawn. The accords were negotiated in Oslo, Norway. Rabin is assassinated by a right-wing Israeli two years later, derailing the Oslo initiatives.
1994: Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty
Israel and Jordan sign an official peace treaty normalizing relations and trade, formally ending the 1948 war.
2000: Camp David Summit
President Clinton invites Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Camp David to work out a peace deal. Initially, optimism is high that a settlement can be reached but ultimately the talks break down over disagreements about the borders of a Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, the right of return for Palestinian refugees and guarantees for Israel’s security.
2000: al-Aqsa/Second Intifada
A second Intifada is launched around the time that Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visits the Al-Aqsa mosque (part of the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem. The second Intifada is much more violent than the first, with suicide bombing and collective punishment becoming more frequent types of attack and response. Approximately 1000 Israelis and 2700 Palestinians are killed in the initial fighting.
2004: Death of Palestinian President Yassir Arafat
Yassir Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority and long-time leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, dies of pneumonia. In January 2005 Mahmoud Abbas is elected as the new Palestinian President.
2004-2005: Gaza Disengagement Plan
After decades of support for expanding settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon implements a plan to unilaterally disengage from four Israeli settlements in the West Bank and completely from the Gaza Strip. This is completed in September 2005.
2005: Sharm el-Sheikh Summit
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II come together with the aim of ending the second Intifada. At the end of the summit, both Sharon and Abbas read statements about ending violence against each other’s respective group. This is seen as the formal end of the second Intifada.
2006: Hamas Wins Palestinian Elections
In the legislative elections, Hamas candidates win 42.9% percent of the total vote and 74 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya is appointed as Prime Minster of the Palestinian Authority. Many countries around the world view Hamas as a terrorist organization and refuse to recognize the new government. Israel begins withholding taxes collected in Palestinian Territories.
June, 2007: Hamas Takes Over the Gaza Strip
After the legislative election victory by Hamas in January of 2006, the United States and Israel attempt to undermine the new, democratically-elected regime by strengthening President Mahmoud Abbas and training Fatah for a ‘war’ against Hamas. This war breaks out over eight days in Gaza, resulting in Hamas forcing out Fatah and taking control of the entire Gaza Strip. It is estimated that over 550 people are wounded,and at least 118 people are killed during the fighting.
November, 2007: Annapolis Conference
The Israeli and Palestinian leaders come to the table in Annapolis, MD, with the first instance of a mutually agreed-upon two-state solution. Leaders from over 40 nations convene with the principal negotiators, working in the framework of the “Roadmap to Peace” plan.