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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. -
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. Israel plans pre-emptive strikes June 5 against Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq — nations that had mobilized for war — while moving troops into the Sinai Peninsula. -
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. -
Israeli invasion of Lebanon, 1982
The treaty with Egypt leads to a "cold" peace, but Israel must now focus on the Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Attacks by the Palestine Liberation Organization from the Lebanon border add to the tensions. In June 1982, Israel invades Lebanon. Israeli troops reach Beirut, cornering the PLO and Syrian fighters. The United States intervenes, and a force of U.S. and Western European troops help with the PLO and Syrian evacuation. -
Camp David, 2000
Tensions mount as the September deadline approaches with no treaty in sight. Clinton begins a last-ditch peace effort by hosting Arafat and Barak at Camp David. The summit lasts two weeks, but persistent issues, such as the status of Jerusalem and the relocation of Jewish settlers and Palestinian refugees, block an agreement.
