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Israel

Last updated: 25 June 2009

Country information

HISTORY

  • 1948 End of British Mandate and State of Israel Proclaimed (14 May)
  • 1948 War/War of Independence (May 1948-March 1949)
  • 1949 First Knesset (parliament) elected; David Ben Gurion first Prime Minister Israel admitted to the United Nations
  • 1956 Suez/Sinai Campaign
  • 1967 June/Six-Day War
  • 1973 Yom Kippur/October War
  • 1975 Israel becomes an associate member of the Common Market
  • 1977 Likud forms its first Government after almost 30 years of Labour/Mapai rule  
  • 1978 Camp David Accords, which included a framework for comprehensive peace in the Middle East and Palestinian self-government
  • 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed by Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat
  • 1982 Israel invades Lebanon
  • 1985 Free Trade Agreement signed with the United States
  • 1987 The First Intifada begins, lasting six years
  • 1989 Start of mass immigration of Jews from the Soviet Union
  • 1991 Middle East Peace Conference convened in Madrid  
  • 1993 Oslo Accords - Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements for the Palestinians signed by Israel and the PLO
  • 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed. Implementation of Palestinian self-government in Jericho and Gaza
  • 1995 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated (4 November). Broadened Palestinian self-government implemented in West Bank and Gaza
  • 1997 Hebron Protocol signed  
  • 1998 Wye River Memorandum signed  
  • 2000 Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon  Camp David Talks (July) Second ('Al Aqsa') Intifada begins (September)
  • 2001 Ariel Sharon elected Prime Minister (February). Forms a National Unity Government coalition
  • 2003 Israeli Cabinet accepts the steps set out in the Roadmap (May)
  • 2005 Disengagement plan is implemented: Israel evacuates all settlers from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank (August)
  • The Israeli Defence Forces withdraw from Gaza (September)
  • 2005 Ariel Sharon resigns from Likud to form a new political party, Kadima (November)
  • 2006 Ehud Olmert becomes Acting Prime Minister, after Sharon suffers a stroke (January); sworn in as Prime Minister following March general election
  • 2006, Palestinian militants kill two Israeli soldiers and abduct Corporal Gilad Shalit from Kerem Shalom in southern Israel and take him into the Gaza Strip
  • 12 July 2006 Second Lebanon War breaks out following the Hizballah abduction of two Israeli reservists from Northern Israel to Lebanon and the killing of another eight soldiers
  • 14 August 2006 Cease-fire and end of Second Lebanon War
  • 26 November 2007 Middle East Summit in Annapolis; Israelis and Palestinians agree to implement roadmap
  • 31 July 2008 Following allegations of fraud and misconduct, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces he will not run for the leadership in the Kadima primary, effectively announcing his stepping down as Prime Minister
  • September/October 2008 Tzipi Livni elected leader of ruling Kadima party but fails to form a coalition government; President Peres calls elections
  • 19 December 2008 Six-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas expires
  • 27 December 2008 Israel launches Operation Cast Lead in Gaza Strip in response to persistent rocket attacks on southern Israel
  • 8 January 2009 UN Security Council passes Resolution 1860 proposed by UK calling for an immediate ceasefire
  • 18 January 2009 Israel and Hamas announce unilateral ceasefires
  • 21 January 2009 Last Israeli troop withdrawn from Gaza
  • 10 February 2009 Elections for 18th Knesset held; Kadima wins 29 seats, Likud 28
  • 20 February 2009 President Peres ask Benjamin Netanyahu to form coalition
  • 31 March 2009 New Israeli government sworn in

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