Timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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{{Totally-disputed|date=March 2008}}
This is an incomplete '''timeline of notable events in the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].'''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:1em">__TOC__</div>
==Start of Jewish migration==
There had been a continuous Jewish presence in the [[Holy Land]] since [[Biblical]] times, as well as smaller waves of immigration throughout history. In the mid nineteenth century Jewish communities and families, mostly from [[Eastern Europe]], fleeing increasing [[antisemitism]] and [[pogroms]] in Europe, begin to immigrate in increasing numbers to [[Palestine]], then a province of the [[Ottoman Empire]], the historic [[Land of Israel]]. (See [[Hovevei Zion]], [[Bilu]].) At that time, the Jewish presence in Palestine was roughly 6% of the total population, the rest consisting of Arabs (90% of whom were Muslim, 10% Christian). [[Islam]] had been the predominant religion in Jerusalem, and till the 1948 on, the city maintains a Muslim majority.
====1882-1903====
.
====1915====
[[Hussein-McMahon Correspondence]] promises Arab state in return for revolt against the Turks. The region of Palestine was not explicitly mentioned. Disputes between Arabs and the British over whether Palestine was meant to be included in these documents would fuel the conflict over nationalism.
==British control==
====November 2, 1917====
[[Balfour Declaration 1917]]: British Foreign Secretary [[Arthur James Balfour]] sends a letter to [[Lord Rothschild]], President of the [[Zionist Federation]], declaring his government would "view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people".
====1919-1923====
In the third Aliyah, roughly 40,000 Jews arrive in Palestine, mostly from Eastern Europe.
====January 18 1919====
[[Faisal-Weizmann Agreement]] between [[Faisal I of Iraq|Emir Faisal]] (son of the King of [[Hejaz]]) and [[Chaim Weizmann]] (later President of the [[World Zionist Organization]]). "We Arabs," said Faisal, "especially the educated among us, look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement... We will wish the Jews a most hearty welcome home."
====March 1, 1920====
Jewish settlements in the Upper Galilee were attacked by Arab forces. [[Joseph Trumpeldor]] was among 8 who died defending [[Tel Hai]].
====April-June, 1920====
[[1920 Palestine riots|Jerusalem pogrom of 1920]] [[April 4]]-[[April 7]]. The violent 3-day riot against the Jews in Jerusalem's Old City prompts the establishment of [[Haganah]] on [[June 15]], [[1920]].
====May 1-7, 1921====
[[Jaffa riots]].
====May 8, 1921====
British High Commissioner [[Herbert Samuel]] pardons Palestinian Jews and Arabs involved in the 1920 disturbances, including [[Mohammad Amin al-Husayni]].
====March 1922====
Under Colonial Secretary [[Winston Churchill]], Britain splits the mandate of Palestine into the territories of Palestine (west of the Jordan river) and [[Transjordan]]. In return for leading the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, the [[Hashemite]]s are given rule over Transjordan to form an Arab state under British supremacy. Jewish settlement is restricted to the remaining Palestine.<ref>[http://www.archiveeditions.co.uk/Leafcopy/175-3PalBnds.htm Archive Editions<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
====June 3, 1922====
The [[Churchill White Paper, 1922]] clarifies the British position regarding Palestine.
====July 24, 1922====
The [[League of Nations]] grants [[United Kingdom|Britain]] a mandate to administer [[British Mandate of Palestine|Palestine]]. British express interest in [[Zionism]], and describe their main intent of developing a Jewish national home.
====1924-1929====
In the fourth Aliyah, roughly 82,000 Jews fleeing from anti-Semitism in Hungary and Poland, arrive in Palestine.
====1929-1939====
In the fifth Aliyah, due in part to the rise of [[Nazism]] in Germany, approximately 250,000 Jews arrived in Palestine during this period. However, restrictions imposed on Jewish immigration by the British authorities in response to events such as the [[Great Uprising]] curbed Jewish immigration in the later 1930s.
====Summer 1929====
The [[1929 Palestine riots]] erupt due to a dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the [[Western Wall]]. 133 Jews killed and 339 wounded (mostly by Arabs); 116 Arabs killed and 232 wounded (mostly by British-commanded police and soldiers).
====August 23, 1929====
In the [[1929 Hebron massacre]] 67 Jews are killed, all but 8 of them foreign students from the local yeshiva. The local residents are saved by Muslim families and neighbours. Nonetheless, the British evacuate the Jewish communities in the Arab enclaves of Hebron and Gaza "to prevent another massacre", ending the ancient Jewish presence in the cities. Both communities would resume after the 1967 War.
====1930-1935====
The [[Black Hand (Palestine)|Black Hand]] [[Islamist]] group led by Shaykh [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]]
uses violence against Jewish civilians and the British.
====October 20, 1930====
In reaction to the disturbances of 1929, the [[Passfield White Paper]] and the [[Hope Simpson Royal Commission]] recommend limiting Jewish immigration.
====May 7, 1936 — March 1939====
The Arab leadership, led by [[Amin al-Husayni]], declares a [[general strike]] which rapidly deteriorates into a violent rebellion, known as the [[1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt]], that lasts for three years. The mainstream Jewish defense organization, the [[Haganah]], maintains a policy of restraint, but the smaller [[Irgun]] (also called Etzel) group adopts a policy of retaliation and revenge. Roughly 5000 Arabs and 400 Jews are killed.
====July 1937====
The [[Peel Commission]] proposes a partition plan ([http://history.binghamton.edu/hist275/Map_Peel_Partition_Plan.jpg map]), rejected by the Arab leadership as it included a Jewish state. The Jewish opinion was divided as Jewish immigration was limited to only 12,000, and the Twentieth Zionist Congress ultimately rejected the proposal as well.
====1938-1949====
[[Lehi (group)]] (also known as the [[Stern Gang]]), as well as other militant [[Zionist]] groups, attack British and Arab targets and civilians in Palestine. [[1944]]-[[1948]] the [[Irgun]] and then [[Haganah]] join in on anti-British attacks.
====26 July 1938====
[[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionist Zionists]] detonate a bomb in an Arab Melon market in [[Haifa]], killing 53 Arabs, one Jew and wounding at least 46 more Arabs.<ref>Palestine Post, 26 July 1938. http://jic.tau.ac.il/Archive/skins/PalestineP/navigator.asp?AW=1169534055109</ref>
====April — August 1938====
The [[Woodhead Commission]] reverses the [[Peel Commission]]'s findings, considers two alternative partition plans, known as [[:Image:Peelmap-b.png|Plan B (map)]] and [[:Image:Peelmap-c.png|Plan C (map)]], and reports in November that partition was impracticable. ([http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_mandate_woodhead.php])
====October 2, 1938====
In the [[1938 Tiberias massacre]], Arabs murder 20 Jews in the city of [[Tiberias]].
====February — March 17, 1939====
The [[St. James Conference]] ends without making any progress as the Arab delegation refuses to recognize or meet with its Jewish counterpart.
====May 17, 1939====
The [[White Paper of 1939]] calls for the creation of a unified Palestinian state. Even though the White Paper states its commitment to the Balfour Declaration, it imposed very substantial limits to both Jewish immigration (restricting it to only 75,000 over the next 5 years), and their ability to purchase land.
Between 1939-1948, the Haganah smuggles over 100,000 Jews from Europe to Palestine to provide refuge from the [[Holocaust]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
====June 1940====
On 19 June twenty Arabs were killed by explosives mounted on a donkey at a marketplace in Haifa. June 29, 13 Arabs were killed in multiple shootings during one-hour period.
====May 1, 1946====
The [[Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry]] proposes admission of 100,000 Jewish refugees into the Mandate.
====July 22, 1946====
[[King David Hotel Bombing]]. [[Irgun]] members detonate bombs in the basement of the [[King David Hotel]] in [[Jerusalem]], where the British had brought a large amount of documents confiscated from the Jewish Agency. The attack kills 91 people and injures 45 more, mostly civilians. The hotel was a center of British administration at the time, although Arabs and Jews were also victims. The Jewish National Council condemns the attack.
====February 18, 1947====
Great Britain announces intention to hand the Mandate to the United Nations.
==UN Resolution==
====November 29, 1947====
With a two-thirds majority international vote, the [[UN General Assembly]] passes a [[1947 UN Partition Plan|Partition Plan]] dividing the [[British Mandate of Palestine]] into two states. The Jewish leadership accepts the plan, but the Arab leadership rejects it.
====December 30, 1947====
[[Haifa Oil Refinery massacre]]. Irgun militants hurl two bombs into a crowd of Arab workers from a passing vehicle, killing 6 workers and wounding 42, damaging the relative peace between the two groups in Haifa. Skirmishes continue in Haifa and around the region.
====November 30, 1947====
Following the announcement of the [[1947 UN Partition Plan|Partition Plan]], Palestinian Arabs react violently and fighting broke out leading to the "first phase" of the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]], also known as the "civil war".
====December 2-5, 1947====
[[1947 Jerusalem riots]]. The [[Arab Higher Committee]] declared a strike and public protest of the vote. Arabs marching to [[Zion Square]] on December 2 were stopped by the British, and the Arabs instead turned towards the commercial center of the City, burning many buildings and shops. Violence continued for two more days, with Arab mobs attacking a number of Jewish neighborhoods. 70 Jews and 50 Arabs are killed.
==Creation of Israel==
====May 14, 1948====
Israel declares [[Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel|Independence]] from British rule, before the expiration of the [[British Mandate of Palestine]] at midnight.
==After Establishment==
====Winter and Spring, 1948====
"Battle of the Roads". The [[Arab League]] sponsored [[Arab Liberation Army]], composed of Palestinian Arabs and Arabs from other [[Middle East]]ern countries, attacked [[Yishuv|Jewish communities]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], and Jewish traffic on major roads. The Arab forces mainly concentrated on major roadways in an attempt to cut off Jewish communities from each other. Arab forces at that time had engaged in sporadic and unorganized ambushes since the riots of December 1947, and began to make organized attempts to cut off the highway linking [[Tel Aviv]] with [[Jerusalem]], the city's only supply route.
The Arab Army controlled several strategic vantage points overlooking the sole [[highway]] linking [[Tel Aviv]] to [[Jerusalem]], enabling them to fire at [[convoy]]s going to the [[city]], and cutting off supply lines between the two cities. By late March 1948, the vital road that connected [[Tel Aviv]] to western [[Jerusalem]], where about 16% of all Jews in the [[Palestine (region)|Palestinian region]] lived, was cut off and under [[siege]].
====February 2, 1948====
[[Ben Yehuda Street Bombing#1948 bombing|1948 Ben Yehuda Street Bombing]]. Arabs arrange three [[car bomb]]s killing 52 Jews, injuring 123, all civilians.
====April 6-12, 1948====
[[Operation Nachshon]]. The [[Haganah]] decided to launch a major [[military]] [[counteroffensive]] to break the siege of Jerusalem. On [[6 April]] the [[Haganah]] and its strike force, the [[Palmach]], in an offensive to secure [[Military strategy|strategic points]], took [[al-Qastal]], an important roadside town 2 [[kilometer]]s west of [[Deir Yassin]]. But intense fighting lasted for days more as control of that key village remained contested.
====April 9, 1948====
[[Deir Yassin massacre]]. [[IZL]]-[[Lehi]] forces [[Deir Yassin massacre|attack Deir Yassin]], as part of [[Operation Nachshon]], killing between 100 and 254 Palestinian villagers, mainly women, old people and children.
====April 13, 1948====
[[Hadassah medical convoy massacre]]. Claimed as retribution for the Deir Yassin massacre, Arab mobs attack a large convoy, mostly of unarmed Jewish doctors set off carrying patients, equipment, and supplies, travel from Jerusalem to the besieged hospital which treated the majority of Jewish residents in Jerusalem. 77 Jews are killed. Road attacks continue and convoys were unable to reach the hospital for a week.
====May 15, 1948====
[[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], [[Egypt]], [[Transjordan]], [[Holy War Army]], [[Arab Liberation Army]], and local Arabs attack the new Jewish state with the intent of destroying it. The resulting [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]] lasts for 13 months. By the end of the war, about 700,000 Palestinian Arabs become refugees.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/refugees.html The Palestinian Refugees]</ref><ref>[http://palestinefacts.org/pf_independence_refugees_arabs_why.php Arab Refugees from Israel]</ref><ref>[http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~jkatz/refugees2.html Palestinian Refugees, invited to leave in 1948]</ref><ref>[http://photo.net/israel/timeline Timeline for Israel]</ref> A very comparable number of [[Jewish exodus from Arab lands|Jewish refugees from Arab lands]] flee to Israel.<ref>[http://www.science.co.il/Arab-Israeli-conflict.asp#Refugees Arab-Israeli conflict - Basic facts<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====June 1948====
Violent confrontation between the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) under the command of [[David Ben-Gurion]], and the paramilitary Jewish group [[Irgun]] known as The [[Altalena Affair]] results in the dismantlement of the Irgun, Lehi, and all Israeli paramilitary organizations operating outside the IDF.
====February-July 1949====
Israel concludes [[1949 Armistice Agreement|Armistice Agreements]] with neighbouring countries. The territory of the [[British Mandate of Palestine]] is divided between the State of Israel, the [[Kingdom of the Jordan]] (changed from [[Transjordan]]) and [[Egypt]]. Israel continues to provide for Jewish refugees from different countries. Arab refugees in neighboring states are left unrelieved.
====1948-1956====
Infiltration by [[fedayeen]] from Egypt across Israeli border resulting in many minor skirmishes, raids and counter-raids, resulting in hundreds of casualties on both sides, including many civilians.
====1951====
The State of Israel is confronted by a wave of Palestinian infiltrations. In 1951, 137 Israelis, mostly civilians, are killed by such infiltrators.
====1952====
162 Israelis, mostly civilians, are killed by Palestinian infiltrators.
====1953====
160 Israelis, mostly civilians, are killed by Palestinian infiltrators.
====1953====
[[Qibya massacre]]. Responding to earlier Palestinian infiltrations, [[Ariel Sharon]] in command of [[Unit 101]] carries out a raid in the village of Qibya. Over 60 Arabs are killed, two thirds of which were women and children.
==Suez Crisis==
====October 29, 1956====
Israel invades [[Egypt]]'s [[Sinai Peninsula]] with covert assent from [[France]] and Britain. The European nations had economic and trading interests in the Suez Canal, while Israel wanted to reopen the canal for Israeli shipping and end Egyptian-supported [[guerrilla]] incursions and attacks.
[[Kafr Qasim massacre]]. 48-49 Arab civilians are killed by [[Israel Border Police]] as they return to their village from work.
Egypt expels [[History of the Jews in Egypt|its Jewish population]] and confiscates their property.
====March 1957====
Israel withdraws its forces from the [[Sinai Peninsula]], ending the [[Suez Crisis]].
==Creation of the PLO==
====February 3, 1964====
The [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] is founded in [[Cairo]] by the [[Arab League]] with [[Ahmad Shuqeiri]] as its leader. Even though Ahmad Shuqeiri is the official leader, the organization is more or less controlled by the [[Egypt]]ian government. The PLO states their goal as the destruction of the State of Israel through armed struggle, and replacing it with an "independent Palestinian state" between the [[Jordan River]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]].
==Six-Day War==
====June 1967====
The [[Six-Day War]]. [[Israel]] launches a pre-emptive strike against the [[Egypt]]ian Air Force on suspicion that Egypt and [[Syria]] are planning to invade. There had been an Egyptian naval blockade and military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula as well as Syrian support for [[Fedayeen]] incursions into Israel. Israel defeats the combined forces of [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], [[Jordan]], [[Iraq]], and their supporters and captures the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the [[Gaza Strip]] from Egypt, [[East Jerusalem]] and the [[West Bank]] from Jordan, and the [[Golan Heights]] from Syria. [[Israeli settlement|Jewish settlements]] form and re-form in the territories. After the annexation, Jews and Christians were permitted to enter the Old City and its holy sites, which they (except for some Christians under limited conditions) were forbidden from under Jordanian rule.
====September 1, 1967====
The [[Khartoum Resolution]] issued at the Arab Summit with eight Arab countries adopts the "three nos": 1. No peace with Israel, 2. No recognition of Israel, 3. No negotiations with Israel.
==Post Six-Day War==
====1968-1970====
Egypt wages the [[War of Attrition]] against Israel.
====February 2, 1969====
[[Yasser Arafat]], head of the [[Fatah]] party, is appointed chairman of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], replacing Ahmad Shukeiri, after Fatah becomes the dominant force in the PLO.
====May 8, 1970====
[[Avivim school bus massacre]]. Palestinian militants originating in Lebanon, attack a school bus, killing 12 (mostly children) and wounding another 19.
====September, 1970====
After [[Black September in Jordan]], the [[PLO]] was driven out to [[Lebanon]].
====May 8, 1972====
[[Sabena]] airplane hijacked and liberated in [[Ben Gurion International Airport|Lod Airport]] 4 commercial jets were taken to [[Jordan]] and blown up.
====May 30, 1972====
[[Lod Airport Massacre]]. On behalf of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]], [[Japanese Red Army]] members enter the waiting area of [[Lod Airport]] in [[Tel Aviv]] and fire indiscriminately at airport staff and visitors. 24 people killed, and 78 injured.
====September 5, 1972====
[[Munich Massacre]] of Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian militant group, [[Black September (group)|Black September]].
====April 9, 1973====
Israeli commando raid against [[PLO]] targets in [[Beirut]], the [[Lebanon]] ([[Operation Spring of Youth]])
==Yom Kippur War==
====October 1973====
The [[Yom Kippur War]]. [[Syria]] and [[Egypt]] surprise-attack Israeli forces in the [[Golan Heights]] and the [[Sinai Peninsula]] on the [[Yom Kippur|holiest day]] of the [[Hebrew calendar]]. [[Jordan]], [[Iraq]], and other Arab nations join in and/or support the Arab war effort.
==Post Yom Kippur War==
====April 11, 1974====
[[Kiryat Shmona massacre]], the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] - General Command cross the border into Israel from Lebanon. They enter an apartment building and kill all eighteen residents, half of which are children.
====May 15, 1974====
[[Ma'alot massacre]]. [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] attack a van killing two [[Israeli Arab]] women, enter an apartment and kill a family, take over a local school and hold at least 90 students and teachers hostage. 26 Israelis killed, 60 wounded.
====October 26-29, 1974====
The Arab League recognizes the PLO as sole representative of the Palestinians. On November 13, Yassir Arafat addresses the UN General Assembly.
====March 4, 1975====
[[Savoy Operation]]. Eight Palestinian terrorists in two teams landed by boat in Tel Aviv. Shooting and throwing grenades, they capture the Savoy Hotel and take the guests as hostages. Five hostages were freed and eight were killed. Three Israeli soldiers were also killed.
====July 4, 1975====
A [[Ben Yehuda Street Bombing|"refrigerator bomb"]] in Jerusalem kills 15 Israelis and wounds 77.
====July 4, 1976====
[[Operation Entebbe]]. Air France Flight 139, originating in [[Tel Aviv]], Israel took off from [[Athens]], Greece, heading for [[Paris]], France, is hijacked by four terrorists (two from the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine|Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine \u2014 External Operations]] and two from the radical German militant group "[[Revolutionäre Zellen]]"). Israel performs a rescue mission to free the 248 passengers and 12 crew members held hostage at the [[Entebbe Airport]] in [[Uganda]]. The rescue is only partially successful, with one Israeli fatality. Nevertheless, it is the first successful rescue mission over 2000 miles.
====May 1977====
[[Menachem Begin]] of [[Likud]] is [[Israeli legislative election, 1977|elected Prime Minister]], ending nearly 30 years of rule by the left wing [[Mapai]]/[[Alignment (political party)|Alignment]].
====March, 1978====
[[Coastal Road Massacre]]. [[Fatah]] Palestinians kill an American photographer, hijack a loaded bus and kill 36 more Israelis and wound 76.
[[Operation Litani]]. Israel, in alliance with the mostly Christian [[South Lebanon Army]], launches a limited-scope invasion of Lebanon and attempts to push Palestinian militant groups away from the Israel border. The 7-day offensive results in about 285,000 refugees created and between 300 and 1200 Lebanese and Palestinian militants and civilians killed.
====September 17, 1978====
[[Menachem Begin]] and [[Egypt]]ian President [[Anwar Sadat]] sign the [[Camp David Accord]], with Israel agreeing to withdraw from the [[Sinai Peninsula]] in exchange for peace and a framework for future negotiation over the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]].
====March 26, 1979====
[[Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty]]. Egypt becomes the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.
====April 22, 1979====
[[Samir Kuntar]] from the [[Palestine Liberation Front]] kills 4 Israelis including a four year-old girl in the Israeli town of [[Nahariya]].
====July 17, 1981====
Israel bombs [[PLO]] headquarters, which had been located in a civilian area of [[Beirut]] and caused more than 300 civilian deaths. This led the [[United States]] to broker a shaky cease-fire between [[Israel]] and the PLO.
==1982 Lebanon War==
====June 6, 1982====
Israel launches [[Operation Peace for Galilee]] into southern [[Lebanon]]. Israel claims the invasion was in order to remove [[PLO]] forces after several violations of a cease-fire, most notably an assassination attempt against Israel's [[ambassador]] to the United Kingdom, [[Shlomo Argov]], by the [[Abu Nidal Organization]]. Israel is allied with the Lebanese Christian army against the PLO, [[Syria]], and Muslim Lebanese. As a result of the war, the PLO leadership is driven from Lebanon and relocates to [[Tunis]].
====September 1982====
[[Sabra and Shatila massacre]]. Lebanese [[Phalangists]] massacre between 700-3500 Palestinians in the refugee camps of [[Sabra and Shatila]], almost all civilians. While no Israeli soldiers were present in the fighting, Israeli [[Defense Minister]], [[Ariel Sharon]], was found to be indirectly responsible by negligence for the massacre by the [[Kahan Commission]], and was asked to resign his position. The commission's conclusions are controversial and remain a subject of debate.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9377393 Sabra and Shatila massacres - Britannica Concise Encyclopedia - The online encyclopedia you can trust!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====August 1983====
The Israeli Army withdraws from most of [[Lebanon]], maintaining a self-proclaimed "Security Zone" in the south.
====April 9, 1985====
Sana'a Mouhadlyof the [[Syrian Social Nationalist Party]] detonates herself in an explosive-laden vehicle in Lebanon, killing two Israeli soldiers and injuring two more, becoming the first reported [[female suicide bomber]].
====October 1, 1985====
After three Israeli civilians were killed on their yacht off the coast of Cyprus by [[Force 17]] PLO, the [[Israeli Air Force]] carries out [[Operation Wooden Leg]] and strikes the PLO base in Tunis, killing 60 PLO members.
====October 7, 1985====
The [[Palestine Liberation Front]] hijacks the ''[[Achille Lauro]]'', redirecting the cruise ship to Syria and holding its passengers and crew hostage, demanding the release of 50 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. One man was murdered; ''[[Leon Klinghoffer]]'', a Jewish American, was celebrating his 36th wedding anniversary with his wife upon the ''Achille Lauro''. At the age of 69 he was shot in the forehead and chest while sitting in his wheelchair.
====December 27, 1985====
Intending to hijack [[El Al]] jets and blow them up over [[Tel Aviv]], [[Fatah - Revolutionary Council]] gunmen [[Rome and Vienna airport attacks|open fire with rifles and grenades at the international airports in Rome and Vienna]], killing 18 civilians and wounding 138. 6 of the 7 terrorists were either killed or captured.
==First Intifada==
====December 8, 1987====
[[First Intifada]] begins. Violence, riots, general strikes, and civil disobedience campaigns by Palestinians spread across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces respond with tear gas, plastic bullets, and live ammunition.
After the outbreak of the [[First Intifada]], Shaikh [[Ahmed Yassin]] creates [[Hamas]] from the Gaza wing of the [[Egypt]]ian [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. Until this point the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] in Gaza had enjoyed the support of the Israeli authorities and had refrained from violent attacks, however, [[Hamas]] quickly began attacks on Israeli military targets, and subsequently, Israeli civilians.
====November 15, 1988====
An independent [[State of Palestine]] was proclaimed by the [[Palestinian National Council]] meeting in [[Algiers]], by a vote of 253 to 46.
====July 16, 1989====
First Palestinian [[suicide attack]] inside Israel's borders: [[Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 massacre]].
====October 30, 1991====
[[Madrid Conference]].
====June 1992====
[[Yitzhak Rabin]] of the [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labour Party]] elected Prime Minister.
==Peace Process==
{{Israel-Palestinian Conflict}}
====August 20, 1993====
[[Yasser Arafat]] and [[Yitzhak Rabin]] sign the [[Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government]] in [[Oslo]]. This event is also seen by many people as the definitive end to the [[First Intifada]]<ref>http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~irouva/conferences/vics/guides/ArabLeague.pdf#search=%22timeline%20of%20first%20intifada%20end%20site%3A%3A.edu%22</ref> (although some argue it had effectively ended by [[1991]]-[[1992]]). By [[1993]], the violence of the Intifada had claimed the lives of 1162 Palestinians and 160 Israelis. The IDF criticized these numbers from not distinguishing combatants and non-combatants.
====February 25, 1994====
[[Cave of the Patriarchs attack]], [[Baruch Goldstein]] opens fire on a group of Palestinian Muslims worshipping at a Mosque, killing 29 and injuring 125. He is subsequently overpowered and beaten to death by survivors.
====April 6, 1994====
Hamas carries out their second [[suicide bombing]], in [[Afula]], Israel, killing 8 people. The first suicide bombing was on [[April 1]], [[1993]] near [[Bet El]] killing 2 people.
====May 18, 1994====
Israeli forces withdraw from [[Jericho]] and [[Gaza|Gaza City]] in compliance with the [[Oslo accords]].
====July, 1994====
Arafat returns from exile to head [[Palestinian National Authority]].
====October 19, 1994====
22 Israelis are killed after a [[suicide attack]] on a bus in [[Tel Aviv]]. This was the first major suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
====October 26, 1994====
[[Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty]]
====December 10, 1994====
[[Yitzhak Rabin]], [[Shimon Peres]] and [[Yasser Arafat]] are awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]].
====January 22, 1995====
A double suicide bombing by the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] leaves 21 killed in one of the biggest attacks which further divides the Israeli public over the peace process.
====September 28, 1995====
[[Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip]], also known as [[Oslo accords|Oslo II]], signed in [[Washington, DC]].
====November 4, 1995====
Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]] is assassinated in [[Tel Aviv]] by Jewish extremist [[Yigal Amir]]. [[Shimon Peres]] assumes the position of acting Prime Minister.
====February 25 - March 4, 1996====
A series of [[suicide attack]]s in Jerusalem ([[Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombings]] and in the [[French Hill attacks|French Hill]]), Tel Aviv and [[Ashkelon]] leave more than 60 Israeli dead. These events are said to have had a major impact on the Israeli elections in May.
====May 1996====
[[Benjamin Netanyahu]] of [[Likud]] is [[Israeli prime ministerial election, 1996|elected Prime Minister]].
====January 15-17, 1997====
[[Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron]] was signed.
====July 30, 1997====
16 Israelis are killed in a double suicide attack in the major market of Jerusalem. This was the worst killing during Netanyahu's time which is regarded as a relatively quiet period, attributed by Netanyahu to his [[tit-for-tat]] policy and his objection to the [[Palestinian revolving door policy]]. A nearby attack on [[September 4]], [[1997]] killed four Israelis and led to [[Chicago's Persian heritage crisis]].
====October 23, 1998====
[[Benjamin Netanyahu]] and [[Yasser Arafat]] sign the [[Wye River Memorandum]] at a summit in [[Maryland]] hosted by [[Bill Clinton]].
====May 17, 1999====
[[Ehud Barak]] of the [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labour Party]] is [[Israeli prime ministerial election, 1999|elected Prime Minister]] under the [[One Israel]] banner.
====May 24, 2000====
The Israeli Army withdraws from southern [[Lebanon]], in compliance with [[U.N. Resolution 425]]. Syria and Lebanon insist that the withdrawal is incomplete, claiming the [[Shebaa Farms]] as Lebanese and still under occupation. The UN certifies full Israeli withdrawal.
====July 2000====
The [[Camp David 2000 Summit|Camp David Summit]] between Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Barak]] and Palestinian Authority Chairman [[Yasser Arafat]] aimed at reaching a "final status" agreement collapses after [[Yasser Arafat]] would not accept a proposal drafted by American and Israeli negotiators.
==Second Intifada begins==
====September 28, 2000====
Right wing Israeli Opposition Leader [[Ariel Sharon]] visits the [[Temple Mount]] which is administered by a [[Waqf]] (Under Israeli law, each religious group is granted administration of their holy sites). The day after the visit, violent confrontations erupt between Muslims and Israeli Police. Arafat names the second intifada the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada]] after Sharon's visit, for the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] contained within the Temple Mount (holy also to Jews and Christians). This event is considered by some to be one of the possible catalysts of the second intifada, however, it is commonly accepted in most circles that there had been numerous underlying causes.
====September 29, 2000====
Violent confrontations erupt between Muslims and [[Israeli Police]] outside a mosque.
====November 22, 2000====
Two Israeli women killed and 60 civilians were wounded in a car bomb attack in [[Hadera]].
====October 12, 2000====
[[The lynching in Ramallah]].
====December 10, 2000====
Prime Minister [[Ehud Barak]] resigns.
====January 21-27, 2001====
[[Taba Summit]]. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority aimed to reach the "final status" of negotiations. [[Ehud Barak]] temporarily withdraws from negotiations during the Israeli elections, subsequently [[Ariel Sharon]] refused to continue negotiating in the face of the newly erupted violence.
====February 6, 2001====
[[Ariel Sharon]] of [[Likud]] is [[Israeli prime ministerial election, 2001|elected Prime Minister]] and refuses to continue negotiations with [[Yasser Arafat]] at the [[Taba Summit]].
====June 1, 2001====
[[Dolphinarium massacre]]. A Hamas suicide bomber exploded himself at the entrance of a club. 21 Israelis killed, over 100 injured, all youth.
Five months prior to the bombing, there was a failed terrorist attempt at the same spot.
====August 9, 2001====
[[Sbarro restaurant massacre]]. A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt weighing 5 to 10 kilograms, containing explosives, nails, nuts and bolts, detonated his bomb. In the blast 15 people (including 7 children) were killed, and 130 wounded. Both [[Hamas]] and the [[Islamic Jihad]] initially claimed responsibility.
====August 27, 2001====
[[Abu Ali Mustafa]], the General Secretary of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]], is assassinated by an Israeli missile shot by an
Apache helicopter through his office window in Ramallah.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
====October 17, 2001====
Tourism Minister [[Rehavam Zeevi]] is assassinated in [[Jerusalem]] by the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]].
====March 13, 2002====
The U.S. pushes through the passage of [[U.N. Resolution 1397]] by the Security Council, demanding an "immediate cessation of all acts of violence" and "affirming a vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognized borders".
====March 14, 2002====
Israeli forces continue the raid on [[Ramallah]] and other [[West Bank]] towns. A helicopter attack near [[Tulkarm]] kills [[Mutasen Hammad]] and two bystanders. A bomb in [[Gaza|Gaza City]] destroys an Israeli tank which was escorting settlers, killing 3 soldiers and wounding 2. A taxi in [[Tulkarm]] explodes, killing 4 Palestinians. Palestinians execute two accused collaborators in [[Bethlehem]], planning to hang one of the corpses near the [[Church of the Nativity]] until Palestinian police stop them.
====March 27, 2002====
[[Passover massacre]]. The Park Hotel in Netanya held a big [[Passover]] dinner for its 250 guests. A Palestinian suicide bomber enters the hotel's dining room and detonates an explosive device. Thirty people are killed and about 140 injured, all civilians. [[Hamas]] claims responsibility.
====March 28, 2002====
The [[Beirut Summit]] approves the Saudi peace proposal.
====March 29, 2002====
Israeli forces begin [[Operation Defensive Shield]], Israel's largest military operation in the [[West Bank]] since the 1967 [[Six-Day War]].
====March 30, 2002====
A [[suicide bomber]] explodes in a [[Tel Aviv]] café at around 9:30 PM local time, wounding 32 people. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell (USA) call on [[Yasser Arafat|Yasir Arafat]] to condemn the wave of suicide bombings in Arabic, to his own people. Israeli spokespeople make similar demands. Arafat goes on television and swears in Arabic that he will "die a martyr, a martyr, a martyr". Members of Arafat's personal Al-Aqsa brigade state that they will refuse any form of cease-fire, and that they will continue suicide bombings of civilians in Israel.
====March 31, 2002====
[[Matza restaurant massacre]]. A Palestinian Hamas bomber blows himself up in an Arab-owned restaurant in Haifa, killing 15 (including 2 whole families) and injuring over 40 people.
Israeli troops exchange gunfire with guards of [[Yasser Arafat|Yasir Arafat]] in [[Ramallah]]. In the past 18 months, according to the [[Associated Press]], 1262 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and on 401 on the Israeli side; in March, 259 Palestinians and 130 Israelis were killed. The stats do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
====April 2, 2002====
Israeli troops occupy [[Bethlehem]]. Dozens of armed Palestinian gunmen, many of whom Israel has identified as terrorists, occupy the [[Church of the Nativity]] and hold the church and its clergy.
====April 12, 2002====
The [[Battle of Jenin]], as part of [[Operation Defensive Shield]], Israeli forces enter a Palestinian [[refugee camp]] in [[Jenin]] where about a quarter of [[suicide bombing]]s since 2000 had been launched from. The battle cost the lives of 23 Israeli soldiers and 52 Palestinians, of which 30 were militants and 22 were civilians. This particular event sparked a great deal of controversy.
====May 9, 2002====
[[Muhammad al-Madani]], governor of [[Bethlehem]], leaves the [[Church of the Nativity]].
Israel calls up additional reserve forces and moves tanks into position for an expected incursion into the [[Gaza Strip]] in retaliation for the most recent suicide bombing.
====May 18, 2002====
Israeli [[Shin Bet]] officials announce they have arrested six Israelis for conspiring to bomb Palestinian schools in April, including [[Noam Federman]], a leader of the [[Kach movement]] of the late Rabbi [[Meir Kahane]], and [[Menashe Levinger]], son of Rabbi [[Moshe Levinger]]. Membership to the Kach group is illegal in Israel and punishable by law.
====June 2002====
Israel begins construction of the [[Israeli West Bank barrier|West Bank Fence]]. Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis subsequently drop by 90%.<ref>[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JackKemp/2006/04/24/israels_fence,_with_all_its_implications,_is_an_absolute_necessity Townhall.com::Israel's fence, with all its implications, is an absolute necessity::By Jack Kemp<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====June 18, 2002====
[[Patt junction massacre]]. A Hamas Palestinian Islamic law student explodes himself with a belt filled with metal balls for shrapnel. 19 Israelis killed, and over 74 wounded.
====June 24, 2002====
US President [[George W. Bush]] proposes a Palestinian state under new leadership.
====July 23, 2002====
An Israeli warplane fires a missile at an apartment in Gaza City, killing the top of their most wanted list, Salah Shehadeh, top commander of Hamas' military wing, the [[Izzadine el-Qassam]]. The apartment building is flattened and 14 civilians are killed (nine children).[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002-07-22-israel-strike2_x.htm]
====July 31, 2002====
A Hamas member leaves a bag containing a bomb in the cafeteria of [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], killing 9 Jewish students (four Israeli, five foreign), and injuring 85 others (different nationalities, some Arab). Palestinians rally in Gaza waving Hamas flags to celebrate the attack. On August 17, Israeli Security Forces expose a terrorist cell of Hamas operatives in East Jerusalem that had been responsible for the attack. The members had been planning another attack until arrested by Israel.[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Terrorist%20bombing%20at%20Hebrew%20University%20cafeteria%20-][http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2002/Security%20forces%20capture%20terrorist%20cell%20involved%20in][http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,59185,00.html]
====November 21, 2002====
[[Jerusalem bus 20 massacre]]. Hamas Palestinian suicide bomber explodes himself on a crowded bus, killing 11 people, and wounding over 50.
====April 30, 2003====
The [[Quartet on the Middle East]] announces the [[Road map for peace]].
====August 19, 2003====
[[Jerusalem bus 2 massacre]]. A Hamas Palestinian disguised as a [[Haredi Jew]] detonates himself with a bomb spiked with ball-bearings on a bus crowded with children. 23 Israelis killed, over 130 wounded, all civilians.
====October 4, 2003====
[[Maxim restaurant suicide bombing]]. A 28-year-old Palestinian [[female suicide bomber]], Hanadi Jaradat, explodes herself inside the Maxim restaurant in [[Haifa]]. 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs were killed, and 51 others were wounded. The restaurant is co-owned by Jewish and Christian Arab Israelis, and was a symbol of co-existence.
====February 25, 2005====
Young Israelis arrive for a surprise birthday party at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv. A teenage suicide bomber detonates himself at the entrance to the club. 5 Israelis killed, and about 50 wounded. [[Islamic Jihad]] claims responsibility.<ref>[http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2005/Suicide+bombing+at+Tel+Aviv+Stage+Club+25-Feb-2005.htm Suicide bombing at Tel Aviv Stage Club]</ref>
====July 9, 2004====
The [[International Court of Justice]] rules in a non-binding advisory opinion that the [[West Bank wall]] is illegal under international law,<ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/3740e39487a5428a85256ecc005e157a!OpenDocument ICJ advisory opinion summary/ Separation barrier - Summary - Press release (9 July 2004)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the [[United Nations]] has also condemned the construction of the wall as "an unlawful act of annexation". The United States and [[Australia]] defend the security fence saying the wall is a counter-terrorism protective measure and that the onus is on the Palestinian Authority to fight terrorism. The U.S., [[Canada]], Israel and some 30 other democratic states objected to the ICJ consideration of the UN General Assembly request, finding the request loaded and prejudicial, and expressing concern of the ICJ's credibility.<ref>[http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/peaceprocess/canadian_ICJ_Submission_29jan04-en.asp]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref><ref>http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/icjruling.pdf</ref><ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/hres713.html House Denounces UN Misuse Of International Court On Security Fence<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====July 12, 2005====
====2000-2006====
The death toll both military and civilians of the entire conflict in 2000-2006 is estimated to be 4,046 Palestinians and 1,017 Israelis.<ref>{{cite news|date=[[2006-7-29]]|title=Intifada statistics|publisher=B'Tselem|url=http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties.asp}}</ref> Note that these numbers do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. At least 223 Palestinians were also killed by fellow Palestinians.
===Recent developments===
====June 24, 2002====
US President [[George W. Bush]] calls for an independent [[Palestinian state]] living in peace with Israel.
In a major speech, Bush states that Palestinian leaders must take steps to produce democratic reforms, and fiscal accountability, in order to improve the negotiations with Israel. He also states that as Palestinians show control over terrorism, Israel must end operations in the West Bank, and in areas which it entered under [[Operation Defensive Shield]]. <ref>[http://www.mideastweb.org/bushspeech1.htm George Bush Speech on Israel-Palestinian Settlement June 2002<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====August 14, 2002====
[[Marwan Barghouti]], captured [[April 15]], was indicted by a civilian Israeli court for murdering civilians and membership in a terrorist organisation.
====March 16, 2003====
[[Rachel Corrie]], an American member of the [[International Solidarity Movement]] is crushed by an IDF [[bulldozer]], becoming the first ISM member to die in the conflict. Members of the group who witnessed her death allege murder, while Israel calls it a "regrettable accident".
====March 19, 2003====
[[Mahmoud Abbas]] appointed Prime Minister.
====March 24, 2003====
[[Hilltop 26]], an illegal Israeli settlement near the city of [[Hebron]], is peacefully dismantled by the IDF.
====April 30, 2003====
The details of the [[Road map for peace]] are released.
====May 27, 2003====
[[Ariel Sharon]] states that the "occupation" of Palestinian territories "can't continue endlessly."
====June 2, 2003====
A two-day summit is held in Egypt. Arab leaders announce their support for the road map and promised to work on cutting off funding to terrorist groups.
====June 29, 2003====
[[Hamas]], [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad|Islamic Jihad]] and [[Fatah]] agree to a three-month cease-fire.
====August 19, 2003====
Islamic Jihad and Hamas claim joint responsibility for a suicide bombing that kills twenty Israelis. Mahmoud Abbas pledges a crackdown on militants.
====September 6, 2003====
Mahmoud Abbas resigns from the post of Prime Minister.
====October 16, 2004====
Israel officially ended a 17-day military operation, named [[Operation Days of Penitence]], in the northern [[Gaza Strip]]. The operation was launched in response to a [[Qassam rocket]] that killed two children in [[Sderot]]. About 108-133 Palestinians were killed during the operation, of whom one third were civilians.
====November 11, 2004====
[[Yasser Arafat]] dies at the age of 75 in a hospital near [[Paris]], after undergoing urgent medical treatment (since October 29, 2004).
====February 25, 2005====
On Friday evening, young Israelis arrive for a birthday party at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv. A teenage suicide bomber detonates himself at the entrance to the club. 5 Israelis killed, and about 50 wounded. [[Islamic Jihad]] claims responsibility.<ref>[http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2005/Suicide+bombing+at+Tel+Aviv+Stage+Club+25-Feb-2005.htm Suicide bombing at Tel Aviv Stage Club]</ref>
====August 7, 2005====
An individual IDF deserter and member of the banned [[Kach]] group in Israel, [[Eden Natan-Zada]], opens fire on a crowded bus in the Arab town of [[Shfaram]], killing 4 Palestinians and wounding twenty-two. When he runs out of bullets, the bus is stormed by Arab bystanders and Zaada is beaten to death. PM [[Ariel Sharon]] and several Israeli leaders condemn the attack and offer condolences to the families.
====August 17, 2005====
A Asher Weissgan shoots and kills 4 Palestinians in the West Bank as a protest against the [[disengagement plan]].<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/08/29/after_gaza_fear_rises_of_west_bank_violence/ After Gaza, fear rises of West Bank violence - The Boston Globe<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====September 12, 2005====
Completion of [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan]]. Israel removes all Jewish settlements, many [[Bedouin]] communities, and military equipment from the Gaza Strip. Although there is no permanent Israeli presence or jurisdiction in Gaza anymore, Israel retains control of certain elements (such as airspace, borders and ports), leading to an ongoing dispute as to whether or not Gaza is "occupied" or not. Since the disengagement, [[Palestinian militant groups]] have used the territory as a staging ground from which to launch rocket attacks and build underground tunnels into Israel.
====October 14, 2005====
Lebanese Prime Minister [[Fuad Saniora]] announces Lebanon will be the last Arab country to have any peace with Israel.
====January 25, 2006====
Hamas wins by landslide the majority of seats after the [[Palestinian legislative election, 2006]]. Israel, the United States, [[European Union]], and several European and Western countries cut off their aid to the Palestinians; as they view the Islamist political party who rejects Israel's right to exist as a [[terrorist organization]].
====June 9, 2006====
Following the [[Gaza beach blast]], in which seven members of one family and one other Palestinian were killed on a Gaza beach, the armed wing of Hamas calls off its 16-month-old truce. Israel claims it was shelling 250m away from the family's location; Palestinians claimed that the explosion was Israeli responsibility.<ref name="Hamas breaks truce with rockets">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5066768.stm ''Hamas breaks truce with rockets''], ''[[BBC Online]]'', [[10 June]], 2006</ref> <ref name="CHRONOLOGY-Key events in the Gaza Strip">[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04596865.htm''CHRONOLOGY-Key events in the Gaza Strip''], ''[[Reuters]]'', [[4 July]], 2006</ref> Reports have concluded Israel had not been responsible for the blast.<ref>[http://www.honestreporting.co.uk/articles/critiques/Gaza_Beach_Libel.asp Gaza Beach Libel<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150035838991&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull IDF not responsible for Gaza blast | Jerusalem Post<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3261513,00.html</ref> <ref>[http://www.sueddeutsche.de/ausland/artikel/315/78237/ ''Der Krieg der Bilder''], ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'', [[16 June]], 2006</ref> <ref>http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3264158,00.html</ref> <ref>[http://adloyada.typepad.com/adloyada/2006/06/human_rights_wa.html Human Rights Watch switches stories]</ref> An Israeli internal investigation report claims the blast was most likely caused by an unexploded Israeli munition buried in the sand and not by shelling.
====June 13, 2006====
Israel kills 11 Palestinians in a missile strike on a van carrying Palestinian militants and rockets driving through a densely civilian populated area in Gaza.<ref>[http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=46191 Israeli missile kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza - Turkish Daily News Jun 14, 2006<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nine among those killed are civilian bystanders.
====July 5, 2006====
First Qassam rocket of increased strength is fired into the school yard in the Southern Israeli coastal city of [[Ashkelon]]. This has been the first instance of an increased distance Qassam rockets can reach and the first time a significantly large city has been attacked. No one was injured in this attack.<ref>[http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106594 PA Rocket Slams Into the Heart of Ashkelon - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Arutz Sheva<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====July 26, 2006====
Israel launches a counter-offensive to deprive cover to militants firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. 23 Palestinians killed, at least 16 are identified militants, 76 wounded.
====June 25, 2006====
After crossing the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel, Palestinian militants attack an Israeli army post. The militants kidnapped [[Gilad Shalit]], killed two IDF soldiers and wounded four others. Israel launches [[Operation Summer Rains]].
====July 12, 2006====
[[Hezbollah]] infiltrates Israel in a cross-border raid, kidnaps two soldiers and kills three others. Israel attempts to rescue the kidnapped, and five more soldiers are killed. Israel's military responds, and the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]] begins.
====August 14, 2006====
[[2006 Fox journalists kidnapping]]. Palestinian militants kidnap [[Fox News Channel|Fox]] journalists [[Olaf Wiig]] and [[Steve Centanni]], demanding the U.S. to release all Muslims in prison. The two are eventually released on August 27, after stating they have converted to Islam.
====September 2006====
Violence and rivalry erupts between [[Fatah]] and [[Hamas]] in the Gaza Strip. [[Mahmoud Abbas]] tries to prevent [[civil war]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/world/middleeast/19gaza.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin In Gaza, the Rule by the Gun Draws Many Competitors]</ref><ref>[http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=286253&area=/insight/insight__international/ Amid civil war fears, Hamas and Fatah stockpile arms]</ref> President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] and his moderate party advocate a Palestinian state alongside Israel, while Prime Minister [[Ismail Haniya]] and his Islamist party reject Israel's right to exist.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060922/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians;_ylt=AhFVEgnKPxaMjD_3KRDhafAUewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref>
====September 26, 2006====
A [[UN]] study declares the humanitarian situation in the [[Gaza Strip]] "intolerable", with 75% of the population dependent on food aid,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5382976.stm BBC NEWS | Middle East | UN says Gaza crisis 'intolerable'<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and an estimated 80% of the population living below the [[poverty line]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5304328.stm BBC NEWS | Middle East | Palestinian despair as donors meet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Palestinian economy had largely relied on Western aid and revenues, which has been frozen since Hamas's victory. The situation can also be attributed to Israeli closures, for which Israel and the [[EU]] cite security concerns, specifically smuggling, possible weapons transfers and uninhibited return of exiled extremist leaders and terrorists; as well as an extremely high birth rate.<ref>[http://www.defense-update.com/2005_01_01_defense-update_archive.html Defense Update News Commentary: 01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/65462.pdf Microsoft Word - RC CRT 2005-Entire S Version-4 27.doc<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middleeast/Defending_Israels_Positions_in_Rafah.asp Defending Israel's Positions in Rafah<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://domino.un.org/UNISPAl.NSF/361eea1cc08301c485256cf600606959/c996d2a0e321274185256e9a0051f5c6!OpenDocument S/PV.4972 of 19 May 2004<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====October 11-14, 2006====
In the midst of an increase of rocket attacks against Israel, the Israeli Air Force fires into the Gaza Strip over a three-day period. 21 Palestinians are killed (17 Hamas militants, 1 al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militant, and 3 civilians). The two dozen wounded include gunmen and passersby.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Security/9632.htm |publisher=[[Israelinsider]]|title=Security: Six Palestinians killed in fighting with Israel - Hamas claims will take revenge|accessdate=2008-06-30|date=2006-10-12}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/update_detail.asp?id=11144 Death toll reaches eight in Israeli raid on Gaza Strip<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061014/ts_nm/mideast_dc]</ref> Israel says the offensive is designed to track down the kidnapped soldier and to stop militants firing rockets into Israel. Spokesman Abu Ubaida for Hamas's military wing issued a statement vowing "we will bombard and strike everywhere" in response to the attacks. Make-shift rockets are immediately shot into Israel.
====October 17, 2006====
In separate gunbattles in [[Nablus]], Israeli troops kill 2 al-Aqsa Martyrs's Brigades militants, 2 rock-throwers, and 1 Islamic Jihad militant. Israeli forces discover 13 tunnels apparently used to smuggle weapons into Gaza in the last 3 months. <ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061017/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_3]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref>
====October 20, 2006====
Brokered by Egyptian mediators, Fatah reaches a deal to end fighting between the Hamas and Fatah factions, both groups agreeing to refrain from acts that raise tensions and committing themselves to dialogue to resolve differences. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas brushes off comments by President Mahmoud Abbas, head of Fatah, who indicated he could dismiss the Hamas-led cabinet. Abbas unsuccessfully urges Hamas to accept international calls to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.
Palestinian gunmen (presumably of the Fatah faction) open fire at the convoy of Prime Minister Haniyeh as it passed through a refugee camp in central Gaza.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/10/20/palestinian-violence.html|title= Gunmen fire on Palestinian PM's convoy in Gaza| publisher=[[CBC News]]| date=2006-10-20}}</ref>
====October 27, 2006====
3 Palestinians in the West Bank are killed by Israeli troops. The relatives were not present but say at least one of the two men in Al Faraa may have been throwing rocks at army jeeps. Israeli soldiers say the two had approached them with a handgun and an axe. The gunman was killed, while the man with the axe was wounded in the leg and taken to an Israeli hospital. In Yamoun, a man was shot and killed on the roof of his home. Relatives say he had gone on the roof to watch the army raid and two other brothers were also wounded. The Israeli army says troops hit at least two armed Palestinians. Islamic Jihad later admitted the man killed on his rooftop was a member of the militant group who died in a gunbattle with Israelis.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/10/28/10078040.html|title= Israeli troops kill 3 Palestinians|publisher= [[Associated Press|AP]] via [[Gulfnews]]|date= 2006-10-27}}</ref>
====November 8, 2006====
[[Beit Hanoun November 2006 incident]]. Amidst ongoing rocket fire, Israel shells Beit Hanoun, killing 19 Palestinian civlians (seven children, four women) during the Gaza operations. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologises, saying the incident had been an accidental "technical failure" by the Israeli military.
====January 19, 2007====
Israel transfers $100 million in tax revenues to cover humanitarian needs to the office of the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, as part of a plan to bolster him and keep money out of the hands of the Hamas government.<ref>{{cite news|url=|title=Israel releases withheld tax funds to Abbas's office|publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=January 19, 2007}}</ref>
====May 4, 2007====
The United States sets a timetable for easing Palestinian travel and bolstering Israeli security. Israel including steps like removing specific checkpoints in the West Bank and deploying better-trained Palestinian forces to try to halt the firing of rockets into Israel from Gaza and the smuggling of weapons, explosives and people into Gaza from Egypt. Israel is wary over certain proposals so long as Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets at Israel.[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/world/middleeast/04cnd-mideast.html?ex=1335931200&en=104617a32bae9cb3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss] The Hamas-led Palestinian government rejected the initiative, in part because it favored Mahmoud Abbas.[http://english.people.com.cn/200705/06/eng20070506_372296.html]
====May 14, 2008====
Tony Blair announces new plan for peace and for Palestinian rights, based heavily on the ideas of the [[Peace Valley plan]]. <ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3927184.ece Israel may ease grip in Tony Blair deal to revive West Bank], The Times May 14, 2008</ref>
==See also==
*[[Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2003]]
*[[Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2002]]
*[[Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2001]]
*[[Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 2000]]
*[[Terrorism against Israel]]
*[[Zionist political violence]]
*[[Palestinian political violence]]
*[[List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war]]
*[[List of massacres committed during the Al-Aqsa Intifada]]
*[[List of Hamas suicide attacks]]
*[[List of Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide attacks]]
*[[List of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades suicide attacks]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
* Perliger, Arie and Weinberg, Leonard (2003). Jewish Self-Defence and Terrorist Groups Prior to the Establishment of the State of Israel: Roots and Traditions. ''Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions'', Volume 4,
==External links==
*[http://www.mideastweb.org/timeline.htm Detailed Timeline (Chronology) of Israeli history and the Israeli-Arab Conflict]
*[http://www.israelipalestinianprocon.org/history.html Extensive Time-Line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict]
*[http://www.palestinefacts.org/ Palestine Facts]
*[http://www.ipcri.org/ Joint Israeli-Palestinian research]
*[http://www.israelinsider.com/maps Israel's story in maps]
*[http://www.ifamericansonlyknew.org/ If Americans Only Knew]
*[http://photo.net/israel/timeline Photo.net - History Timeline for Israel]
[[Category:Israeli-Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Timelines of military conflicts|Israeli-Palestinian conflict]]
[[de:Chronologie des israelisch-palästinensischen Konflikts]]