| (BCE - Before the Common Era) |
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS of ISRAEL |
| 17th-6th C. BCE |
BIBLICAL TIMES |
| c. 17th century |
The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - patriarchs of the Jewish people and bearers of a belief in one God - settle in the Land of Israel. Famine forces Israelites to migrate to Egypt |
| c. 13th century |
Exodus from Egypt: Moses leads Israelites from Egypt, followed by 40 years of wandering in the desert. Torah, including the Ten Commandments, received at Mount Sinai. |
| 13th-12th centuries |
Israelites settle the Land of Israel |
| c. 1020 |
Jewish Monarchy established; Saul, first king |
| c. 1000 |
Jerusalem made capital of David's kingdom |
| c. 960 |
First Temple, the national and spiritual center of the Jewish people, built in Jerusalem by King Solomon |
| c. 930 |
Divided kingdom: Judah and Israel |
| 722-720 |
Israel crushed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (Ten Lost Tribes). |
586 |
Judah conquered by Babylonia; Jerusalem and First Temple destroyed; most Jews exiled to Babylonia |
| 536-142 |
PERSIAN AND HELLENISTIC PERIODS |
| 538-515 |
Many Jews return from Babylonia; Temple rebuilt |
332 |
Land conquered by Alexander the Great; Hellenistic rule |
| 166-160 |
Maccabean (Hasmonean) revolt against restrictions on practice of Judaism and desecration of Temple |
| 142-129 |
Jewish autonomy under Hasmoneans. |
| 129-63 |
Jewish independence under Hasmonean monarchy. |
63 |
Jerusalem captured by Roman general, Pompey. |
| 63 BCE-313 CE |
ROMAN RULE, 376 yrs |
| |
Herod, Roman vassal king, rules the Land of Israel; |
|
(CE - Common Era) 37 BCE – 4 CE |
Temple in Jerusalem refurbished |
| c. 20-33 |
Ministry of Jesus |
66 |
Jewish revolt against the Romans |
70 |
Destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple. |
73 |
Last stand of Jews at Masada. |
| 132-135 |
Bar Kokhba uprising against Rome. |
| c. 210 |
Codification of Jewish oral law, Mishnah, completed. |
| 313-636 |
BYZANTINE RULE, 323 yrs |
| c. 390 |
Commentary on the Mishnah, the Jerusalem Talmud, completed. |
| 70 - 632 |
Mohammad |
614 |
Persian invasion |
| 636-1099 |
ARAB RULE, 463 yrs |
691 |
On site of First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock built by Caliph Abd el-Malik |
| 1099-1291 |
CRUSADER DOMINATION; (Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem), 192 yrs |
| 1291-1516 |
MAMLUK RULE, 225 yrs |
| 1517-1917 |
OTTOMAN RULE, 400 yrs |
1564 |
Code of Jewish law, Shulhan Arukh, published. |
1860 |
First neighborhood, Mishkenot Sha'ananim, built outside Jerusalem's walls. |
| 1882-1903 |
First Aliya (large-scale immigration), mainly from Russia. |
1897 |
First Zionist Congress convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland; Zionist Organization founded. |
| 1904-14 |
Second Aliya, mainly from Russia and Poland. |
1909 |
First kibbutz, Degania, and first modern all-Jewish city, Tel Aviv, founded. |
1917 |
British Foreign Minister Balfour pledges support for establishment of a "Jewish national home in Palestine", the Balfour Declaration |
1917 |
400 years of Ottoman rule ended by British conquest |
| 1918-48 |
BRITISH RULE – 30 years |
| 1919-23 |
Third Aliya, mainly from Russia |
| |
Histadrut (Jewish labor federation) and Haganah (Jewish defense organization) founded. |
1920 |
Vaad Leumi (National Council) set up by Jewish community (yishuv) to conduct its affairs. |
1921 |
First moshav, Nahalal, founded. |
| |
Britain granted Mandate for Palestine (Land of Israel) by League of Nations; |
| |
Transjordan set up on three-fourths of the area, leaving one-fourth for the Jewish national home. |
1922 |
Jewish Agency representing Jewish community vis-a-vis Mandate authorities set up. |
1924 |
Technion, first institute of technology, founded in Haifa. |
| 1924-32 |
Fourth Aliya, mainly from Poland. |
1925 |
Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mt. Scopus. |
1929 |
Hebron Jews massacred by Arab militants. |
1931 |
Etzel, (Irgun) Jewish underground organization, founded. |
| 1933-39 |
Fifth Aliya, mainly from Germany. |
| 1936-39 |
Anti-Jewish riots instigated by Arab militants. |
1939 |
Jewish immigration severely limited by British White Paper. 100,000 maximum. |
| 1939-45 |
World War II; Holocaust in Europe. British Navy curtails emigration from Europe. |
1941 |
Lehi underground movement formed; Palmach- strike force of Haganah, set up. |
1944 |
Jewish Brigade formed as part of British forces. |
1947 |
UN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish states in the Land. Arabs rejected it. |
1948 |
STATE OF ISRAEL proclaimed (14 May). 600,000 Jews in the land. |
| |
End of British Mandate (14 May) |
| |
Israel invaded by five Arab states (15 May) |
| |
War of Independence (May 1948-July 1949) |
1948 |
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) established |
| |
Armistice agreements signed with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. |
| |
Jerusalem divided under Israeli and Jordanian rule. |
| |
First Knesset (parliament) elected. |
1949 |
Israel admitted to United Nations as 59th member. |
| 1948-52 |
Mass immigration from Europe and Arab countries. |
1956 |
Sinai Campaign against Nasser, with England and France, Pres. Eisenhower defeated it. |
1962 |
Adolf Eichmann tried and executed in Israel for his key part in the Holocaust. |
1964 |
National Water Carrier completed, bringing water from Lake Kinneret in the north to the semi-arid south. |
1967 |
Six-Day War, Jerusalem reunited. |
| 1968-70 |
Egypt's War of Attrition against Israel |
1973 |
Yom Kippur War |
1975 |
Israel becomes an associate member of the European Common Market. |
1977 |
Likud forms government after Knesset elections, end of 30 years of Labor rule. Visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem. |
1978 |
Camp David Accords & framework for comprehensive peace in Middle East and proposal for Palestinian self-government. |
| |
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed. |
1979 |
Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat awarded Nobel Peace Prize. |
1981 |
Israel Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor just before it is to become operative. |
| |
Israel's three-stage withdrawal from Sinai completed. |
1982 |
Operation Peace for Galilee removes PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) terrorists from Lebanon. |
1984 |
National unity government (Likud & Labor) formed after elections. Operation Moses, Immigration of Jews from Ethiopia. Itzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres alternate PM. |
1985 |
Free Trade Agreement signed with United States. |
1987 |
Widespread violence (intifada) starts in Israeli-administered areas. |
1988 |
Likud government in power following elections, Itzhak Shamir PM. |
| |
Four-point peace initiative proposed by Israel. |
1989 |
Start of mass immigration of Jews from former Soviet Union. |
1991 |
Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf war. |
| |
Middle East peace conference convened in Madrid; |
1991 |
Operation Solomon, airlift of Jews from Ethiopia. President Bush major assistance. |
| |
Diplomatic relations established with China and India. |
1992 |
New government headed by Yitzhak Rabin of Labor party. |
1993 |
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements for the Palestinians signed by Israel and PLO, as representative of the Palestinian people. |
| |
Implementation of Palestinian self-government in Gaza Strip and Jericho area. |
| |
Full diplomatic relations with the Holy See. |
| |
Morocco and Tunisia interest offices set up. |
| |
Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed. |
1994 |
Rabin, Peres, Arafat awarded Nobel Peace Prize. |
| |
Broadened Palestinian self-government implemented in West Bank and Gaza Strip; Palestinian Council elected. |
| |
Prime Minister Rabin assassinated at peace rally. |
1995 |
Shimon Peres becomes prime minister. |
| |
Fundamentalist Arab terrorism against Israel escalates. |
| |
Operation Grapes of Wrath, retaliation for Hezbollah terrorists' attacks on northern Israel. |
| |
Trade representation offices set up in Oman and Qatar. |
| |
Likud forms government after Knesset elections. |
| |
Benjamin Netanyahu becomes prime minister. |
1996 |
Omani trade representation office opened in Tel Aviv. |
1997 |
Hebron Protocol signed by Israel and the PA. |
1998 |
Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary. |
2000 |
Arafat rejects President Clinton's effort to achieve peace after generous offer by PM Barak |
| |
Arafat PA starts intensive terrorism against Israeli civilians |
| Summer 2005 |
Israel evacuates all Jewish communities in Gaza, Palestinian infighting starts; Kassam rockets from Gaza attacks Israel on regular basis. |
| Jan 2006 |
PM Sharon incapacitated by massive stroke, Olmert takes over as PM. Hamas won election |
| July 2006 |
Hezbollah war in Lebanon, massive rocket attacks on Israeli civilians in Northern Israel |
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