Abbas Publicly Refuses to Recognize Israel as a Jewish State
In a speech in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismisses a demand from Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Joint Understanding Signed at Annapolis ConferenceCIE+
November 27, 2007 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President George W. Bush release a joint statement of the framework of their approach and goals at the conclusion of…
Hamas Wins Parliamentary ElectionsCIE+
January 26, 2006 Hamas, the militant Palestinian opposition group, wins 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Authority’s legislature, a groundbreaking power shift. Because Hamas rejects Israel’s existence, the election results present a new…
Bus Bombings in Beersheba Kill 16 IsraelisCIE+
August 31, 2004 Bombs explode on a pair of buses 100 yards apart along Beersheba’s main street, Ranger Boulevard, shortly after leaving the central bus station. Sixteen Israelis, one as young as 3 years old,…
Israel Swaps 430+ Prisoners for Man, 3 BodiesCIE+
January 29, 2004 Israel releases more than 430 Arab prisoners — more than 400 to the Palestinian Authority, 29 to surrounding Arab nations, and one German citizen who worked with Hezbollah to Germany, from where…
Quartet Issues Roadmap for Peace
Conceived by President George W. Bush during the second Intifada, the Roadmap serves as the centerpiece of failed peace negotiations at the beginning of 21st century.
Palestinian Cabinet OKs Plan for Israeli WithdrawalCIE+
August 7, 2002 The Palestinian Authority Cabinet agrees to a truce deal proposed by Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to withdraw the Israel Defense Forces from Palestinian-controlled parts of the Gaza Strip and from the…
Powell Seeks Mideast Ceasefire
April 11, 2002 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell calls for an immediate West Bank ceasefire during a press conference in Madrid before he flies to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II the day…
Sharon Singles Out Arafat After Haifa BombingCIE+
March 31, 2002 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declares Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat “the enemy of Israel and the enemy of the free world” in an angry, five-minute, mid-Passover address to the nation after…
Israel Launches Operation Defensive ShieldCIE+
In September 2000, following the breakdown of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians at Camp David, the Palestinians launch the Second Intifada. Operation Defensive Shield is an Israeli military operation devised to curtail violence associated with the Second Intifada.
Saudi Prince Presents Arab Peace InitiativeCIE+
March 28, 2002 At the Arab League Summit in Beirut, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia lays out a plan to end the Arab-Israeli conflict that has become known as the Arab Peace Initiative. Among…
Israel Launches Operation to Capture Weapons Being Smuggled Into GazaCIE+
Israeli commandos overtake a weapons ship, the Karine-A, and seize fifty tons of Iranian weapons, including a number of long-range rockets.
Sharon Elected Prime MinisterCIE+
In the only instance in Israel’s history, a direct election is held for Prime Minister without a simultaneous election for the Knesset.
Taba Summit ConcludesCIE+
A week of discussions between Israeli and Palestinian leaders concludes in the Egyptian resort town of Taba. The talks at Taba take place during the height of the second “Intifada.”
Barak Resigns as Prime MinisterCIE+
Israel’s 10th prime minister resigns and calls a special election in a failed attempt to win a popular mandate for his peace policies.
Ariel Sharon Is BornCIE+
Ariel Sharon, Israel’s 11th Prime Minister, is born in K’far Malal (near Hod Hasharon). Born Ariel Scheinerman to political, socialist parents who had come to Eretz Yisrael during the Second Aliyah, Sharon joined the Haganah in 1945, serving in the War of Independence.
