Jonathan Pollard Is Sentenced to Life in PrisonCIE+
Jonathan Pollard, accused of spying for Israel, is sentenced to life in prison for espionage. He is later released in 2015.
U.S., Israel Agree to Cooperate on Strategic Defense Initiative
Israel and the United States sign a secret agreement for Israeli participation in Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) research.
President Reagan Visits Bergen-Belsen and Bitburg Cemetery
The President, seeking reconciliation with Europe, angers Jewish leaders in the US and Israel with his planned visit to a Nazi military cemetery.
Multinational Force Arrives in Beirut to Oversee PLO EvacuationCIE+
American, French, and Italian troops supervise the evacuation of around 15,000 PLO forces from Lebanon’s capital. Terrorists and Syrian forces leaving Beirut are one of Israel’s principal goals during the 1982 Lebanon War.
Ronald Reagan Arms Saudi ArabiaCIE+
President Ronald Reagan announces a plan to sell military aircraft to Saudi Arabia.
Israel Destroys Iraq’s Nuclear ReactorCIE+
June 7, 1981 Eight Israeli F-16s fly a 2,000-mile round trip to bomb Iraq’s Osirak plutonium nuclear reactor at the Tammuz I complex 10 miles south of Baghdad. The mission, Operation Opera, succeeds at destroying…
Israel Passes Basic Law on JerusalemCIE+
In 1950, the Knesset passes a law that states, “Whereas with establishment of the state of Israel, Jerusalem once more becomes the capital.” In 1980, the Knesset elevates the law to a Basic Law, giving the political status of Jerusalem increased legislative weight.
Foreign Minister Says Saudis Could Recognize IsraelCIE+
After Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s diplomatic opening with Israel, almost all Arab states publicly criticized his engagement with Jerusalem.
Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty Is SignedCIE+
Sixteen months after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem and Knesset address, the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty is signed at the White House in Washington.
U.S. Sympathizes With Israel’s Fear of Palestinian StateCIE+
After Egyptian President Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem in November 1977, the United States seeks to move negotiations closer to an agreement between Israel and Egypt.
Carter Proposes Aircraft Sale to SaudisCIE+
February 14, 1978 President Jimmy Carter announces a plan to sell advanced fighter jets to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Coming three months after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s visit to Israel, the proposal draws swift…
Carter Foreign Policy Team Crafts Middle East PolicyCIE+
Five major points regarding Israel were made at the White House Middle East Policy review meeting on April 19, 1977.
Kissinger Suggests Smaller Israel in Meeting With Iraqi OfficialCIE+
In a Paris meeting, United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger tells Foreign Minister Hammadi that the United States would not negotiate Israel’s existence but could “reduce its size to historical proportions.”
U.N. Resolution Declares Zionism Is RacismCIE+
The United Nations passes UN Resolution 3379, which defines Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. It passes with a vote of 72 in favor, 35 against, and 32 abstentions.
76 U.S. Senators Urge President Ford to Stand With Israel
After a breakdown in diplomatic talks between Gerald Ford and PM Yitzhak Rabin, seventy-six Senators sign a letter to the President stressing the importance of both military and economic assistance to Israel.
Israel, U.S. Sign Economic Pact
A wide-ranging agreement on expanded economic cooperation provides short term relief to Israel’s struggling economy.
Reassessment of Washington-Israel Relationship BeginsCIE+
The US undertakes a “reassessment” of the Washington-Israel relationship, creating enormous tension between the US executive branch and the Israeli government.
OPEC Lifts Oil Embargo Against U.S.CIE+
March 18, 1974 The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Arab oil producers, lifts the oil embargo it had placed on the United States for resupplying Israel during the Yom Kippur War. OPEC also…
Kissinger Delivers List of Syria’s Israeli POWsCIE+
February 27, 1974 U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger arrives in Tel Aviv from Damascus with a list of 65 Israeli prisoners held by Syria since the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, along with…
Israel, Egypt Separate Forces With U.S. GuaranteesCIE+
With U.S. assurances, Israel and Egypt agree to a buffer zone between their forces in the Sinai, moving toward what both sides wanted: the return of the peninsula for Egypt, peaceful relations for Israel.
Geneva Middle East Peace Conference OpensCIE+
Convened under the co-chairmanship of the United States and Soviet Union, the Geneva Middle East Conference is “aimed at establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East.”
Egyptian-Israeli Military Talks Begin at Kilometer 101CIE+
At the end of the October 1973 War, after several miscommunications, the first Egyptian-Israeli Military Talks between Generals commenced. These talks take place at 1am in Israeli-controlled territory, 101 kilometers from Cairo.
Arabs Weaponize Oil Against Israel’s AlliesCIE+
Oil ministers from Arab states cut exports by 5% and recommend an embargo of Israel’s allies in response to the U.S. airlift of military supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
Israeli Military Attache Killed in MarylandCIE+
July 1, 1973 Col. Yosef “Joe” Alon, a military attache at the Israeli Embassy to the United States, is shot five times in his driveway in Chevy Chase, Maryland, after attending a farewell party for…
