Three Decades of Conflict

The history of Israel's relationship with its Arab neighbors is one of war, unending distrust and attempts by other nations both to exploit and to end those disputes. The major milestones:

Nov. 29, 1947. After some 65 years of Jewish immigration, greatly accelerated during the era of Nazi persecution, the United Nations General Assembly votes to abolish the 1920 British mandate and partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Arabs reject the plan, and civil strife worsens.

May 14, 1948. The British withdraw. The chief Zionist groups proclaim the new state of Israel, occupying 5,500 square miles of Palestine granted them by the U.N. Next day, troops from seven Arab states invade Palestine.

Jan. 7,1949. The war of independence ends, with Israel having gained 30% more territory than originally allocated to it. Transjordan annexes the West Bank. Some 750,000 Arab refugees have fled from Israel to neighboring states.

July 26, 1956. Under the leadership of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal. An agreement with the Soviet Union has already provided Egypt with large quantities of arms. Nasser repeatedly threatens Israel.

Oct. 26, 1956. Operating under a secret pact with Britain and France, Israeli armies overrun the Sinai Peninsula. Franco-British forces move in to "protect" the Suez Canal. Under U.S. and Soviet pressure, Britain and France soon withdraw, and Israel pulls out nearly a year later. A U.N. force is installed to guard the Egyptian-Israeli border.

May 19, 1967. After convincing the U.N. that it should withdraw its force from the Sinai, Egypt blockades the Gulf of Aqaba, closing a key Israeli shipping route, and moves its troops to the Israeli border.

June 5-10,1967. Fearing attack, Israel strikes first. In just six days, it seizes the Sinai Peninsula, Syria's Golan Heights and all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Nov. 22, 1967. The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 242, calling for recognition of Israel's sovereignty but also for withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied territory and for settlement of the Palestine refugee problem. Israel holds on to conquered territories.

July 1972. Anwar Sadat, who became Egyptian President after the death of Nasser in 1970, clashes with the Soviets and ousts 20,000 advisers.

Oct. 6,1973. Egypt attacks across the Suez Canal on Yom Kippur while Syrian troops attack the Golan Heights. Israel's counterattacks reach to within 20 miles of Damascus and across the Suez into Egypt. Heavy losses on both sides. The oil-producing states announce a cutoff of exports to nations supporting Israel, and oil prices soon quadruple. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger finally negotiates a cease-fire on Nov. 11.

Sept. 4, 1975. Two years of negotiations led by Kissinger shuttling between capitals finally produce a truce agreement, signed in Geneva, that results in Israeli withdrawals from a strip of the Sinai.

May 17,1977. Menachein Begin, a former guerrilla leader, wins a victory over the long dominant Labor Party, forms a conservative coalition.

Nov. 19, 1977. Sadat flies to Jerusalem and tells the Knesset that Egypt is ready to make peace but Israel must return Arab lands.

Sept. 17, 1978. The Camp David conference, called by President Carter, ends after 13 days of negotiation by Carter, Sadat and Begin. The three leaders sign agreements on a "framework for peace."

March 5,1979. Carter announces that he will fly to the Middle East in search of peace.

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