Curated timeline

Modern Israel History

The story of the State of Israel. From the Zionist movement and the 1948 independence to the Arab-Israeli wars, the peace treaties, and the start-up nation.

• First Aliyah (1882-1903)

  First major wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine, primarily from Eastern Europe following pogroms in Russia.

• Publication of Der Judenstaat (1896)

  Herzl's pamphlet 'The Jewish State' became the foundational text of political Zionism.

• First Zionist Congress (August 29-31, 1897)

  Established the World Zionist Organization and formally launched the political Zionist movement.

• Second Aliyah (1904-1914)

  Brought approximately 40,000 Jews to Palestine, including future leaders like David Ben-Gurion and establishing Hebrew as a spoken language.

• Balfour Declaration (November 2, 1917)

  British government's public statement supporting 'a national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine.

• British Mandate for Palestine Begins (1920)

  League of Nations granted Britain administrative control over Palestine, incorporating the Balfour Declaration.

• Founding of the Haganah (1920)

  Establishment of the main Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine.

• 1929 Hebron Massacre (August 24, 1929)

  Arab riots against Jewish communities, particularly devastating in Hebron, marking a turning point in Arab-Jewish relations.

• Arab Revolt (1936-1939)

  Major Palestinian Arab uprising against British rule and Jewish immigration, leading to significant policy changes.

• British White Paper of 1939 (May 17, 1939)

  Severely limited Jewish immigration to Palestine, creating major tensions with the Jewish community.

• The Holocaust (1941-1945)

  Systematic murder of six million European Jews, fundamentally changing the urgency of establishing a Jewish state.

• UN Partition Plan (November 29, 1947)

  United Nations voted to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, accepted by Jews but rejected by Arabs.

• Israeli Declaration of Independence (May 14, 1948)

  David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel.

• Arab-Israeli War (May 15, 1948 - March 10, 1949)

  Israel's War of Independence against five Arab armies, resulting in Israeli victory and expanded territory.

• Mass Immigration (1948-1951)

  Israel's population doubled as Holocaust survivors and Jews from Arab countries immigrated.

• Law of Return (July 5, 1950)

  Granted every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel and obtain citizenship.

• Suez Crisis (October 29 - November 7, 1956)

  Israel, Britain, and France attacked Egypt; Israel occupied Sinai Peninsula temporarily.

• Eichmann Trial (April 11 - August 14, 1961)

  Trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem brought Holocaust awareness to global attention.

• Six-Day War (June 5-10, 1967)

  Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights, fundamentally changing the Middle East.

• UN Resolution 242 (November 22, 1967)

  Called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in exchange for peace, becoming basis for future negotiations.

• War of Attrition (1967-1970)

  Extended conflict with Egypt along the Suez Canal following the Six-Day War.

• Yom Kippur War (October 6-25, 1973)

  Surprise attack by Egypt and Syria on Judaism's holiest day, initially catching Israel unprepared but ultimately repelled.

• Likud Electoral Victory (May 17, 1977)

  Menachem Begin's victory ended Labor Party dominance and shifted Israeli politics rightward.

• Sadat's Visit to Jerusalem (November 19-21, 1977)

  Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's historic visit began direct Arab-Israeli peace negotiations.

• Camp David Accords (September 17, 1978)

  Framework for peace between Israel and Egypt mediated by President Carter.

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