Middle East Conflict: A 20^th Century Timeline

(Important items have years in bold type)

70 AD The Romans destroy Jerusalem and the Jews are dispersed across the world (the Diaspora)

1897 Theodor Herzl creates the Zionist movement to promote the creation of an independent Jewish state in Palestine as a haven for Jews.

1914-1917 World War I. The Ottoman Empire sides with Germany and loses. Britain occupies the Middle East

1917 The Balfour Declaration: Britain states its objective of establishing a national home for the Jewish people.

1919 The Treaty of Versailles is created. The Ottoman Empire is dismembered by the victors of World War I. The mandate system begins. Britain takes Egypt, Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq. France takes Syria. Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia become independent.

1920s Growing nationalism in Middle East; Muslim Arabs resent European imperialism and the desire for independence becomes strong.

1930s Fascism rises in Europe. With the help of the growing Zionist movement, thousands of Jews flee to Palestine to escape growing racism and anti-Semitism in Europe. Thousands of Palestinian Arabs are expelled from their ancestral lands to make room for returning Jews. Violence between Palestinians and Jews breaks out.

1939-1945 World War II. Britain is weakened by war and cannot hold on to its territories in the Middle East. European Jews are victims of the Holocaust and gains considerable international sympathy.

1948 With the help of the United Nations, a Jewish state is created in Palestine (Israel). Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon refuse to recognized the new nation of Israel which they regard as an alien creation of the western powers. These Arab nations immediately declare war on Israel and march to destroy it. Israel quickly defeated these nations and took more Palestinian land. Half a million Palestinian refugees settle in refugee camps under terrible conditions.

1950s Pan-Arabism, an ideology dedicated to the uniting of all Arabs of the Middle East into one unified state, is born. Its primary obstacle is the existence of Israel.

1952 Gamal Nasser takes over Egypt and establishes an anti-western, pro-Arab Muslim Republic. Egypt becomes the leader of Pan-Arabism in the world with Nasser as its hero. Israel and Egypt become the two primary players in the Israeli-Arab. Nasser unites Syria and Egypt in an attempt to begin building an Arab empire. The merger ultimately fails.

1956 Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal. Israel, with the help of Britain and France, attack Egypt to free the Suez Canal from Nasser. Israeli troops occupy the Sinai Peninsula (page 617). Under pressure from Russia and the UN, Israel gives back the Peninsula to Egypt.

1960 OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was founded to help free oil-producing nations from western domination.

1964 The creation of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). This organization was formed as a secular umbrella organization for the purpose of creating an independent Palestine and destroying the state of Israel.

1967 The Arab states around Israel, directed by Nasser, attack Israel. In six days Israel defeated them all. They took the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank from Jordan.

1970 Anwar Sadat replaces Nassar as president of Egypt. He becomes friendly with the United States, orders the Soviet out of Egypt.

1973 “Yom Kippur War.” On the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launch an attack on Israel. Israel drove them both back and took more land from them. In retaliation for the US’s help to Israel, OPEC blocks the export of oil to the United States. In the US, gas prices soar and people wait in long lines at the pumps.

1977 Egyptian president Sadat flies to Israel to begin peace talks with Israel.

1978 Presidents Sadat (Egypt), Begin (Israel) and Carter (US) met a Camp David to outline peace for the Middle East. Sadat and Begin are awarded the Noble Peace Prize. The Arab world views Sadat as a traitor.

1979 The leader of Iran (Shah) overthrown in a revolution by extreme Shiite Muslims. The revolutionists placed the Ayatollah Khomeini in power (“Khomeini” means imam.) Radical Muslims storm the US embassy and take 53 US hostages.

1979 The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. Muslims from all over the world flood into the country to fight the jihad against the atheistic invaders (the Mujaheddin). The CIA funds and trains the Mujaheddin.

1980 Under the leadership of Sadam Hussein, Iraq attacks Iran. The war would continue until 1989.

1980s Continued aggression between Israel and the PLO (led by Yassir Arafat.)

1981 While reviewing his army, Egyptian president Sadat is gunned down by Islamic militants called the “Muslim Brotherhood.”

1989 The Soviet Union pulls out of Afghanistan. Islamic fundamentalists claim a substantial victory over one of the two world super-powers.

1990 One year after the Iran-Iraq War, Sadam Hussein invades Kuwait.

1991 A UN coalition bombs the Iraqi army and invades, pushing the Iraqis back to their country. The US troops remain in Saudi Arabia as an occupying force.

1993 Ramzi Yousef carries out a terrorist attack against the World Trade Center Towers in New York.

1993 Oslo Accords: the PLO recognizes the existence of Israel and Israel gives them control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

1998 Islamic terrorists bomb two US embassies in African countries

2001 Islamic terrorist attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon