1967

Jan-Apr: Syr-Isr border clashes, culminating in Apr aerial battle wh 6 Syr fighter planes were shot down.

15May: Egypt put on state of alert, after Isri Independence Day Parade contains no armoured formations. Egyptian troops move towards Sinai, asking UNEF to withdraw.

22May: Egy closes GoAqaba to Isri strategic cargo. Knesset declares this an act of aggression.

30May: Egy-Jordan mutual defence treaty, & reconciliation » Jord allows PLO to resume acts in its territory. Natl Unity Govt formed in Isr (lateMay) w sense of crisis; still headed by Eshkol, but includes Moshe Dayan as Defence Minister, Mapam & Gahal as well as Labour bloc (» legitimation of Herut).

5June: Isri planes destroy Egyptian air force in preemptive strike. Iq sends force to Jordan & briefly into WBnk. Jordan cedes the WBnk & E.Jlem, inc al-Haram al-Sharif shrine (7/6). Gaza seized from Egy & PLA (8/6) as well as Sinai. Isr bombs US intelligence ship, the USS Liberty, in intl waters, killing 34 (8/6). Isr presses into Syria after ceasefire agreed & gains the Golan Heights (10/6); c.130k Syrian refugees. Jordan accepts 200,000 more refugees, taking total number of Pns displaced up to 2-2.5 million. Defeat discredits Arab nationalism. Isri conquest, & application of law & administration to 30k dunams of EJlem & WBnk, inc Old City, together w extension of WJlem Municipality boundaries over this area, on 27-8Jun, brings the Western Wall & many of Judaism’s holiest sites under Isri control » inspires renewed forms of nationalism & religious messianism. UNGA passes 2 resns (2253 of 4Jul, 2254 of 14Jul) calling for Isr to rescind its effective annexation of Jlem; Isr’s failure to do this is deplored by SCR252 (21May68), wh states that Isri measures to change the status of Jlem are invalid (13-0-2 US, Canada).

24Jul: WBnk leaders esth the Islamic Board in Jlem, under Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hamid al-Sa’ih, w the 1st major WBnk statement against the occupation. Board’s function is to administer Muslim affairs in WBnk; retains close ties w Jord. Sa’ih is deported to Jord on 23Sept, w Hilmi Muhtasib taking over as head of the Board.

26Jul: Yigal Allon (Minister for Labour, later Foreign & Deputy Prime Minister) presents draft plan for settlement of conflict: territorial compromise, whereby Isr wd annex Jlem district, parts of Hebron hills, Sn part of Gaza strip, SE desert region, & Jordan valley (those areas of strategic importance); remainder (c.60%) wd be an autonomous Pn area, w/o territorial boundaries w any Arab Sts, confederally linked to either Jordan or Isr = the Allon plan. Permission granted to settlements in those regions that wd be annexed under this plan from 1968. Plan later modified in the Labour party to increase distance from Pn region to Tel Aviv thru the annexation of a further 3 regions; final full plan produced in 1977.

29Aug-1Sep: Khartum Arab Summit meeting: the basis for Arab solidarity over the next 7 years. Egypt-Saudi-Jordan reconciliation, uniting against Isr w the “3 nos”: to reconciliation, negotiation & recognition of Isr. Shuqayri’s PLO sidelined & publicly criticised by Fatah, PFLP, General Union of Pn Students » Shuqayri resigns (24/12), replaced by Yahya Hammuda.

5Nov: Under Saudi pressure, Egy decides to w/draw from N.Yemen, forcing Sallal to resign. Egy releases 2 prominent republican opponents of Egy intervention: ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Iryani, former defence minister, wh takes over as chair of Republican council; & Hasan al-Amri, wh became PM & chief of forces. Royalist forces lay siege to Sana‘a (1Dec-8Feb); broken thru combination of military measures (using weapons from SU → alliance) & pol co-option. Saudi recognises new govt in 1970.

22Nov: SCR242 calls for Isri withdrawal from OTs whilst recognising the right of all Sts to live in peace & security (effectively a recognition of Isr), backed by Nasir & Husayn, but oppd by both Isr (until May68) & Pns.

30Nov: W escalating conflict, Britain evacuates Federation of S.Arabia (ie S.Yemen); Natl Liberation Front (Marxist  / natlist) in Aden area captures power, defeating the more pro-Egy Front for the Liberation of S.Yemen (FLOSY) w British help (wh feared Nasir’s influence); Qahtan al-Sha‘bi as president. NLF proclaims People’s Republic of S.Yemen (becomes PDR Yemen in Nov70). Britain moves its main regional naval base to Bahrain.

11Dec: ANM joins w smaller gps to form PFLP, launching an attack on Ben Gurion airport in Lydda (wh failed).

1998

Jan: Turkey’s Constitutional Court outlaws the Welfare party; bars Erbakan from political activity. Welfare’s members go on to form bulk of the Virtue Party.

Feb: building tension b/w US & Iq, over denial of access for UNSCOM to ‘presidential & sovereign’ sites; airstrikes narrowly averted thru deal brokered by UNSG Kofi Annan, in Memo of Understanding of 23Feb (endorsed in SCR1154 of 2Mar).

29Mar: Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam leader Muhieddin Sharif dies in an explosion in Ramallah: autopsy shows he was shot 1st. Hamas blames Isr, PA blames internal Hamas feuding. Following Hamas threats of revenge, PA arrests Hamas members, inc Rantisi. Further killings of Awadallah brothers (Adel & Imad; Qassam leaders) nr Hebron by Isri police (11Sept).

10Mar: extensive rioting in Hebron following the IDF killings of 3 Pn workers at a checkpt.

25Jun: Lounes Matoub, highly popular Berber singer in Alg, and critic of both military govt & FIS, is murdered, probably by the GIA.

23Oct: The Wye River Memorandum b/w Isr & Pns: Isr agrees to transfer a further 13% of WBank to Areas B & C, in return for enhanced US role in deciding Pn internal security policy. In oppn, the “Damascus 10” (estd Sept92) reesth themselves in Damasus as the “Pn Follow-up Committee”. DFLP expelled after Aug99 meeting w PLO leadership.

1Nov: Iq halts cooperation w UNSCOM (w/drawn by 7Nov); US aborts missile strike after Iq agrees to cooperate (15Nov).

24Nov: Emile Lahhud, army C-in-C, replaces Hrawi as president of Lebanon.

17-20Dec: extensive US & British bombardment of Iraq in ‘Operation Desert Fox’, after UNSCOM head reports Iq’s failure to fully cooperate; after end of the operation, Iq refuses UNSCOM permission to reenter Iq, & US & UK continue low-intensity bombardment, purportedly aimed at Iraq’s air defence capacity.

Dec: Netanyahu government falls after successful vote of no confidence. Various Likud leaders - Dan Meridor, Roni Milo & Yitzhak Mordeechai (who leaves in Jan) - desert the party & join former IDF commander, Amnon Lipkin-Shahak in a new centrist party.

1999

7Feb: King Husayn of Jordan dies, from cancer. Immediately succeeded by his son, ‘Abdullah II, who nominates his half-brother, Hamza, to be crown-prince.

16Feb: Abdullah Ocalan is captured in mysterious circumstances by Turkey, at the Gk embassy in Nairobi, & is flown to Turkey. Despite intl Kurdish protests, is charged w treason, is convicted after rapid trial & sentenced to death (29Jun).

5Mar: Death of Shaykh Isa Bin Salman al-Khalifa of Bahrain. Succession of Shaykh Hamad al-Khalifa.

5Apr: UNSC votes to suspend sanctions on Libya after the 2 Libyans suspected of planting the Lockerbie are handed over for trial by Scottish judges at Camp Zeist, Belgium. Britain later reestablishes diplomatic ties w Libya (7Jul). Appeal in Turkey is rejected (25Nov), so applies to ECHR.

15Apr: ‘Abd al-Aziz Bouteflika is elected President of Algeria after Zeroual’s resignation (1998) & other candidates w/draw amid accusations of unfairness; Bouteflika promises reconciliation; promotes a new “civil concord” (supported in a referendum), offering amnesties to Islamist fighters.

17May: Isri elections won by Ehud Barak. One Isr forms govt w Shas, Meretz, Mafdal & minor parties by early July.

24-5Jun: Isri military attacks on Lebanese civil infrastructure, targeting the power stations.

Jul: Extensive student-led protests in Iran, esp Tehran, after a popular magazine (Salam) is shut down & student dormitories are violently raided.

23Jul: Hassan II of Morocco dies; replaced by his son, Md VII.

4Sept: Due to Barak’s pressure, an “implementation agreement”, modifying the original Wye Memorandum, is signed at Sharm al-Shaykh; 6.1% of WBnk eventually transferred to PA on 21Mar00, but fewer prisoners released than originally anticipated by Pns.

13Sept: Final status talks open at Erez, b/w Mahmud Abbas & David Levy.

27Nov: 20 leading WBnkers & Gazans (inc ‘Abd al-Jawad Salih, Bassam Shak‘a, Hussam Khadr, ‘Abd al-Sattar Qasem, Adnan Odeh, ‘Adil Samara) sign a petition, ‘The Homeland Calls Us’, damning the Oslo process & ‘Arafat’s leadership. PA imprisons 8 of the signatories; one (Mu'awiya Masri) is shot in the leg; Salih is assaulted by PA intelligence officers.

15Dec: Formal peace talks b/w Syr (represented by FM Faruq al-Shara) & Isr recommence after a 3.5yr suspension.

17Dec: SCR1284: civilians sanctions will be suspended on Iq if Iq complies with the new inspection body, UNMOVIC, for a 120-day period.

29Dec: Reconciliation b/w Qatar & Bahrain, w visit of Qatari emir to Bahrain (reciprocated on 6Jan00) & agreement to exchange ambassadors.

2000

7-8Feb: Following successful Hizbullah attacks on Isri soldiers in occupied Lebanon, Isr again launches attacks, wh destroy 2 power stations & injure 20.

18Feb: Parliamentary elections in Iran. Major gains for the Left, under the pro-Khatami Mosharekat (Participation Front): won 170/290 seats, w conservatives winning 44.

22Mar: 1st tour of ME by the Pope since 1964; visits Bhem, Dhayshah camp, and Jlem.

26Mar: Unsuccessful meeting b/w Asad & Clinton in Geneva in attempt to reach a final agreement.

23May: Hizbullah launch concerted attack on occupied South Lebanon; the majority of the SLA surrenders or seeks refugee in Israel, and the IDF, who Barak claimed would withdraw by 7Jul, rapidly evacuate the zone (killing 8 Lebanese on the way). Hizbullah is in full control of the zone by 24May. 25May is proclaimed as Lnese Natl Liberation Day.

10Jun: Hafiz al-Asad dies of a heart attack. Parliament is immediately convened to amend the constitutional provision that a president must be at least 40, so that his son, Bashar (34), can succeed him.

11-25Jul: Camp David summit b/w Barak, Clinton & ‘Arafat; in line w US non-paper, Barak offers to relinquish control of Jlem’s Nn suburbs (Shufat, Bayt Hanina &c), and “shared s-ty” (under Isri overall control, devolved powers to Pn bodies) over areas w/in Jordn Jlem boundaries (inc Shaykh Jarrar, Wadi‘ al-Jawz); “religious s-ty” over Haram & “autonomy” over Xian & Muslim quarters of Old City. ‘Arafat offers territorial swaps, inc allowing main Jewish settlements to remain. No agreement reached.

4Sept: Rafiq Hariri is returned as PM of Lebanon.

28Sept: Ariel Sharon takes 1000 Isri soldiers onto Haram al-Sharif. 5 Pn protestors are killed by Isri soldiers (29Sept); Fr TV films 12yr old Md al-Durrah being killed at Netzarim (30Sept). W/in 1wk, over 50 Pns are killed. Isri police storm Haram (6Oct). SCR 1322 condemns Isri disproportionate force (7Oct). 3 Isri soldiers captured by Hizbullah at contested border area (10Oct), & Isr bombs S.Leb for 1st time since May. 2 Isr soldiers straying into Ramallah are lynched at the police station; Isr responds by bombing PA offices & police stations in Ramallah, Jericho & Gaza, & ‘Arafat’s residence in Gaza (12Oct); death toll now stands at 90 Pns, 4 Isris. Ceasefire agreed at Sharm al-Shaykh conference (17Oct). Approx 315 Pns (inc 13 in Isr) killed by end of yr, inc 66 children; 37 Isris killed.

8Nov: Egyn parliamentary elections completed, in reasonably fair circumstances (overseen by judiciary): Muslim Brotherhood win 17 seats (up from only 1 seat in previous Pt), to constitute the largest oppn faction. At the same time, 15 Ikhwan leaders are tried & jailed for belonging to the org (19Nov). Brotherhood go on to win landslide in elections to Egyn bar (25Feb01).

10Dec: Due to loss of coalition partners, Barak calls new elections in Isr.

16Dec: Bashar al-Asad grants amnesty to 600 pol prisoners in Syr.

2001

Conflict continues b/w Isris & Pns: repeated assassinations of Pn leaders (inc Thabet Thabet, a leading Pn health official on 31Dec00; Massud Ayad, a Force 17 officer in Gaza, 13 Feb; Mahmud al-Madani, a Hamas leader in Nablus on 19 Feb), random Isri attacks & bombardment from helicopter gunships & sea. Pn bus driver also kills 7 soldiers & 1 civilian in Tel Aviv (14Feb). US veto draft SCR creating an intl observer force in the WBG; the 4 WEu Sts abstain (28Mar). Isr launches ground assaults on refugee camps, eg attack on Khan Yunis camp on 11Apr wh destroyed 30 homes & killed 2 Pns. Isr begins temporary occupations of parts of WBG put under the control of the PA, starting w 24 hr occupation of Bayt Hanun on 17Apr (repeated twice w/in 3 days); coupled w air raids on a Syr radar post in Lebanon, wh killed 2 Syr soldiers (17Apr). Further invasion & attack on Rafah camp (2May). Report of intl commission led by former US senator George Mitchell calls for a halt to all Isri settlement building, & greater PA control over its security forces (leaked on 5May) - accepted by PLO, rejected by Isr. After Isr shoots dead 5 Pn policemen (some of whom were asleep at the time) at a checkpt nr Ramallah (14May), and a suicide bomb in Netanya kills 5 Isris, purportedly in revenge by Hamas (18May), Isr F16 planes immediately launch air attacks on WBG, killing 12 in Nablus & Ramallah – Isr’s 1st use of warplanes against WB since 1967. W Sharon declaring a “ceasefire” on the release of the Mitchell report (22May), a suicide bomb kills 20 Isri teenagers outside a disco in Tel Aviv (1Jun). Thru mediation of head of CIA, George Tenet, a joint ceasefire is declared (13Jun); but w suicide bomb in Binyamina that kills 2 soldiers (17Jul), Isr moves heavy armour around the PA areas in the WBnk & steps up its assassination campaign, bombing the office of Jamal al-Mansur in Nablus, killing him, 3 other Hamas officials, 2 journalists & 2 children outside (31Jul). Hamas respond w a suicide bomb on a central Jlem pizzeria that kills 15 (9 Aug); Isr responds by seizing Orient House, bombing Ramallah police HQ (both 10Aug), & invading Jenin to destroy the police station (14Aug); followed by invasion of Hebron (23Aug). Isr kill Abu Ali Mustafa by bombing his office in Ramallah (27Aug).

21Jan: talks begin b/w Pn & Isri negotiators at Taba, Egy; Isr increases territorial offer, Pns submit a draft article on refugees (& Isr provides a “private response”), but Barak calls talks off on 28Jan in time for Isri election.

31Jan: ‘Abd al-Basset al-Megrahi, is convicted at Camp Zeist trial for the Lockerbie bombing; sentenced to life imprisonment but launches appeal. Co-defendant, al-Amin Fahima, is found not guilty & is released.

6Feb: Ariel Sharon wins 60% of the vote in the Isri prime ministerial election.

14Feb: referendum in Bahrain accepts a new, democratic constitution. 289 pol prisoners were released earlier that month.

16Feb: US & UK planes bomb suburbs of Baghdad, for the first time since Dec98; intl condemnation of the strikes.

22-29Apr: Around 50 Berbers killed in Alg Kabylia in a week of protests & conflicts w police, starting w an unexplained death in police custody on anniversary of Berber spring (1980).

8Jun: Md Khatami is reelected President of Iran, winning 77% of the vote (up from 1997) & 51% of the electorate (unchanged).

22Jun: Turkey's Constitutional Court outlaws the Virtue Party, the largest oppn gp and successor to the Welfare Party (outlawed in Jan98).