1948

• State of Israel proclaimed. 600,000 Jews in the land. (5 Iyar 5708 – - 14 May 1948)

• End of British Mandate – 14 May

• Israel invaded by five Arab states (15 May)

• War of Independence (May 1948 – July 1949)

• Israel Defence Forces (IDF) established

• Armistice agreements signed with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

• Jerusalem divided under Israeli and Jordanian rule.

• First Government – David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister (7 Adar 5709 — 8 March 1949)

1st Government

1949

• Israel admitted to United Nations as 59th member.

1948 – 52

• Mass immigration from Europe and Arab countries.

1950

• Jordan Annexes the West Bank — (7 Iyar 5710 — 24 April 1950)

• Second Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (20 Heshvan 5711 – - 30 October 1950)

1951

• Third Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (8 Tishrei 5712 — 8 October 1951)

1952

• Fourth Government – David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (4 Tevet 5713 — 22 December 1952)

1954

• Fifth Government — Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister — (22 Shevat 5714 — 26 January 1954)

1955

• Sixth Government — Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister — (9 Tammuz 5715 — 29 June 1955)

• Seventh Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (18 Heshvan 5716 — 3 November 1955)

7th Government

1956

• Sinai Campaign

1958

• Eighth Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (15 Tevet 5718 — 7 January 1958)

1959

• Ninth Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (16 Kislev 5720 — 17 December 1959)

1961

• Tenth Government — David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister — (23 Heshvan 5722 — 2 November 1961)

1962

• Adolf Eichmann tried and executed in Israel for his key part in the Holocaust.

1963

• Eleventh Government — Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister — (4 Tammuz 5723 — 26 June 1963)

• Twelveth Government — Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister — (17 Tevet 5725 — 22 December 1963)

12th Government

1964

• National Water Carrier completed, bringing water from Lake Kinneret in the North to the semi-arid South.

1966

• Thirteenth Government — Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister — (20 Tevet 5726 — 2 January 1966)

1967

• Six-Day War, Jerusalem liberated and reunited.

1968 – 70

• Egypt’s War of Attrition against Israel

1969

• Fourteenth Government — Golda Meir, Prime Minister — (27 Adar 5729 — 17 March 1969)

• Fifteenth Government — Golda Meir, Prime Minister — (6 Tevet 5730 — 15 December 1969)

15th Government

1973

• Yom Kippur War

1974

• Sixteenth Government — Golda Meir, Prime Minister — (16 Adar 5734 — 10 March 1974)

• Seventeenth Government — Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister — (13 Sivan 5734 — 3 June 1974)

17th Government

1975

• Israel becomes an associate member of the European Common Market.

1977

• Eighteenth Government — Menahem Begin, Prime Minister — (4 Tammuz 5737 — 20 June 1977)

• Visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem.

1978

• Camp David Accords & framework

• Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed.

1979

• Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

1981

• Nineteenth Government — Menahem Begin, Prime Minister — (5 Av 5741 — 5 August 1981)

• Israel Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor just before it is to become operative.

• Israel’s three-stage withdrawal from Sinai completed.

1982

• Operation Peace for Galilee removes PLO terrorists from Lebanon.

1983

• Twentieth Government — Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister — (3 Heshvan 5744 — 10 October 1983)

1984

• Twenty-First Government — Shimon Peres, Prime Minister — (16 Elul 5744 — 13 September 1984)

• Operation Moses, Immigration of Jews from Ethiopia

1985

• Free Trade Agreement signed with United States.

1986

• Twenty-Second Government — Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister — (17 Tishrei 5747 — 20 October 1986)

1987

• Widespread violence from Arab terrorists starts in Israel.

1988

• Twenty-Third Government — Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister — (14 Tevet 5749 — 22 December 1988)

• Four-point peace initiative proposed by Israel.

1989

• Start of mass immigration of Jews from former Soviet Union.

1990

• Twenty-Fourth Government — Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister — (18 Sivan 5750 — 11 June 1990)

1991

• Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf war.

• Operation Solomon, airlift of Jews from Ethiopia.

• Diplomatic relations established with China and India.

1992

• Twenty-Fifth Government — Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister — (12 Tammuz 5752 — 13 July 1992)

1993

• Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements for the Palestinian Arabs signed by Israel and PLO.

• Implementation of Palestinian Arab self-government in Gaza Strip and Jericho area.

• Full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

• Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed.

1994

• Rabin, Peres, Arafat awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

• Prime Minister Rabin assassinated at peace rally.

1995

• Twenty-Sixth Government — Shimon Peres, Prime Minister — (29 Heshvan 5756 — 22 November 1995)

• Arab terrorism against Israel escalates.

• Operation Grapes of Wrath, retaliation for Hezbollah terrorists’ attacks on northern Israel.

• Trade representation offices set up in Oman and Qatar.

1996

• Twenty-Seventhth Government –

  Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister –
  (1 Tammuz 5756 — 18 June 1996)

1997

• Hebron Protocol signed by Israel and the Palestinian Arabs

1998

• Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary.

1999

• Twenty-Eighth Government — Ehud Barak, Prime Minister — (3 Sivan 5759 — 18 May 1999)

2000

• Arafat rejects President Clinton’s effort to achieve peace after generous offer by PM Barak

• Arafat starts intensive terrorism against Israeli civilians

2001

• Twenty-Ninth Government — Ariel Sharon – Prime Minister — (12 Adar 5761 — 7 March 2001)

2003

• Thirtieth Government — Ariel Sharon – Prime Minister — (26 Adar I 5763 — 28 February 2003)

2005

• Israel evacuates all Jewish communities in Gaza.

• Palestinian infighting starts

• Kassam rockets from Gaza attack Israel on regular basis.

2006

• PM Sharon incapacitated by massive stroke, Olmert takes over as PM.

• Hamas won election for the Palestinian Arabs.

• Hezbollah war in Lebanon, massive rocket attacks on Israeli civilians in Northern Israel

• Thirty-First Government — Ehud Olmert – Prime Minister — (6 Iyar 5766 — 4 May 2006)

2008

• Operation Hot Winter launched on February 29, 2008 in response to Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian Arabs.

2009

• Thirty-Second Government — Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister –
  (6 Nisan 5768 — 31 March 2009)

2013

• Thirty-Third Government — Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister –
  (8 Nisan 5773 — 18 March 2013)