The Middle East: ottomans to Arab spring

summarised timeline form 1908-2011

1904

Najib Azuri founded ‘League of Arab Nation society’.

1908

oil discovered in Iran

1913

Arab nationalist conference in Paris.

1915

McMahon-hussein letters

1916

Sykes-picot

1916-19

Arab revolt against the Ottomans

1917

Balfour declaration

1919

treaty of Versailles and mandates granted

1920

San Remo conference

1921

Faisal made king of Iraq

Violence in Jaffa and Tel Aviv

1922

Britain's mandate over Palestine formally came into effect.

Egypt treaty of ‘independence’

1923

Treaty of Lausanne

1929

Palestinian riots and violence in Jerusalem

Hebron massacre (69 jews killed)

Jewish Agency est.

1933

Faisal dies, succeeded by son Ghazi, far less authoritative.

1936

Treaty of preferential alliance (EG and BR)

Arab higher committee est.

1936-9

Arab Rebellion

1937

Peel commission recommended partition of palestine

1938

Nuri al-Said became PM of Iraq pro-BR and conservative.

1939

British gov White paper

1942

Biltmore declaration in support for Zionists

Increased persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany

1943

National Pace made upon Lebanons independence

1945

Formation of Arab League

1946

Attack on King David hotel in Jerusalem

1947

Hanging of two British soldiers by Irgun

The Exodus prevented from landing in Palestine

UN partition plan

1947-1948 war

Civil War in palestine

1948

declaration of new state of Israel

Plan D

Deir Yassin

1948-9

First Arab-Israeli war

1952

King of Egypt overthrown by Free Officers coup.

1953

Egypt declared a republic

Mossadeq coup in Iran

Qibya massacre

1954

Nasser became president of EG

1955

ISR attack on Gaza (5 fedayeen killed). raid on Gaza Strip in retaliation.

CZ arms deal.

Baghdad Pact formed.

1956

Nationalisation of Suez Canal and Suez crisis

1957

Eisenhower doctrine

Treaty of Solidarity (EG, Syria, Jordan, SA)

1958

Formation of the United Arab Republic (UAR)

Iraqi coup, became a republic, withdrew from Baghdad pact. DIDNT JOIN UAR

1959

Fatah set up

1960

Formation of OPEC.

1961

End of UAR after Syrian army coup

1962-70

Yemeni Civil War → Saudi Arabia supported the royalists while Egypt backed the republicans.

1963

Iran Shah’s ‘White revolution’

1964

PLO est. in Cairo

1965

Fatah carried out its first raid on ISR

1966

EG signed a defence agreement with Syria

1967

Jordan signed agreement with EG, so involved in 6DW.

6 Day War.

UN resolution 242

1968

Ba’athists seized power in Iraq

1969

Arafat became chairman of the PLO

War of attrition between EG and ISR.

1970

Death of Nasser and rise of Sadat as President of Egypt (Egypt-First policy)

Swiss plane blown up on route to ISR.

PLO expelled from Jordan ‘Black September’

Hafiz al-Assad seized power of Syria

1972

Munich massacre at the Olympic Games

Sadat expelled soviet advisers from Egypt

1973

October war

Arab OPEC oil embargo

1974

Arafat speech to UN

1975-90

Lebanese civil war

1977

Sadat flew to ISR.

1978

Camp David Agreement between Egypt and Israel

ISR invasion of Lebanon after PLO attacked bus near Tel Aviv, killing 37 people.

1979

Treaty of Washington and Egypt expelled from Arab league

Saddam hussein became president of Iraq

Islamic revolution in Iran

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and emergence of Al-Qaeda

MB attacked military academy in Aleppo killing 250. (Syria)

1980-8

iran-Iraq War

1981

Assassination of Anwar Sadat

Coptic pope Shenouda placed under house arrest

1982

Syrian army attack on Hama → large-scale massacre of the Muslim Brotherhood. 40,000 casualties.

ISR invasion of Lebanon.

Attempted assassination on ISR ambassador in LDN

16-18 sept: Sabra and Shatila massacres following assassination of pro-ISR PM. 800-3500 died.

1987-91

Start of 1st Palestinian intifada

1988

Hamas formed

Saddam hussein attacked Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing 12,000.

1989

Egypt readmitted to the Arab League.

1990

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

1991

First gulf War.

1992

May - armed assailant killed 13 christians in separate incidents

1993 and 1995

oslo accords

1994

Israel-jordan peace treaty

1995

PM Rabin assassinated due to peace with PLO. 1

1996

Netanyahu elected as PM. Gave go-ahead for building of 6500 new homes in E. Jerusalem.

ISR bombed Hezbollah bases in S. Lebanon.

1997

Feb → 3 masked gunman open fire on youth meeting in coptic church. 9 died.

1998

al-Qaeda called on Muslims to liberate PALs

19 suicide bombers (al-qaeda) attacked US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 12 US diplomats.

1999

Ehud barak PM → More moderate

2000

Camp David peace negotiations

beginning of the second intifada after Ariel Sharon visited Temple Mount with hundreds of armed guards.

ISR removed last troops from Lebanon

Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father.

2001

9/11

US attack on Afghanistan, beginning of ‘War on Terror’

Feb → Church and 35 coptic christian houses set on fire.

2002

29 ISR killed in HAMAS suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

2003

Bush’s road map to peace

US invasion of Iraq: Second Gulf War.

ISR began to build wall around WB.

2004

death of Yasser Arafat, succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas as leader of the Palestinian Authority.

2005

Al-Qaeda launched explosions in 3 hotel lobbies in Amman, Jordan on 9 Nov. 60 deaths.

Lebanese PM Rafik Hadidi assassinated in a car bomb attack. (at odds with Hezbollah).

2006

ISR invasion of Lebanon and following war between ISR and Hezbollah

HAMAS victory in PAL elections

2008

3 week War in Gaza

ISR forces sealed Gaza border

2009

Netanyahu reelected, building of settlements accelerated. ISR effectively blocked any further discussion of a future PAL state.

2011

Last US troops left Iraq

Arab Spring → SA sent troops to Bahrain for fear of Shia uprising.

Syrian civil war → Bashar al-Assad supported by Iran, Sunni rebel groups supported by Saudi Arabia.

1 jan, car bomb detonated outside church in Alexandria, 21 died. 6-7 Jan Christian mass: Muslim shields.