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Country Representatives Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - Andrea Campbell Silvan Shalom - Rachel Kong
Ariel Sharon
Silvan Shalom
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Maps
Israel
Israel and its Neighbours in the Middle East
Regional Threats to Israel |
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Country Profile Capital - Jerusalem Population
- 6,199,008 Head of Government - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Chief of State - President Moshe Katsav Area
- 20,770 sq km
Links
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israel, Palestine and the Occupied Territories
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Role in Simulation Disputes over land between Palestine and Israel have been ongoing constantly for decades. The land in question was taken from Israel some 2000 years ago, when Roman conquest resulted in the exile of all Jews from the Holyland. In 1948, the UN returned this land to Israel, and since then disputes over the territory have been ongoing. Despite Israeli cooperation in returning land given to them by the international community as well as land conquered during the many wars of the region, Palestinians are still unhappy and Israel is still trying to make peace with their hostile neighbours. Presently, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to take apart all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip as well as many settlements in the West Bank. He plans to present the pullout plan for approval on October 25th of this year, and to bring forth a bill for compensating the 8500 settlers who would be evacuated by this. The evacuation is to begin during the summer of 2005 and is estimated to last approximately twelve weeks. Sharon declared that evacuating all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank is necessary to return the diplomatic initiative to Israel. "It is essential for us to see that our friends, especially the United States, stand by us," Sharon said. After decades of building and expanding Jewish settlements in the region, Sharon announced last December that he was in favour of pulling all Jewish settlers out of Gaza. Israelis will still control Gaza air space, territorial waters and all boarder crossing points and will maintain their forces there. The Palestinians are not happy with this plan and still wish for full withdrawal. For decades, Israel has been cooperating and attempting to compromise with Palestinian officials to achieve peace in the region, but Palestinian leaders seemingly prefer conflict and casualties over compromise and peace.
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Timeline of Major Events in Recent History
1917 - Britain passes the Balfour Declaration, expresses support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. 1947 - UN proposes to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. May 1948 - The State of Israel Is Born 1948 - Arab League declares war. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq engage in fighting against Israel. 1949 - War ends with a treaty that establishes the boarders of Israel. 1951 - Egypt blocks Israel's access to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, damaging Israeli trade. 1951 - Palestinians attack Israel. 1956 - Israel invades Egypt's Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. 1965 - Arafat's Fatah Movement begins armed attacks against Israel. Israel responds with raids on Syria and Jordan. June 1967 - Six Days War: Egypt and Syrian mass forces on their borders with Israel. Israel captures Gaza Strip and the West Bank. September 1967 - UN passes Resolution 242, calling for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied in the Six-Day War. Israel felt that the withdrawal phrase in the Resolution was not meant to refer to a total withdrawal. 1969 - 1972 - War of Attrition: Israel is attacked by Egypt and other Arab neighbours. 1972 - 11 Israeli Olympians murdered in terrorist attacks 1973 - Yom Kippur War: Syria and Egypt attack Israel. Israel wins. 1974 - The UN removes Palestine's rights to statehood and sovereignty. 1978 - Camp David Accords: Israel and Egypt sign peace agreement. 1982 - Lebanon War: Israel launches defensive strike against Lebanon to remove terrorist group Palestine Liberation Organization, who had been carrying out attacks on Israel. 1989 - Israel proposes comprehensive peace initiative. 1993 - Oslo Peace Accords: Peace treaty, proposing self-rule to be phased over several years in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, signed between Israel and the PLO. 1994 - Israeli-Jordanian Peace Agreement signed 1994 - Israel withdraws troops from Jericho and Gaza Strip following the peace agreement. 1995 - Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel sign a second peace accord, expanding Palestinian self-rule to almost all Palestinian towns and refugee camps in the West Bank. 1995 - Israel pulls out of six cities on the West Bank. 1995 - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated 2000 - Israel withdraws troops from the security zone in Lebanon. 2000 - Israel offers Palestine 94% of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, part of East Jerusalem and the unification of thousands of Palestinian families. Palestine rejected this offer. 2000 - Palestinians react to Israeli peace offerings with violence. Palestinian militia attacks Israeli citizens. Palestine releases convicted terrorists who immediately engage in terrorist activity against Israel. 2001 - Israel offers Palestine nearly 100% of the occupied land, most of East Jerusalem and provide framework for deal on refugees. Palestine rejects this offer, continue the violence against Israel. 2001 - Ariel Sharon is elected as Prime Minister. 2001 - Palestinian forces bomb civilian town in Israel. In retaliation, Israel attacks Palestinian targets but withdraws within 24 hours. 2001 - Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel occur, killing dozen. 2002 - Israel announces that any new Palestinian attacks will be countered with the reoccupation of Palestinian land. 2004 - Israel announces plan to dismantle the Israeli settlements on the Gaza Strip. |
Israel in Pictures
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
City of Jerusalem
Gaza
Palestinian Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens in Jerusalem
Palestinian rioters burning Israeli flag, screaming "Death to Jews!"
Scene of Suicide Bombing in Busy Israeli Market |
