Israel has a rich history going back over 5,000 years.

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BRIEF HISTORY:

Israel's brief history spans millennia, from Abraham's covenant, through ancient Israelite kingdoms, periods of Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman rule, culminating in the modern State's declaration in 1948, following the British Mandate and UN Partition Plan, sparking wars with Arab neighbors and ongoing conflict, alongside waves of Jewish immigration especially after WWII and significant territorial shifts after wars such as the 1967 Six-Day War.

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• Patriarchs:  The narrative begins with Abraham, considered the father of the Israelites and revered by Christians (the Father of Faith) and Moslems (Abraham the Patriarch), connecting Jews to the land.   

• Dates:  Judaism began about 1200 BCE in Judea, Christianity began about 1 CE in Nazareth in Judea, Islam began about 610 CE in Mecca.

• United Monarchy: Around 1000 BCE, the kingdoms of Israel (north) and Judah (south) emerged under kings David and Solomon. 

• Balfour Declaration /1917: Britain has control and supported a Jewish national home in the area known as Palestine which was under Ottoman Empire rule from 1517 to 1917. 

• Post-WWI / 1922: The League of Nations Mandate for Palestine was to facilitate Zionist immigration and development, incorporating the Balfour Declaration. 

• Post-WWII & UN / 1947: Britain handed the issue to the UN, which proposed partition in 1947 creating Israel and Jordan. 

• Independence /1948: David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence on May 14, 1948.

• 1948 War: Attack on the new State of Israel by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. Israel won, establishing its borders.  

• 1967 Six-Day War:  Attack on Israel resulting in Israel capturing Judea & Samaria (the West Bank) from Jordan, Gaza from Egypt, Sinai from Egypt, and Golan Heights from Syria. 

• Yom Kippur War / October 6, 1973 - Arab coalition lead by Egypt and Syria with support from Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Cuba, and Pakistan as well as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait who launched a surprise attack on Israel on the Jewish holiest day of the year.​

• Peace: Treaties that brought a 'cold peace' and a recognition of Israel are established with Egypt (1979 - Israel gives the Sinai Desert to Egypt in exchange for peace) and Jordan (1994 - Israel gives water support and economic cooperation as well as Jordan's special role as custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem as well as confirming the Jordan River as the boundary). 

• Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza / 2005: Israel unilaterally withdrew all Israeli residents (almost 10,000) from the Gaza Strip area leaving a thriving agriculture infrastructure including modern greenhouses which were immediately destroyed by the Gazans and subsequently in 2007 Hamas was elected to govern Gaza. 

• October 6, 2023 - Gazans launch a surprise attack on the residents of neighboring towns and the attendees of the Nova Music Festival, resulting in the deaths of over 1200 Israelis and international visitors as well as over 250 kidnapped for ransom.

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