Reuters North American News Service, January 8th, 2008
Jan 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush visits
Israel and the occupied West Bank this week to try to shore up
fragile peace talks launched at a conference in Annapolis,
Maryland, six weeks ago.
Here is a timeline of events in Middle East peacemaking:
March 26, 1979 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign peace treaty to end 30 years
of war.
Dec 1987 - First Palestinian uprising, or Intifada, starts.
Sept 13, 1993 - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin trade historic handshake at Bill
Clinton's White House, sealing Oslo Accords outline for limited
Palestinian self-rule in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
July 1, 1994 - Arafat returns to Gaza Strip after 27 years
in exile.
Oct 26, 1994 - Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan sign peace
treaty ending 46 years of war.
Nov 4, 1995 - Rabin assassinated by ultra-nationalist Jew.
July 25, 2000 - Camp David peace summit, brokered by
Clinton, breaks down after two weeks of talks between Arafat and
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Sept 28, 2000 - Second Palestinian Intifada erupts after
Israeli opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, visits Jerusalem's
Temple Mount, revered by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif.
Jan 21, 2001 - Barak launches talks at Egyptian Red Sea
resort of Taba in last-ditch effort to reach peace with
Palestinians before February Israeli election. Talks end without
deal and Labour's Barak loses election to right-winger Sharon.
April 30, 2003 - "Road map" for peace drafted by the Middle
East Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, the
United Nations and Russia.
Nov 11, 2004 - Arafat dies in Paris. Mahmoud Abbas takes
over as head of Palestine Liberation Organisation and becomes
Palestinian president after landslide election.
Feb 8, 2005 - Sharon and Abbas declare ceasefire at summit
in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Sept 12, 2005 - Israel pulls troops and settlers out of Gaza
Strip after 38 years of occupation.
Jan 4, 2006 - Sharon suffers stroke and Ehud Olmert succeeds
the comatose leader, later winning elections.
Jan 25, 2006 - Islamist Hamas wins parliamentary election,
prompting Western sanctions and factional fighting with Abbas's
Fatah, even after March 2007 formation of unity government.
June 14, 2007 - Hamas beats Fatah in Gaza fighting. Abbas
dismisses Hamas premier and names Fatah-backed administration.
July 16, 2007 - U.S. President George W. Bush calls for
Middle East peace conference bringing together Israel, the
Palestinians and Arab states.
Nov 27, 2007 - Abbas and Olmert agree at conference in
Annapolis, Maryland, to immediately restart peace talks with a
goal of reaching a deal on Palestinian statehood by end 2008.
Dec 4, 2007 - Israel unveils plans to build new homes on
occupied land in East Jerusalem, drawing fire from Palestinians
and rare rebuke from United States.
Dec 12, 2007 - Israelis and Palestinians open talks in
discord over settlement building and security.
(Editing by Diana Abdallah)
