State of Israel

State · 1948–2026 CE · at its largest around 1967 CE

A Jewish state in the eastern Mediterranean, proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion on the expiry of the British Mandate in 1948. Its founding led to war with neighbouring Arab states and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

On its lands while it lasted

David Ben-Gurion (1886 CE – 1973 CE): Zionist leader who proclaimed the State of Israel in 1948 and served as its first prime minister.
British Mandate for Palestine (1920–1948 CE): Britain administered Palestine under a League of Nations mandate that included the Balfour Declaration's commitment to a Jewish national home, amid growing Arab–Jewish conflict.
Palestinian exodus of 1948 (1947–1949 CE): About 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1947–1949 war, an event Palestinians call the Nakba ('catastrophe').
Declaration of the State of Israel (1948 CE): David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel in Tel Aviv on 14 May 1948 as the British Mandate ended, followed by war with neighbouring Arab states.
1948 Arab–Israeli War (1948–1949 CE): Arab states invaded after Israel's declaration of independence; Israel held and extended its territory, while Jordan and Egypt took the West Bank and Gaza.
Suez Crisis (1956 CE): After Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, Israel, Britain and France invaded; pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union forced them to withdraw.
Six-Day War (1967 CE): In June 1967 Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria and took the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights.
Yom Kippur War (1973 CE): Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli positions in Sinai and the Golan Heights; after early Arab gains, Israel counterattacked before a ceasefire.
First Intifada (1987–1993 CE): A Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, with mass protests, strikes and clashes, that lasted until the Oslo Accords.
Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995 CE): Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a signatory of the Oslo Accords, was assassinated in Tel Aviv by an Israeli extremist opposed to the peace process.
Second Intifada (2000–2005 CE): A Palestinian uprising and Israeli military response, marked by suicide bombings and military incursions, in which about 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis died.
Gaza war (2023 CE): Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages; Israel's military campaign in Gaza killed tens of thousands and caused vast destruction.