| 1996 |
| 18 June |
Prime Minister Netanyahu presents his government to the Knesset and wins approval by a vote of 62 to 50. |
| 26 June |
Three IDF soldiers are killed and two wounded in an ambush near Naaran in the Jordan Valley. |
| 2 July |
Israeli jets bomb a base of Abu Moussas Palestine National Liberation Movement in Lebanon. |
| 3 July |
Israel eases the closure on the territories. |
| 9 July |
Prime Minister Netanyahu holds talks in Washington with President Clinton. |
| 10 July |
Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the U.S. Congress, saying Israel will gradually ease its dependence on U.S. economic aid. |
| 21 July |
The bodies of two IDF soldiers missing since the 1982 war in Lebanon are returned to Israel. Israel and the SLA release 45 Hizbullah prisoners and return the bodies of 123 terrorists killed by the IDF over the years. |
| 23 July |
French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette meets Palestinian officials in Jerusalem.
Israel further eases the closure on the territories.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy holds talks with PA Chairman Arafat, the first member of the Netanyahu government to do so.
Eleven Palestinians are arrested attempting to smuggle arms across the Dead Sea. |
| 26 July |
Two Israeli civilians are killed in an ambush near Beit Shemesh. President Clinton denies clemency to Jonathan Pollard. |
| 2 August |
The cabinet decides to terminate the freeze on construction in Judea-Samaria and Gaza placed by the previous government. |
| 6 August |
An IDF soldier is killed in southern Lebanon by Hizbullah shelling. |
| 8 August |
The five-nation committee monitoring the Israel-Hizbullah cease-fire in Lebanon holds its first meeting in Naqura. |
| 11 August |
Oman opens a trade office in Tel Aviv, becoming the seventh Arab state to have an official presence in Israel.
IDF soldiers kill three Hizbullah terrorists in the southern Lebanon security zone. |
| 14 August |
Talks between Israel and the PA resume after eight months suspension. |
| 19 August |
Palestinian police fire on an Israeli Arab near Tulkarm in area C. |
| 20 August |
In a test, an Arrow 2 missile successfully intercepts and destroys a target missile. |
| 21 August |
Israel shuts down two offices of Arafats Force 17 militia in El Izariyah near Jerusalem, citing violation of the Oslo Accords. |
| 25 August |
PA officials tell Israel that they have shut down three affiliated offices in East Jerusalem. |
| 28 August |
An Israeli bus is attacked on the Hebron bypass road, two passengers are wounded.
Arafat calls for non-violent protests against Israel. |
| 29 August |
An IDF soldier is killed in southern Lebanon. |
| 1 September |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy meets President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Amr Moussa in Alexandria. |
| 2 September |
It is revealed that secret contacts have been taking place between Israeli officials and PA leaders since mid-August under the auspices of Terje Larsen of Norway.
Egypt threatens to cancel the November regional economic summit in Cairo if no agreement on a Hebron timetable is achieved. |
| 4 September |
Netanyahu and Arafat meet for the first time at Erez Checkpoint. Both reiterate their commitment to implementing the 1995 Interim Agreement. |
| 5 September |
Speaking to the Likud Central Committee, Netanyahu vows to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. |
| 8 September |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy holds talks in London. |
| 9 September |
Israel and Jordan agree to open consulates in Aqaba and in Eilat. Israel and the PA Steering Committee meet in Jericho for the first time since June and agree to renew work of its civil, economic and security sub-committees. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Clinton meet in London. |
| 14 September |
IDF monitors Syrian troop movement in Lebanon. |
| 15 September |
Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo warn Israel they would freeze ties if no progress is achieved in the peace process. They call on Qatar, Oman, Tunisia and Morocco to re-examine their ties with Israel. |
| 18 September |
Defense Minister Mordechai and PA Chairman Arafat meet at Erez Checkpoint. The Civil Administration approves plans for the building of 3000 homes in Judea and Samaria. |
| 16-19 September |
U.S. Coordinator Dennis Ross holds talks in the region. |
| 21 September |
President Mubarak accuses Prime Minister Netanyahu of failing to keep his promise to move on the Hebron accord. |
| 22 September |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy complains to Egypts ambassador about hostile remarks by Egyptian leaders.
Qatars Minister of Foreign Affairs says his country postponed its decision to open a trade office in Israel. |
| 23 September |
Israel opens a new exit to the Western Wall tunnel. Prime Minister Netanyahu announces this in London. This triggers off a wave of Palestinian violence in the areas and in Jerusalem. |
| 23-27 September |
In a wave of violence 14 Israelis and 56 Palestinians are killed in clashes. In a press conference Netanyahu accused the PA of instigating and organizing the disturbances. President Clinton hints at a Netanyahu-Arafat summit in Washington. |
| 28 September |
The UN Security Council adopts a resolution condemning Israel for opening the tunnel. The U.S. abstained in the vote, which was carried by 14-0. |
| 29 September |
Netanyahu and King Hussein accept a Clinton invitation for a five-party summit in Washington. Netanyahu says Israel wants to speed up the pace of the peace talks. |
| 30 September |
EU foreign ministers call on Netanyahu to accede to Palestinian demands in Washington. |
| 1-2 October |
Clinton holds bilateral talks with Netanyahu, Arafat and King Hussein. |
| 6-7 October |
Secretary of State Christopher visits Israel. Israel and the PA resume negotiations at Erez Checkpoint. |
| 8 October |
President Weizman hosts Yasser Arafat at his Caesarea home. |
| 13 October |
Israel raises the number of Palestinian workers in Israel to 35,000 from 14,000. |
| 14 October |
President Weizman visits Cairo for a meeting with President Mubarak. |
| 15 October |
King Hussein holds talks with Arafat in Jericho. |
| 21-22 |
October President Chirac visits Israel. |
| 25 October |
The cabinet issues a list of 10 major Palestinian violations of the Oslo Accords. |
| 28 October |
The European Union nominates Ambassador Miguel Angel Moratinos as its special envoy to the Middle East. |
| 31 October |
Visit to Israel of Foreign Minister Primakov of the Russian Federation. |
| 3 November |
Visit to Israel of Britains Foreign Secretary Rifkind. |
| 6 November |
Azzam Azzam, an Israeli Druze working in an Israeli-Egyptian plant in Cairo, is arrested and charged with spying for Israel.
President Weizman holds talks in Amman with King Hussein. |
| 7 November |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy meets President Mubarak in Cairo. |
| 12-14 November |
The Third Middle East/North Africa Economic Conference is held in Cairo. Israel is represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy, Minister of Finance Meridor and Minister of Industry and Trade Sharansky. |
| 19-20 November |
Donor states to the PA meet in Paris. |
| 2 December |
Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the Conference of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Lisbon. |
| 8 December |
The U.S. and Egypt draft a document to serve as a basis for a Hebron Agreement. |
| 9 December |
In a phone conversation, Prime Minister Netanyahu asks President Mubarak to influence the PA to break the deadlock in the Hebrontalks. |
| 11 December |
Two Israeli civilians are killed by terrorists near Ramallah. |
| 13 December |
The Government reinstates financial subsidies to all settlements in the territories. |
| 19 December |
Secretary of State Christopher announces the dispatch of Dennis Ross to the region. He holds talks in Jerusalem, Gaza and Cairo.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy meets in Amman with King Hussein. |
| 24 December |
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Arafat hold talks in Erez.
Minister of Defense Mordechai meets President Mubarak in Hurghada on the Red Sea. |
| 29 December |
Minister of Defense Mordechai meets with Arafat in Erez. |
| 30 December |
Dennis Ross visits the region again. |
| 1997 |
| 5 January |
Netanyahu and Arafat meet again in Erez. |
| 12 January |
King Hussein visits Gaza and Tel Aviv for talks with Arafat and Netanyahu. |
| 15 January |
After a Netanyahu-Arafat meeting, the Hebron Protocol is initialed at 2 A.M. by Dan Shomron and Saeb Erekat. |
| 16 January |
The Knesset approves the Hebron Protocol by 87 to 17 (one abstention). The IDF completes its redeployment in Hebron. |
| 31 January |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy meets President Chirac in Paris. |
| 2 February |
Prime Minister Netanyahu attends an international economic summit in Davos, meets with Arafat. They agree to meet again in Erez on 6 February. |
| 11 February |
Israel releases 30 Palestinian women prisoners.
Visit to Israel of French Defense Minister Millon. |
| 13 February |
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Clinton meet in the White House. |
| 16 February |
Chinese Vice Premier Li Langquing visits Israel. |
| 23 February |
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets King Hussein in Amman. |
| 26 February |
Ministerial Committee on Jerusalem approves construction in Har Homa. |
| 25-26 February |
President Weizman pays a state visit to the United Kingdom. |
| 27 February |
Turkish Chief of Staff Karadayi visits Israel. |
| 13 March |
Seven Israeli school girls are killed in Naharayim by a Jordanian soldier.
The UN Security Council condemns Israel for its decision to build in Har Homa. |
| 16 March |
King Hussein pays a condolence call on the families of the Israeli girls slain in Naharayim. Later he holds talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem. |
| 20 March |
A suicide bomber blows himself up in a Tel Aviv cafe, killing three Israeli women and wounding 50. |
| 1 April |
An Arab League meeting calls on the Arab states to freeze ties with Israel. |
| 7 April |
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with President Clinton in the White House. |
| 15 April |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy participates in the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Ministers in Malta. |
| 30 April |
Turkish Defense Minister Tayan visits Israel. |
| 27 May |
Israel and Jordan sign a water agreement. |
| 16 July |
Minister of Defense Mordechai meets PA Coordinator Nabil Shaath. |
| 20 July |
The Director of Japans Defense Agency Kyuma visits Israel. |
| 27 July |
The Government decides to delay construction and settlement in Ras al Amud in Jerusalem. |
| 30 July |
Fourteen Israelis are killed in a suicide bomb attack in the Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda market. |
| 21 August |
Israel and Croatia establish diplomatic relations. |
| 4 September |
An Israeli sea-borne operation against Hizbullah in Lebanon fails. Eleven Israeli soldiers are killed. |
| 10 September |
Secretary of State Albright visits Israel. |
| 24 September |
An Israeli attempt to assassinate a top Hamas official in Amman fails. Israel releases Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in return for its agents. |
| 6 October |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy holds talks in Washington with PA Deputy Chairman Abu Mazen in an effort to revive the peace process. |
| 10 November |
Israel and the Holy See sign a Legal Personality Agreement. |
| 16 November |
Israel and Jordan sign an agreement on Irbid Industrial Zone. |
| 16-18 November |
Prime Minister Netanyahu visits the United States |
| 18 November |
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets King Hussein in London. |
| 3 December |
Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Possavalyuk visits Israel. |
| 22 December |
Chinas Foreign Minister Qian Quichen visits Israel. |