Counting Back to Oud Player On the Tel
and Beyond
This timeline was compiled by our research intern, Paloma Dean. It is in no way considered complete as history is expansive. But it is an opportunity to consider the events in this area of the world. If you would like to offer an edit or an event we missed, please send us an email.
History is always evolving
The dates below represent many, but not all, of the significant events taking us back in time from today to the beginning of monotheism.
2024
47th president of the United Stated is elected.
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In September, the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel escalate until Israel invades Lebanon in early October.
2023
Over three hundred American Jews and Pro-Palestinian allies protest in the US capital rotunda calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
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The October 7th massacre is the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust and marks the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
2022
Violence between Hamas and Israel reach new heights and 2022 becomes the bloodiest year on both sides since 2005.
2021
Evacuations and raids of the Al-Aqsa mosque by the IDF create tension between Israel and Hamas and over 200 die.
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The Biden administration mediates a truce and establishes US aid and communication with Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
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Protests break out in the town of Sheikh Jarrah over Israeli annexation of Palestinian land, these protests bring international attention to the longstanding issue of Israeli–settlers in the West Bank.​​
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2020
Israel announces it is repealing a plan to annex land in the West Bank and Morocco and Sudan agree to join Bahrain and the UAE in normalising diplomatic relations with Israel.
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The COVID-19 pandemic starts and the world grinds to a halt. over 61,000 people in Israel and Palestine get COVID-19 before the year is over.
2019
Tent of Nations, a Christian-Palestinian farm focusing on fostering communication and creating peace, invites 13,000 people from all over the world to build relationships and understanding in Israel-Palestine.
2018
The US embassy to Israel moves from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the US is the first country to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel after Israel occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem in 1967.
2017
Rabbi Arik Ascherman creates “Torah of Justice” an NGO using Jewish religious values to protect Palestinian rights in the West Bank.
2016
The current Hamas Government is formed as the third de facto Hamas government in Gaza.
2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retracts his 2009 support of the two-state-solution.
2014
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attempts to form a unity government with Hamas to gain influence and communication in Gaza, but these plans fall through and Hamas stays the sole governing body in Gaza.
2013
Direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine are held following an initiative by US Secretary of State John Kerry to restart the peace process.
2012
Hamas creates the second Hamas Government in Gaza, this is the first change in leadership in the strip since 2007 election, but no elections are had in Gaza.
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The UN grants Palestine the status of non-member observer state.
2009
Israel pledges to conditionally support the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.
2008
Israel completely blockades the Gaza Strip, sealing the border between the strip and Israel.
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Mahmoud Darwish, widely regarded as the national poet of Palestine, passes away after complications from surgery.
2007
Infighting breaks out between Hamas and Fatah, a faction of the PLO with a strong base in Gaza.
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Mahmoud Darwish criticises the infighting in Gaza.
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Israel declared the Gaza Strip under Hamas a hostile entity begins sanctions and border closures.
2006
Hamas wins the election in Gaza and refuses international demands to accept Israel's right to exist and denounce violence. This is the last election held in Gaza as of 2024.
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Rabbis for Human Rights, the Association for Civil Rights In Israel, and local Palestinian councils win a landmark court case requiring Israel to protect Palestinian access to all of their agricultural lands.
2005
The second intifada ends with a mutual truce between Israel and Palestine. However, Hamas, a growing force in the Gaza strip claims the truce is not binding for their members.
2004
The “All For Peace” radio station is founded to replace the “Voice of Peace” station. It is the first Palestinian-Israeli radio station with a mission to “have a positive role in resolving the conflict.”
2003
A tentative cease-fire is achieved between Palestinian, Israel and Palestinian rebel movements.
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The first peace talks around a new peace plan called the “Road Map for Peace” are held between Israel and Palestine, both parties say the violence had gone on for too long and that they were committed to peace.
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2002
Rabbis for Human Rights start a programme protecting Palestinian farmland during the harvest season.
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Construction on a barrier wall between the West Bank and Israel begins.
2001
Palestinian activist Huwaida Arraf founds the International Society Movement, a Palestinian movement advocating for nonviolence in the pursuit of peace.
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Daud Nassar turns his family farm into the Tent of Nations, an international meeting place with hope for a better future and the motto “We refuse to be enemies.
2000
The second Oslo negotiations fall apart during a negotiation summit at Camp David and the Second Intifada begins.
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Renowned Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai passes away.
1998
Rabbi Arik Ascherman becomes co-director of Rabbis for Human Rights.
1996
Elections are held in for the first time in Palestine.
1995
Former Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated, after his death he became hailed as a symbol of the peace movement in Israel.
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The second Oslo accords are signed, giving Palestine control over the West Bank and Gaza and defining arrangements for peace until 1999.
1994
Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) chairman Yasser Arafat, and Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres win the Nobel Peace prize for working towards peace between Israel and Palestine.
1993
Yeshayahu Leibowitz an controversial Israeli activist was nominated to win the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, but he withdrew his nomination for the prize to keep the peace in Israel.
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The first Oslo Accords occur, Israel recognises the PLO as the official governing body of the Palestinians and the PLO recognises Israel's right to exist in peace.
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1991
The Madrid peace conference was held between Palestine, Israel and other Arab countries as a way to revive Israel-Palestine peace talks this was the start of negotiations that ended with the first Oslo accord.
1989
The Holy Land Trust is created to continue the work of the Palestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence and work with Muslims, Jews, and Christians to create and keep peace in Israel-Palestine.
1988
Jordan renounces its claim to the West Bank and recognizes PLO as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”
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Palestine adopts the Declaration of Independence of the State of Palestine which was written by Mahmoud Darwish.
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Palestine National Council accepts UN resolutions towards peace in Israel-Palestine.
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Rabbis for Human Rights is founded.
1987
First “Intifada” begins in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
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Hamas is formed at the beginning of the Intifada as a militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza​.
1983
The Palestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence is created to gather and spread information about peace and nonviolent forms of resistance.
1982
The Israel-Lebanon war breaks out.
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Yeshayahu Leibowitz calls on Israeli IDF soldiers to conscientiously object to fighting in foreign land and not participate in the war.
1981
The Old City of Jerusalem is added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
1980
Israeli enacts Knesset ‘Basic Law’ on Jerusalem, proclaiming that all of Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
1979
Israel and Egypt sign a peace treaty—the first one between Israel and its neighbours–and normalise relations, Egypt will go on to become an important mediator in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
1978
The Camp David Accords are signed after 12 days of negotiation between Egypt and Israel presided over by US President Jimmy Carter
1977
Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai’s poem “Amen” is translated into English and gains worldwide attention
1975
Israeli PM Rabin signed the Sinai Interim Agreement with Egypt declaring that any conflict between the two countries will be settled through peaceful means
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1974
The UN General Assembly and the Arab League recognize the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
1973
Israeli peace activist creates “Voice for Peace” a radio station broadcasting music and calls for peace into Israel-Palestine.
1972
During the Munich Olympic games, the Israeli Olympic team was held hostage and killed by Palestinian gunmen.
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After the retaliations for the Munich Massacre, Yeshayahu Leibowitz calls for a cease of IDF and Mossad violence and a focus on peace and negotiation.
1970
Father Bruno Hussar, a dominican priest establishes the village of Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace), a place for Palestinians and Israelis to live and learn in harmony and peace.
1968
In response to the six day war, Yeshayahu Leibowitz publishes “The Territories” arguing against the conflict in Palestine and postulating a future where Israel's actions separate from Jewish values and the Jewish religion.
1967
The six day war—the third Arab-Israeli war—breaks out over trade tensions, this short war causes over 19,000 deaths and more than 400,000 displacements.
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Israel occupies the Palestinian section of Jerusalem.
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Mahmoud Darwish writes “A Soldier Dreams of White Lilies” – a Palestinian poem about an Israeli soldier dreaming of peace.
1966
Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “To My Mother” becomes an unofficial Palestinian anthem.
1964
Mahmoud Darwish publishes his poem “Identity Card” which spreads widely throughout Palestine, Israel, and the world, bringing attention to the Palestinian identity.
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Jewish stained glass artist Marc Chagall presents his “Peace Window” to the UN as a memorial to Dag Hammarskjøld a former secretary-general who was often involved in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
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1963
Yehuda Amichai published his novel “Not of This Place, Not of This Time” about figuring out identity as a Jewish immigrant to Israel.
1958
The Jordanian crisis occurs, prompting tensions over who would control the West Bank.
1957
Israel pulls out of the Sinai peninsula and the Gaza strip, leaving the land to UN emergency forces.
1956
The second Arab-Israeli war begins, a hot topic in the peace negotiations is the Gaza Strip and the question of what to do with the Palestinian refugees.
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Dag Hammarskjøld has the UN intervene in the crisis leading to a de-escalation and ceasefire from all parties.
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1955
Yehuda Amichai publishes his first poetry collection “Now and Other Days” that tells about the contemporary Jewish experience in Israel.
1950
Ralph Bunche is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work mediating the Arab-Israeli conflict – He is the first first black Nobel laureate and the first person of African descent to be awarded any Nobel Prize.
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Israel moves its capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
1949
Ralph Bunche mediates the Arab-Israelis war and in March and armistice agreement between Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria is signed.
1948
May 14th Israel declares independence.
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May 15th Great Britain terminates the Mandate over Palestine the Nakba begins.
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The first Arab-Israeli war begins.
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Ralph Bunche is appointed UN Chief Mediator in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
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1947
UK places the question of Palestine before the UN, and the British cabinet decides to evacuate Palestine, the United Nations adopts resolution 181 that calls for partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.
1946
Trans-Jordan gains independence from the British empire and becomes the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (known as Jordan).
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The mythical story of Amir's and Melke's family in Oud Player on the Tel. A fictional story in a real place.
1945
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz.
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Germany surrenders to the Allied forces.
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Japan surrenders to the Allied forces and WWII ends.
1944
The start of The Jewish Insurgency in Mandatory Palestine (the Palestine Emergency).
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The Soviets liberated Majdanek, this was the first liberation of a major Nazi camp.
1939
World War II begins. Over six million European Jews will be killed in the genocide now known as the Holocaust, along with six million Poles, Roma, Labor Unionists, LGBTQIA, disabled and others considered enemies of the Nazi regime
1920
The “Mandate for Palestine” provides the British Government legal control over Palestine and Transjordan, and creates “Mandatory Palestine.”
1919
​The fall of the Ottoman Empire leads to the creation of new states in the region. New borders are drawn without regard for the region's ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity. This contributes to conflict and instability throughout the 20th century.
1918
The end of World War I dissolves the Ottoman Empire - the last of the Islamic empires. Many regions populated by Muslims in Africa and Asia are colonized by Europeans.
1917
The Balfour Declaration, a public statement issued by the British Government creates support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. This is received by the Arabs as another betrayal by the British.
1916
The Sykes–Picot Agreement means the UK and France renege on the deal to support Arab independence, and instead divide the territory without regard for the people living in the region
1915
The McMahon–Hussein correspondence is a series of letters in which the Government of the United Kingdom agreed to recognize Arab independence in exchange for Arab’s launching a revolt against the Ottoman Empire
1914
World War One begins
1897
Theodore Herzl begins the modern Zionist movement – an aspiration for a “Jewish national home through the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in Palestine, by the Jewish diaspora (Jews who had been exiled from their ancestral home).”
1492
Jews and Muslims are both kicked out of Spain, causing another exile for the Jews, and a return to North Africa and Arabia for the Muslims.
1453
Marks the end of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire and the rise of the Ottoman (Turkish) empire. Constantinople becomes Istanbul and the new Ottoman capital. This powerful Islamic dynasty rules over a large area of the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe for nearly 500 years.
1187
The Ayyubid dynasty effectively defeats the Crusaders and regain control of Jerusalem.
70
The Romans reclaim Jerusalem and destroy the Second Temple with only a portion of the western wall remaining. The Jews exiled from Jerusalem again and they move to small communities around the world until after World War II.
66
The Jews revolt against the Roman Empire, the current ruler of the region.
33
Jesus is crucified and believed by his followers to “rise from the dead.” His teachings and life events provide the foundation for Christianity.
4-6 BCE
Jesus of Nazareth is born.
40 BCE
The Roman Senate declares Herod the Great "King of the Jews".
63 BCE
Roman general Pompey conquers Jerusalem and its surroundings, deposing the ruling Hasmonean dynasty of Judaea.
167 BCE
The Maccabean Revolt is a Jewish uprising in Judea, led by priest Mattathias and his military followers who become known as the Maccabees. This initiates the Hasmonean Dynasty (ruled by members of Mattathias family) to reign for 100 years.
539 BCE
Some exiled Jews are allowed to return to the region, following the Persian king, Cyrus the Great’s, issuing the “Edict of Cyrus”.
772 BCE
The Jews are exiled (the first of many exiles) from the northern kingdom of Israel, aka the Holy Land, by the Assyrian empire.
1000 BCE
King David conquers Jerusalem and it becomes the capital of the Jewish Kingdom.
1446 BCE
Jews date the founding of Judaism to Moses with the reception of the Torah (the Law including the Ten Commandments) from God at Mount Sinai.
1800 BCE
Western monotheism begins with Abraham who was called by God to leave the house of his father and settle in the land of Canaan (the area now made up of parts from Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank).
God’s promises to Abraham are inherited by Isaac, Abraham's son, and by his wife Sarah. Isaac's half-brother, Ishmael is also promised that he will be the founder of a great nation.
Ishmael leaves to settle in the the Sinai Peninsula, Ishmael marries a woman from Egypt and they have 12 sons. Ishmael is considered to be the ancestor of the Arab people.