The first wave of European Jewish immigration into the Ottoman territory of Palestine - and the founding of the World Zionist Organisation - follows rising anti-Semitism in Europe.

A British politician's letter to a friend discussing the establishment of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine, soon known as the Balfour Declaration, leads to a further influx of Jews into the region.

The flow of Jews into Palestine increases, leading to violent clashes with Arabs - and partition proposals to divide the warring factions

State of Israel, covering three-quarters of Palestine land, declared - with immediate recognition from the US - in the wake of WWII

The Six Day War was the inevitable conclusion of years of tension between Israel and its Arab neighbours, setting the tone in the Middle East for years to come

A decade that starts with inter-Arab conflict between Jordan and the newly formed Palestine Liberation Organisation, ends with an unlikely truce between Egypt and Israel

The aggressive approach of Israel's ruling Likud party leads to the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, bringing Israel global condemnation

International attempts to end the violence and bloodshed fail in the face of vehement opposition from hardliners on both sides

As a second, bloody intifada begins, Ariel Sharon wins the Israeli elections on the back of his tough approach to the Palestinian problem