July 5, 2000: President Clinton announces that Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat have accepted his invitation to come to Camp David beginning July 11 to continue their negotiations on the Middle East peace process.
June 28, 2000: Secretary Albright meets with PM Barak and Chairman Arafat in the region to discuss the possibility of a Washington summit meeting.
June 10, 2000: Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad dies in Damascus.
May 24, 2000: Israel announces the completion of its withdrawal from southern Lebanon; the U.N. Security Council votes June 18 to confirm the withdrawal.
April 7, 2000: Israeli-Palestinian talks resume at Bolling AFB.
March 21, 2000: Palestinian-Israeli talks commence at Bolling Air Force Base near Washington, DC and last one week. The U.S. facilitates discussion of permanent status issues in an effort to help the parties reach a comprehensive agreement by September 13, 2000.
March 26, 2000: President Clinton meets with Syrian President Al-Assad in Geneva.
February 1, 2000: The Multilateral Steering Group meets at the ministerial level in Moscow.
January 20, 2000: Chairman Arafat visits Washington, where he meets with President Clinton and Secretary Albright.
January 3, 2000: Delegations from Israel and Syria, again led by PM Barak and FM Al-Shara, gather in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, for a further week of talks. Differences remain, and Secretary Albright announces the postponement of a third round of talks.
December 15, 1999: President Clinton welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Shara to the White House prior to the resumption of direct Israeli-Syrian negotiations suspended in 1996. The parties hold two days of talks and agree to a second round in January.
December 5-9, 1999: Secretary Albright travels to the Middle East to assess the progress toward a framework agreement for permanent status (FAPS) between Israel and the Palestinians.
November 2, 1999: At a ceremony in Oslo commemorating the anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, President Clinton reiterates that the U.S. will do all it can to achieve Middle East peace. The president also meets with Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat, who agree to a February 13th target for achieving a framework agreement on permanent status issues.
September 24, 1999: Representatives of regional and international parties, led by Secretary of State Albright, gather in New York as Partners in Peace to demonstrate their strong and unwavering support for the Middle East peace process.
September 1-5, 1999: Secretary Albright consults with regional leaders on developments in the peace process, and attends the signing of the Sharm El-Sheikh accord in Egypt on September 4.
July 14-20, 1999: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak visits the U.S. for the first time since taking office July 6. He and President Clinton pledge to make peace a top priority.
March 22-23, 1999: Chairman Arafat visits Washington and meets with Secretary of State Albright and President Clinton, both of whom reaffirm U.S. opposition to unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood.
February 25-26, 1999: The U.S. hosts a meeting in Washington of the trilateral Anti-Incitement Committee, formed pursuant to the Wye Memorandum.
February 16, 1999: The U.S.-Palestinian Bilateral Committee holds its second meeting, at the Department of State, to discuss matters of mutual concern.
February 7, 1999: Jordanian King Hussein dies in Amman and is succeeded by his son, Abdullah II.
February 3-4, 1999: President Clinton and Secretary Albright discuss Wye Memorandum implementation with Chairman Arafat in Washington.
December 12-15, 1998: President Clinton visits the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Following an historic address to the Palestinian Council (PC) in Gaza, the President witnesses a PC vote "fully and forever" rejecting conflict with Israel and revoking articles of the Palestinian Charter calling for the destruction of Israel.
November 30, 1998: President Clinton hosts a Middle East Donors Conference in Washington at which some 40 nations pledge over $3 billion in economic assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The President will seek Congress' approval for an additional U.S. contribution of $400 million over the next five years.
October 15-23, 1998: President Clinton, Secretary Albright and other U.S. officials broker intensive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the Wye River Conference Center on Maryland's Eastern Shore. A final, all-night session results in agreement upon the Wye River Memorandum, which is signed at the White House on October 23.
October 5-7, 1998: Secretary Albright, accompanied by Special Middle East Coordinator Dennis Ross, travels to Israel and the West Bank, meeting repeatedly with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in preparation for the resumption of face-to-face talks between the two sides later in the month.
September 28, 1998: Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat meet at the White House with President Clinton, who announces that Secretary Albright will return to the region for a further push to get direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations back on track.
September 27, 1998: Secretary Albright meets with Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.
May 3-5, 1998: Secretary Albright meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat in London in a further effort to jump-start the peace process. She meets again with PM Netanyahu in Washington on May 13.
April 28, 1998: President Clinton marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, calling for reconciliation and a stop to extremism on all sides of the conflict in the Middle East.
January 31 - February 1, 1998: Secretary Albright returns to the Middle East and puts forth a proposal for simultaneous steps by the Palestinians on security and by Israel on further redeployment. In what she calls a step forward, Chairman Arafat gives her a letter detailing which parts of the PLO Charter can be considered annulled.
January 20-22, 1998: President Clinton meets separately with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat in Washington in an attempt to re-energize the peace process.
September 10-12, 1997: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright makes her first trip to the Middle East as secretary. She calls on Israel to refrain from steps that could pre-empt final status negotiations and urges the Palestinian leadership to curb terrorist attacks.
January 17, 1997: Following extensive mediation by Jordan's King Hussein, the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron is signed between Israel and the PLO.
January 15, 1997: At the request of Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Special Middle East Coordinator Ambassador Dennis Ross prepares a Note for the Record, clarifying Israeli and Palestinian responsibilities in the interim period of the Oslo process.
March 13, 1996: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hosts a "Summit of the Peacemakers" in Sharm El-Sheikh to call for a halt to extremism and violence.
December 27, 1995: Direct Israeli-Syrian talks commence under U.S. auspices near Washington but end inconclusively in early 1996.
November 4, 1995: Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin is assassinated by an Israeli university student, Yigal Amir, following a peace rally in Tel Aviv.
September 29, 1995: Secretary Christopher, Foreign Minister Peres, and Chairman Arafat convene the first meeting of the U.S.-Israel-Palestinian Trilateral Committee. The parties agree to promote economic development in the West Bank and Gaza, to explore more efficient use of water resources, to consult on matters of mutual interest, and to foster cooperation on regional issues.
September 28, 1995: The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ("Oslo II") is signed in Washington, DC. The agreement contains 31 articles and seven annexes (redeployment and security, elections, civil affairs, legal matters, economic relations, cooperation programs, and prisoner release). Following the signing, President Clinton hosts a summit attended by King Hussein, President Mubarak, Prime Minister Rabin, and Chairman Arafat. The leaders review progress toward a comprehensive peace and ways to reinforce and accelerate that progress.
May 24, 1995: Secretary of State Christopher announces that Israel and Syria have reached a set of understandings on security arrangements.
October 26, 1994: The Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, initialed on October 17 by Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and Jordanian Prime Minister Majali, is signed at the White House.
August 29, 1994: The Agreement on the Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities is signed at Erez, a checkpoint between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The expansion of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank over education, taxation, social welfare, tourism, and health was completed by December 1994.
July 25, 1994: The Washington Declaration, embracing the underlying principles of the Israel-Jordan Common Agenda, is signed in Washington, DC.
May 4, 1994: At a ceremony in Cairo, Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat sign the Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. The new agreement sets out terms for implementation of the Declaration of Principles and includes annexes on withdrawal of Israeli military forces and security arrangements, civil affairs, legal matters, and economic relations.
April 29, 1994: The Israel-PLO economic agreement signed in Paris, covering trade and labor relations as well as money, banking, and taxation issues.
September 14, 1993: The Israel-Jordan Common Agenda is agreed in Washington, DC, marking the end of the state of war between the two nations and paving the way for talks leading to a formal peace treaty.
September 13, 1993: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat meet and watch Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO Executive Council Member Abu Abbas sign the Oslo agreement at the White House on the same desk used in the signing of the Camp David accords 15 years earlier. President Bill Clinton, former presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter, and 3,000 dignitaries witness the signing.
September 10, 1993: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signs a document recognizing the PLO.
September 9, 1993: PLO leader Yasser Arafat signs a letter recognizing Israel and renouncing violence.
January 19, 1993: The Israeli Knesset lifts a 1986 ban on contacts with the PLO.
January 28-29, 1992: The organizational meeting for multilateral talks on regional issues such as arms control, refugees and the environment is held in Moscow. Rounds one, two and three convene in 1992 in Lisbon and London.
November 3, 1991: The first round of direct, bilateral negotiations opens in Madrid. Representatives of Israel meet separately with a joint Jordanian/Palestinian delegation, with representatives of Lebanon, and with representatives of Syria. Ten more sessions of bilateral talks take place through August 1993, just prior to the signing of the Oslo Accord.
October 30-November 1, 1991: President Bush opens the Madrid Conference, saying the objective is to achieve "real peace...security, diplomatic relations, economic relations, trade, investment, cultural exchange, even tourism." Palestinians attend in a joint delegation with Jordan. Direct bilateral talks take place among Israel and Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and participants from the Occupied Territories. Multilateral negotiations begin on arms control, security, water, refugees, the environment and economic development.
March, 1991: President Bush says that the Gulf War victory opens a "window of opportunity" for resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Secretary of State Baker travels to the Middle East on the first of eight peace missions.
June 20, 1990: President Bush suspends the two-year U.S. dialogue with the PLO because of the organization's failure to condemn an act of terrorism committed against Israel by a faction of the PLO.
November 1989: Syria reestablishes relations with Egypt, broken off after Camp David conference in 1978; Secretary Baker proposes a plan for launching Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
October 1989: Secretary of State Baker offers a five-point Middle East peace plan, which fails to gain the endorsement of regional leaders.
May 1989: Israeli Prime Minister Shamir announces a four-point plan involving elections in the West Bank and Gaza for representatives who would negotiate an agreement on interim self-rule and serve as a "self-governing authority." The plan proposes later talks on a permanent solution. President Bush and Secretary of State Baker begin efforts to mediate renewal of the peace process.
December 1988: The Palestine National Council renounces terrorism and accepts the original U.N. partition plan (U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181), Israel's right to exist, and U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. The U.S. opens dialogue with the PLO, the first formal contacts with the PLO in 13 years. The PLO charter is not revised, however.
July 30, 1988: King Hussein surrenders Jordan's claim to the West Bank, cuts legal and administrative ties.
February-April, 1988: Secretary of State Shultz, in a letter to Prime Minister Shamir, launches shuttle mediation effort and sets a timetable for talks on transitional arrangements and a permanent solution in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
December 9, 1987: The Intifada begins in Gaza, later spreading to the West Bank.
February 19, 1986: Jordan's King Hussein severs links with the PLO.
September 1985: Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres launches a peace initiative centered on Jordan.
June 1985: Israel completes withdrawal from most of Lebanon, retaining effective control over 12-mile-wide "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
March 5, 1984: Lebanon abrogates the Lebanese-Israeli agreement.
February 21, 1984: U.S. forces in Beirut withdraw from Lebanon.
October 23, 1983: U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut destroyed by terrorist bomb.
May 17, 1983: Israel-Lebanon peace and withdrawal agreement signed, mediated by Secretary of State Shultz and Ambassador Philip Habib.
April 18, 1983: U.S. embassy in Beirut destroyed by terrorist bomb.
September 16, 1982: Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel is assassinated.
September 1, 1982: President Reagan announces a U.S. initiative to settle Arab-Israeli conflict, based on earlier Camp David Accords and UN Resolution 242.
April 1982: Israel completes withdrawal of forces and civilians from Sinai.
December 14, 1981: Government of Israel extends its law, jurisdiction, and administration to the Golan Heights.
October 6, 1981: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated.
July 1981: Ambassador Philip Habib mediates PLO-Israeli cease-fire agreement.
June 5, 1981: Israel attacks PLO and Syrian forces in Lebanon.
March 26, 1979: Israel and Egypt sign a bilateral peace treaty in Washington under which Israel agrees to hand back Sinai to Egypt. It keeps the Gaza Strip. Most Arab states impose a boycott on Egypt.
September 17, 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, with the help of President Jimmy Carter, agree at Camp David to a framework for peace in the Middle East offering limited autonomy to Palestinians in occupied territories and setting the framework for an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
WHEN YOU HAVE NOT DECIDED WHERE TO GO, NO WIND CAN TAKE YOU THERE: A STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE A COMPREHENSIVE ISRAELI-ARAB PEACE (Yair Hirschfeld, Feb 2007)
The State of the “Peace Process,” An Enlightened Mass Media Viewpoint (Barry Rubin, April 20, 2011)