| AD | Event |
| 1901 | Ibn Sa'ud begins restoring Sa'udi emirate of Najd. |
| 1908 | "Young Turk" revolution in Istanbul brings to power a regime which Arabs see as more favourable to Turks of the Ottoman Empire. They feel increasingly alienated. |
| 1911 | Italians seize Libya. |
| 1912 | Morocco becomes a French protectorate; Arab Nationalism and opposition to Ottoman rule begin to develop. |
| 1914 | Ottoman Empire enters World War One as an ally of Germany. |
| 1916 | Arab revolt against the Ottomans in Hijaz; Sherif Hussein of Mecca had agreed to enter World War One on the side of the Allies, in return for British promises of independence of what is now Syria, Palestine/Israel, Jordan, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula; Britain signs a secret pact (the Sykes-Picot Agreement) with France dividing the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire between them. |
| 1917 | The British oust the Ottomans from Jerusalem and Baghdad; in the Balfour Declaration, Britain declares its support for the establishment of a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine. |
| 1918 | End of Ottoman rule in Arab lands. |
| 1920 | The League of Nations awards mandates for Syria and Lebanon to France and for Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq to Britain. |
| 1926 | Having conquered Hijaz, Ibn Sa'ud proclaims himself its king. |
| 1932 | Iraq becomes independent; Ibn Sa'ud proclaims kingdom of Saudi Arabia. |
| 1934 | Independence of North Yemen recognised. |
| 1936 | Anglo-Egyptian Treaty ends British occupation except in Suez Canal zone. |
| 1943 | Lebanon becomes independent. |
| 1946 | Syria becomes an independent republic; Britain recognises the independence of Transjordan. |
| 1948 | End of British mandate in Palestine; Israel is established; first Arab-Israeli war. 750,000 Palestinians become refugees |
| 1951 | Libya becomes an independent kingdom. |
| 1952 | Military coup in Cairo; King Farouk abdicates; King Hussein takes over in Jordan. |
| 1953 | Egypt becomes a republic. |
| 1954 | Gamal Abd al-Nasser becomes president of Egypt. Outbreak of Algerian war. |
| 1955 | British leave Suez Canal zone. Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Britain sign Baghdad Pact. |
| 1956 | Morocco becomes an independent kingdom; Tunisia and Sudan become independent republics; Egypt nationalises the Suez Canal and faces Israeli-French-British attack; Britain and France forced to withdraw. |
| 1957 | Israel withdraws from Sinai and Gaza. |
| 1958 | Formation of United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria; civil war in Lebanon; Iraq proclaimed a republic following revolution and shortly after leaves Baghdad Pact. |
| 1960 | Somalia and Mauritania become independent. |
| 1961 | Kuwait becomes independent; Syria secedes from the United Arab Republic. |
| 1962 | Algeria wins independence at end of war; Republican revolution in Yemen. |
| 1963 | Ba'athists take power in Syria. |
| 1964 | Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) founded. |
| 1967 | Arab-Israeli "Six-Day" war; UN Security Council Resolution 242 is passed
South Yemen wins independence. |
| 1968 | Battle of Karameh in Jordan valley results in upsurge of support for Palestinian guerrillas; Ba'athists take power in Iraq. |
| 1969 | Monarchy overthrown in Libya. |
| 1970 | "Black September" clash between Jordan and the Palestinians; death of Nasser. |
| 1971 | Britain leaves the Gulf. United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain become independent. |
| 1973 | Arab-Israeli war of Ramadan/Yom Kippur. |
| 1974 | Arab summit recognises PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people |
| 1975 | Civil war breaks out in Lebanon. |
| 1976 | Spain withdraws from the Western Sahara. |
| 1977 | Djibouti becomes independent. |
| 1978 | Israel invades Lebanon and begins occupation of its southern border areas. |
| 1979 | Israel-Egypt peace treaty signed: Israel agrees to withdraw from Sinai.
Iranian Revolution. The shah is deposed and replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini. |
| 1980-88 | Gulf war between Iraq and Iran. |
| 1981 | Israel formally annexes Syria's Golan Heights. |
| 1982 | Israel invades Lebanon again. |
| 1987 | Palestinian uprising (Intifada) against Israeli occupation begins. |
| 1988 | The Palestine National Council declares an independent State of Palestine.
Pan Am Flight 103 |
| 1990 | North and South Yemen unite; Iraq invades and occupied Kuwait |
| 1991 | In "Operation Desert Storm", an international coalition headed by the USA, ejects Iraq forces from Kuwait and restores its independence; revolts in southern Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan;
Madrid Conference opens the way to further peace negotiations between Israel and her Arab neighbours. |
| 1992 | Cancellation of second round of Algerian general election which Islamists look set to win; civil war begins. |
| 1993 | Israel and the PLO recognise each other and sign "Declaration of Principles". |
| 1994 | Palestinian National Authority established; Israel withdraws from most of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho; Israel and Jordan sign peace treaty. |
| 1995 | Jewish extremist assassinates Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin. |
| 1996 | First ever Palestinian elections in Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza Strip. Yasser Arafat elected President; Israel launches "Operation Grapes of Wrath" against Lebanon. Over 100 civilians are killed by Israeli shellfire at UN post at Qana; Binyamin Netanyahu and rightist parties win Israeli general election. |
| 1997 | Israel agrees to partial withdrawal from the West Bank town of Hebron; the peace process becomes bogged down and threatened with collapse. |
| 1998 | The US bombs Al Shifa pharmaceutical factory in the Sudan
UN Weapons inspectors leave Iraq, prior to Operation Desert Fox - a four day bombing of Iraq. |
| 1999 | Deaths of King Hussein of Jordan, the Emir of Bahrain, and King Hassan II of Morocco; Israel launches military assault on Lebanon targeting civilian infrastructure (see full chronology) |
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