January 4: United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, dies at the age of sixty-two. The leader also served as the vice president and prime minister of the federated United Arab Emirates, posts traditionally held by the Dubai emirate. His brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed, who has served as the UAE defense minister since 1971, succeeds him as ruler of Dubai.

January 5: Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffers a severe stroke after having been treated for a minor stroke last month. Sharon’s illness creates doubts not only about the success of his new centrist Kadima party in upcoming March elections, but also about the future of the Middle East peace process. Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert becomes the acting prime minister.

January 10: Iran

Iran breaks international seals at its Natanz nuclear facility, sparking condemnation from western nations. The removal signals the end of Iran’s two-year suspension of nuclear research. The country maintains that its program is for peaceful purposes, while western countries believe Iran intends to make nuclear weapons. Iran could be referred to the United Nations Security Council for removing the seals in contravention of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

January 18: Israel

Ehud Olmert, Israel’s acting prime minister, appoints Tzipi Livni foreign minister. Livni is only the second woman after Golda Meir to serve in the post since Israel’s founding in 1948. Livni, who is also the country’s justice minister, recently left the Likud party to join Ariel Sharon’s new centrist Kadima party.

January 20: Iraq

Iraq’s Shia party, The United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), wins parliamentary elections, taking 128 of the 275 seats. The Kurdistan Alliance has 53 seats, and the main Sunni bloc that had boycotted the January 2005 elections, increased their representation to 44. This is Iraq’s first full-term government and parliament since Saddam Hussein was deposed in 2003.

January 24: Kuwait

Kuwait’s parliament votes to remove Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah for health reasons, ten days after he succeeded the late ruler, Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad. Sheik Saad is the first Gulf leader to be removed by a constitutional process. Parliament unanimously endorses Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad the new emir, ending a succession debate between two rival branches of the ruling al-Sabah family.

January 25: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah holds talks in India with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two leaders agree to work together on fighting terrorism and promoting investment. Saudi Arabia supplies a quarter of India’s oil, which India needs to support its booming economy. King Abdullah is the first Saudi king to travel to India in over fifty years.

January 26: Palestinian Territories

Hamas wins a surprise victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections, defeating the traditional ruling Fatah party. Voter turnout was high at 77 percent. The election results raise questions about the future of the Middle East peace process, as Hamas refuses to retract its call for the destruction of Israel. Many western countries that provide aid to the Palestinian Territory, such as the United States, consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

February 20: Kuwait

Kuwait’s parliament unanimously confirms Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad as crown prince, completing the transition to a new leadership. Sheikh Nawaf is a brother of late Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad, who ruled Kuweit for twenty-eight years and died in January. Parliament removed his designated successor, Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah, after only ten days in power on health grounds.

February 27: Palestinian Territories

The European Union (EU) offers the Palestinian Authority (PA) $140 million in emergency aid that will support the operation of the authority’s government for two months. The PA found itself in serious financial troubles after Israel cut off monthly tax revenue payments following the election of militant Hamas in January. The EU has yet to decide whether it will continue to support Hamas.

February 28: Iraq

One day after Iraqi officials lifted a curfew to stop escalating violence, four bombings kill at least thirty-five people and injure many more. The attacks were coordinated and aimed at killing as many people as possible.

March 14: Israel/Palestinian Territories

An Israeli attempt to seize a militant from a Palestinian prison leads to violence across the Palestinian territories. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blames the Israeli raid on the United States and Great Britain, who withdrew their prison monitors ahead of the attack. Protestors set fire to the British Council office in Gaza and attack Western targets. In addition, several international aid workers are kidnapped, and militants warn American and British citizens to leave the territories.

March 20: Iraq

Deadly violence occurs throughout Iraq in the weeks leading up to the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, which overthrew Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Earlier this month, gunmen kidnapped 50 men from a security firm in Baghdad. Also in Baghdad, authorities found over 80 bodies in a 24-hour period that had been killed in sectarian violence. The fighting has led Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to declare that Iraq was in the midst of a civil war.

April 3: Iran

Iran conducts a test of the world’s fastest underwater missile, which is designed to avoid radar detection and destroy enemy submarines. Two days earlier, Iran also tested a conventional missile capable of carrying multiple warheads.

April 3: Israel

Following a recount of ballots in some Arab towns, Israel’s election commission revises last week’s election results. It takes one vote from the Labour Party and assigns it to the United Arab List, which ends up with a total of 10 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The top winners are the centrist Kadima Party, which has won 29 seats, and the Labour Party with 19 seats. Ehud Olmert from the Kadima Party is expected to be the next prime minister.

April 4: Kuwait

In Kuwait, for the first time, women go to polls in a council by-election. Also, two women are among eight candidates running for the east in the Salmiya district. Women vote in segregated polling booths, which was demanded by Islamist and tribal legislators. Women were granted voting rights last year, which Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Muhammad al Sabah says will boost Kuwait’s international status.

April 13: Iraq

The Ministry for Displacement and Migration says that at least 65,000 Iraqis are displaced due to sectarian violence and intimidation. Also, the rate at which the Iraqis flee their homes is increasing. Most of the displacement takes place around the Baghdad area, where the violence has been worse.

April 22: Iraq

After months of political impasse, the Iraqi-dominant Shia bloc picks Jawad al-Maliki to become the new prime minister. He is approved by President Jalal Talabani and brings hopes that he would be able to end sectarian violence. The previous prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, was too divisive, creating opposition between Iraq’s main ethnic and religious groups.

May 8: Iraq

The parliament in the Kurdish region of Iraq votes for a unified government, after more than a decade of separation. The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have each ruled half of the Kurdish autonomous region since the mid-1990s. The regional government expects that Kurdish unification will foster stability in other parts of Iraq. It also hopes that a unified region will have a better chance to have the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which is claimed by the Kurds, added to Kurdistan.

May 25: Kuwait

Five women run as candidates in Kuwait’s parliamentary elections after the parliament was dissolved amid a political crisis. This is a step forward for Kuwaiti women’s rights activists and reinforces last year’s parliamentary vote granting women the right to vote and run for office. Until the vote, women had been banned from both since the parliament’s creation in 1962.

June 8: Iraq

The militant leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Jordanian national, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is killed by an air strike on a safe house in eastern Iraq. Al-Zarqawi is responsible for brutal killings of thousands of Iraqi Shias and U.S. forces in Iraq. He has been linked to multiple Iraqi bombings, assassinations, and beheadings.

June 29: Palestinian Territories

Amid continued artillery bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Israeli military forces seize and detain 8 Palestinian ministers and 64 legislators and other officials in the Hamas government. The bombardment of Gaza, which was taken in response to the seizure of an Israeli soldier in Gaza, has left the majority of the population without electricity and has destroyed much of infrastructure. Amnesty International calls this Israeli action a collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

June 30: Kuwait

Kuwaiti reformists gain four seats in the parliamentary elections, taking a total of 33 out of 50 seats. For the first time, the women were both voters and candidates. However, none of the 28 females candidates were elected. It is hoped that the victory of the reformists will help women candidates in the future.

July 9: Iraq

Gunmen kill at least 40 people at a fake police checkpoint in the city. The incident follows attacks on mosques in Baquba and Sinjar. Earlier in the week, a car bomb explosion in a busy Baghdad market kills at least 66 people and injures approximately 100.

July 10: Kuwait

Kuwait’s emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, approves a new cabinet. Members of the ruler’s family dominate the cabinet, even though the opposition claimed victory in last month’s parliamentary elections. The emir dissolved parliament prior to the elections due to a dispute with the government over electoral reforms. The move prompted the previous cabinet members to resign.

July 13: Israel/Lebanon

As a part of a major Israeli military offensive, Israel blocks Lebanon’s ports, preventing travel to and from the country by sea. Israel also bombs the Lebanese international airport, resulting in its closure. The offensive comes in response to Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli soldiers on the Israel-Lebanon border.

July 18: Iraq

Japan withdraws the last of its 600 troops from Iraq, ending the first deployment of Japanese forces into an active war zone since World War II. The troops were engaged in humanitarian projects and reconstruction projects in southern Iraq. Japan’s pacifist constitution bans the use of force in settling international disputes. A new law in 2003 granted troops permission to enter non-combat zones in Iraq.

August 14: Israel/Lebanon

Truce between Israel and Hezbollah comes into effect after 34 days of fighting, with both sides claiming victory. As a result of the conflict, more than 1,000 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 150 Israelis, mainly soldiers have been killed. A UN peacekeeping force, expected to consist of 15,000 foreign troops, begins to deploy along the southern border. Also, Lebanese troops are going to be deployed to the south of the country.

August 20: Iraq

Gunmen believed to be an Iraqi Sunni extremists open fire on Shia Muslim pilgrims in Baghdad, killing at least 20 and injuring 300. The pilgrims walked to the tomb of the revered 8th century Imam Musa Kadhim in an annual ritual to pay homage for his martyrdom.

August 30: Iraq

A string of bombings in Iraq kills 44 people and leaves many injured. Two of these bombings happen at a busy Baghdad market and an army and police recruitment center. Two days earlier, 25 soldiers are killed in clashes with Shia militiamen in the southern city of Diwaniya. In Baghdad, at least 14 people are killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq’s interior ministry. In the month of July, a Baghdad mortuary reported receiving 1,855 bodies, 90 percent of those died due to violence.

September 7: Iraq

The United States begins to transfer control of Iraq’s military to Iraqi authorities. The handover includes control of the Iraqi navy and air force and the 8th division of the army. More transfers are likely in the near future and are expected to follow the timetable set by Iraq’s leaders.

September 12: Syria

US-Syrian relations receive a small boost when the United States thanks Syria for its defense of the US embassy in Damascus during a recent attack. Syrian security forces were able to halt an attempted bombing of the embassy, killing three of the attackers and capturing a fourth. Relations between the two countries are tense, and the two governments have very little contact. The United States also considers Syria a state sponsor of terrorism.

September 14: Lebanon

Amnesty International (AI) releases a report accusing Hezbollah of committing war crimes during Lebanese conflict with Israel. The report claims that Hezbollah targeted civilians with rockets and that the acts constitute a “serious violation of humanitarian law.” AI has already accused Israel of war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. Hezbollah rejects the report, saying it results from US and Israeli pressure.

September 21: Jordan

Sajida al-Rishawi is sentenced to death by hanging for her role in the bombing attacks on hotels in Amman last year. She confessed to the crime, claiming that the explosives on her belt had not detonated. Rishawi later recanted the confession, claiming it had been given under duress. The bombings are thought to be motivated by strong hatred for the US-Jordanian relationship and the military operations in Iraq.

September 23: Yemen

President Ali Abdullah Saleh wins reelection in Yemen with 77 percent of the vote. Despite accusations of electoral fraud from the opposition, international monitors said the vote generally met international standards. It is the country’s second presidential election since North and South Yemen united in 1990.

October 2: Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) declares a unilateral ceasefire with the Turkish government. The announcement is made from a camp in Iraq. Turkey has previously said a truce can only be between two states. The conflict between the PKK and Turkey began in 1984 and has cost more than 30,000 lives.

October 18: Jordan

A military court convicts eight militants of plotting to kill Americans and Jews in Jordan and U.S. troops in Iraq. The defendants call the charges “an honor.” Jordan has been successful in stopping many terrorist plans in recent years, but has also suffered several attacks.

October 20: Palestinian Territories

Fatah and Hamas reach an agreement to end recent violence between their supporters. The rival Palestinian groups have been engaged in a power struggle. Hamas believes Fatah is in collusion with the West in trying to topple the government. Around twenty people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks.

October 27: Iran

Iran activates a second set of centrifuges, the machines needed to enrich uranium. The country’s first set consisted of 168 centrifuges, far short of the tens of thousands needed to make industrial-scale fuel. Iran plans to open 3,000 centrifuges by the end of this year. Western states fear Iran is planning to build nuclear weapons, but Iran insists it only wants to generate electricity.

November 7: Israel/Palestinian Territories

Israeli troops leave the town of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip after a six-day operation to stop militants from firing rockets into Israel. Some 50 Palestinians, including at least 16 civilians, and an Israeli soldier die in the raid. Israeli forces have made regular incursions into the Gaza Strip ever since Palestinian militants kidnapped an Israeli solider in a cross-border attack in June.

November 10: Israel

About 4,000 people participate in a gay pride rally in a Jerusalem stadium despite religious leaders’ efforts to ban it. The march had originally planned to go through the city, but was cancelled due to threats of attack on Israel from Palestinian militants. The rally has provoked controversy due to religious Jewish views of homosexuality as an abomination.

November 30: Turkey

Pope Benedict XVI visits the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, marking only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. Many, including Turkey’s foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, and the Pope himself, hope that this visit will help eliminate misunderstandings and further mend relations between Muslims and Christians.

December 20: Iraq

The U.S. military hands security of Iraq’s Najaf province to Iraqi forces. U.S. officials state the transfer signals the growing capability of Iraqi security forces. Najaf, which lies south of Baghdad, is the third province to come back under Iraqi command.

December 23: Iran

The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran due to its failure to meet demands that it end uranium enrichment activities. Sanctions include blocking trade in nuclear material and equipment, and freezing assets of those supporting proliferation activities. The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to issue a report within sixty days on Iran’s progress on halting its nuclear program.

December 30: Iraq

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging. Iraqi Shias celebrate the execution, while Sunnis stage protests in some towns. Hussein’s death sentence stems from the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in Dujail. The former Iraqi leader was sixty-nine.