January 12: Iraq

U.S. intelligence officials confirm that the United States has stopped searching for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. The existence of WMD was the justification for the United States to invade Iraq two years ago.

January 25: Israel/Palestinian Territories

Israel resumes construction of the most controversial part of the wall in the West Bank near the Ariel settlement after the Israeli attorney general approves the work. The Ariel section is controversial because it encroaches inside the West Bank by 12 miles. The Palestinians accuse Israel of bad faith by resuming the construction during cease-fire talks.

January 27: Iran

Afghanistan and Iran open a major $60 million highway linking the Dogharun region in Iran with Herat in Afghanistan. Called a modern-day silk route, the road was built by Iranian experts as part of Tehran’s assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and is hoped to boost trade with Afghanistan.

January 31: Iraq

Iraq is holding its first parliamentary elections, which interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi describes as a “victory over terrorism.” The United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which comprises the Shia Muslim groups, wins 48 percent and will need to form a coalition government. The Kurdistan Alliance comes in second, winning 29 percent, and is seen as a potential partner for a coalition. Prime Minister Allawi’s list wins 14 percent of the votes. Sunni candidates win only a handful of seats in the new parliament, because of an election boycott and intimidation.

February 2: Iraq

Two U.S. soldiers, Sgt. Javal Davis and Spc. Roman Krol, plead guilty to charges of abusing detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, which brings to six the number of U.S. soldiers held responsible for the abuses that sparked international outrage.

February 8: Israel/Palestinian Territories

During the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agree to a cease-fire to end over four years of violence between both sides. They also come to an agreement on the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handover of five West Bank towns to Palestinian control.

February 10: Saudi Arabia

About three million eligible Saudi Arabians out of a population of 24 million vote in the country’s first municipal elections, which are first held within the capital of Riyadh, and then in other places within the next two months. The elections are seen as a step toward democratization in Saudi Arabia. However, women are excluded from the polls and half of the councils are still chosen by appointment.

February 27: Iran

Russia signs a deal with Iran to supply fuel for Iran’s new nuclear reactor in Bushehr. The agreement includes a clause obligating Iran to return spent nuclear fuel rods from the reactor. The clause is designed to address concerns about Iran using the rods to build nuclear weapons.

February 28: Iraq

One of the worst single suicide attacks in Iraq kills at least 114 people and injures 130 when a car explodes near a long line of people applying for government jobs in Hilla, 60 miles from Baghdad. Iraqi insurgents target anyone associated with the U.S.-backed government.

March 16: Iraq

Iraq’s new interim parliament is sworn in. However, the assembly fails to agree on the composition of the new government. Coalition politics is a novelty in a country so far ruled by a dictator. After agreeing on a government, the assembly must work out a constitution in time for general elections in December.

March 16: Israel/Palestinian Territories

Israel formally turns over control of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestine according to the agreement reached between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during last month’s summit in Sharm al-Sheikh. Other cities to be transferred to the Palestinians are Tulkarm, Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem.

April 7: Jordan

Jordan’s King Abdullah swears in a new cabinet two days after dismissing the previous cabinet. Observers say the king wants a government that will accelerate economic reforms. The king was also reportedly unhappy with the previous government’s mishandling of foreign affairs.

April 12: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia bans forced marriages, saying the practice is contrary to Islamic law. This is a small liberation for Saudi women, who cannot travel alone, must always wear a veil in public, and face many other restrictions.

April 19: Bahrain

Bahrain’s press lauds a female parliamentarian, Alees Samaan, as she becomes the first woman in the Arab world to chair a parliamentary session. Although she spoke only by chance because all the higher-ranking members of the Consultative Council were absent, the incident is noteworthy as an example of changes in the Arab society.

April 23: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announces that moderate Islamists have won most of the open seats during the country’s first municipal elections. However, the poll is no sweeping reform in the kingdom. Elected representatives will work with an equal number of appointed representatives, only men were allowed to vote, and only municipal offices were contested.

April 26: Lebanon/Syria

Syrian troops complete their withdrawal from Lebanon. Public pressure for the Syrian departure mounted after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February. Earlier in the month, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati formed a transitional government balanced between pro- and anti-Syrian politicians.

May 11: Middle East

The first summit of 34 leaders from Latin America and the Middle East ends in Brazil. The summit aims at developing closer ties between the two regions as a counterbalance to the EU and the U.S. The closing declaration criticizes the U.S. and Israel and calls for reform of international trading regimes and of the United Nations. It also calls for the elimination of farm subsidies through the World Trade Organization (WTO).

May 16: Kuwait

Kuwait’s parliament votes 35 to 23 to give women the right to vote and stand in elections. Sheikh Jabil al-Ahmad al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait, decreed full political rights for women six years ago, but Islamist members of parliament blocked implementation until now.

May 20: Jordan

Jordan’s King Abdullah II opens the World Economic Forum in the Jordanian resort of Shuneh. About 1,200 political, business, and civil society leaders from 45 countries gather in the Dead Sea town for the summit, aimed at helping leaders seize the moment of political, economic, and social change that has begun in the region.

May 23: Iran

In the run-up to the Iranian presidential election, Iran’s supreme governing body, the Council of Guardians, rejects all but six of the 1,000 candidates who had applied to run, including the candidate of Iran’s largest reform party, former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi. Opposition parties say the Council has no intention to allow a real debate of ideologies.

 

May 26: Palestinian Territories

President Bush welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the U.S., marking his first meeting with a Palestinian leader. President Bush pledges aid for housing and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Palestine–U.S. relations have improved since the death of Yasser Arafat and the subsequent election of Abbas.

June 4: Iraq

The first ever parliament of the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq holds its first session in the northern city of Irbil. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani attends the meeting and encourages the parliamentarians to work toward a democratic federal system.

June 12: Kuwait

Kuwait names its first female minister, Massouma al-Mubarak, as planning minister and minister for administrative development. This appointment comes one week after Kuwait names the first females to its municipal council. Women will be eligible to vote and run for election for the first time in 2007 parliamentary elections.

June 20: Lebanon

During the final round of voting, Lebanon’s anti-Syrian opposition wins a majority in parliament. This is Lebanon’s first election free of Syrian control in 29 years.

June 25: Iran

Iran’s voters hand the presidency to an Islamist hardliner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad appealed mostly to poorer voters who suffer from unemployment and disapprove a large gap between rich and poor. Iranian reformists worry that Ahmadinejad will try to reverse some of the social freedoms.

July 8: Palestinian Territories/Israel

Leaders of the G8 pledge $3 billion in aid for the Palestinian Authority in preparation for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The aid money will be spent on housing and infrastructure and is meant to help Palestine and Israel coexist in peace.

July 16: Iraq/Iran

More than 10 Iraqi ministers, including Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, travel to Iran as a part of the highest-level delegation for the first time since the Iran-Iraq war. Relations between the two countries have improved significantly since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The growing relationship creates unease in the United States, where officials are wary of an Iranian influence in Iraq.

July 16: Iraq

A string of deadly bombings takes place in Iraq after the U.S. military claims of success in reducing the number of car bombs and suicide attacks. One such suicide bomb in the town of Musayyib, south of Baghdad, kills 90 people and injures 156.

July 17: Iraq

The Iraqi special tribunal makes its first formal charge against ousted former President Saddam Hussein. The charges stem from the torture and execution of hundreds of Shia Muslims in Dujail in 1982 after a failed assassination attempt against the former ruler. U.S.-led forces overthrew Hussein in 2003 and arrested him in December of that year.

July 22: Yemen

Protesters clash with police across the country over the dramatic price increase of fuel. At least 36 people die in the violence that results after the government lifts fuel subsidies, doubling the cost of petrol overnight. The measure is a part of economic reforms in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world.

August 1: Saudi Arabia

King Fahd bin Abdel Aziz, ruler of Saudi Arabia, dies at the age of 84. He is succeeded by his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz, who has been running the country since King Fahd suffered a series of strokes in 1995. The king had ruled Saudi Arabia since 1982.

August 7: Israel

Israeli Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu steps down in protest against the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. His resignation letter labels the withdrawal irresponsible and harmful to Israel’s security.

August 10: Iran

Iran breaks the UN seals at its nuclear plant in Isfahan after declaring that it will resume its nuclear program. The country had suspended its nuclear operations since 2004 and has been engaged in talks with the U.S. and EU. Iran maintains that it has a right to peaceful nuclear activity under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

August 23: Israel/Palestinian Territories

Israeli forces complete the evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan. It is the first time that Israel has withdrawn from Palestinian land since gaining the territory in the 1967 war.

August 31: Israel/Palestinian Territories

The Israeli parliament approves an agreement in which Egyptian forces assume the patrol of the Egypt-Gaza border after Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. Seven hundred fifty Egyptian troops will be responsible for preventing arms smuggling to Palestinian militants across the area separating Gaza and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi route buffer zone. Egyptian troops have not been allowed in the area since the two nations signed a peace treaty nearly 30 years ago.

September 6: Iraq

U.S. troops transfer military control of Najaf, a Shia holy city and the base of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, to Iraqi soldiers. It is the first of a series of transfers in preparation for an eventual withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq. The U.S. has not set a deadline for pulling out of the country, waiting instead for evidence that Iraqi forces can maintain security.

September 10: Jordan/Iraq

Jordanian Prime Minister Adnan Badran travels to Iraq to meet with his Iraqi counterpart, Ibrahim Jaafari, and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi. Badran is the first Arab leader to visit Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The two countries agree to work together on issues of border security. Foreign fighters joining the insurgency in Iraq use the Jordanian border as a point of entry into the country.

September 12: Israel/Palestinian Territories

Israeli troops complete their withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank in the last stage of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s controversial pullout plan. The military will no longer control Gaza, but will continue to patrol the West Bank. Israel previously completed the evacuation of settlers from Gaza and two West Bank settlements in August. The country has occupied the Palestinian territory since 1967.

September 27: Iraq

Lynndie England, a private in the U.S. military, is convicted by a military panel of abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. She is the last of nine army reservists charged in the case, all of whom pled guilty or were found guilty. The abuse, which was captured in graphic photographs, sparked international condemnation and outrage.

October 3: Turkey

Turkey and the European Union officially begin membership talks, towards which Turkey has been working since 1959. The negotiations may last several years, and Turkey’s admittance into the EU is not guaranteed. After the talks are concluded, all twenty-five member-nations must ratify Turkey’s accession.

October 19: Iraq

Iraq’s former president, Saddam Hussein, makes his first court appearance, pleading “not guilty” on charges of ordering a massacre of 143 Shia men in 1982. Hussein also says he does not recognize the authority of the court consisting of five Iraqi judges. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have sent monitors to the trial to report on fairness. Prosecutors are also preparing other cases against the former leader.

October 25: Iraq

Official results show that 78 percent of Iraq’s voters accepted their country’s new draft constitution in the October 15 referendum. Some Sunni groups allege fraud but the UN accepts the results. The constitution provides for a federal parliamentary state, with an independent judiciary, and guarantees equal rights for all. Arabic and Kurdish are to be the country’s official languages and Islam an official religion with a clause, which guarantees freedom of religion. According to the new constitution, Iraq will vote for a permanent parliament in December.

November 11: Saudi Arabia

After twelve years of negotiations, the World Trade Organization (WTO) approves Saudi Arabia’s membership. As part of joining the free-trade regime, Saudi Arabia must adopt all WTO legislations and liberalize its restricted economy. It also has to rescind its boycott of Israel.

November 21: Iraq/Iran

In the first visit of an Iraqi head of state to Iran in forty years, President Jalal Talabani meets with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran. The two leaders are expected to discuss Iran’s help in fighting terrorism and calming rising Sunni-Shia tensions in Iraq. The visit is seen as a sign of improved relations between the two countries. Earlier in the month, an Iraqi passenger plane landed in Tehran, the first commercial flight between the two countries in twenty-five years.

November 26: Palestinian Territories

More than fifteen hundred Palestinians enter Egypt from the Gaza Strip through the newly opened Rafah border crossing, which is now administered by the Palestinians. Israel controlled the border for forty years until its recent withdrawal. The crossing, an opening to the outside world, is significant for Gaza’s economy. However, the Palestinians’ authority is limited; the monitors from the European Union have the power to detain individuals and Israel retains control over Palestinian imports and can object certain travelers.

December 14: Israel

Israel approves the building of the Maale Adumim settlement, the largest in the occupied West Bank. The settlement, which will contain about 300 new homes, violates the roadmap peace plan and is considered illegal by the international community. According to the roadmap plan, Israel agreed to freeze all settlement building.

December 15: Iraq

Voters turn out in high numbers for Iraq’s first election of a full-term government since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Sunni nationalist insurgent groups encourage Sunnis to participate in order to prevent them from being shut out of the government, after having boycotted the last election in January. The 275 elected members of the National Assembly will take over from the transitional government and serve a four-year term.

December 20:  Israel

Binyamin Netanyahu wins leadership of Israel’s right-wing Likud party. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon left Likud in November to form a new centrist party, Kadima. Netanyahu had resigned from his post as finance minister to protest Sharon’s removal of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu had previously served as Israel’s youngest prime minister, and was the first leader born after the creation of a Jewish state.

December 27: Egypt/Arab League

The new interim parliament of the Arab League, which was created to modernize the organization, promote reform, and improve the organization’s image, holds its inaugural meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Although many are skeptical of the parliament, which currently wields very little power, the Arab League eventually aims to have an elected body similar to the European Parliament.