1953 in Israel
Encyclopedia
Incumbents
- Prime Minister of IsraelPrime Minister of IsraelThe Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
– David Ben-GurionDavid Ben-Gurion' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
(MapaiMapaiMapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
) - President of IsraelPresident of IsraelThe President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
– Yitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:... - Chief of General Staff - Mordechai Maklef until December 6, Moshe DayanMoshe DayanMoshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
- Government of Israel - 4th Government of IsraelFourth government of IsraelThe fourth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion during the second Knesset on 24 December 1952. Ben-Gurion dropped the ultra-orthodox parties Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael from his coalition and replaced them with the General Zionists and the Progressive Party, who formed...
Events
- February 11 – The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
breaks diplomatic relations with IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
after an explosion occures in the Soviet embassy building in Tel AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
which was planted by the Tzrifin UndergroundKingdom of Israel (group)The Kingdom of Israel , or Tzrifin Underground, was a violent political group active in Israel in the 1950s."Kingdom of Israel," was the name used by the group's members but it was better known to the Israeli public as the "Tzrifin Underground", after the Tzrifin military base, where its members...
. - March 4 – The remains of Naftali Herz ImberNaftali Herz ImberNaphtali Herz Imber was a Jewish poet and Zionist who wrote the lyrics of Hatikvah, the national anthem of the State of Israel.Imber was born in Złoczów , a town in Galicia, Austrian Empire...
, a Ukrainian-born Jewish poet who wrote the lyrics of Israel’s national anthem "HatikvahHatikvah"Hatikvah" is the national anthem of Israel. The anthem was written by Naphtali Herz Imber, a secular Galician Jew from Zolochiv , who moved to the Land of Israel in the early 1880s....
", are brought to Israel from New York in accordance with his will. - May 26 – Two members of the radical religious Jewish underground organisation Brit HaKanaimBrit HaKanaimBrit HaKanaim was a radical religious Jewish underground organisation which operated in Israel between 1950 and 1953, against the widespread trend of secularisation in the country. The group was made up of students at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem and had more than 35 members at its peak...
are arrested while on their way to plant an explosive device in Israeli Ministry of EducationMinistry of Education (Israel)The Israeli Ministry of Education is the branch of government charged with overseeing public education institutions in Israel. The political head of the department is the Minster of Education, currently Gideon Sa'ar....
building, in protest against the State Education Law (חוק חינוך ממלכתי). - April 20 – The Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
is awarded for the first time. - July – The 1953 Maccabiah Games1953 Maccabiah GamesEight hundred ninety athletes representing 21 countries attended the 1953 4th Maccabiah Games.Israeli President Itzhak Ben-Zvi opened the Games.First-time entries included Brazil, Chile and Zimbabwe ....
are held. - August 6 – Israeli Air ForceIsraeli Air ForceThe Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
Mosquito FB.6De Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, disappears in flight over the MediterraneanMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
: two crew are missing. - August 12 – The State Education Law (חוק חינוך ממלכתי) is approved by the KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
. - August 29 – Three young Israeli men and two young Israeli women who attempt secretly to cross the border into JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in order see the ancient city of PetraPetraPetra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
are killed by Jordanian soldiers. - September 8 - The founding of the kibbutzKibbutzA kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
MetzerMetzerMetzer is a kibbutz in the Menashe area of northern Israel.The kibbutz was founded on 8 September 1953 by immigrants from Argentina. In November 2002, a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the kibbutz and murdered 5 people including a mother and her two sons. The perpetrator, Sirhan Sirhan , was...
. - September 28 - Following military action against the 'Azazme'AzazmeA Bedouin tribe whose grazing territory used to be the desert around the wells at El Auja and Bir Ain on the border between Israel and Egypt.In 1948 the 'Azazme numbered around 3,500. During 1950 the entire tribe was driven from the area around El Auja. In a series of raids the IDF burnt tents and...
bedouin the IDF established the kibbutz Ktzi'otKtzi'ot PrisonKtzi'ot Prison is an Israeli detention facility located in the Haluza sand dunes region. It is Israel's largest detention facility in terms of land area, encompassing ....
. - October 14 – Operation Shoshana (מבצע שושנה), also known as Qibya massacreQibya massacreThe Qibya massacre, also known as the Qibya incident, occurred in October 1953 when Israeli troops under Ariel Sharon attacked the village of Qibya in the West Bank. Sixty-nine Palestinian Arabs, two thirds of them women and children were killed. Forty-five houses, a school, and a mosque were...
: Following an attack in which an Israeli mother and her two children are killed, IDF forces under the command of Ariel SharonAriel SharonAriel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
attack the Arab village QibyaQibyaQibya is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, located northwest of Ramallah and exactly north of the large Israeli city of Modi'in. It is part of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, and according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of approximately 4,901 in...
in the West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, which had been annexed by JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in 1950. Sixty-nine Jordanian citizens are killed during the operation. - November 5 – David Ben-GurionDavid Ben-Gurion' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
announces his intention to resign as Prime Minister of IsraelPrime Minister of IsraelThe Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
. - December 6 – Moshe DayanMoshe DayanMoshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
is appointed as the fourth Chief of StaffRamatkalThe Chief of the General Staff, also known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces is the supreme commander and Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. At any given time, the Chief of Staff is the only active officer holding the IDF's highest rank, Rav Aluf , which is usually...
of the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1953 include:Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets
The most prominent Palestinian fedayeen terror attack
Palestinian political violence
Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence undertaken to further the Palestinian cause. These political objectives include self-determination in and sovereignty over Palestine, the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a Palestinian state, either in place of both Israel and...
s committed against Israelis during 1953 include:
- April 14 - Armed Palestinian infiltrators tried for the first time to infiltrate Israel by sea, but were unsuccessful. One of the boats was intercepted and the other boat escaped.
- May 25 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, attack an Israeli family in Beit NehemiaBeit NehemiaBeit Nehemia is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Shoham, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 730....
, killing a woman and wounding her husband and her two children. - June 7 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, attacked residential areas in southern Jerusalem, killing a youngster and wounding three others.
- June 9 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, attacked a farming community near LodLodLod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
, and killed one of the residents. The gunmen threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire in all directions. On the same night, another group of terrorists attacked a house in the town of HaderaHaderaHadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
. This occurred a day after Israel and Jordan signed an agreement, with UN mediation, in which Jordan undertook to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel from Jordanian territory. - June 10 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, enter kibbutz Mishmar AyalonMishmar AyalonMishmar Ayyalon is a moshav in central Israel. Located between Latrun and Ramla on the old Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 417....
and kill a 19-year-old Israeli woman in her sleep. - June 11 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, throw hand grenadeHand grenadeA hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s into a young couple's home in the moshav Kfar HessKfar HessKfar Hess is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain to the south-east of Tel Mond and covering 3,900 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lev HaSharon Regional Council...
, killing an Israeli woman and severely wounding her husband]]. - September 2 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, throw hand grenadeHand grenadeA hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s in all directions in the neighborhood of Katamon, in the heart of Jerusalem. No one was hurt. - October 12 - Yehud attackYehud attackThe Yehud attack was an attack on a civilian house in the village of Yehud carried out by a Palestinian Fedayeen squad on October 12, 1953. Three Jewish civilians were killed in the event.- The attack :...
: Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated to Israel from Jordan, throw hand grenades into a home in the YehudYehudYehud is a city in the Center District in Israel that is part of the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson. In 2007, Yehud's population was approximately 25,600 .- History :...
, killing two young children (a 3-year-old girl and a one-and-a-half year old boy).
Notable Israeli military operations against Palestinian militancy targets
The most prominent Israeli military counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
operations (military campaign
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
s and military operations) carried out against Palestinian militants during 1953 include:
- February 25 - Al BurjAl-Burj, RamlaAl-Burj was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Ramla. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on July 15, 1948 under the second phase of Operation Dani. It was located 14 km east of Ramla. The village was defended by the Jordanian Army but was destroyed by Israelis with...
: An IDF patrol shoot dead and mutilate bodies of five shepherds. 177 sheep confiscated. - February 28 - Near Beit Jibrin: IDF execute five smugglers from the Gaza StripGaza Stripthumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. - February/March - 12 to 15 infiltrators from the Gaza Strip killed when they trigger a 50kg TNT booby-trap whilst trying to steal water pipelines near Yad MordechaiYad MordechaiYad Mordechai is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located 10 km south of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 710.-History:...
. - April 22 - IDF snipers in West JerusalemWest JerusalemWest Jerusalem refers to:*The section of Jerusalem captured by Israel following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.*The western neighborhoods of Jerusalem today.-Division in 1948:...
open fire across the armistice line killing six. - August 11 - Armoured 7th Brigade kill 6 in a wide ranging attack around SurifSurifSurif is a Palestinian town in the Hebron Governorate located 25 km northwest of the city of Hebron. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics census, Surif had a population of 13,365 in 2007. The population is entirely Muslim....
, Wadi FukinWadi FukinWadi Fukin is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, eight kilometers southwest of Bethlehem in the Bethlehem Governorate. The village is located between the Green Line and the Israeli West Bank barrier. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Wadi Fukin had a population of...
and Beit Aula. - August 28 - Unit 101Unit 101Unit 101 was a special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces , founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953...
's first combat operation. An attack on Bureij refugee camp kills 20 refugees including 7 women and five children.
Unknown dates
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Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Pa'amei Tashaz Pa'amei Tashaz Pa'amei Tashaz Pa'amei Tashaz is located in the north-western Negev, between Netivot and Rahat. It falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 359.... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Sde Tzvi Sde Tzvi Sde Tzvi is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev near Rahat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 362.The village was established in 1953 by immigrants from North Africa... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Ta'ashur Ta'ashur Ta'ashur is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev between Ofakim and Netivot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council and covers an area of around 1,200 dunams. In 2006 it had a population of 329.... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Talmei Bilu Talmei Bilu Talmei Bilu is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev near Netivot and Rahat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 332.... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Tidhar Tidhar Tidhar is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev between Ofakim and Netivot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council and covers an area of around 1,000 dunams. In 2006 it had a population of 233.... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Yad Natan Yad Natan Yad Natan is a moshav in southern Israel in Hevel Lakhish, near the town of Kiryat Gat. It is part of the Lakhish Regional Council. The moshav was founded in 1953 by Jewish immigrants from the Hungarian youth movement HaNoar haTzioni as part of the effort to settle the region... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Yuval Yuval Yuval is a Hebrew first name. It means stream, brook, or tributary. In Hebrew, Yuval , was the son of Lamech and Adah, a brother of Jabal, a descendant of Cain, according to the Bible. The ancestor of all who played the lyre and pipe .The name Yuval is a common name to give to both male and... . Moshav Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah... Zru'a Zru'a Zru'a is a religious moshav in southern Israel. Located near Netivot and the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Negev Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 242.The village was established in 1953 by immigrants from Morocco... . |
Notable births
- March 31 – Ehud BanaiEhud Banai-Early life:Banai, of Persian Jewish and Afghan Jewish descent, was born in Jerusalem to the actor Yaakov Banai, the eldest of the Banai siblings, and moved to Givataim at the age of four.-Music career:...
, Israeli singer. - April 5 – Raleb MajadeleRaleb MajadeleGhaleb Majadele is an Israeli Arab politician. A member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, he became the country's first Muslim minister when appointed Minister without Portfolio on 28 January 2007.-Biography:...
, Israeli Arab politician who became Israel's first Muslim minister. - April 11 – Adi TalmorAdi Talmor- Biography :Talmor was born and raised in Ramat Gan to Jewish immigrant parents who were Holocaust survivors. During Talmor's childhood, his father changed the family's surname to the Hebrew name "Talmor"....
, Israeli journalist and news presenter (d. 20112011 in Israel-Incumbents:* Prime Minister of Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu * President of Israel – Shimon Peres* Chief of General Staff – Gabi Ashkenazi until February 14, Benny Gantz* Government of Israel – 32nd Government of Israel-Domestic developments:...
). - June 14 – Hana Laszlo, Israeli actress and comedienne.
- December 29 – Gali AtariGali AtariAvigail "Gali" Atari is an Israeli actress and singer.-Career:She first appeared on the international scene in 1971, when she represented Israel at the World Popular Song Festival in Japan with the songs "All free" and "Give love away"...
, Israeli singer.