1969 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...
– Levi EshkolLevi Eshkol' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
(AlignmentAlignment (political party)The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
) until February 26, Yigal AllonYigal AllonYigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
(Alignment) until March 17, Golda MeirGolda MeirGolda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
(Alignment) - 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...
– Zalman ShazarZalman ShazarZalman Shazar was an Israeli politician, author. and poet. Shazar served as the third President of Israel from 1963 to 1973.-Biography:... - Chief of General Staff - Haim Bar-Lev
- Government of Israel - 13th Government of IsraelThirteenth government of IsraelThe thirteenth government of Israel was formed by Levi Eshkol on 12 January 1966, following the November 1965 elections. His coalition included the Alignment , the National Religious Party, Mapam, the Independent Liberals, Poalei Agudat Yisrael, Progress and Development and Cooperation and...
until March 17, 14th Government of IsraelFourteenth government of IsraelThe fourteenth government of Israel was formed by Golda Meir on 17 March 1969, following the death of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol on 26 February...
until December 15, 15th Government of IsraelFifteenth government of IsraelThe fifteenth government of Israel was formed by Golda Meir on 15 December 1969 following the October elections. The government was a continuation of the national unity government formed during the previous Knesset, and consisted of the Alignment, Gahal, the National Religious Party, the...
Events
- January 1 – Two killed and dozens wounded during the first Katyusha attack on Kiryat ShmonaKiryat ShmonaKiryat Shmona is a city located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley on the Lebanese border. The city was named for the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 defending Tel Hai....
from LebaneseLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
territory. - February 26 – Israeli Prime Minister Levi EshkolLevi Eshkol' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
dies of a heart attack. Following the death of Eshkol, Yigal AllonYigal AllonYigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
is appointed as the acting prime minister of Israel and held office until March 17. - March 17 – Golda MeirGolda MeirGolda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
is elected 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...
. The 14th GovernmentFourteenth government of IsraelThe fourteenth government of Israel was formed by Golda Meir on 17 March 1969, following the death of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol on 26 February...
is approved that day and the members are sworn in. - July 8 – A series of air battles takes place over the Golan Heights and DamascusDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, as part of the War of attritionWar of AttritionThe international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
, during which seven Syrian MIGMig-Industry:*MiG, now Mikoyan, a Russian aircraft corporation, formerly the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau*Metal inert gas welding or MIG welding, a type of welding using an electric arc and a shielding gas-Business and finance:...
s are shot down. - July – The 1969 Maccabiah Games1969 Maccabiah GamesAt the 8th Maccabiah Games in 1969, 1,450 athletes from 27 countries competed in 22 sports.Germany and Greece sent teams for the first time since the 1935 Games.A new swimming pool was dedicated at Yad Eliyahu.American swimmer Mark Spitz won 6 gold medals....
are held. - September 9 – Operation RavivOperation RavivOperation Raviv , also known as the Ten-Hour War, was a mounted raid conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces on Egypt's Red Sea coast during the War of Attrition. Taking place on September 9, 1969, Raviv was the sole major ground offensive undertaken by the IDF against Egypt throughout the war...
: During the War of AttritionWar of AttritionThe international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
, an IDF armored force is landed on the Egyptian shore of the Suez canalSuez CanalThe Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
disguised as a Egyptian military force, inside six Egyptian tankTankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s and three Egyptian armoured personnel carrierArmoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
s which had previously been captured by the IDF. Masquerading as an Egyptian force, the raiders meet no significant resistance. The IDF armored force raids Egyptian military bases along the west coast of the Gulf of SuezGulf of SuezThe northern end of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The Gulf of Suez is formed within a relatively young, but now inactive rift basin, the Gulf of Suez Rift, dating back about 28 million years...
attacking Egyptian radar stations, military vehicles and other military targets. The Egyptian Army suffers an estimated 100-200 casualties and had 12 outposts destroyed. The Israeli forces suffers no losses. - October 28 – The AlignmentAlignment (political party)The Alignment was an alliance of the major left-wing parties in Israel between the 1960s and 1990s. It was established in 1965 as an alliance of Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda but was dissolved three years later when the two parties and Rafi formally merged into the Israeli Labor Party...
party led by Golda Meir wins the seventh Israeli legislative electionIsraeli legislative election, 1969Elections for the seventh Knesset were held in Israel on 28 October 1969. Voter turnout was 81.7%.-Results:¹ Meir Avizohar defected from the National List to the Alignment² Avner Shaki left the National Religious Party and remained a single MK...
. - December 15 – Golda MeirGolda MeirGolda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
presents her cabinet for a 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...
"Vote of Confidence". The 15th GovernmentFifteenth government of IsraelThe fifteenth government of Israel was formed by Golda Meir on 15 December 1969 following the October elections. The government was a continuation of the national unity government formed during the previous Knesset, and consisted of the Alignment, Gahal, the National Religious Party, the...
is approved that day and the members are sworn in.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1969 include:Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets
The most prominent Palestinian 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 1969 include:
- February 18 – El Al Flight 432 attack: Four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestinePopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineThe Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
, machine-gun El Al's flight 432El Al Flight 432El Al Flight 432, was a Boeing 720-058B that was attacked by a squad of four armed Palestinian militants, members of the Lebanese-based militant organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, while it was preparing for takeoff at the Zurich International Airport in Kloten on February...
, a Boeing 707 preparing for takeoff at the Kloten Airport near ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Several crew members are wounded in the attack and damage is caused to the plane. The co-pilot, who was severaly wounded, dies from his wounds a month later. - February 20 – Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestinePopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineThe Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
bomb a Jerusalem supermarket; two Israelis are killed and twenty others are wounded. - August 29 – TWA Flight 840 hijacking: A PFLPPopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineThe Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
terrorist cell led by Leila KhaledLeila KhaledLeila Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine . She is currently a member of the Palestinian National Council...
hijacks TWA Flight 840TWA Flight 840 (1969)TWA Flight 840 was a Trans World Airlines flight from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport in Rome, Italy to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, that was hijacked on 29 August 1969...
on its way from Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to 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...
, diverting the Boeing 707Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
to DamascusDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. Two Israeli passengers are held captive for 98 days in a Syrian prison and released eventually in a prisoner exchange deal that took place on 7 December 1969. According to several unverified media reports, the hijackers main aim was to kidnap the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yitzhak RabinYitzhak Rabin' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
, whom the hijacking planner mistakenly believed would be on this flight.
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 1969 include:
Notable births
- January 1 – Lior AshkenaziLior AshkenaziLior Ashkenazi , is an award-winning Israeli screen and stage actor.- Biography :Lior Ashkenazi was born to Sephardi Jewish immigrants from Turkey who moved to Israel in 1964. He grew up in the Neveh Yehoshua neighborhood in Ramat Gan. His father, Shmuel, worked as a printer. His mother, Victoria,...
, Israeli screen and stage actor. - June 23 – Achinoam NiniAchinoam NiniAchinoam Nini , also known by her professional name, Noa, is a leading Israeli international concert and recording artist.-Career:...
, Israeli singer. - June 28 – Ayelet ZurerAyelet ZurerAyelet Zorer is an Israeli actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Nina’s Tragedies, Adam Resurrected, Munich, and Angels & Demons....
, Israeli actress. - November 25 – Orna BanaiOrna BanaiOrna Banai is an Israeli actress, comedian and entertainer.Banai was born in Beersheba, Israel. Her father was a local judge, and her mother was an education executive for the City of Beer Sheva. Many of her relatives are successful Israeli actors and singers. The next generation of the Banai...
, Israeli actress and comedian.
Notable deaths
- February 8 – Ovadia HedayaOvadia Hedaya-Biography:Rabbi Hadaya was born in 1889 in the Aleppo, Syria , the son of rabbi Shalom Hedaya. In 1895, he and his family left Aleppo for Jerusalem, which was also then under Ottoman rule....
((b. 1889), Syrian-born Israeli rabbi. - February 12 – Paltiel DaykanPaltiel DaykanPaltiel Daykan Paltiel Daykan Paltiel Daykan (Hebrew: פלטיאל דייקן; (born 12 May 1885; died 12 February 1969) was an Israeli jurist.- Early life :Daykan was born in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1885. He emigrated to Mandate Palestine (now Israel) in 1921.- See also :...
(b. 1885), Russian (Lithuania)-born Israeli jurist. - February 26 – Levi EshkolLevi Eshkol' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
(b. 1895), Russian (Ukraine)-born 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...
. - March 22 – Shoshana ParsitzShoshana Parsitz-Biography:Zlatopolsky was born in 1892 in Kiev in the Russian Empire , the daughter of Hillel Zlatopolsky, philanthropist and a founder of Keren Hayesod...
(b. 1892), Russian (Poland)-born Zionist activist, educator and Israeli politician. - March 24 – Abba HushiAbba HushiAbba Hushi was an Israeli politician who served as mayor of Haifa for eighteen years between 1951 to 1969. Hushi was one of the founders and activists of Hashomer Hatzair movement in Poland. In July 1920, he immigrated to Palestine with a group of 130 Jewish pioneers. In Palestine, he took the...
(b. 1898), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli politician. - September 2 – Amos de-ShalitAmos de-ShalitAmos de-Shalit was a distinguished Israeli nuclear physicist.-Biography:Amos de-Shalit was born in 1926 in Jerusalem in the then Palestine Mandate. He grew up in Tel Aviv and graduated from Gymnasia Balfour....
(b. 19261926 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1926 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Herbert Onslow Plumer* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein...
), Israeli nuclear physicist. - November 7 – Yehuda BurlaYehuda BurlaYehuda Burla was an Israeli author.- Biography :Burla was born in 1886 in Jerusalem, then part of the Ottoman Empire, to a Sephardi Jewish family with rabbinical roots, originating from Izmir. Until the age of 18, he had a religious education, studying at yeshiva and beth midrash...
(b. 1886), Israeli author.