1994 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...
– 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....
(Israeli Labor Party) - 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...
– Ezer WeizmanEzer Weizman' was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense.-Biography:... - Chief of General Staff – Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
- Government of Israel – 25th Government of IsraelTwenty-fifth government of IsraelThe twenty-fifth government of Israel was formed by Yitzhak Rabin of the Labor Party on 13 July 1992, after the party's victory in the June elections. The coalition also contained the new Meretz party and Shas, and held 62 of the 120 seats in the Knesset...
Events
- January 12 – Major General Nehemia Tamari's helicopter crashed near Central Command headquarters, killing both him and three other officers.
- May 21 – Mustafa Dirani kidnappingMustafa DiraniMustafa Dirani was a member and held position of "the head of security" of the Amal movement, a Shi'a militia in Lebanon associated with Syria. In 1987 he started contacts with pro-Iran sources, and eventually he created contacts between them and the rest of the leadership of Amal...
: Israeli commandos kidnap Mustafa DiraniMustafa DiraniMustafa Dirani was a member and held position of "the head of security" of the Amal movement, a Shi'a militia in Lebanon associated with Syria. In 1987 he started contacts with pro-Iran sources, and eventually he created contacts between them and the rest of the leadership of Amal...
, a officer of the Lebanese AmalAmal MovementAmal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
Shi'a militia. (see Ron AradRon Arad (pilot)Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
). - July 25 – Israel and 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...
sign the Washington DeclarationWashington DeclarationVarious documents are known as the Washington Declaration:* 1918, proclaiming the First Czechoslovak Republic* 1994, agreement formally ending the 46-year state of war between Jordan and Israel...
which formally ends the state of warState of WarState of war may refer to:*a situation where two or more states are at war with each other, with or without a real armed conflict*State of War , a book by James Risen which makes numerous controversial allegations about Central Intelligence Agency activities*State of War , a real-time strategy...
that had existed between them since 1948. - August 8 – The Wadi Araba CrossingWadi Araba CrossingThe Wadi Araba Border Crossing is an international border crossing between Aqaba, Jordan and Eilat, Israel. Opened on August 8, 1994, it is currently one of three entry/exit points between the two countries that handles tourists....
opens, becoming the first border crossing between Israel and 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...
. - October 26 – Israel and 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...
sign the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace, witnessed by US President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
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Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1994 include:- February 25 – Cave of the Patriarchs massacreCave of the Patriarchs massacreThe Cave of the Patriarchs massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred when Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler and member of the far-right Israeli Kach movement, opened fire on unarmed Palestinian Muslims praying inside the Ibrahim Mosque at the Cave of the Patriarchs site in Hebron in the...
: Israeli Kahanist Baruch GoldsteinBaruch GoldsteinBaruch Kopel Goldstein was an American-born Jewish Israeli physician and mass murderer who perpetrated the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in the city of Hebron, killing 29 Palestinian Muslim worshipers and wounding another 125....
opens fire inside the Cave of the PatriarchsCave of the PatriarchsThe Cave of the Patriarchs or the Cave of Machpelah , is known by Muslims as the Sanctuary of Abraham or Ibrahimi Mosque ....
, HebronHebronHebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
, 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...
; he kills 29 Muslims before worshippers beat him to death. - May 4 – Israel and the PLOPalestine Liberation OrganizationThe Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
sign the Gaza-Jericho AgreementGaza-Jericho AgreementThe Gaza–Jericho Agreement of 4 May 1994 was a follow-up treaty to the Oslo Accords in which the details of Palestinian autonomy were concluded....
. - May 18 – Israeli forces withdraw from JerichoJerichoJericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
and Gaza CityGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
in compliance with the Oslo accordsOslo AccordsThe Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
. - December 10 – 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....
, Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and Yasser ArafatYasser ArafatMohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
receive the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
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Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets
The most prominent Palestinian militant acts and operations
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...
committed against Israeli targets during 1994 include:
- April 6 – Afula Bus suicide bombingAfula Bus suicide bombingThe Afula Bus suicide bombing was the suicide bombing attack that was carried out on April 6, 1994 at a bus next to a Egged bus in the center of Afula, Israel. Eight Israeli civilians were killed in the attack and 55 additional people were injured...
: Eight Israelis are killed by a Palestinian Arab suicide car bomb, which explodes in AfulaAfulaAfula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...
. - April 13 – Hadera central station suicide bombingHadera central station suicide bombingThe Hadera bus station suicide bombing was a 1994 Hamas suicide attack on a passenger bus departing from the central bus station in Hadera for Tel Aviv, Israel. Six civilians were killed and 30 injured. The attack came exactly one week after another Hamas attack, the Afula Bus suicide bombing...
: Five Israelis are killed and another 30 are wounded during a Palestinian Arab suicide attack on a public bus in 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...
during Israel's Fallen Soldiers Remembrance DayYom HazikaronYom Hazikaron is Israel's official Memorial Day. In 2011, Israel honored the memory of soldiers killed in the line of duty and the civilian casualties too.-Observance:...
. - July 26 – Attack on the embassy of Israel in London: A vehicle packed with 30 pounds of explosives exploded at the Israeli Embassy in London, wounding 20. Five Palestinians were arrested in London in January 1995 in connection with both bombings.
- October 9 – Kidnapping of Nachshon Wachsman: IDF soldier Corporal Nachshon Wachsman is kidnapped by HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
militants disguised as Jewish settlers. They later demand the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and another 200 Palestinian Arab prisoners from Israeli prison in return for Wachsman's release. - October 19 – Dizengoff Street bus bombingTel Aviv bus 5 suicide bombingThe Dizengoff Street bus bombing was a Hamas suicide attack on a passenger bus driving down Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv in 1994. At that time, it was the deadliest suicide bombing in Israeli history, and the first successful attack in Tel Aviv. Twenty-two civilians were killed and 50 were injured...
: 21 Israelis and a Dutch national are killed after a suicide attackSuicide attackA suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
on a bus 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...
. This was the first major suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
claims responsibility for the bombing. - November 11 – Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing: Three Israeli soldiers are killed when a Palestinian Arab detonated explosives strapped to his bodySuicide attackA suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
as he rode his bicycle into an Israeli ArmyIsrael 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...
checkpoint at a road junction close to the former Israeli settlement of NetzarimNetzarim (settlement)Netzarim was formerly an Israeli settlement established in Gaza in 1972. It began as a secular Nahal outpost of the Hashomer Hatzair movement; in 1984 it became an orthodox kibbutz. A few years later, the residents decided to change from a kibbutz to a village...
. - November 30 – 19-year-old female Israeli soldier Sgt. Liat Gabai is axed to death by the Palestinian Arab Islamic militant Wahib Abu Alrub in the center of the Israeli city AfulaAfulaAfula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...
. - December 25 – Jerusalem Binyanei HaUma suicide bombing
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 1994 include:
- October 14 – Israeli elite special forces unit Sayeret MatkalSayeret MatkalSayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
attempt to free the kidnapped IDF hostage Nachshon Wachsman held by Palestinian terrorists in the village of Bir NabalaBir NabalaBir Nabala is a Palestinian town in the West Bank located eight kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. In mid-year 2006, it had an estimated population of 6,100 residents...
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...
; Wachsman and Nir PorazNir PorazNir Poraz was a 23 year-old Israeli Defence Forces Captain who was killed in action by Hamas during the failed October 14, 1994 rescue mission to release IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman in Bir Nabbalah. The rescue operation was authorized by then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin...
, the commander of the rescue force, are killed by the terrorists during the raid.
Notable deaths
- January 10 – Yigal HurvitzYigal HurvitzYigal Hurvitz was an Israeli politician who served as a government minister in the late 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:Hurvitz was born in Nahlat Yehuda in 1918. Between 1938 and 1941 he was a member of the secretariat of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, and served in the Jewish Brigade during World War II...
(b. 19181918 in British-administered PalestineEvents in the year 1918 in British-administered Palestine.-Events:* 4 April 1918 – The first edition of the Hebrew-language daily newspaper "Haaretz" is published, sponsored by the British military government in Palestine....
), Israeli politician. - January 12 – Nehemiah TamariNehemiah TamariNehemiah Tamari was an Israeli major general and head of Central Command in 1993–1994.He participated in Operation Entebbe as part of Sayeret Matkal, and went on to command the unit...
(b. 19461946 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1946 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner – Sir Alan Cunningham* Emir of Transjordan – Abdullah I bin al-Hussein until 25 May...
), Israeli major general (AlufAlufAluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...
) and head of Central Command. - February 13 – Simcha HoltzbergSimcha HoltzbergSimcha Holtzberg was an Israeli activist and Holocaust survivor....
(b. 1924), Polish-born Israeli activist and Holocaust survivor. - February 19 – Yitzhak Yitzhaky (b. 19361936 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1936 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner – Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope* Emir of Transjordan – Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan – Ibrahim Hashem-Events:...
), Israeli educator and politician. - April 3 – Aharon RemezAharon RemezAluf Aharon Remez was an Israeli civil servant, politician and diplomat, and the second commander of the Israeli Air Force.-Biography:Born in Tel Aviv in 1919, Remez's father David was Israel's first Minister of Transportation. He joined the Haganah in 1936. Three years later he was sponsored by...
(b. 19191919 in British-administered PalestineEvents in the year 1919 in British-administeredPalestine.-Events:* 3 January - The signing of the Faisal Weizmann Agreement by Emir Feisal and Chaim Weizmann as part of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919.* 26 February - The first official meeting of the Zionist General Council.-Notable births:* 8...
), Israeli civil servant, politician and diplomat, and the second commander of the Israeli Air Force. - May 7 – Haim Bar-Lev (b. 1924), Austrian-born Israeli general and politician, eighth Chief of General Staff of the IDF.
- June 6 – Yohai Ben-NunYohai Ben-Nun- Biography :Yohai Ben-Nun was born in Haifa and raised in Jerusalem. His parents were members of the First Aliyah.Ben-Nun joined the Palmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined the Pal-Yam, the sea corps of the Palmach...
(b. 19241924 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1924 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Herbert Louis Samuel* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein...
), Sixth commander of the Israeli Navy. - June 16 – Yohanan BaderYohanan BaderYohanan Bader was a Revisionist Zionist leader and Israeli politician.-Biography:Bader was born in Kraków in Austria-Hungary , where he studied at a State Gymnasium. In his youth he was active in the Jewish Socialist Party, the "Bund" followed by "HaShomer Hatzair" but in 1925 he joined the...
(b. 1901), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Revisionist Zionist leader and Israeli politician. - July 6 – Baruch OsniaBaruch OsniaBaruch Osnia was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1951 and 1969.-Biography:Born in Pinsk in the Russian Empire . His parents were Samuel Eisenstadt and Zipora Finfelstein. Osnia was educated at a heder and a high school in Danzig , before studying at the...
(b. 1905), Russian (Belarus)-born Israeli politician - August 8 – Mordechai SeterMordechai Seter-Biography:Seter was born Mordachai Staromsky in Novorossiysk, Russia, in 1916 and emigrated with his family to Mandate Palestine in 1926.He learned to play the piano from the age of seven in Russia, and continued with his lessons and studies in Tel Aviv...
(b. 1916), Russian-born Israeli composer. - August 18 – Yeshayahu LeibowitzYeshayahu LeibowitzYeshayahu Leibowitz was an Israeli public intellectual and polymath known for his outspoken opinions on Judaism, ethics, religion and politics.- Biography :...
(b. 1903), Russian (Latvia)-born Israeli philosopher and scientist. - September 5 – Shimshon AmitsurShimshon AmitsurShimshon Avraham Amitsur was a Jewish mathematician. He is best known for his work in ring theory, in particular PI rings, an area of abstract algebra.-Biography:...
(b. 19211921 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1921 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Herbert Louis Samuel* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein from 11 April...
), Israeli mathematician. - October 14 – Nachshon Wachsman (b. 19751975 in Israel-Incumbents:* Prime Minister of Israel – Yitzhak Rabin * President of Israel – Ephraim Katzir* Chief of General Staff - Mordechai Gur* Government of Israel - 17th Government of Israel-Events:...
), kidnapped IDF soldier, killed during an attempted rescue operation. - October 29 – Shlomo GorenShlomo GorenShlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983.He served in the Israel Defense Forces during three wars,...
(b. 1917), Polish-born AshkenaziAshkenazi JewsAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
Chief Rabbi of IsraelChief Rabbinate of IsraelThe Chief Rabbinate of Israel is recognized by law as the supreme halakhic and spiritual authority for the Jewish people in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Council assists the two chief rabbis, who alternate in its presidency. It has legal and administrative authority to organize religious...
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See also
- 1994 in Israeli film1994 in Israeli filmA list of films produced by the Israeli film industry in 1994.-Unknown premiere date:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
- 1994 in Israeli television
- 1994 in Israeli music
- 1994 in Israeli sport
- Israel at the 1994 Winter OlympicsIsrael at the 1994 Winter OlympicsIsrael competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.The lone Israeli competitor was Michael Shmerkin in men's figure skating.-Figure Skating:Men-References:**...