1996 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...
– 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...
(Israeli Labor Party) until June 18, Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
(LikudLikudLikud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
) - 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 - Amnon Lipkin-ShahakAmnon Lipkin-ShahakAmnon Lipkin-Shahak is a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Member of the Knesset andMinister of Transportation and Tourism.-Military service:Lipkin-Shahak started his military service as a teenager in the military boarding-school in Haifa...
- Government of Israel - 26th Government of IsraelTwenty-sixth government of IsraelThe twenty-sixth government of Israel was formed by Shimon Peres of the Labor Party on 22 November 1995, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on 4 November. Peres kept the same coalition as previously, namely the Labor Party, Meretz and Yiud, which together held only 58 of the 120 seats in...
until June 18, 27th Government of IsraelTwenty-seventh government of IsraelThe twenty-seventh government of Israel was formed by Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud on 18 June 1996. Although his Likud-Gesher-Tzomet alliance won fewer seats that the Labor Party, Netanyahu formed the government after winning the country's first ever direct election for Prime Minister, narrowly...
Events
- January 10 – King Hussein of JordanHussein of JordanHussein bin Talal was the third King of Jordan from the abdication of his father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein's rule extended through the Cold War and four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict...
arrives for his first visit 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...
. - January 26 - Israel gives $400,000 to the widow of a MoroccanMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
waiter who was mistakenly identified as Hassan Salameh and killed in Norway, 1973. - February 19 - Israel successfully test fires its Arrow-2 anti-ballistic missile.
- March 27 - Yigal AmirYigal AmirYigal Amir is the Israeli assassin of Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin. The assassination took place on November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus six years for injuring Rabin's bodyguard, Yoram Rubin, under...
, assassin of 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....
, sentenced to life in prison. - March 28 - Shamgar CommissionShamgar CommissionThe Shamgar commission was the official Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in late 1995...
report published. - April 11 – Operation Grapes of WrathOperation Grapes of WrathOperation Grapes of Wrath is the Israeli Defense Forces code-name for a sixteen-day campaign against Lebanon in 1996 in an attempt to end shelling of Northern Israel by Hezbollah. Israel conducted more than 1,100 air raids and extensive shelling...
: The Israeli government launches the Operation, consisting of massive attacks on LebanonLebanonLebanon , 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...
, in retaliation for prior terrorist attacks, and sparking off a violent series of retaliations. - April 18 – Operation Grapes of Wrath: Amid heavy fighting between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hezbollah during "Operation Grapes of Wrath" over a hundred Lebanese civilians whom had taken refuge to escape the fighting are killed at the village of Qana1996 shelling of QanaThe 1996 shelling of Qana or the First Qana massacre, took place on April 18, 1996 near Qana, a village in Southern Lebanon, when artillery shells fired by the Israeli Defence Force hit a United Nations compound. Of 800 Lebanese civilians who had taken refuge in the compound, 106 were killed and...
when Israeli artillery shelled the area of a UN compound near QanaQanaQana also spelled Cana is a village in southern Lebanon located southeast of the city of Tyre and north of the border with Israel. The 10,000 residents of Qana are primarily Shiite Muslim although there is also a Christian community in the village....
while firing at members of Hezbollah. - April 27 – Operation Grapes of Wrath: The conflict de-escalated following a ceasefire agreement banning attacks on civilians.
- May 30 – The Likud Party, led by Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
, wins a narrow victory in the Israeli general electionIsraeli legislative election, 1996Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
. - June 18 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents his 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 27th GovernmentTwenty-seventh government of IsraelThe twenty-seventh government of Israel was formed by Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud on 18 June 1996. Although his Likud-Gesher-Tzomet alliance won fewer seats that the Labor Party, Netanyahu formed the government after winning the country's first ever direct election for Prime Minister, narrowly...
is approved that day and the members were sworn in. - November 5 – Israeli DruzeIsraeli DruzeAccording to the 2008 National Resilience Survey, conducted by Dr. Yussuf Hassan of the Tel Aviv University, more than 94% of Druze youngsters classified themselves as "Druze-Israelis" in the religious and national context....
Azzam AzzamAzzam AzzamAzzam Azzam is an Israeli Druze who was convicted in Egypt of spying for Israel, and jailed for eight years. He maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and since, no credible evidence was presented at his trial, and no additional evidence was ever released.-Arrest and trial:Azzam is a...
is arrested in Egypt on suspicion of spying for Israel. Later on, a military court in Cairo sentenced Azzam Azzam to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor. - December 30 – Netanyahu proposed budget cuts, sparking protests from 250,000 workers, who went on strikes across Israel.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1996 include:- April 24 - After a two day meeting in Gaza City the PNCPalestinian National CouncilThe Palestinian National Council is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization and elects its Executive Committee, which assumes leadership of the organization between its sessions. The Council normally meets every two years. Resolutions are passed by a simple majority with a...
adopts two resolutions amending the PLO Charter.
- September 24 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorize the opening of an exit in the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem for the Western Wall TunnelWestern Wall TunnelThe Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel exposing the full length of the Western Wall. The tunnel is adjacent to the Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. While the open-air portion of the Western Wall is approximately long, the majority of its...
, which prior Prime Minister 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...
had instructed to be put on hold for the sake of peace. This sparked violent riots throughout 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...
and northern 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...
. Over the subsequent three days, 16 Israeli soldiers and about 60 Palestinian civilians were killed in the riots.
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 1996 include:
- January 19 - Three Hamas members are killed in an attack on an Israeli army roadblock. One Israeli soldier is injured.
- February 25 – Ashqelon bus station bombing. Killing two Israelis. 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. - February 25 – First Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing: A Hamas suicide bomber blows himself up in a commuter bus in Jerusalem, killing 26 and injuring 80 others.
- March 3 – Second Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing: A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a bomb on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 19 and injuring six others.
- March 4 – Dizengoff Center suicide bombingDizengoff Center suicide bombingThe Dizengoff Center suicide bombing was a Hamas terrorist attack on March 4, 1996 on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Purim. The Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up outside Dizengoff Center in downtown Tel Aviv, killing 13 Israelis and wounding about 130 more...
: A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a bomb outside the Dizengoff CenterDizengoff CenterDizengoff Center is a shopping mall at the intersection of Dizengoff Street and King George Street in Tel Aviv. The mall is named for Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv.-History:...
, 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...
's largest shopping mall, killing 20 and wounding 75 others, including children celebrating the Jewish PurimPurimPurim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
holiday. - December 11 – 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...
gunmen attack a car carrying Israeli settlers near the settlement of Bet ElBet ElBeit El is an Israeli settlement and a local council in the Benjamin region of the central West Bank, within the borders of the Matte Binyamin Regional Council. The religiously observant town is located in the hills north of Jerusalem east of the Palestinian city of al-Bireh. In 2009, it had a...
, killing a woman and her 12-year-old son.
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 1996 include:
- January 5 – The MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
assassinates Yahya AyyashYahya AyyashYahya Abd-al-Latif Ayyash was the chief bombmaker of Hamas and the leader of the West Bank battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, the chief bombmaker of 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...
and the leader of 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...
battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam BrigadesIzz ad-Din al-Qassam BrigadesThe Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
, via a bomb-laden mobile phone.
Unknown dates
- The founding of the communal settlementCommunal settlement (Israel)A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
Bat HeferBat HeferBat Hefer is an Israeli communal settlement in the Sharon plain, east of Netanya and adjacent to two kibbutzim; Bahan and Yad Hana. The Palestinian city of Tulkarm lies to the southeast. It is named after "Hefer", an administrative district in this area with a district chief in the time of King...
. - The founding of 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...
settlement of Modi'in IllitModi'in IllitModi'in Illit is a Haredi Israeli settlement and a city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted city status by the Israeli government in 2008. It is located six kilometres northeast of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut and is often referred to as Kiryat...
. - The founding of the communal settlementCommunal settlement (Israel)A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
TzukimTzukimTzukim , also Zuqim, is a communal settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 8km south of Tzofar, it falls under jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional Council. Tzukim was founded in 2001 on land vacated by the Bildad army camp. Bildad also served as a transit point for new...
.
Notable deaths
- January 22 – Israel EldadIsrael EldadIsrael Eldad , was a noted Israeli independence fighter and Revisionist Zionist philosopher...
(b. 1910), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli independence fighter and Revisionist Zionist philosopher. - May 2 – Emil Habibi (b. 19221922 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1922 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Herbert Louis Samuel* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan - Mazhar Raslan until 10 March; 'Ali Rida Basha al-Rikabi...
), Israeli Arab author, Knesset member and public activist. - May 26 – Haika Grossman (b. 1919), Polish-born Israeli politician and member of Knesset. Zionist leader in Europe, a partisan and a participant in the ghetto uprisings in Poland and Lithuania
- August 27 – Yair Rosenblum (b. 19441944 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1944 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Harold MacMichael until 30 August; John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein...
), Israeli composer. - December 25 - Michael BrunoMichael BrunoMichael Peter Bruno was an Israeli economist. He was a governor of Israel's central bank and a former World Bank Chief Economist.-Biography:...
(b. 19321932 in GermanyEvents in the year 1932 in Germany.-National level:President*Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor*Heinrich Brüning to 30 May, then from 1 June Franz von Papen then 17 November, then from 3 December Kurt von Schleicher -Events:* 15 January – About 6 million are unemployed in Germany.* 25 February...
), German-born former governor of Israel's central bank and a Chief Economist of the World BankWorld BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
.
See also
- 1996 in Israeli film1996 in Israeli filmA list of films produced by the Israeli film industry in 1996.-1996 releases:-Unknown premiere date:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
- 1996 in Israeli television
- 1996 in Israeli music
- 1996 in Israeli sport
- Israel at the 1996 Summer OlympicsIsrael at the 1996 Summer OlympicsIsrael competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.- Bronze:* Gal Fridman — Sailing, Men's Mistral Individual Competition-Athletics:Men's Triple Jump:*Rogel Nachum*Qualification — 16.67m...