2009 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...
– Ehud OlmertEhud OlmertEhud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
(KadimaKadimaKadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
) until March 31, 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...
– 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... - Chief of General Staff – Gabi AshkenaziGabi AshkenaziGavriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi , was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces from 2007 to 2011.- Background and early life :...
- Government of Israel – 31st Government of IsraelThirty-first government of IsraelThe thirty-first government of Israel was formed by Ehud Olmert on 4 May 2006, following Kadima's vistory in the March elections. His coalition initially included the Labor Party, Shas and Gil, and held 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset...
until March 31, 32nd Government of Israel
Events
- January – the Tamar gas fieldTamar gas fieldThe Tamar gas field is a natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel, discovered in 2009. The gas field is located roughly west of Haifa in waters deep.-History:...
was discovered in the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean 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...
off the coast of Israel. - February 10 – The Elections for the 18th KnessetIsraeli legislative election, 2009Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
are held in Israel. The 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...
party wins 27 seats and KadimaKadimaKadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
28; however, the right-wing camp wins a majority of seats, and President 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...
called on 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...
to form the government. - March 19 – Former Israeli president Moshe KatsavMoshe KatsavMoshe Katsav is an Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government....
is formally indicted in a 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...
court for rape and other sexual offences against three women who had worked with him. - March 31 – 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...
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 32nd GovernmentCabinet of IsraelThe Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
is approved that day by a majority of 69 to 45 and the members are sworn in. - April 4 – 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 official centennial celebrations open at the Rabin SquareRabin SquareRabin Square , formerly Kings of Israel Square , is the largest open public city square in central Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years it has been the site of numerous political rallies, parades, and other public events...
. - May 11–15 – Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
visits Israel and the Palestinian territoriesPalestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. During his visit, the pope condemned Holocaust denialHolocaust denialHolocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
s and called for cooperation between the Palestinians and Israelis. - June 8 – Former Finance Minister Avraham HirschsonAvraham HirschsonAvraham Hirchson was an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 1981 and 1984, and again from 1992 until 2009. He also held the posts of Minister of Communications, Minister of Finance and Minister of Tourism...
is convicted of embezzling millions of shekels from the National Workers Labor Federation during the period in which he served as its chairman. - June 24 – Former Finance Minister Avraham HirschsonAvraham HirschsonAvraham Hirchson was an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 1981 and 1984, and again from 1992 until 2009. He also held the posts of Minister of Communications, Minister of Finance and Minister of Tourism...
is sentenced to five years and five months of jail and a fine of 450,000 shekels. - June 25 – During the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA DraftThe 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, the Israeli basketball player Omri CasspiOmri CasspiOmri Casspi is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. during the 2011 NBA lockout...
is selected 23rd overall by the Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. making him the first Israeli to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. With his debut with the Kings on October 28, 2009, Casspi becomes the first Israeli to play in the NBA league. - July 12–24 – The 2009 Maccabiah Games2009 Maccabiah GamesThe 2009 Maccabiah Games were the 18th incarnation of the Maccabiah Games, being held in July 2009. According to the organizing committee these were the largest games held yet. On the 13th of July, more than 6,000 Jewish athletes from all over the world joined Team Israel's 3,000 participants at...
are held. - August 1 – Two killed and at least fifteen are injured in a shooting at the "Bar-Noar" LGBT center in Tel Aviv2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shootingThe 2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to at least fifteen others at the Tel Aviv branch of the Israeli GLBT Association, at the "Bar-Noar" , on Nahmani Street in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 1 August 2009. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were killed...
. - August 20 – Leading Israeli TV personality Dudu TopazDudu TopazDudu Topaz was an Israeli TV personality, comedian, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author and radio and television host. In August 2009 he committed suicide during his arrest, after being criminally charged with conspiring violence against prominent media figures in Israel.In 2005, he was voted...
commits suicide in the Nitzan Detention Center in RamlaRamlaRamla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, by hanging himself in his prison cell, while awaited trial on charges of assaulting top media Israeli media executives. - August 30 – Ehud OlmertEhud OlmertEhud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
is indicted on three counts of corruption, becoming the first ex-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...
to face criminal charges. - September 1 – Former Finance Minister Avraham HirschsonAvraham HirschsonAvraham Hirchson was an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 1981 and 1984, and again from 1992 until 2009. He also held the posts of Minister of Communications, Minister of Finance and Minister of Tourism...
arrives at the Hermon prison facility to begin serving his five-year sentence. - September 13 – An 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...
F-16A crashes while on a training flight over the southern Hebron hills, killing pilot Captain Assaf Ramon. Assaf was the son of Ilan RamonIlan RamonIlan Ramon was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut....
, a former F-16 pilot and Israel's first astronaut, who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disasterSpace Shuttle Columbia disasterThe Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
. - September 24 – In an address to the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
in New York, Netanyahu said IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
poses a threat to the peace of the world and that it is incumbent on the world body to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. - September 25 – The trial of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud OlmertEhud OlmertEhud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
on corruption charges begins in Jerusalem. He is the first ever Israeli Prime Minister to be brought to trial. - November 4 – Operation Four Species: Israeli navy commandoCommandoIn English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s of Shayetet 13Shayetet 13Shayetet 13 is the elite naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy. The unit is considered one of the primary Special Forces units of the Israel Defense Forces . S'13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and...
board and seize the MV FrancopMV FrancopThe MV Francop is a German-owned, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant cargo ship. In November 2009 the Israeli navy boarded the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, suspecting that it was carrying weapons destined for Hezbollah from the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of United Nations Security...
cargo ship in the eastern Mediterranean SeaMediterranean 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...
and its cargo of hundreds of tons of weapons allegedly bound from the Islamic Republic of Iran for Hezbollah in Lebanon. - November 14 – More than 1,000 ultra-OrthodoxHaredi JudaismHaredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
Jews demonstrate outside the offices of U.S. firm Intel in Israel in protest at work taking place at the site on Jewish Sabbath. - December 10 – Ada YonathAda YonathAda E. Yonath is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome. She is the current director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly of the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2009, she received the Nobel...
received the Nobel Prize in ChemistryNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. SteitzThomas A. Steitz-Publications:* Steitz, T. A., et al. , nsls newsletter, .* Steitz, T. A., et al. , NSLS Activity Report .-External links:* , from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, United States Department of Energy...
for her studies on the structure and function of the ribosomeRibosomeA ribosome is a component of cells that assembles the twenty specific amino acid molecules to form the particular protein molecule determined by the nucleotide sequence of an RNA molecule....
, becoming the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize out of nine Israeli Nobel laureates, the first woman from the Middle East to win a Nobel prize in the sciences, and the first woman in 45 years to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. - December 12 – The Israeli government passes a highly controversial billBiometric Database Law (Israel)The Biometric Database Law Is an Israeli Law which the Knesset passed in December 2009, determining that fingerprints and facial contours would be collected from all Israeli residents, that the collected data would be integrated onto the Israeli digital identity cards and digital...
calling for the creation of a biometric database of all Israeli citizens, which would contain their fingerprints and facial contoursFacial recognition systemA facial recognition system is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source...
.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 2009 include:- May 19 – Netanyahu meets US President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
at the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, where they discuss the Israeli–Palestinian conflictIsraeli–Palestinian conflictThe Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
and Israel's settlements 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...
. While Obama says that a two state solution is a priority, Netanyahu refuses to support the creation of a Palestinian Arab state. Netanyahu says Israel has the right to continue settlements, whereas Obama calls for settlement growth to be frozen. - June 14 – Ten days after President Obama's Cairo speechA New Beginning"A New Beginning" is the name of a speech delivered by United States President Barack Obama on June 4, 2009, from the Major Reception Hall at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Azhar University co-hosted the event...
, Netanyahu gives a speech at Bar-Ilan University in which he endorsed, for the first time, a "Demilitarized Palestinian State", after two months of refusing to commit to anything other than a self-ruling autonomy when coming into office. The speech is widely seen as a response to Obama's speech. - October 2 – Israel releases twenty female Palestinian ArabPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
prisoners to 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...
and in exchange the 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...
releasing a videotape that proves that the Israeli captured soldier Gilad ShalitGilad ShalitGilad Shalit is an Israeli – French citizen and Israel Defense Forces soldier. On 25 June 2006, he was captured inside Israel by Hamas militants in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels near the border with Gaza. The Hamas militants held him for over five years, until he was released on...
is still alive. - October 2 – The first video of the Israeli kidnapped soldier Gilad ShalitGilad ShalitGilad Shalit is an Israeli – French citizen and Israel Defense Forces soldier. On 25 June 2006, he was captured inside Israel by Hamas militants in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels near the border with Gaza. The Hamas militants held him for over five years, until he was released on...
is released to the public. - November 25 – Prime Minister Netanyahu announces a ten-month settlementIsraeli settlementAn Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
moratorium in permits for new settlement homes 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...
(excluding east Jerusalem), seen as a result of pressure from the Obama administration, which urged the sides to seize the opportunity to resume talks. In his announcement, Netanyahu calls the move "a painful step that will encourage the peace process" and urges the Palestinian Arabs to respond.
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 2009 include:
- January and February – Sudan Air Strikes2009 Sudan airstrikesIn January and February 2009, there was a series of two air strikes in Sudan and one in the Red Sea, allegedly conducted by Israel against Iranian arms being smuggled to the Gaza Strip through Sudan...
: a series of two air strikes in SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and one in the Red SeaRed SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
took place, allegedly conducted by the 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...
against Iranian arms being smuggled to 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...
through Sudan. The Israeli government hinted that Israeli forces were involved in the incident.
- Operation Cast Lead
- January 1 – Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip city of JabaliaJabaliaJabalia also Jabalya is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006...
kills senior 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...
military commander Nizar RayanNizar RayanNizar Rayan was a top Hamas leader who served as a liaison between the Palestinian organization's political leadership and its military wing. Also a professor of Islamic law, he came to be considered a top clerical authority within Hamas after the death of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 2004...
and six members of his family. - January 3 – Israel launches a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip as the Gaza War enters its second week.
- January 17 – Israel announces a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza War. It comes into effect the following day, on which 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...
declares a ceasefire of its own. - January 21— Israel completes its withdrawal 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...
. Intermittent air strikes by both sides of the preceding war continue in the weeks to follow.
- January 1 – Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip city of Jabalia
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 2009 include:
- January 27 – Palestinian Arab militants detonate a bomb at the Kissufim crossing, killing one Israeli soldier and wounding three others.
- March 5 – A Palestinian Arab resident of east JerusalemEast JerusalemEast Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
attacks an Israeli police car and a bus on the Menachem Begin Expressway in Jerusalem using a bulldozer, injuring two police officers before being shot to death. - April 2 – Bat Ayin ax attackBat Ayin ax attackThe Bat Ayin axe attack was a Palestinian militant attack which occurred on 2 April 2009 in the West Bank, when Moussa Tayet attacked a group of Israeli children with an axe and a knife, killing 13-year-old boy Shlomo Nativ and seriously wounding 7-year-old boy Yair Gamliel, in the Israeli...
: A Palestinian Arab man armed with a pickax rampages in the Jewish settlement of Bat AyinBat AyinBat Ayin is a village and an Israeli settlement and in Gush Etzion, on the edge of the Judean hills in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Hebron. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, killing 13-year-old Israeli boy, Shlomo Nativ, and wounding a seven-year-old boy before fleeing the area. Islamic JihadIslamic Jihad Movement in PalestineThe Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
and Imad Mughniyeh claim responsibility for the attack. - June 16 – Ten Palestinian Arab terrorists belonging to an al-Qaida-cell launch an attack at the Karni crossing using horses "laden" with explosives. Four terrorists and the horses are killed in the ensuring firefight with the IDFIsrael 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...
. No IDF soldiers are wounded.
Notable deaths
- January 7 – Yaakov BanaiYaakov BanaiYaakov Banai born Yaakov Tunkel, Alias Mazal served as the commander of the Lehi movement's combat unit...
(b. 1920), Polish-born Israeli LehiLehi (group)Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
commander. - January 26 – Avraham RavitzAvraham RavitzAvraham Ravitz was an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Degel HaTorah, which forms part of the United Torah Judaism alliance.-Biography:...
(b. 19341934 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1934 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 politician, member of the Knesset (1988–2009) – heart failure. - February 1 – Arieh LevaviArieh LevaviArieh Levavi , also known as Aryeh Lieb and Arieh Leibman, was the fourth Director General of Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
(b. 1912), Russian (Lithuania)-born Israeli public servant, Ambassador to Argentina at the time of the capture of Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
. - February 5 – Raaphi PersitzRaaphi PersitzRaaphi Joseph Arie Persitz was an English–Israeli–Swiss chess master, financial analyst, financial journalist, and chess writer. Persitz was Israeli Junior Champion in 1951...
(b. 19341934 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1934 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 chess master. - February 5 – Noah WeinbergNoah WeinbergRabbi Yisrael Noach Weinberg was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, rosh yeshiva, and a father of today's baal teshuva movement with his establishment of a global network of educational and kiruv programs for unaffiliated Jewish men and women...
(b. 19301930 in the United States-January–March:* January 6 – The first diesel engine automobile trip is completed .* January 6 – The first literary character licensing agreement is signed by A. A. Milne, granting Stephen Slesinger U.S...
), American-born Israeli rabbi, founder of Aish HaTorahAish HaTorahAish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
. - February 20 – Shraga WeilShraga Weil-Biography:Weil was born in Nitra, Czechoslovakia in 1918 to a family of teachers, journalists and merchants. His father was a building engineer. He was sent to study with a local sculptor, and then to the Academy of Art in Prague. He produced his first graphic works during World War II, during...
(b. 1918), Czechoslovak (Slovakia)-born Israeli painter. - February 21 – Ilya Piatetski-Shapiro (b. 1929), Soviet-born Israeli mathematician – Parkinson's disease.
- March 8 – Daud TurkiDaud TurkiDaud Turki |kunya]] أبو عائدة Abu Aida the father of Aida ) , was a Palestinian-Arab poet, living in Haifa, Israel. He was the leader of the Jewish-Arab left-wing group called the Red Front, which was an anti-Zionist group...
(b. 19271927 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1927 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Herbert Onslow Plumer* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan - Hasan Khalid Abu al-Huda-Events:...
), Israeli Arab Communist poet and political activist, convicted of treason. - April 26 – Salamo ArouchSalamo ArouchSalamo Arouch was a Jewish Greek boxer who survived the Holocaust by entertaining Nazi officers in Auschwitz with his boxing skills. His story was portrayed in the 1989 film Triumph of the Spirit.-Biography:...
(b. 1923), Greek-born Israeli boxer and Holocaust survivor. - April 29 – Moshe WeinfeldMoshe WeinfeldMoshe Weinfeld , Professor Emeritus of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and recipient of the 1994 Israel Prize for Bible.-Biography:...
(b. 1925), Polish-born professor at the Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of JerusalemThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. - May 9 – Mendi RodanMendi RodanMendi Rodan was a Romanian-born Israeli conductor, composer and violinist.-Biography:Mendi Rodan was born in Iaşi, Romania, one of three children of Solomon and Miriam Rosenblum. Mendi began playing the violin at the age of five...
(b. 1929), Romanian-born Israeli conductor, composer and violinist – cancer . - May 20 – Yehoshua ZettlerYehoshua ZettlerYehoshua Zettler was an Israeli who served as the Jerusalem commander of Jewish paramilitary group Lehi, often also called as the Stern gang...
(b. 1917), Israeli resistance fighter (Lehi). - May 25 – Amos ElonAmos Elon-Biography:Amos Elon was born in Vienna. He immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1933. He studied law and history in Israel and England. He was married to Beth Elon, a New York-born literary agent, with whom he had one daughter, Danae. In the 1990s, Elon began to spend much of his time in Italy...
(b. 1926), Austrian-born Israeli author and journalist. - May 25 – Ephraim KatzirEphraim KatzirEphraim Katzir was an Israeli biophysicist and former Israeli Labor Party politician. He was the fourth President of Israel from 1973 until 1978.-Biography:...
(b. 1916), Russian (Ukraine)-born Israeli biophysicist and politician, President (1973–1978). - June 26 – Jo Amar (b. 1930), Moroccan-born Israeli singer.
- June 26 – Amnon KapelioukAmnon KapelioukAmnon Kapeliouk was a Jewish French-Israeli journalist and author who interviewed Yassar Arafat and reported from the occupied territories...
(b. 19301930 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1930 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir John Chancellor* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan - Hasan Khalid Abu al-Huda-Events:...
), Israeli journalist and author. - July 15 – Avraham AhituvAvraham AhituvAvraham Ahituv, born Avraham Gottfried was a German-born Israeli politician, having served as Director of the Shabak, the Israel Security Agency, from 1974 to 1980....
(b. 1930), German-born Israeli intelligence chief, Director of the Shin Bet (1974–1980). - July 17 – Meir AmitMeir AmitMeir Amit was an Israeli politician and general. He served as Director of the Mossad from 1963 to 1968 before entering politics and holding two ministerial positions.-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 major general and politician. - August 4 – Amos Kenan (b. 19271927 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1927 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Herbert Onslow Plumer* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan - Hasan Khalid Abu al-Huda-Events:...
), Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist – Alzheimer's disease. - August 8 – Yehuda CohenYehuda CohenYehuda Cohen was a judge on the Israeli Supreme Court.Cohen was born in Safed and studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut, following which he studied at the law school of the British Mandate of Palestine. Cohen was a soldier with the British Army and continued to serve as a Major...
(b. 1914), Israeli Supreme Court justice. - August 10 – Yosef TamirYosef Tamir-Background:Tamir was born in Berdychiv in the Russian Empire and immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1924. He passed through elementary and high school in Petah Tikva and graduated from the Law and Economics School at Tel Aviv University....
(b. 1915), Russian (Ukraine)-born Israeli politician and environmental activist, member of the Knesset (1965–1981). - August 20 – Dudu TopazDudu TopazDudu Topaz was an Israeli TV personality, comedian, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author and radio and television host. In August 2009 he committed suicide during his arrest, after being criminally charged with conspiring violence against prominent media figures in Israel.In 2005, he was voted...
(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 actor – suicide by hanging. - September 7 – Ra'anan NaimRa'anan NaimRa'anan Naim 31 December 1935 – 7 September 2009) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment from 1981 to 1984.-Biography:...
(b. 1935), Libyan-born Israeli politician, member of Knesset (1981–1984). - October 7 – Moni FananMoni FananShimon Fanan was the team manager of the Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel-Aviv during the years 1992–2008.-Career:...
(b. 1946), Israeli basketball team manager – suicide hanging. - October 7 – Shlomo LorinczShlomo LorinczRabbi Shlomo Lorincz was a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Agudat Yisrael from 1951 until 1984, and a close confident of many gedolim.-Biography:...
(b. 1918), Hungarian-born Israeli politician – heart failure. - November 2 – Amir Pnueli (b. 19411941 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1941 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Harold MacMichael* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein* Prime Minister of Transjordan - Tawfik Abu al-Huda-Events:...
), Israeli computer scientist and Turing AwardTuring AwardThe Turing Award, in full The ACM A.M. Turing Award, is an annual award given by the Association for Computing Machinery to "an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community. The contributions should be of lasting and major technical importance to the...
winner. - November 12 – Emanuel ZismanEmanuel ZismanEmanuel Zisman was an Israeli politician and ambassador. He served as a member of the Knesset between 1988 and 1999.-Biography:...
(b. 1935), Bulgarian-born Israeli politician, Member of Knesset (1988–1999). - November 14 – Moshe GidronMoshe GidronMoshe Gidron was a general in the Israel Defense Forces and former head of the Israeli Human Resources Directorate.Born under the British Mandate of Palestine, at the age of 17 Gidron joined Palmach and served in it until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948...
(b. 19251925 in the British Mandate of PalestineEvents in the year 1925 in the British Mandate of Palestine.-Incumbents:* High Commissioner - Sir Herbert Louis Samuel until 30 June; Herbert Onslow Plumer* Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein...
), Israeli soldier, major general in the IDF. - December 23 – Ike AronowiczIke AronowiczYitzhak "Ike" Aronowicz was the captain of the immigrant ship SS Exodus, which unsuccessfully tried to dock in British-occupied Palestine with Holocaust survivors on July 11, 1947, after the end of World War II...
(b. 1923), DanzigFree City of DanzigThe Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
-born Israeli naval captain who during the Mandate period was the captain of the illegal immigrants ships "SS Exodus" and "Pan York" (Kibbutz Galuyot).
Major public holidays
- Tenth of Tevet fastTenth of TevetTenth of Tevet , the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, is a minor fast day in Judaism. It is a "low fast" observed from sunrise to sunset. The day has no relationship to Hanukkah, but it happens to follow that festival by a week...
– January 6 (dawn to nightfall) - Tu BishvatTu BishvatTu Bishvat or Tu B'Shevat is a minor Jewish holiday, occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat . It is also called "The New Year of the Trees" or...
– nightfall of February 8 to nightfall of February 9 - Fast of EstherFast of EstherThe Fast of Esther is a Jewish fast from dawn until dusk on Purim eve, commemorating the three-day fast observed by the Jewish people in the story of Purim...
– March 9 (dawn to nightfall) - 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...
– nightfall of March 9 to nightfall of March 10 - Shushan Purim (Jerusalem) – nightfall of March 10 to nightfall of March 11
- Birkat Hachamah – sunrise on April 8 (occurs once every 28 years)
- Fast of the FirstbornFast of the firstbornFast of the Firstborn ; is a unique fast day in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover...
– April 8 (dawn to sunset) - Passover and Chol HaMoed PesachChol HaMoedChol HaMoed, a Hebrew phrase meaning "weekdays [of] the festival" , refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. During Chol HaMoed the usual restrictions that apply to the Biblical Jewish holidays are relaxed, but not entirely eliminated...
– sunset of April 8 to nightfall of April 15 (7th day) (an additional day is observed outside Israel) - Holocaust Remembrance DayYom HaShoahYom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah , known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the...
– nightfall of April 20 to nightfall of April 21 - 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:...
– nightfall of April 27 to nightfall of April 28 - Israel's Independence Day – nightfall of April 28 to nightfall of April 29
- Lag Ba'omerLag Ba'omerLag BaOmer , also known as Lag LaOmer amongst Sephardi Jews, is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the thirty-third day of the Counting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of Iyar. One reason given for the holiday is as the day of passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Modern Jewish tradition links...
– nightfall of May 11 to nightfall of May 12 - Jerusalem DayJerusalem DayJerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 1967...
– nightfall of May 21 to nightfall of May 22 - ShavuotShavuotThe festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
– sunset of May 28 to sunset of May 29 (a second day is observed outside Israel) - Seventeenth of Tammuz fastSeventeenth of TammuzThe Seventeenth of Tammuz is a minor Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B'Av.The day...
– July 9 (dawn to nightfall) - Ninth of Av fastTisha B'Av|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
– sunset of July 29 to nightfall of July 30 - Rosh HashanahRosh HashanahRosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
– sunset of September 18 to nightfall of September 20 - Fast of GedaliaFast of GedaliaThe Fast of Gedalia , also spelled Gedaliah, is a Jewish fast day from dawn until dusk to lament the assassination of the righteous governor of Judah of that name, which ended Jewish rule following the destruction of the First Temple.-Origins:...
– September 21 (dawn to nightfall) - Yom KippurYom KippurYom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
– sunset of September 27 to nightfall of September 28 - SukkotSukkotSukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
and Chol HaMoed SukkotChol HaMoedChol HaMoed, a Hebrew phrase meaning "weekdays [of] the festival" , refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. During Chol HaMoed the usual restrictions that apply to the Biblical Jewish holidays are relaxed, but not entirely eliminated...
– sunset of October 2 to sunset of October 9 - Simchat TorahSimchat TorahSimchat Torah or Simḥath Torah is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle...
/Shemini AtzeretShemini AtzeretShemini Atzeret is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. In the Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah...
– sunset of October 9 to nightfall of October 10 (a second day is observed outside Israel) - HanukkahHanukkahHanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
– nightfall of December 11 to nightfall of December 19 - Tenth of Tevet fastTenth of TevetTenth of Tevet , the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, is a minor fast day in Judaism. It is a "low fast" observed from sunrise to sunset. The day has no relationship to Hanukkah, but it happens to follow that festival by a week...
– December 27 (dawn to nightfall)
See also
- 2009 in Israeli film
- 2009 in Israeli television
- 2009 in Israeli music
- 2009 in Israeli sport
- Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009Israel will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, as confirmed by the Israel Broadcasting Authority . After much deliberation at the IBA over who would be the Israeli representative, it was announced that Noa & Mira Awad will go to Moscow for Israel.In a national final, Kdam Eurovision...
- 2009 in the Palestinian territories2009 in the Palestinian territoriesEvents in the year 2009 in the Palestinian territories.-Incumbents:Palestinian National Authority * President - Mahmoud Abbas * Prime Minister -...