1955 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...
– Moshe SharettMoshe SharettMoshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
(MapaiMapaiMapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
) until November 3, David Ben-GurionDavid Ben-Gurion' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
(MapaiMapaiMapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
) - President of IsraelPresident of IsraelThe President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
– Yitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-ZviYitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:... - Chief of General Staff - Moshe DayanMoshe DayanMoshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
- Government of Israel - 5th Government of IsraelFifth government of IsraelThe fifth government of Israel was formed by Moshe Sharett during the second Knesset on 26 January 1954, and was the first government not led by David Ben-Gurion. Sharett kept the same coalition partners as during the fourth government, i.e...
until June 29, 6th Government of IsraelSixth government of IsraelThe sixth government of Israel was formed by Moshe Sharett during the second Knesset on 29 June 1955. Sharett dropped the General Zionists and the Progressive Party from his coalition, which included Mapai, Mizrachi, Hapoel HaMizrachi, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and...
until November 3, 7th Government of IsraelSeventh government of IsraelThe seventh government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 3 November 1955 following the July 1955 elections. His coalition included Mapai, the National Religious Front, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, and the Israeli Arab parties, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and...
Events
- January 31 – Two Egyptian Jews, Moshe MarzoukMoshe MarzoukMoshe Marzouk was an Egyptian Karaite Jew, hanged by Egypt in 1955 for plotting terrorist attacks in Cairo known as Operation Suzannah.Marzouk was born in Cairo to a Karaite family who had immigrated from Tunisia in the early 20th century, though they retained French citizenship...
and Shmuel Azar, are executed in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, having been convicted of espionage and sabotage for Israel, in what becomes known as the "Lavon AffairLavon AffairThe Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and...
". Two other Jews had died in custody awaiting trial. - February 2 – Israeli defense minister Pinhas LavonPinhas LavonPinhas Lavon was an Israeli politician, minister and labor leader, best known for the Lavon Affair.-Early life:Lavon was born as Pinhas Lubianiker in Kopychyntsi in what was previously Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied law at the University of Lviv, where he organized Histadrut organizations...
is forced to resign following the Lavon AffairLavon AffairThe Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and...
. - February 12 - Shoshana Har-Zion and Oded Wagmeister are murdered whilst on a trek on the Jordanian side of the Armistice Line. Three weeks later Shashana's brother, MeirMeir Har-ZionMeir Har-Zion is a former Israeli military commando.As a key member of Unit 101 he was highly praised by Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan who described him as "the finest of our commando soldiers, the best soldier ever to emerge in the IDF." His three-year military career was ended by injuries sustained...
, and three friends torture and kill five bedouin. - February 13 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea scrollsDead Sea scrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
, which had been discovered in the caves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet QumranQumranQumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
on the northwest shore of the Dead SeaDead SeaThe Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
in the Judean DesertJudean desertThe Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea. It stretches from the northeastern Negev to the east of Beit El, and is marked by terraces with escarpments. It ends in a steep escarpment dropping to the Dead Sea and the Jordan...
. - February 28 – March 1 – Operation Black Arrow: An 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...
operation carried out in GazaGazaGaza , 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,...
(then under EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian control) from February 28 through March 1, 1955. The operation is aimed at the Egyptian army. 38 Egyptian and eight Israeli soldiers are killed during the operation and 30 Egyptians and thirteen Israelis are wounded. According to the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel NasserGamal Abdel NasserGamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, this operation was the main motivation for Egypt's major arms deal with CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1955. - April 27 – The IMI Uzi submachine gun is introduced in 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...
parade on the Israel's Independence Day. - August 31 – Operation Elkayam: An 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...
operation carried out against the police force in Khan YunisKhan YunisKhan Yunis - often spelt Khan Younis or Khan Yunnis - is a city and adjacent refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the city, its refugee camp, and its immediate surroundings had a total population of 180,000 in 2006...
, from where attacks had been launched against Israelis. 72 Egyptian soldiers are killed during the operation. The operation is followed by a massive buildup of Egyptian troops in 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...
. - October 27 - 200 Paratropers, commanded by Ariel SharonAriel SharonAriel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, attack the Egyptian outpost at Kuntilla, on the southern NegevNegevThe Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
border, killing 12 Egyptian soldiers. Two Israelis are killed. - November 2 – Operation Volcano: An 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...
operation carried out against Egyptian military outposts at al Sabha and Wadi Siram along the Negev border following the invasion by Egyptian forces of the Israeli youth village and communal settlement Nitzana. 70 Egyptian and seven Israeli soldiers are killed and 48 Egyptian soldiers are captured during the operations. - December 11 – Operation Olive leaves: An 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...
Brigade attacked SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n posts located on the eastern shore of the Sea of GalileeSea of GalileeThe Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
, in response to constant Syrian attacks on Israeli fishermen. 50 Syrian and six Israeli soldiers are killed and 30 Syrian soldiers are captured during the operation. - December 22 – Operation Saiir: 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...
forces raid Syrian outposts on the slopes of the Golan Heights.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1955 include:Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets
The most prominent Palestinian fedayeen terror attack
Palestinian political violence
Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence undertaken to further the Palestinian cause. These political objectives include self-determination in and sovereignty over Palestine, the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a Palestinian state, either in place of both Israel and...
s committed against Israelis during 1955 include:
- January 2 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants attacked and killed two hikers in the Judean DesertJudean desertThe Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea. It stretches from the northeastern Negev to the east of Beit El, and is marked by terraces with escarpments. It ends in a steep escarpment dropping to the Dead Sea and the Jordan...
. - January 18 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated into Israel from 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...
, kill Eliezer Katz and Hector Eidman, two Jewish immigrants from Argentina and Brazil who worked in moshav AgurAgur, IsraelAgur |Crane]]) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Beit Shemesh, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 351....
. - March 25 - Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated into Israel 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...
, throw hand grenades and open fire on a crowded wedding celebration in moshav PatishPatishPatish is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev near Ofakim, it falls under 683.The village was established on 3 March 1950, and was named after the nearby Horvat Patish . To begin with, immigrants from Egypt were brought to settle the site. However, they refused to leave...
. One young Israeli woman is killed and 18 other guests are wounded. - August 29 - Beit Hanan attack: a Palestinian Fedayeen squad carried out a shooting attack in Israel near the village Beit Hanan. Four Israeli civilians were killed in the attack and 10 additional people were injured.
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 1955 include:
Unknown dates
- The founding of the moshavMoshavMoshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
AmatziaAmatzia, Israel-Bibliography:*Khalidi, Walid . "ALL THAT REMAINS: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948", The Institute of Palestine Studies, Washington, D.C. ISBN 0-88728-224-5-External links:* in Lakhish Regional Council web site .* ....
. - The founding of the city DimonaDimonaDimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
. - The founding of the city Ofakim.
Notable births
- February 18 - Yaakov AlperonYaakov AlperonYaakov Alperon , was an Israeli mobster who was murdered in a car bomb attack. He was reputed to have run Tel Aviv's third-largest crime family, the Alperon crime family.-Biography:...
, Israeli organized crime mobster (d. 20082008 in IsraelEvents in the year 2008 in Israel.-Incumbents:* Prime Minister of Israel – Ehud Olmert * President of Israel – Shimon Peres* Chief of General Staff – Gabi Ashkenazi* Government of Israel – 31st Government of Israel-Events:...
). - May 4 – Avram Grant, Israeli football manager.
- January 19 – Avraham BurgAvraham BurgAvraham "Avrum" Burg is an Israeli author; he was formerly a member of the Knesset, a chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and a Speaker of the Knesset.-Biography:...
, former member of the Knesset, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Speaker of the Knesset. - July 16 – Zohar ArgovZohar ArgovZohar Argov was a popular Israeli singer and a distinctive voice in the Mizrahi music scene.- Background :The most serious hurdle on the way to stardom was Argov's socioeconomic background. He was born in Rishon LeZion, and grew up in a poor family, the eldest of ten children...
, Israeli singer (d. 19871987 in Israel-Incumbents:* Prime Minister of Israel – Yitzhak Shamir * President of Israel – Chaim Herzog* Chief of General Staff - Moshe Levi until April 19, Dan Shomron* Government of Israel - 22nd Government of Israel-Events:...
). - September 4 – David BrozaDavid BrozaDavid Broza is a multi-platinum Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:The son of an Israeli–British businessman and a folk singer, Broza was born in Haifa, Israel. He was raised and educated in England and Spain, where he was schooled at Runnymede College, in Madrid...
, Israeli singer, musician and composer.