Knesset Amends Law of Return to Define “Who Is A Jew” CIE+ members only
Israel’s Law of Return, which was originally passed in 1950, was amended to further define citizen eligibility in Israel.
Arab Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi Is Born CIE+ members only
May 23, 1969 Pioneering Knesset member Hanin Zoabi is born into a Muslim family in Nazareth. Zoabi earns a bachelor’s in philosophy and psychology from the University of Haifa and a master’s from the Hebrew…
Merger Forms Labor Party CIE+ members only
January 21, 1968 Three parties in the Knesset — Mapai, Ahdut Ha’avoda and Rafi — join with the Histadrut to form the Labor Party. The secretary general of Mapai, Golda Meir, agrees to chair the…
Levi Eshkol Appoints Moshe Dayan as Defense Minister CIE+ members only
As tensions with Egypt escalate, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol appoints Moshe Dayan as Defense Minister, leading to Israel’s first national unity government.
Eshkol, Alignment Win Sixth Knesset Election CIE+ members only
The 1965 election preparations began in June 1963 when David Ben-Gurion resigned as Prime Minister for the second time.
Educator and Politician Chaim Boger Dies CIE+ members only
June 8, 1963 Chaim Boger, a founder of the first Hebrew high school in the Yishuv, the area of Jewish settlement in pre-state Palestine, dies at age 86. Boger, born with the last name Bograshov…
Zalman Shazar Is Elected as Israel’s Third President CIE+ members only
Shazar, a drafter of Israeli’s declaration of Independence who had helped Jews make Aliyah from Russia in the 1920s, becomes Israel’s third President.
President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Dies CIE+ members only
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Israel’s second President and celebrated historian, passes away at the age of 78.
Politician Moshe Feiglin Is Born CIE+ members only
July 31, 1962 Right-wing activist and politician Moshe Feiglin is born in Haifa to a family who came to the Land of Israel during the First Aliyah late in the 19th century. Feiglin serves as…
Eichmann Trial Begins in Jerusalem
The trial of Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Nazi Final Solution, begins in front of a special panel of three judges at the Beit Ha’am community center in Jerusalem.
Ben-Gurion Resigns Over Lavon Affair CIE+ members only
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigns as a result of the controversial, covert operation in Egypt, setting the stage for new elections in the summer of 1961.
Ben-Gurion Visits Eisenhower CIE+ members only
March 10, 1960 Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower meet for more than two hours at the White House. “This was the first opportunity I have had of seeing President Eisenhower…
Politician Nir Barkat Born CIE+ members only
Nir Barkat is born in Jerusalem. He serves as the city’s mayor from 2008 to 2018, then joins the Likud party to run for the Knesset.
General and Politician Benny Gantz Is Born CIE+ members only
June 9, 1959 Benjamin “Benny” Gantz, who rises to chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a top candidate for prime minister, is born in Kfar Ahim. His father is a native of…
Prominent Israeli Politician Tzipi Livni Is Born CIE+ members only
Tzipi Livni is born in Tel Aviv to two prominent figures of the Irgun. A graduate of Bar-Ilan University’s school of law, she later serves in the Israeli Army, Mossad, and works as an attorney before entering politics.
First Basic Law Sets Knesset Rules CIE+ members only
The first of eleven Basic Laws is issued by the Israeli parliament. Basic Laws are originally intended to form the basis of an Israeli Constitution, but the constitution remains unwritten.
Knesset Debates Israeli Withdrawal From Sinai CIE+ members only
The Knesset debates Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s announcement that Israeli troops would withdraw from Sinai following the 1956 Suez War.
Eshkol Approves Building Ashdod CIE+ members only
May 1, 1956 Finance Minister Levi Eshkol authorizes the establishment of the city of Ashdod along the Mediterranean coast between Ashkelon and Tel Aviv on land rich in history, including the Arab-Israeli conflict. The name…
Ben-Gurion Regains Premiership CIE+ members only
November 2, 1955 Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, assumes the premiership again, replacing Moshe Sharett, who had succeeded him. Ben-Gurion had retired from Israeli politics in 1953 and went to live on a Negev…
39 Egyptians, 8 Israelis Killed in IDF Raid on Gaza CIE+ members only
Two Israeli paratrooper platoons made up of approximately fifty IDF soldiers storm an Egyptian army camp in Gaza. The raid is a reprisal for continued fedayeen (Palestinian militants) attacks against Israeli civilians.
Ben-Gurion Returns to Government CIE+ members only
February 21, 1955 Former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ends his 14-month semiretirement from politics to replace Pinhas Lavon as the defense minister in Prime Minister Moshe Sharett’s Cabinet. Ben-Gurion has remained a member of the…
Knesset Establishes Bank of Israel
The Knesset passes the Bank of Israel Law by a vote of fifty-five to zero with fourteen abstentions. The new law, which goes into effect on December 1, 1954, establishes the Bank of Israel as the central financial authority for the country.
Ben-Gurion Resigns, Is Succeeded by Sharett CIE+ members only
December 7, 1953 Israel’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who declared Israel’s independence as the head of a provisional government May 14, 1948, announces his resignation and his plan to retire to Kibbutz Sde Boker…
Histadrut Labor Federation Accepts Arab Workers CIE+ members only
Created in 1920 to serve as a neutral, independent trade union representing all Jewish workers in Palestine, the Histadrut had grown to 503,000 members by 1953, representing approximately 75% of the country’s workers.
