General Flashcards
How many Druze live in Israel?
150,000
What are the Areas A, B, and C in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
A: Areas A, B, and C refer to land divisions in the West Bank.
Elaboration:
* Area A: Administered by Palestinian Authority, e.g. Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jennin [18%]
* Area B: Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control. Includes many Palestinian towns and villages. [22%]
* Area C: Full Israeli civil and security control. Contains Israeli settlements, most of the West Bank’s natural resources, and open land. E.g. Ariel, Beitar Illit, Modiin Ilit, Ma’aleh Adumim [60%]
What is the population of Israel?
A: Approximately 9 million people (as of 2023).
Elaboration:
* Israel’s population is diverse, including Jews, Arabs, Druze, and other ethnic groups.
* The Jewish population makes up around 74%, while Arabs are about 21%.
* The population is generally young, with a median age around 30 years.
What is the Law of Return?
A: A law granting Jews the right to live in Israel and gain citizenship.
Elaboration:
* Passed in 1950, it symbolizes Israel’s establishment as a Jewish state.
* Facilitates Jewish immigration from around the world.
* Reflects the Zionist principle of a homeland for the Jewish people.
What is the proposed reform for Judicial Selection in Israel’s 2023 judicial reform?
A: Changing the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee to give the government control over judge appointments.
Elaboration:
* The current system includes judges, Bar Association representatives, Knesset members, and ministers.
* The reform aims to give a majority to the government, affecting the appointment of all judges, including the Supreme Court.
* This change is seen as a move to increase government influence in the judiciary.
* currently 9 members - 5 are legal people, 4 are politicians. Need 7 out of 9 to appoint judge for Supreme Court
* proposal …. Politically controlled - 8. Supreme Court … 3.
What changes to Judicial Review are proposed in Israel’s 2023 judicial reform?
They cannot challenge basic laws
Normal laws review must be presided over by all court members and challenged by 80 percent majority
What is the proposed ‘Knesset Override’ in the 2023 Israeli judicial reform?
Knesset can override a ruling of the Supreme Court. If ruling unanimous then can be overridden by a different Knesset. If NOT unanimous, can be overridden by current Knesset, simple majority.
What changes are proposed for Legal Advisers to Government Ministries in Israel’s 2023 judicial reform?
to reclassify ministry legal advisers from independent authorities to politically selected counsel whose opinions are explicitly non-binding upon the government and its ministers
What’s the judicial reform relating to “reasonableness”?
The reform will abolish the use of “unreasonableness” as grounds for review of administrative decisions. Although unreasonableness has its origins in British jurisprudence, the court has expanded on this doctrine since Israel’s founding in 1948
How many changes is part of the judicial reform?
Five
Describe the purpose of the judicial reform proposal
Curb excessive powers of the Supreme Court
Who are the main leaders of the judicial reform?
The effort was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin and the Chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Simcha Rothman.
Why is Netanyahu not permitted to actively get involved in the judicial reform?
, due to a conflict of interest stemming from his ongoing corruption trial.
Who is Israel’s current Attorney General?
Gali Baharav-Miara
What power does the Supreme Court in Israel currently have?
- Legislation etc. is subject to judicial review
- Can strike down laws which are in violation of Israel’s Basic Laws
What’s the official name of Israel’s Supreme Court?
Hebrew: בֵּית מִשְׁפָּט גָּבוֹהַּ לְצֶדֶק, Beit Mishpat Gavo’ah LeTzedek; also known as its acronym Bagatz, בג”ץ
How many members does the Supreme Court of Israel have?
15 judges
Who appoints judges in the Supreme Court of Israel?
- Supreme Court Judges are appointed by the President of Israel,
- from names submitted by the Judicial Selection Committee,
- which is composed of nine members:
- 3 Supreme Court Judges (including the President of the Supreme Court), 2 cabinet ministers (one of them being the Minister of Justice), 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association.
- Appointing Supreme Court Judges requires a majority of 7 of the 9 committee members, or two less than the number present at the meeting.
How many cases has Israel’s Supreme Court struck down?
22 cases (since 1992)
When did Israel’s Supreme Court assume the authority to exercise judicial review?
Since 1992, when the Basic Laws empowered the Supreme Court of Israel to exercise judicial review, and particularly since the 1995 United Mizrahi Bank ruling when the Court recognized this authority
What happened in 1992 to change the rule of the Supreme Court in Israel?
- Introduction of Key Basic Laws: The enactment of “Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty” and “Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation” in 1992 provided a constitutional foundation for human rights and civil liberties in Israel.
- Empowerment of Judicial Review: These laws granted the Supreme Court of Israel the authority to exercise judicial review, enabling it to invalidate Knesset legislation that contradicted the principles enshrined in these Basic Laws.
- Enhancement of Checks and Balances: The 1992 changes significantly strengthened the checks and balances in Israel’s democratic system, particularly by enhancing the judiciary’s role in protecting individual rights and maintaining the rule of law.
How is Israel’s current system of judicial review different to that of Britain’s?
Constitutional Framework:
- Israel has a de facto written constitution through its Basic Laws, especially after 1992, which include explicit protection of human rights.
- The UK operates under an unwritten constitution, primarily based on statutes, conventions, and court judgments.
Judicial Review:
* Israeli courts have the power to invalidate legislation that conflicts with the Basic Laws.
* UK courts cannot overturn primary legislation but can interpret it, especially in light of human rights standards.
Parliamentary Sovereignty:
* In Israel, the Knesset’s power is constitutionally constrained by the Basic Laws.
* The UK adheres to the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, where Parliament can make or repeal any law without legal constraints.
What links Menachem Begin to Yariv Levin?
Menachem Begin was the Sandek at Levin’s circumcision ceremony.
Explain the five points of the judicial review, briefly
- Judicial selection — The committee which is responsible for recommending the appointment of judges currently consists of serving judges, representatives of the Israel Bar Association, Knesset members and government Ministers, and is composed as such that agreement is required between these different groups. The proposed changes seek to change the composition of the committee, giving a majority of votes to the government and thus giving the government control over the selection and dismissal of all judges, including of the Supreme Court.
- Judicial review — The proposed changes seek to curb judicial review over legislation, including by explicitly legislating against the Supreme Court’s exercise of judicial review of Basic Laws, and requiring a full bench of Supreme Court justices to preside over any case in which the legality of regular legislation passed by the Knesset is evaluated, and 80% of them to rule for invalidation of such legislation.
- Knesset override — The proposed changes seek to allow the Knesset to overrule a decision by the Supreme Court on the legality of legislation, where the Knesset votes with a majority (of 61, out of 120 Knesset members) against the court decision.
- Legal advisers to government ministries — The proposed changes seek to reclassify ministry legal advisers from independent authorities, subject to the professional oversight of the Justice Ministry, to politically selected counsel whose opinions are explicitly non-binding upon the government and its ministers, thus allowing ministers to individually select and dismiss their legal advisors and decide whether or not to adhere to legal advice.
- Reasonableness — The proposed changes seek to limit the scope of judicial review of governmental and administrative decisions, by legislating against the concept of ‘reasonableness’. This would preclude the courts from hearing petitions or appeals against governmental and administrative decisions on the basis that such decisions are ‘unreasonable’.
What is the planned change to the Judges Selection Committee?
- Expanding the committee to 11 members.
- Six political members: the Minister of Justice (chair), two additional ministers, and three Knesset committee chairs.
- Three judicial members: the President of the Supreme Court and two other Supreme Court judges.
- Two public representatives: chosen by the Minister of Justice, one being a lawyer.
- The new composition would give the government and political appointees a majority on the committee.
What are the arguments FOR reforming the Judges Selection Committee?
- Juges and lawyers currently have veto power
- Only 4 out of 36 OECD countries appoint constitutional judges without the elected officials (Turkey, Greece, Luxembourg, UK) … and in the latter 2 they cannot void laws
- of the 36 OECD countries, Israel’s sole companions in giving a veto to non-elected officials over judicial appointed to the highest tribunal authorized to strike down parliament’s laws, are Greece and Turkey
What are the arguments AGAINST reforming the Judges Selection Committee?
- While 31 of the 36 countries in the study have public representatives selecting the judges, in 24 of them, judges are selected in consultation with the judicial system and upon its recommendation.
- Further, while in most of these countries such a recommendation carries no legal force, in practice it is binding, as the public representatives listen to the judges’ recommendations and act upon them. As noted in a study, “the political culture in these countries is such that public representatives select the judges with the consent and blessing of the judicial system — a political culture completely different than that in Israel.”[43]
- The other developed countries, in which there is no appreciable involvement of the justice system in judicial selection, are almost all countries with constitutions. Some have a federal structure of several states, each with its own additional supreme court protecting the residents of that federal state. Most have bicameral legislatures not necessarily controlled by the party controlling the executive branch, and so the government’s power is decentralized. Usually judicial selection requires the consent of the government as well as both houses of parliament, and almost always the choice in the legislative chambers requires a large majority (usually two thirds of the votes, and even an absolute majority). In other words, the coalition, which does not rule alone and cannot appoint judges on its own, needs the consent of the opposition as well. None of this exists in Israel, and that completely changes the picture.”[44]
What’s Israel’s reform re. ministry legal advisers?
Instead of being under the Attorney General, each Minister can appoint their own legal adviser, and their advice is non-binding
Who was the former Attorney General in Israel?
Avichai Mandelblit
How do other countries appoint their ministerial legal advisers? Give some examples
- In the United States, General Counsels to department secretaries are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, indicating a more political appointment process.
- In Canada, however, the Department of Justice provides legal advice to the government and its various ministries, and Deputy Ministers responsible for this are appointed in a manner that is essentially professional, based on the candidate’s experience and abilities.
How are Supereme court judges appointed in the United States?
Supreme court judges are appointed by the president, with the confirmation of the Senate
What is the proposed reform to Israel’s Surpreme Court’s power of judicial review?
- Cannot challenge Basic Laws
- Regular laws - needs full judges to preside over it, 80% majority to annul it
What is the proposed Override clause?
- Simple majority can override a Supreme Court nullification (when it was done not in full consensus)
- Simple majority can override a full consensus Supreme Court nullification if done by a different Knesset
Israel Democracy Institute: “Every country has checks and balances that set limits on the power of the political majority. In Israel, however, —- is the sole balancing mechanism”
The Supreme Court
Give the landmark example example of where the US Supreme Court struck down a law passed?
Case Background: Marbury v. Madison (1803) involved William Marbury, who was appointed to a government position but did not receive his official papers due to a change in administration. He sued Secretary of State James Madison to deliver these documents.
Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that while Marbury had a right to his appointment, the Court could not legally force Madison to deliver the documents. This was because part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, under which Marbury sought relief, conflicted with the Constitution and was therefore invalid.
Establishment of Judicial Review: This case established the principle of judicial review in the United States, giving the Supreme Court the power to declare laws passed by Congress as unconstitutional, thereby shaping the balance of power among the branches of the federal government.
What is the landmark Mizrahi case involving the Supreme Court?
“United Mizrahi Bank v. Migdal Cooperative Village” case (1995):
Agricultural Debt Laws Challenged: The case involves laws passed by Israel’s Knesset (parliament) in the early 1990s to help farmers by allowing debts to be restructured or cancelled. These laws were later amended to cover more debts.
Constitutional Conflict: The laws came into conflict with a Basic Law (like a constitutional law in Israel) called “Human Dignity and Liberty.” This Basic Law protects property rights and other fundamental rights.
Supreme Court Review: The Supreme Court of Israel had to decide whether these agricultural debt laws violated the Basic Law. They considered if the Knesset had the power to pass laws that might limit its future law-making.
Judges’ Diverse Opinions: All nine judges on the Supreme Court wrote their own opinions. They discussed ideas like the Knesset’s power, the role of Basic Laws in Israel, and how to balance legislative actions with constitutional principles.
Final Decision: The Court decided that while the agricultural debt laws did impact creditors’ property rights, they were still in line with the Basic Law’s requirements. This meant some of the laws stayed, but others were changed.
Landmark as shows the hierarchy of laws: Basic Laws being the highest and the authority of the Supreme Court to uphold this.
How many Jews live in the West Bank?
In total, over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the W est Bank excluding East Jerusalem,[56][57] with an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers residing in East Jerusalem.[28][29]
Name 5 Palestinian cities in West Bank from North to South
Jenin
Nablus
Ramallah
Bethlehem
Hebron
Which Palestinian city is separated from the main area where the others are in the West Bank?
Jericho (on the East)
What is “pay for slay”?
Payments by PA to families of individuals wounded or killed during confrontations with Israel
E.g. the families of the 200 suicide bombers share in about $1 million.
Bibi claims that $350m goes to terrorists and their families
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/03/14/does-the-palestinian-authority-pay-350-million-a-year-to-terrorists-and-their-families/
What is the “reasonableness” idea in the Judicial Reform?
To stop the Supreme Court blocking administrative actions besed on them being “unreasonable”
What has Aryeh Deri been accused of?
- Deri was convicted of taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as the interior minister, and was given a three-year jail sentence in 2000. He was replaced by Eli Yishai.[8][9] Due to good behavior, Deri was released from Maasiyahu Prison in 2002, after serving 22 months.[10]
- on 28 December 2014, Channel 2 released video footage in which Ovadia Yosef, the founder of Shas, attacked Deri, calling him a wicked man and a thief
- On 23 January 2022, he resigned from the Knesset as part of a plea bargain.[18] Deri admitted to underreporting the value of property sold to his brother Shlomo Deri to avoid land tax, failure to report income from the sales and evading tax on NIS 534,000 of income, by funneling payments from Green Ocean investment fund to his brother
What recent ruling did the Supreme Court give about Aryeh Deri?
On 18 January 2023, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that Deri was not allowed to hold a position as a cabinet minister due to his conviction for tax offenses.[3] As a result, Deri was consensually dismissed from the cabinet on 22 January; his dismissal went into effect on 24 January.[26] In his place, Deri chose Michael Malchieli as the acting Minister of Interior and Yoav Ben-Tzur as the acting Minister of Health.[27]
The High Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that the appointment of Shas leader Aryeh Deri as interior and health minister was “unreasonable in the extreme” due to his criminal convictions, most recently for tax fraud in 2022.
What’s Israel’s Defense Service Law?
- Passed in 1949
- All Israeli citizens at age of 18
- Drafted or perform national service
- explicit exemptions for religious, pregnant, and married
women
Do Israel’s minorities draft into the army?
- Arabs [Muslims and Christians], Bedouins - no (not through law, but through army directives)
- Druze, Circassians - yes
How did Haredim originally get out of the draft?
- 1948 exemption for those who “Torato Omanuto”
- Deal between Ben-Gurion and Haredi community
- Not legislation, but Defense Ministry regulation
- Defer army service until age when draft no longer applies (technically 40, but practically 30)
Under whose government was the cap on Haredim not serving removed?
Menachem Begin, Likud, 1977
How did 1998 ruling of Supreme Court affect the Haredi draft?
- Rubinstein v. The Minister of Defense
- Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the defense minister had no legal authority to exempt Haredi men from conscription
- called on the Knesset to find a solution to the issue through legislation
- In his majority opinion, Supreme Court President Aharon Barak argued that torato omanuto violated the principle of equality, and that “the current situation, in which a significant portion of these individuals of service age do not risk their lives for the security of the State is very discriminatory.”
What is the Tal Law?
- The, the Knesset passed the so-called Tal Law in July 2002
- implemented as a temporary measure that could be
renewed by the Knesset every five years.
The Tal Law permitted full-time yeshiva students to postpone their conscription into the IDF until age 23, - after which they could choose to participate in a shortened, 16-month stint of IDF service; do a year of civilian national service; or continue studying full-time in yeshiva.
- The goal of this arrangement was to pave the way for Haredi men to join the workforce earlier and non-coercively encourage conscription among Haredim
Was the Tal Law effective in getting Haredim to serve?
No
Less than 1500 volunteering by 2010
Why was the Tal Law struck down in 2012?
Violating Basic Law: Human
Dignity
What Haredi draft legislation was passed in 2014?
- Coalition including Bibi and Yesh Atid
- Sharing the burden
- 60% of men to be drafted by 2017
- If not, ALL to be drafted (and face criminal penalties if don’t)
What is the current exemption status for Haredim?
Under this temporary system, Haredi men are
required to stay in yeshiva until age 26, after which they are permanently exempt from service.
What is the current draft bill re. Haredi draft?
- While not yet finalized, the new draft bill is expected to lower the exemption age from 26, where it currently sits, to 23,
- meaning thatHaredim would have the option to leave yeshiva and join the workforce earlier without fear of being drafted.
- As a consolation for non-Haredi Jews, the government will also move to reduce the term of service for those who do serve to two years (men typically serve 32 months), increase benefits for conscripts, and raise salaries for those who serve beyond the minimum two-year term.
What is the population of Israel?
9.73m
(definition: the CBS defines the population of Israel to also include Israeli settlers living in the Area C of West Bank and the Muslim residents of East Jerusalem and Area C, who have Israeli residency or citizenship.)
How many Israelis live in East Jerusalem, West Bank, Golan Heights?
- 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem,
- with an additional 220,000 Jewish settlers residing in East Jerusalem.
- Additionally, over 20,000 Israeli citizens live in settlements in the Golan Heights.
What is the ethnic breakdown of Israel?
Jews 7,181,000 – 73%
Arabs 2,065,000 – 21%
Other 549,000 – 6%
Total 9,795,000 – 100%
What is the ethnic makeup of the Jews in Israel?
Mizrahi 44.9
Ashkenazi 31.8
Soviet 12.4
Beta Israel 3
Mix 7.9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel
What is religious breakdown of Jews in Israel?
In 2022:
* 45% of Israel Jews self-identified as “secular”;
* 10% as haredi (ultra-orthodox);
* and 12% as dati (lit. ’religious’ or ‘orthodox’, including religious zionist).
* 33% as masorti (lit. ’traditional’);
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Israel#:~:text=In%202022%2C%2045%25%20of%20Israel,’%2C%20including%20religious%20zionist).
What percentage of Israel are Haredim?
- 13% of Israel population
- expected to grow to 16% by 2030
- The growth rate of the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) population in Israel is the highest of any of the populations in developed countries, at around 4% per year
https://en.idi.org.il/haredi/2022/?chapter=48263
Who argued that the Basic Laws should be treated as Israel’s constitution?
Aharon Barak
The Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak ruled that the Basic Laws should be considered the state’s constitution, and that became the common approach throughout his tenure (1995-2006)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Laws_of_Israel
What is the Harari Resolution?
- Harari is best known as initiator of the Harari Resolution (הַחְלָטַת הֲרָרִי; also referred to as the Harari Proposal) of 13 June 1950, a landmark in Israeli constitutional law.
- According to this proposal “the First Knesset assigns to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee the preparation of a proposed constitution for the state.
- The constitution will be made up of chapters, each of which will constitute a separate basic law.
- The chapters will be brought to the Knesset, as the Committee completes its work, and all the chapters together will constitute the constitution of the state.”
- Following the passing of this resolution, the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee set up a sub-committee on the Constitution.
- Several Basic Laws have been enacted since, and yet Israel still has no formal constitution.[2]
How many Basic Laws are there?
14
How do you say Basic Lasws in Hebrew?
חוקי היסוד
Which political party ruled for around the first 30 years of the State of Israel?
Until the 1977 Knesset election, Israel was ruled by successive coalition governments led by Mapai or the Mapai-dominated Alignment.
Mapai (Hebrew: מַפָּא”י, an acronym for מִפְלֶגֶת פּוֹעֲלֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael, lit. “Workers’ Party of the Land of Israel”) was a democratic socialist political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the modern-day Israeli Labor Party in 1968
Which party won the elections in 1977 Israel?
Menachem Begin’s centre-to-right Revisionist Zionist Likud bloc
In what way was 1977 a significant year in Israeli politics?
Likud’s landslide victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country’s political history, marking the first time the left had lost power. In addition, it was the first time in Israel that a right-wing party won the plurality of the votes
Likkud ruled from 1977 until when?
After ruling the country for most of the 1980s, the party lost the Knesset election in 1992.
Who founded Likkud?
It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing parties
List the Prime Ministers of Israel
30 years of the left…
* David Ben-Gurion (Mapai) - 1948–1954
* Moshe Sharett (Mapai) - 1954–1955
* David Ben-Gurion (Mapai) - 1955–1963
* Levi Eshkol (Mapai, later the Alignment) - 1963–1969
* Golda Meir (Alignment) - 1969–1974
* Yitzhak Rabin (Alignment) - 1974–1977
The right takes the reigns
* Menachem Begin (Likud) - 1977–1983
* Yitzhak Shamir (Likud) - 1983–1984
* Shimon Peres (Alignment) - 1984–1986
* Yitzhak Shamir (Likud) - 1986–1992
Labour are back
* Yitzhak Rabin (Labor Party) - 1992–1995
* Shimon Peres (Labor Party) - 1995–1996
But not for long…
* Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) - 1996–1999
* Ehud Barak (Labor Party) - 1999–2001
* Ariel Sharon (Likud, later Kadima) - 2001–2006
* Ehud Olmert (Kadima) - 2006–2009
* Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) - 2009–2021
* Naftali Bennett (Yamina) - 2021–2022
* Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) - 2022
* Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) - 2022-23
What number Israeli government are we currently on?
37th
Who are the 7 parties of the coalition?
- Likud (32) Netanyahu
- Shas (11) Aryeh Deri
- United Torah Judaism (7) Moshe Gafni
- Religious Zionist Party (7) Betzalel Smotrich
- Otzma Yehudit (6) Itamar Ben-Gvir
- Noam (1) Avi Maoz
….. - National Unity (12) Benny Gantz
Who is Israel’s National Security Adviser?
Tzahi Hanegbi
2 settlements to the south of Jerusalem
Gilo
Har Homa
1 settlement in the East of East Jerusalem?
East Talpiyot
5 settlements in the north of East Jerusalem?
- Ramat Shlomo
- Ramat Eshkol
- Ramot
- Pisgat Zev
- Neve Yaakov
What large Jewish city is to the East of Jerusalem?
Maale Adumim
What were the original names of Israel’s first four PMs?
David Ben-Gurion had been born David Gruen. Moshe Sharett was born Moshe Shertok; Levi Eshkol was originally Levi Shkolnik. Golda Meir (Israel’s first female prime minister) had been Golda Meyerson.
Gordis, Daniel. Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn (p. 5). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
In Russia in the 1800s, Jews were confined to live mostly in which area?
The Pale of Settlement
…
The Pale of Settlement[a] was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 1917 (de facto until 1915) in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed and beyond which Jewish residency, permanent or temporary,[1] was mostly forbidden
What was the haskalah?
A movement that began in the 1770s and lasted until the 1880s, the haskalah sought to reform the Jewish emphasis on tradition and collectivism and to import into Jewish society a more rational, analytical, intellectual, and individualistic way of life.
Gordis, Daniel. Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn (p. 13). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
When and where was the first Zionist Congress?
Basel, 1897
Which journalist / novelist came to the defense of Dreyfus?
Emile Zola in J’Accuse (accusing the government of both flagrant anti-Semitism and of unfairly jailing Dreyfus)
What was Herzl’s best known book?
The Jewish State
Who published the first modern Hebrew novel in 1853?
Avraham Mapu
(The Love of Zion, was set in ancient biblical Israel, during the period of the prophet Isaiah.)
Who wrote the Zionist work Rome and Jerusalem in 1862?
Moshe Hess
…
he argued that for Jews, Europe’s welcome would forever be tenuous. “We shall always remain strangers among the nations. They may tolerate us and even grant us emancipation, but they will never respect us as long as we place the principle ubi bene ibi patria [wherever things go well, there is one’s homeland] above our own great national memories,” he wrote.27 Jews should return to Palestine, he said—the ancestral homeland of which they had dreamed and spoken for millennia—where they should work the land and create a socialist society.
A year after the 1881 pogroms he wrote Auto-Emancipation, which he subtitled “A Warning to His Fellow People, from a Russian Jew” and in which he urged Jews to seek a national rebirth and independence.
Who wrote it?
Leon Pinsker
When was the Al-Aqsa mosque built?
691–692 CE
Gordis, Daniel. Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn (p. 35). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
From 733 to 732 BCE, which Assyrian king annexed the Galilee and Transjordan, deporting a large portion of the inhabitants?
Tiglath-Pileser III
Which two rivers flow through Iraq and into the Persian Gulf?
Euprhates and Tigris
Who was the son of Solomon, under whom the kingdom divided?
Rehoboam
When was the first Temple destroyed?
586 BCE
Which prophet witnessed the fall of Jerusalem and the first Temple?
Jeremiah
In 130 CE, the emperor Hadrian announced plans to rebuild Jerusalem. What name did he call it?
Aelia Capitolina
When was Bar Kokhba’s revolt?
132-5 CE
When and where was the Protocols of the Elders of Zion published?
Imperial Russia, 1903
When did the Kishniev pogrom take place?
1903
What plan was mooted at the 6th Zionist Congress?
Uganda Plan
Asher Zvi Ginzberg is better known by his pen name …
Ahad Ha’am
In what way did Ahad Ha’am argue with Herzl?
State would be a mistake
Focus should be on setting up a colony that can provide spirtual influence
Who was Arthur Ruppin?
An economist who held a senior position in the Jewish Agency
Who founded Revisionist Zionism?
Ze’ev Jabotinsky
What is the name for Revisionist Zionim’s youth movement?
Betar
Which leader stressed the importance of working the land?
A.D. Gordon
Philosopher of Labour Zionism
Which leader stressed the importance of a Jew being strong/physical (aligned with Jabotinsky)?
Max Nordau
Who wrote the poem “City of Slaughter” about the Kishniev massacre?
Chayam Nachman Bialik
Who argued that Zionism needed to be a revolt against Judaism?
Micha Josef Berdyczewski
What was religious Zionim’s first significant organization?
Mizrahi
(joined the Fifth Zionist Congress)
Who argued that religion was the cancer that had destroyed the Jew
Bialik
What was the area called where Jews lived pre-State?
Yishuv
Since when did the Ottomans control Palestine?
1517
Describe Jewish life in Israel in 1870
- twenty-seven thousand Jews already living in Palestine,
- concentrated primarily in Jerusalem, where they constituted a majority.
- These Jews were almost exclusively poor, deeply religious, and committed to having as little to do as possible with people outside their community
- Old Yishuv
What was the First Aliyah?
Wave of immigration to Israel, began in 1882 and continued, with breaks, until 1903.
Which two organizations were central to the First Aliyah?
The first was Hovevei Zion (“Lovers of Zion”), which Pinsker had helped create. The second, known as Bilu, was composed of a tiny group of university students (called Biluim), who in spite of their small numbers—and relatively minimal accomplishments—became legendary for their passion and fervor and for the settlement they helped establish, Gedera.
When did Rav Kook die?
1935
Who is the father of modern Hebrew?
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda
Who won Israel’s first Nobel prize?
Shmuel Yosef (Shai) Czaczkes,
aka Shai Agnon
Who was the “Benefactor” who gave money to the early settlments of the Yishuv?
Baron Edmond de Rothschild
(By the turn of the century, his monetary assistance totaled $6 million, equivalent today to almost $150 million.)
How many came on the First Aliyah?
Twenty to thirty thousand Jews to Palestine. Yet some 60 to 90 percent of these early immigrants ended up leaving just a few years after they arrived.
When was the Second Aliyah?
Second Aliyah (1904–1914) began. During this period, approximately forty thousand Jewish immigrants made their way to the Land of Israel, mostly from eastern Europe.
What were some of the acheivements of the Second Aliyah?
- First Kibbutz - Degania
- First self-defence org
- Founding of Tel Aviv
Who was the main cultural icon of the Second Aliyah?
Yosef Chaim Brenner
When was the peak of kibbutzim? (in terms of % of population working there)
At its peak in 1947, the kibbutzim accounted for only 7 percent of the Jews living in the Yishuv.
When was Tel Aviv founded, and what’s the significance of the name?
- In 1909, Tel Aviv was born. “Tel Aviv” was the title of the Hebrew translation of Herzl’s utopian novel, Altneuland.
- Some sixty modest professionals decided to create the first “Jewish suburb” in Palestine just north of Jaffa.
- For some it was to be a Palestinian Odessa. For others it was to be Vienna on the Mediterranean.
Who was Menachem Ussishkin?
Russian-born Zionist leader and head of the Jewish National Fund.
What was the first Hebrew speaking city?
Tel Aviv
His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.
Who said this?
Balfour
1917
Who said: “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, about WW1
What was the Zion Mule Corps? Name two members
Jewish military unit on the side of the British, fighting against the Turks WW1
Members: Jabotinsky, Trumpledor
What is the Armenian Genocide?
- Time and Location: Occurred during World War I (1915-1923) in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey).
- Victims and Scale: Targeted the Armenian population, resulting in the death of approximately 1.5 million Armenians through mass killings and forced marches.
- Legacy and Recognition: Recognized as genocide by numerous countries and entities, it remains a contentious issue with some denial, notably by Turkey. Commemorated annually on April 24th as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Who were Nili?
- Spy ring in WW1, to assist the British against the Turks
- Led by Aaronsohn family
How did Weizmann have such good access to British Government officials?
- Director of British admirality laboratories
- Developed acetone, ingredient for explosives and important for WW1
What political change in UK happened in 1916 to help the Zionist cause?
David Lloyd George became Prime Minister
…
“And Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, is rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs, and future hopes of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land. In my opinion that is right.”
Who was Edmund Allenby?
- British Campaign in the Middle East: Allenby was the commander of the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force during World War I.
- Conquest of Jerusalem: He is most renowned for his successful campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the region, which culminated in the capture of Jerusalem in December 1917. This was a significant military and symbolic victory for the Allies.
- Impact on the Region: Allenby’s victories in this region were pivotal in the eventual dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and the reshaping of the Middle East, including the area that would become the State of Israel. His actions had far-reaching consequences for the post-war political landscape in the Middle East.
When and where was Hebrew University set up?
1918, Mount Scopus
When was the 3rd Aliyah?
Palestine. The Third Aliyah (1919–1923) brought 35,000 people to Palestine.
When did the Yishuv hold its first election?
1920
…
Continuing the voting tradition of the World Zionist Organization from Herzl’s day, parties were allocated seats proportionally, based on the percentage of the vote that they received. A party that received 30 percent of the vote would be awarded 30 percent of the seats, and so forth.
In fact, no party would ever win an outright majority in any subsequent vote, either in the Yishuv’s Assembly of Representatives or in the Israeli parliament, which would replace it after independence.
What was the Council of Four Lands?
- Time Period: Existed from the 16th to the 18th century (approximately 1580 to 1764).
- Geographical Scope: It was based in Poland, which at the time included parts of present-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania.
- Jewish Autonomy: The Council was a central body of Jewish autonomy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, governing Jewish communities.
- Function: It handled internal Jewish matters, including religious affairs, education, and taxation, and represented the Jewish community to the Polish monarchy and nobility.
- Composition: The “Four Lands” referred to in its name were Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Volhynia, and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, each sending representatives to the Council.
By the early twentieth century, European Jews had been voting, legislating, and taxing themselves for some 350 years. How is this true?
The Council of Four Lands was democratically elected, started 1580 approx
What happened at San Remo? What was the Arab response?
- 1920 - WW1 victors (Britain, France, Japan, Italy) recognised Balfour Declaration
- Arab riots - Jerusalem 1920 killing six, Jaffa 1921 killing four dozen (including Yosef Chaim Brenner)
How did Churchill harm Zionist aspirations in 1921?
As Secretary of State for Colonies he redraw the map of the middle East, and created Transjordan (later Jordan)
Three quarters of expected future Jewish state thus given away
Who said: “[T]he only way to obtain such an agreement, is the iron wall, which is to say a strong power in Palestine that is not amenable to any Arab pressure. In other words, the only way to reach an agreement in the future is to abandon all idea of seeking an agreement at present.”
Jabotinsky
What is the Temple Mount in Arabic?
al-Haram al-Sharif
What happened in the 1929 Arab riots?
133 dead; 67 in Hebron
August 1929, on the Jewish Sabbath, Arab mobs, wielding clubs, knives, and axes, began to surround the Jewish community of Hebron. Arab women and children threw stones at the Jews, while men ransacked Jewish homes and destroyed Jewish property.
…
The Hebron massacre was the killing of sixty-seven or sixty-nine Jews on 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of Mandatory Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were planning to seize control of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The event also left scores seriously wounded or maimed.
What policy was the watchword of the early Haganah?
halvagah - restraint
(They could prevent attacks to the best of their abilities, but they were not to initiate any actions before they learned that an attack was being planned.)
In 1931, which group broke away from the Haganah? They would take battle to the enemy
Haganah Bet
later: Irgun Tzve’ai Le’umi
Supreme Commander was Jabotinsky
What was David Ben Gurion’s first job on arriving in Palestine?
Working the orange groves of Petach Tikvah
What was the name of the Yishuv’s labour union?
The Histadrut
Who was one of the heads of the Jewish Agency’s political departments, effectively its foreign minister (during the time of the Yishuv)?
Chaim Arlosoroff
What was the pre-WW2 plan that moved 20,000 Jews from Germany to Palestine as well as $30m?
Ha’avarah (transfer agreement)
What was the backlash within Palestine over the ha’avarah?
Strong opposition from Jabotinsky (revisionists), leading to assassination of Arlosoroff in 1933
What anti-Jewish policies were passed in Germany in 1935?
The Nuremberg Laws
What cultural event was set up by the Yishuv in 1932?
Maccabiah Games
What was the Arab Revolt in the 30s?
1936-9
Violence to resist the Yishuv’s development and Jewish immigration
What was the Peel Commission?
1936-7
Led by Lord William Robert Peel
To survey the land and hear from both sides
Report suggest partition: 20% to Jews, 70-75% to Arabs
What was the name of the mufti of Jerusalem?
Haj Amin al-Husseini
What happened on Kristallnacht?
Marked the beginning of the Holocaust
November 9-10, 1938
Across Germany and Austria, Jewish homes, synaogogues, and businesses destroyed
26,000 Jews sent to concentration camps
Where did the term “Shoah” come from?
- Used in the Yishuv a month after Kristallnacht
- From the book of Zephania
- Unprecedented calamity
What was the White Paper?
1939 British policy, that accepted most of the Arab demands from the 1936-39 Arab Revolt:
* Jewish immigration restricted (75,000 over 5 years)
* Restriction of Jewish purchase of land in many areas
* 10 year plan for Palestine to become a state (with Arab majority)
What was Ben-Gurion’s policy towards the British at the time of WW2?
“We will fight with the British against Hitler as if there were no White Paper; we will fight the White Paper as if there were no war.”
What were the illegal immigrants to Israel known as?
ma’apilim
Where was the biggest detainment camp for illegal immigrants?
Atlit
(South of Haifa)
How many people from the Yishuv joined the British army?
30,000
What strike force did the Haganah set up in 1941 to protect the yishuv?
Palmach
What was the Nazi conference in 1942 to discuss the Final Sollution?
Wannsee Conference
Where did Field Marshall Rommell reach in 1942?
El Alamein (Egpyt)
Who was the head of Betar in Poland?
Menachem Begin
Who was the leader of the revolt against the British in Palestine during WW2?
Menachem Begin (as head of the Irgun)
What extermist group splintered from the Irgun in 1940?
Lechi (Lochamei Cherut Ysirael)
Stern Gang
Led by Avrham Stern
What was the Saison (Nov 44 - March 45)?
Hunting Season
Palmach searched for members of Irgun and Lechi, and handed them over to the British
What was Begin’s position during the Saison?
Continued fighting the British
Would not fight against the Haganah
(1944-45)
Why did the 3 armed forces in Israel come together in 1945?
Haganah, Irgun, Lechi come together to fight against British who were upholding the White Paper (and restricted immigration)
What was Black Sabbath?
1946
Jewish cities under lockdown
Raids by British
2,700 Jews arrested
What major attack was carried out in Palestine in 1946?
Bombing of King David Hotel
By the Irgun
HQ for British command
91 people died
Why did Weizmann lose his reputation in the World Zionist Congress of 1946?
He argued for peace with the British, but he lost the vote to Ben Gurion who aruged for resistance
How many soldiers were guarding the Mandate after WW2?
100,000
(one tenth of army)
What was UNSCOP?
United Nations Special Committee on Palestine - representation from 11 countries - charged in 1947 to find a solution for Palestine
Compare UNSCOP vs. Peel Report? What was better for the Jews?
UNSCOP better (55% vs. 45%, although much of it desert)
as opposed to Peel Report (20% vs. 80%)
What is UN Resolution for Israel to withdraw from its captured territories in 1967?
Resolution 242
What resolution was discussed by the UN to set up the State of Israel?
Resolution 181
What arguments did th USA consider against the setting up of the State?
George Marshall, Secretary of State, was staunchly anti a Jewish state
CIA warned that it could only last 2 years, and then the USA would get sucked into a war
Who were the Lamed Hey?
- Siege of Etzion bloc in early 1948
- Thousand Arab villagers against hundreds of Jewish men
- Jan 16 1948, 35 men, brightest of Hebrew U, set out to provide relief (from the Palmach)
- They were ambushed and killed
What were the 2 phases of the War of Independence?
- November 1947 to May 1948 (more like civil war)
- May 1948 to early 1949 (war involving armies)
What were the hidden stashes of weapons and ammunition in War of Indpendence called?
“slicks”
1500 of them by 1948
Those who knew about them were sworn to secrecy
What was the impact of Ben Gurion’s Plan Dalet in March 1948?
By Declaration of State, some three hundred thousand Arabs had left Palestine (Jewish state area)
…
Plan Dalet (Hebrew: תוכנית ד’, Tokhnit dalet “Plan D”) was a Zionist military plan executed in the civil war phase of the 1948 Palestine war for the conquest of territory in Mandatory Palestine in preparation for the establishment of a Jewish state.[1] The plan was requested by the Jewish Agency leader and later first prime minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion, and developed by the Haganah and finalized on March 10, 1948.
The plan was a set of guidelines to take control of Mandatory Palestine, declare a Jewish state, and defend its borders and people, including the Jewish population outside of the borders, “before, and in anticipation of” the invasion by regular Arab armies.[2][3] According to the Israeli Yehoshafat Harkabi, Plan Dalet called for the conquest of Arab towns and villages inside and along the borders of the area allocated to the proposed Jewish State in the UN Partition Plan.[4] In case of resistance, the population of conquered villages was to be expelled outside the borders of the Jewish state. If no resistance was met, the residents could stay put, under military rule.[qt 1][5][6][7]
Plan Dalet specifically spoke of gaining control of areas outside the borders of the Jewish state wherever Yishuv populations existed.[8] The issue is subject to much controversy, with some historians asserting that it was defensive, while other historians assert that the plan aimed at the expulsion, sometimes called an ethnic cleansing, on the grounds that this was an integral part of a planned strategy.
Which country supplied the Jews with arms in April 1948 to help turn the tide of war in their favour?
Czechoslovakia
(one of the few countries willing to violate the international arms embargo)
Arms delivered to Israel by Czechoslovakia, in 1948, was signed by their Foreign Minister, called…
Jan Masaryk
…
Son of Thomas Masaryk (a great friend and supporter to Israel)
What’s the significance of Deir Yassin in the War of Independence?
- Fought by Irgun and Lechi
- April 9th 1948
- Arabs using this village to shoot onto roads into Jerusalem
- Loudspeakers, not heard, giving choice: leave or surrender
- Panic - Arabs killed - 100-250
- Claims of rape, denied
- Part of claim by Arabs that Israel “born in sin”
What happened to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus during the War of Independence?
- April 13, 1948
- Caravan of vehicles headed to hospital ambushed
- Two buses remained trapped
- Massacre of 78 Jewish people
- Closed until reopening in 1967
Who was the King of Jordan at the time of Independence?
King Abdullah
When did the British Mandate of Palistine end?
May 14, 1948
How much did the Jewish poppulation increase under the British?
Tenfold
From 56K to 600K
What day of the week was the State established?
Friday (14 May, 1948)
Who said the she’he’cheyanu blessing at the State’s declaration?
R’ Yehuda Leib Fishman-Maimon
Who was the IDF’s head of operations during the War of Independence?
Yigal Yadin
Who conqured the Old City in the War of Independence?
Arab Legion
Jordanians
What were the mortar weapons used by Israel in the War of Indpendence called and what was their best quality?
Davidka
Loud noise and bright flash (causing panic and fleeing in local Arab populations such as in the battle for Safed in May 1948)
How was beseiged Jerusalem supplied during the War of Independence?
Burma Roud route
What was ironic about the Czech arms delivered to Israel in War of Independence?
some of the arms and uniforms had swastikas on (they were previously produced for the Nazi regime)
Which planes were used by Israel to help turn the tide of the war of Independence?
Messerschmitts
What was the Altalena?
- June 1948
- Weapons on ship, organized by Irgun
- IDF demand weapons
- Fight between IDF and Irgun
- 19 men in total died
- Potential civil war
- Begin calls for restraint
How many Arab towns and villages did the Jews conquer during the 1948 War?
400
How many Jews were forced to leave Arab countries after its founding?
more than 850,000 Jews were forced to leave their homes in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Morocco, and several other Arab countries in the 20 years that followed the Arab-Israeli war of 1948
How many Arabs were forced to flee from Israel in the 1948 War?
700,000
Who was the UN Lead Negotiator on the 1948 War?
Folke Bernadotte (Swedish dimplomat)
…
On September 17, 1948, four Lechi members, taking the matter into their own hands, donned IDF uniforms and assassinated Bernadotte, with the yet-unpublished draft of his plan in hand, in west Jerusalem.
During the summer of 1948, Count Folke Bernadotte was sent by the UN to Palestine to mediate a truce and try to negotiate a settlement. Bernadotte’s plan called for the following:
That the State of Israel surrender the Negev to the Arab State;
That international Jerusalem with a large Jewish majority be turned over to the Arabs;
That the port of Haifa, belonging to Israel, become a “free” port;
That the airport of Lydda, belonging to Israel, also become “free”;
That immigration to Israel be limited or suspended, depending on the desire of the Arabs in their neighboring state, after two years of free immigration.
The Arabs were expected to trade Western Galilee, occupied by Israeli troops, for the larger Negev. They were not asked to make any concessions from the rights allotted to them by the partition plan. They were asked merely to recognize the State of Israel, which, according to the plan of the mediator, would no longer be independent, since he envisaged economic union between the Arab and Jewish States of Palestine, a common defense or military union, and dependence of Jewish immigration to Israel on Arab consent. The Israelis were expected to extend the same courtesy and recognize the Arab State in Palestine.
This was similar to the boundaries that had been proposed prior to the partition vote and had been rejected by all sides. Bernadotte offered the proposal after the Arabs had gone to war to prevent partition and a Jewish state had been declared. The Jews and Arabs both rejected the plan.
Ironically, Bernadotte found little enthusiasm among the Arabs for independence. He wrote in his diary:
The Palestinian Arabs had at present no will of their own. Neither have they ever developed any specifically Palestinian nationalism. The demand for a separate Arab state in Palestine is consequently relatively weak. It would seem as though in existing circumstances most of the Palestinian Arabs would be quite content to be incorporated in Transjordan.
Bernadotte was subsequently assassinated by members of the Lehi Jewish underground group.
Who was David Remez?
Minister of transportation (at declaration of State) and Signatory on Declaration of Independence
How many Jews died in the 1948 War?
6,000
About 1% of the population
What do Palestinian Arabs refer to 1948 as?
The Nakba
What party did Begin lead at the beginning of the State?
Herut
Which 2 parties did Ben-Gurion refuse to have as part of his coalition?
Communists
Menachem Begin
Robert Frost: “Home is the place where, when you have to go there,…
they have to take you in”
What is the law of Return?
Passed in 1950
Every Jew has the right to emigrate to Israel
and another law: they get full citizenship immediately
What was the largest single migration in 20th century (relative to the size of the population)
First 3 years of State, population doubles
In 1948, 6% of Jews lived in Israel, by 2015 it was…
46%
Between 1948 and 1951, a period of merely three years, over XX percent of the Jews from Islamic countries immigrated to Israel.
37%
How did Iraq stop mass migration to Israel after founding of State?
from 1951
Freezing assets
forbidding taking of assets with them to Israel
What was Operation Magic Carpet?
Entire Yemen Jewish community flown to Israel between June 1949 and September 1950 (~50k Jews)
Israel developed —, designed to alleviate the terrible conditions of the immigrant camps and to serve as temporary dwelling places until “real” housing was available.
ma’abarot (“transit camps”)
Why did Ben Gurion delay ratifying a constitution?
Israel’s Declaration of Independence, for example, had stipulated that the Knesset would ratify a constitution by October 1, 1948. But Ben-Gurion was anxious to avoid the battles between the fledgling state’s religious and secular powers, a political and cultural conflict that might derail his efforts at state-building. Ben-Gurion also understood that a constitution might well create a judiciary that could strike down laws, would entrench the electoral system of proportional representation that made it impossible for a party to win a majority, and could, in myriad ways, curtail the powers of the prime minister.* For the long run, he favored a role for the prime minister that would be governed by standard democratic limits, but for the time being, he felt that he needed the broad powers that not defining his role allowed him.* So he delayed the adoption of a constitution—a document that to this day Israel has never ratified.
Gordis, Daniel. Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn (pp. 207-208). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
What was Ben Gurion’s focus on statehood culture called?
mamlachtiyut
What religious state laws were enacted from the beginning? Israel
The Sabbath would be a public day of rest,
government and army kitchens would be kosher,
religious law would govern matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce, and conversion,
and the religious communities would maintain their autonomy in matters of education.
What concessions did the haredim get at the beginning of the state by being part of the coalition?
(1) to establish an independent school system (in which students were taught virtually no non-religious subjects) and (2) to procure an exemption from military service for their sons so that the young men could continue studying in yeshivot and be spared exposure to the secular Jews they would undoubtedly encounter during military service.
How many Haredi draft exemptions are given each year - beginning of State vs. 2010?
Whereas in Ben-Gurion’s time, 400 exemptions from military service were given each year, by 2010, the number of Haredim excused from military service through the same arrangement would reach 62,500 annually
After the War of Independence, what % of Israel was Arab?
About 20%
How were Arabs in Israel treated at the beginning?
Until 1966, they were under martial law…
Under the military government, Israel’s Arabs were tried by military courts and their freedom of movement was restricted (they had to obtain permission to leave their villages), opportunities for higher education were de facto severely limited, and employment in the center of the country was difficult to find. Even elementary education was affected; under the military administration, the security services determined who could teach in Arab schools, and not always on the basis of their pedagogical skills.
Which Diaspora community irked Ben Gurion?
USA
Only 2,000 migrated in the early years
Who led Unit 101?
Ariel Sharon
Why was Unit 101 set up?
Set up in 1953
Small elite force
Swift and ruthless punishment on Israel’s enemies; reprisals, raids etc
What’s the Arabic name for infiltrators
Fedayeen (self-sacrificers)
What was the Qibye massacre?
1953
Retaliation agains the murder of Kanias family by infiltrators
(in Yehud)
Unit 101 took retribution by striking West Bank village of Qibye
Killing around 60
What was Sabra and Shatilla?
1982
Killing of Muslims by Christians in Lebanon
Ariel Sharon held accountable
What happened in Egypt in 1952?
Coup by Gamal Abdel Nasser
Against King Farouk
When did the Suez canal open?
1869
What are the locations at the beginnig and end of Suez Canal?
Port Said (North)
Suez (South)
Who was Israel’s Prime Minister at the time of the Sinai Campaign?
Ben Gurion
What happened at Kfar Kassem?
In preparation for Sinai Campaign (1956), curfew imposed on Arab villages for 5pm. Laborers who were out after this time (unwittingly) were shot be Israel military, killing 47, mostly women and children. Kfar Kassem is in the North - the little triangle.
Israel has officially apologised for this since (e.g. Shimon Peres, Reuven Rivlin).
In the wake of Kfar Kassem massacre, what phrase was developed to frame the tension between military order and morality?
פקודה בלתי חוקית בעליל
Manifestly illegal order
Where is the Straits of Tiran?
Narrow passage between Sinai and Arabian Peninsula
President Dwight Eisenhower said that there was not much point in selling arms to Israel inasmuch as 1.7m Jews could not possibly defend themselves agasint….
40m Arabs
What is Israel’s relationship with African countries?
- Originally positive - Israel helped emerging countries with technology, agriciulture, hydration
- Turned negative - bloc is one of Israel’s largest foes in the United Nations
When was Eichmann captured by the Mossad?
1960
Which PM was behind the White Paper?
Neville Chamberlain
Who was Konrad Adenaur, and what is his significance re. Israel?
Postwar German Chancellor
Reparations with Israel (1951)
Who was Rudolf Kasztner?
- Head of Zionist Rescue Committee in Hungary
- Made deal with Nazis to provide trucks in exchange for Jews leaving
- 1700 Jews
- Critics called it “blood for goods”
- Accusations made against him in 1952
- After court case in which he was declared to have “sold his soul to the devil”
- Assassinated in 1957 outside his home in Tel Aviv
Why did France agree to help Israel set up nuclear weapons capabilities in the mid-1950’s?
- anti-Arab sentiment (see 1956 Suez Campaign)
- Obligtaion due to pro-Nazi Vichy government
What agreement did Golda Meir reach with Nixon in 1969 re. nuclear weapons?
Israel could purse its nuclear goals
but not reveal it had the weapon (to not goad the Arab nations into seeking weapons of their own)
Who was the mayor of Jerusalem in 1967?
Teddy Kollek
In what ways did the International powers renege on agreements to Israel in the build up to the 1967 War?
They had agreed 11 years earlier in 1956 (Sinai Campaign) that b/c of Israels’ withdrawal from the Sinai, they will have the right to self-defence in the case of an Egyptian blockade of the Straits of Tiran.
now the message to Israel was “don’t shoot first”
Who were the main people in the Six Day War?
Egypt: Gamal Abdel Nasser
Jordan: King Hussein
Israel: Levi Eshkol (PM), Yitzchak Rabin (IDF), Abba Eban (FM), Moshe Dayan (DM)
International: Lyndon Johnson, Charles de Gaulle, Harold Wilson, Brezhnev
What was the cuases of the six day war?
Egyptian troop build up in the Sinai
Blocking of the Straits of Tiran
What is the “Stammering Speech” in connection with the Six Day War?
Levi Eshkol’s radio address to calm the nation, full of stammering and “errs”
When was Israel’s first unity government made?
01 June 1967
What were the stats of soldiers and weapons in the Six Day War? For the opposing sides
In total, Israel faced a potential force of 207,000 soldiers and 1,600 tanks. With full mobilization, Israel could muster 264,000 soldiers but had only 800 tanks. When it came to planes, the situation was even worse. The Arabs had 700 combat aircraft, while Israel had only 300.
Who was the Commander of the 55th Paratrooper Brigade that took back the Old City in 1967?
Motta Gur
When Israel captured which area, did Syria agree to a ceasefire in 1967?
Kuneitra
How many Israeli soldiers died in 1967?
679 (later revised by some to 800)
How much did Israel grow - land-wise - in 1967?
Tripled in size
(Captured Sinai, Gaza, West Bank and East JLM, Golan Heights)
How many Palestinians were under Israeli control in 1967 (in West Bank and Gaza)?
1.25m
How many Jews moved from America in the year after the 6-day-war?
16,000
More than the total that had moved from America since Israel’s founding
Who was the leader of the settler movement
Chanan Porat
Where was Chanan Porat born (and exiled from in 1948)?
Kfar Etzion
What was the political party of the settlers?
Gush Emunim
Who was Yigal Allon?
Founder of Palmach
Later deputy PM and minister for immigration absorption (in 1970)
Developed the Allon Plan for what to do with captured terrirtories (giving back most, keeping some for security reasons)
After 1967, what changed in Palestinian political landscape?
Yasser Arafat becomes Chairman of PLO (1968)
What was the confident mindset called, that followed the 6 day war? (of trust in the superiority of the IDF)
conceptzia
What was Israel’s military defence line along the Suez Canal called (in 1973)? Acting as an early warning system to invasion
Bar-Lev line
In use 1969-73
(Chaim Bar-Lev was the IDF’s Cheif of Staff)
What is the War of Attrition?
Between 1969-70
Along the Egypt-Israel border
Border did not move but many casualties
Israel lost around 920 people, Egypt 10k
What is the Twelfth Grade Letter?
Letter from 58 high school students
Questioning Golda Meir, if enough is being done for peace
Why should they fight in fruitless wars
In 1970
How did the Egypt led pan-Arab project end?
With death of Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1970
Where was Yasser Arafat born?
Cairo
How did Arafat put the Palestinian cause on the world’s agenda?
Starting in mid 1960’s he waged terror both in Israel and against Israeli/Jewish targets in Europe
Through Fatah and the PLO
What is Black September? And how did PLO cause chaos in Jordan?
PLO based in Jordan from 1970
Try to bring down Hashemite monarchy through terrorist acts
Leads to civil war between PLO and Jordanian army (1970-1)
Thousands of PLO’s and Palestinians die
PLO expelled to Lebanon - leading to civil war (1975)
How did the Soviets help the Arab countries in the early 1970’s?
Providing ammunition to Syria and Egypt
Who were the leaders of Israel’s enemies in 1973?
Egypt: Anwar Sadat
Syria: Hafez al-Assad (father of Bashar)
Who was Israel’s IDF’s Cheif of Staff for the YK War?
David “Dado” Elazar
Who was Israel’s Mossad agent in Egypt in the YK War?
Ashraf Marwan (son in law of Nasser)
He warned Israel in October 1973 that attack imminent, but this report did not make its way to PM’s Office
What did Golda Meir do on eve of YK War?
- Refused to strike first (ignoring request of David Elazar)
- Denied full mobilization; only did a limited one
Despite mobilizing 200,000 soldiers in the YK war, Israel was outnumbered by enemy soldiers by how much?
6:1
What was the english date of the YK War?
6th October 1973
How long did the YK War last?
16 days
What was America’s role in the YK War?
After some waiting around they agreed to supply Israel with weapons (on day 5), to be carried on El Al planes, changed later to allow US planes to carry the weapons
What was the tide of the battle in the YK War?
Israel taken by surprise, attacked and overrun by both Egypt and Syria
Israel then takes on Syria and pushes them back to Damascus
Then turns attention to Egypt and crosses the Suez Canal
How many casualties were there in the YK War?
Arab: 8k-15k
Israel: 2,656
How did Israel feel towards outside countries at the time of the YK War?
Negatively
USA - Kissinger was slow in giving weapons
France - supported Arabs
Britain - trained Eyptian pilots
Third World Countries - cut off ties with Israel
What oil organization was created during the YK War?
OPEC
What song did Naomi Shemer compose in the wake of YK War?
Lu heyi
What was the investigation called in the wake of the YK War and what did it say?
Agranat Commission
Assigned most of the blame to the army (rather than the politicians)
Who was PM after Golda Meir (1974)?
Yitzchak Rabin
How was Rabin a “new” type of leader for Israel?
He was born in C20
He was educated entirely in Israel
He was born in Israel
He rose up through the army
What other blow shook Israel after the YK War?
Death of Ben Gurion
What is UN’s Resolution 3379, passed in 1974?
“Zionism is … racism”
(passed by a vote of 72 to 35)
Who was the Attorney General that prosecuted against Eichmann?
Gideon Hausner
Who was the uncontested king of Israeli rock in the 1960s?
Arik Einstein
What was muzikat ha-kasetot?
In 1970’s
Mizrachi musicians distributing their songs via casette, starting off in Tel Aviv
Who was one of the original stars of mizrachi music?
Zohar Argov
What was the mahapach?
The 1977 election of Menachem Begin
Giving voice, finally, to the mizrachi segment
Who were the main players in the Israel-Egypt peace?
Menachem Begin
Anwar Sadat
brokered by Jimmy Carter
What were the terms of the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel?
Israel withdrew from Sinai
But kept onto West Bank (did not give into Sadat’s demands on this to give it to the Palestinians)
What was Arab response to the Egypt-Israel Peace?
- Arab League closed its Egypt headquarters in Cairo
- Expulsion of Egyptian students studying in Arab countries abroad
- Sadat’s assassination in 1981 by soldiers of his own army (associated with Egyptian Islamic Jihad)
Which settlement in the Sinai (near Gaza) was dismantled after peace with Egpyt (in 1982)?
Yamit
Which settlement in the West Bank did Begin and Sharon visit in 1977 and say: “there will be many more ….”
Elon Morehs
Wher is Elon Moreh?
East of Nablus (Shechem)
What military action did Israel take in 1981 to protect itself from enemy countries?
Bombing of nuclear reactor in Iraq
Although US were cirtical of Israel’s bombing of nuclear reactor in Iraq, in 1991 they changed their tune. Provide evidence.
Dick Cheney (Sec. Defence) sent a picture of the bombed reactor in Osirak, with a note of thanks to Israel
What is the Begin doctrine?
Israel will not stand for any of its enemies developing / acquiring weapons of mass destruction
What PLO high profile terrorist acts were committed in the 1970’s?
1972 - Munich Olympics, Israel team taken hostage, botched rescue operation, 11 die
1976 - Air France flight hijacked and taken to Entebbe, Uganda, over 100 hostages; Special Forces rescue mission rescues hostages; 3 die in the fighting + Yoni Netanyahu
What is Land Day 1976?
- Protests by Israeli Arabs, at appropriatioin of some of their land (in North, around Haifa)
- 6 died
What was the triggers for Operation Peace for Galillee - both immediate and big-picture?
Big-picture: rockets being fired from PLO (Arafat) in Lebanon, raining down on Galil
Immediate: Shooting in 1982 of Ambassador to London, Shlomo Argov
What happened in Sabra and Shatilla?
Following killing of Beshar Gemayal (Christian) and the chaos that followed, IDF secured the two refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla. Palestinian refugee camps where PLO operatives were hiding
Christian Phalangists were let in and committed a massacre (800 killed)
When did Israel leave Lebanon and under which PM?
2000 under Ehud Barak
What happened to Begin in the end?
Resigned in the wake of the 1982 War, the next year - poor health, depressed, alone after death of his wife - did not leave his house (pretty much) for a decade, died in 1992
What was the outcome of the 1982 war?
ended up serving as a base for Hezbollah - terrorist threat to Israel
What was Begin’s watchword?
Hadar
(dignity)
Where did Deri’s family come from and when?
Morocco, post 1967 persecution
At what age and when did Deri become interior minister?
Age of 29
In 1988
What does Shas (political party) stand for?
Shomrei Sefarad
In what year was Shas founded?
1984
…
It got 4 seats in the Knesset that year
Which Islamic movement rose in prominence in the 1970’s and 80’s?
Muslim Brotherhood
When was Hamas founded?
1987
What sparked the first intifada?
Israeli truck driver accidentally ran over 4 Arab workers in the Gaza strip
What did Joran do after the start of the first Intifada?
1988 - renounced claims to West Bank (did not want spillover of Palestinian violence)
What were the dates for the first Intifada?
1987-1993
What was Shranksy’s party called, founded in 1996?
Yisrael Ba’aliyah
What was Operation Solomon?
1991 rescue of Jews of Ethiopia (14,000 Jews)
Israel had already started doing this in 1984, with the help of the Mossad
What name is given to Ethiopian Jews?
Falashas
Why did Sadaam Hussein fire rockets at Israel in 1991?
In retaliation for the US-led invasion (following Iraq’s attack of Kuwait)
Who was appointed PM in 1992?
(Israel)
Yitzchak Rabin
What were the Oslo Accords?
- 1993: Mutual recognition of Israel and the PLO, Arafat and fighters allowed to return
- 1995: Dividing West Bank into A, B, C
How many Arabs did Baruch Goldstein kill in 1994?
29 in Hebron
What happened between Israel and Jordan in 1994?
They made peace
When was Rabin assassinated?
1995
What did Israel do after Rabin’s assassination?
Re Palestinians
In 1995…
Pulled out of major West Bank cities (other than Hebron)
Elections held
Arafat/Fatah elected
Who was elected after Shimon Peres (in 1996)? and why?
Benjamin Netanyahu
Shift to the right due to security concerns
….
Palestinian terrorists changed that, however, with two attacks in Jerusalem, one in Tel Aviv, and another in Ashkelon, killing almost sixty Israelis in the heart of Israel’s cities within nine days. Israelis were outraged and frightened, and Peres was voted out of office a mere seven months after he had assumed Rabin’s place.
Who came after Netanyahu in 1999?
Ehud Barak
(centrist)
When did Israel leave Lebanon?
2000
Who runs Lebanon?
Sectarian Political System: Lebanon has a unique political system based on sectarian power-sharing. Key political positions are reserved for members of specific religious groups: the President must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia Muslim.
Political Parties: Various political parties, often based on sectarian lines, play significant roles. These include the Future Movement (Sunni), the Free Patriotic Movement (Christian), and Hezbollah (Shia).
Hezbollah’s Influence: Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militant group, has substantial influence in Lebanon. It operates independently of the Lebanese state and has its own armed wing.
Foreign Influence: Lebanon is subject to significant foreign influence, particularly from countries like Iran (supporting Hezbollah) and Saudi Arabia (supporting Sunni groups), as well as Western nations.
Economic and Social Entities: Various non-political entities, like business elites and civil society groups, also influence Lebanon’s governance, particularly in economic and social spheres.
Internal Instability: The country faces internal challenges such as economic crises, sectarian tensions, and governance issues, which affect its stability and control.
What happened in Camp David in 2000?
Barak offers 92% of West Bank and parts of Jerusalem, and all of Gaza
Arafat refuses, doesn’t even give a counter-offer.
What triggered the second Intifada in 2000?
Ariel Sharon (leader of the opposition) goes up to the Temple Mount; the next day 20,000 Palestinians riot … violence escalates
What did Ariel Sharon do in 2002 in response to escalating Palestinian violence (part of the Second Intifada)?
2 things
- Launched Operation Defensive Shield (to take control and root out terrorits infrastructure from major West Bank cities) - largest West Bank Operation since 1967
- Building of wall in West Bank - took 5 years - reduced suicide attacks by 84%
Yossi Klein Halevi later commented that the years of 2000 to 2004 turned Israelis into…
Centrists
…
They agreed with the Left that creating a Palestinian state was critical for Israel, so that Israel would not continue to rule over millions of Palestinians. Yet they also agreed with the Right that creating a Palestinian state would put Israel in grave danger.21 They were stuck.
What did Jabotinsky advocate in his 1923 paper?
Iron Wall
…
that the Arabs would never end the conflict until they understood that the Israelis would not budge
Where was Abbas born?
Safed
…
Fled during 1948 war
What was Abbas’s PhD thesis about?
Zionism and Nazism
Number of victims of Holocaust exaggerated
What did Sharon announce about Gaza in 2003?
Unitateral withdrawal of soldiers and settlements
Took place in 2005
How much land and people were in the Gaza settlements at the end?
8,800 settlers
(surrounded by a million Arabs)
20% of land area
Who argued with Sharon about the disengagement?
His party (Likud)
Particularly Netanyahu (Finance Minister) resigned
How did Sharon betray the settlers of Gaza?
Ran election promising not to disengage, and then did!
What happened to Sharon four months after Gaza disengagement?
Massive stroke, falls into coma
Which party did Sharon set up for centrists from both Labour and Likud?
Kadima
What was Sharon’s nickname?
The Bulldozer
Who came after Sharon?
Ehud Olmert (former mayor of Jersualem)
2006-2009
What was Olmert’s plan?
Handing over majority of West Bank territories to PA
Paving way for state
Negotiations to follow after that
What happened on the day that Olmert announced his plans to give back the West Bank?
Hamas elected by a landslide (2006)
What attack did Hamas achieve in 2006?
Tunnelled under Gaza border and captured Gilad Shalit
When was the second Lebanon War?
2006
Despite Hamas having won the elections in 2006, Fatah did not give up power; in response, what did Hamas do?
Violent coup
Blew up Fatah headquarters in Gaza
Threw Fatah personnel off buildings
By 2010, though the national religious community represented no more than 10 percent of Israel’s population, they made up some …. percent of soldiers in combat units.
25-30%
Who said about the UN:
“If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.”
Abba Eban
Prior to 2023, what two wars did Israel have with Hamas?
- 2008-09: Cast Lead - Oferet Yetzukah
- 2014: Protective Edge - Tzuk Eitan
What are the main aims of the BDS movement?
- Give back occupied lands
- Right of return for Palestinian refugees to Israel
- Equal rights for Israeli Arab citizens
What is the income gap between Jews and Arabs in Israel?
Median monthly income (U.S. dollars) $4,652 $3,048
in 2019
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-know-about-arab-citizens-israel#:~:text=Arab%20citizens%20have%20the%20same,experts%20attribute%20to%20structural%20discrimination.
Since the year 2000, what’s the average immigration to Israel?
27K
(https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/total-immigration-to-israel-by-year)
What did Israel do against Syria in 2007?
Ehud Olmert ordered a hit on their nuclear reactor, completely destroying it
Who was Uri Zohar? Who did his children marry?
Israeli comedian, turned rabbi in 1977
His two sons married two daughters of Israeli secular rockstar Arik Einstein
What threat emerged from Iran in 2015?
JCPOA agreement between Iran and the USA (Obama), allowing them NOT to dismantle their arsenal, and restrictions would be in place for only 10 years; and many sanctions lifted
Which Israeli musical family reflects the cultural shift of Israel from secularism to religion?
Banai family - started off secular musicians, but two generations later they are religious.
…
The Banai family, the first “Israeli musical family,” illustrated the pattern best. The first generation of Banai performers, Yossi and Gavri Banai, were staunch secularists. In the next generation, first cousins Ehud and Yuval Banai were in bands that brought East-West fusion into Israeli culture, a reflection of the spiritual search that often took Israelis abroad. Still later, in the 1990s, Ehud and Evyatar (also first cousins) became religious and were soon bringing overt Jewish themes into their music. It was one family, with several stages of spiritual searching that represented Israeli life at large.
What Zionist phrase effectively excluded the Rabbinic tradition from Israeli life?
“From Tanach to the Palmach”
Who wrote a 1943 short story “The Sermon,” in which he declared that he was opposed to Jewish history.
Haim Hazaz
What is the birth rate for Haredi vs. non-Haredi Jewish women in Israel?
the average fertility rate for Haredi women was 6.2 children, while for the non-Haredi Jewish population it was 2.4
How m
Who are the hilltop youth?
- Grew out of Gush Emunim
- Want the whole of land of Israel
- Under Jewish law monarchy
- (rejection of secular zionism)
- Follow R’ Yitzchak Ginsburgh (an admirer of Baruch Goldstein)
