1.
Excellency
–
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organisation or state. Generally people addressed as Excellency are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, and others holding equivalent rank and the FIFA President. It is sometimes misinterpreted as a title of office in itself, in reference to such an official, it takes the form His or Her Excellency, in direct address, Your Excellency, or, less formally, simply Excellency. The abbreviation HE is often used instead of His/Her Excellency, alternatively it may stand for His/Her Eminence, in most republican nations, the head of state is formally addressed as His Excellency. If a republic has a head of government, that official is often addressed as Excellency as well. If the nation is a monarchy, however, the customs may vary, in the case of Australia, all ambassadors, high commissioners, governors and the governor-general and their spouses are entitled to the use of Excellency. Governors of colonies in the British Empire were entitled to be addressed as Excellency, in various international organizations, notably the UN and its agencies, Excellency is used as a generic form of address for all republican heads of state and heads of government. Judges of the International Court of Justice are also called Your Excellency, in some monarchies the husbands, wives, or children, of a royal prince or princess, who do not possess a princely title themselves, may be entitled to the style. For example, in Spain spouses or children of a born infante or infanta are addressed as Excellency, also, former members of a royal house or family, who did have a royal title but forfeited it, may be awarded the style afterwards. Examples are former husbands or wives of a prince or princess, including Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. In some emirates, only the Emir, heir apparent and prime minister are called His Highness and their children are styled with the lower treatment of His/Her Excellency. In Spain members of the nobility, holding the dignity of grandee, are addressed as The Most Excellent Lord/Lady. Some of the high ranking counts, Excellency can also attach to a prestigious quality, notably in an order of knighthood. By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial of 31 December 1930 the Holy See granted bishops of the Roman Catholic Church the title of Most Reverend Excellency. In the years following the First World War, the title of Excellency. The adjective Most Reverend was intended to distinguish the title from that of Excellency given to civil officials. The instruction Ut sive sollicite of the Holy Sees Secretariat of State, dated 28 March 1969, cardinals, even those who were bishops, continued to use the title of Eminence. In some English-speaking countries, the honorific of Excellency does not apply to other than the nuncio
2.
President of Israel
–
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely a figurehead role, with executive power effectively being exercised by the prime minister. The current president is Reuven Rivlin, who took office on 24 July 2014, presidents are elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term and are limited to a single term. The president is elected by an majority in the Knesset. If no candidate has received a majority of votes by the first round of voting. When electing the president, Knesset members vote by secret ballot, the president is elected to a term of seven years, and cannot be re-elected. Until 2000, the president was elected for a five-year term, any Israeli citizen who is a resident of the State is eligible to run for president. The office falls vacant upon completion of a term, resignation, presidential tenure is not keyed to that of the Knesset in order to assure continuity in government and the nonpartisan character of the office. There is no vice president in the Israeli governmental system, if the president is temporarily incapacitated or leaves office, the speaker of the Knesset becomes acting president. The first presidential election took place on 16 February 1949, the second took place in 1951, as at the time presidential terms were linked to the length of the Knesset term. Another election took place the year after Weizmanns death. Since then, elections have been held in 1957,1962,1963,1968,1973,1978,1983,1988,1993,1998,2000,2007 and 2014, six elections have taken place with no opposition candidate, although a vote was still held. The Basic Law, The Government also includes sections on the powers of the president with reference to the government, the president signs every law and international or bilateral treaties approved by the Knesset. Presidential powers are usually exercised based on the recommendation of appropriate government ministers, the presidents most important role, in practice, is to help lead the process of forming a government. The president awards the Israel Prize on Yom Haatzmaut and the Wolf Prize, the president also serves as the main speaker at the opening ceremonies of the half-yearly Knesset conference, as well as at the annual official ceremonies for Yom Hazikaron and Yom HaShoah. Most Israeli presidents were involved in politics or Zionist activities before taking office. The first Israeli presidents were born in the former Russian Empire, the first native-born president, as well as the first with a Sephardi background, was Yitzhak Navon. The first president with a Western European background was Chaim Herzog, the first president with a Mizrahi background was Moshe Katsav, who was born in Iran
3.
Benjamin Netanyahu
–
Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu also currently serves as a member of the Knesset and Chairman of the Likud party, born in Tel Aviv to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state. Netanyahu joined the Israel Defense Forces shortly after the Six-Day War in 1967, Netanyahu took part in many missions, including Operation Inferno, Operation Gift and Operation Isotope, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu achieved the rank of captain before being discharged, after graduating from MIT with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, Netanyahu was recruited as an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. Netanyahu returned to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute, named after his brother Yonatan Netanyahu, Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988. Netanyahu became the leader of Likud in 1993, Netanyahu won the 1996 elections, becoming Israels youngest ever Prime Minister, serving his first term from June 1996 to July 1999. Netanyahu moved from the arena to the private sector after being defeated in the 1999 election for prime minister by Ehud Barak. As Minister of Finance, Netanyahu engaged in a reform of the Israeli economy. Netanyahu retook the Likud leadership in December 2005, after Sharon left to form a new party, in December 2006, Netanyahu became the official Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset and Chairman of Likud. Following the 2009 parliamentary election, in which Likud placed second and right-wing parties won a majority, after the victory in the 2013 elections, he became the second person to be elected to the position of Prime Minister for a third term, after Israels founder David Ben-Gurion. In March 2015, Netanyahu was elected to his term as prime minister. Netanyahu has been elected Prime Minister of Israel four times, matching David Ben-Gurions record, Netanyahu is the only prime minister in Israels history to have been elected three times in a row. Netanyahu was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv, Israel, to an Israeli mother, Tzila Segal and a Warsaw-born father, Prof. Benzion Netanyahu, Netanyahu is of mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish heritage. He was initially raised and educated in Jerusalem, where he attended Henrietta Szold Elementary School, to this day, he speaks fluent English, with a noticeable Philadelphia accent. After graduating from school in 1967, Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. He trained as a soldier and served for five years in an elite special forces unit of the IDF. He took part in numerous cross-border assault raids during the 1967–70 War of Attrition and he was wounded in combat on multiple occasions. He was involved in other missions, including Operation Inferno
4.
Shimon Peres
–
Shimon Peres was an Israeli politician who served both as ninth President of Israel, and Prime Minister of Israel, as well as Interim Prime Minister. He was a member of twelve cabinets in a career spanning 70 years. At the time of his retirement in 2014, he was the worlds oldest head of state and he was considered the last link to Israels founding generation. From a young age, he was renowned for his oratorical brilliance and he began his political career in the late 1940s, holding several diplomatic and military positions during and directly after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. His first high-level government position was as Deputy Director-General of Defense in 1952 which he attained at the age of 28, in 1956, he took part in the historic negotiations on the Protocol of Sèvres described by British Prime Minister Anthony Eden as the highest form of statesmanship. In 1963, he held negotiations with U. S. President John F. Kennedy, which resulted in the sale of Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Israel, the first sale of U. S. military equipment to Israel. On October 26,1994, Jordan and Israel signed the Israel–Jordan peace treaty, Peres won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for the peace talks that he participated in as Israeli Foreign Minister, producing the Oslo Accords. During his career, he represented five political parties in the Knesset, Mapai, Rafi, the Alignment, Labor and Kadima, and led Alignment and Labor. In July 2016, he founded the Israel innovation center in the Arab neighbourhood of Ajami, Jaffa, Peres was polyglot, speaking Polish, French, English, Russian, Yiddish and Hebrew, although he never lost his Polish accent when speaking in Hebrew. In his private life, he was a poet and songwriter, writing stanzas during cabinet meetings, as a result of his deep literary interests, he could quote from Hebrew prophets, French literature, and Chinese philosophy with equal ease. After suffering a stroke, Peres died on September 28,2016 near Tel Aviv, Shimon Peres was born Szymon Perski, on August 2,1923, in Wiszniew, Poland, to Yitzhak and Sara Perski. The family spoke Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian at home, and he then learned to speak English and French. His father was a timber merchant, later branching out into other commodities. Peres had a brother, Gershon, and was a relative of American film star Lauren Bacall. Peres told Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson that he had been born as a result of a blessing his parents had received from a chassidic rebbe, Peres grandfather, Rabbi Zvi Meltzer, a grandson of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, had a great impact on his life. In an interview, Peres said, As a child, I grew up in my grandfathers home, … My grandfather taught me Talmud. It was not as easy as it sounds and my home was not an observant one. My parents were not Orthodox but I was Haredi, at one point, I heard my parents listening to the radio on the Sabbath and I smashed it
5.
Dalia Itzik
–
Dalia Itzik is a former Israeli politician who last served as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. Itzik was born in Jerusalem to a family of Iraqi Jews and she is married to Danny, an employee of the Israel Electric Corporation. They have three children, Ran, Uri and Adi, the family lives in Jerusalems Ramat Sharett neighborhood. Before being elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992, Itzik served as the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, after being re-elected in 1996 and 1999, she was appointed Minister of the Environment in Ehud Baraks government, serving from 1999 until 2001. In 2001 she became Minister of Industry and Trade, before leaving the cabinet in 2002, re-elected in 2003, Itzik served as Minister of Communications in 2005. In 2006 she defected to Ariel Sharons newly formed party, Kadima, following the 2006 elections she became Knesset speaker. On 25 January 2007, Israeli President Moshe Katzav took a leave of absence. The speaker of the Knesset stands first in the line of succession and she served as the official head of State until Shimon Peres formally took over on 15 July 2007. After winning third place on the partys list, Itzik retained her seat in the 2009 elections, Itzik contested in the 2014 Israeli presidential election, coming third with 28 votes. Her supporters came from across the political spectrum, dalia Itzik on the Knesset website
6.
Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
–
Yuli-Yoel Edelstein is an Israeli politician. One of the most prominent refuseniks in the Soviet Union, he has been Speaker of the Knesset since 2013, Yuli Edelstein was born in Chernivtsi in the Soviet Union to a Jewish family. His mother, Anita Edelstein was Jewish, while his father, Yuri Edelstein, is the son of a Jewish father, both converted to Christianity, and Yuri is now a Russian Orthodox priest in Karabanovo of Kostroma Oblast named Father Georgy. While his parents taught at universities in the countryside, Edelstein was raised by his maternal grandparents and his grandfather had taught himself Hebrew at the age of 70 and used to listen to the Voice of Israel on a shortwave radio. When Edelsteins grandfather died, Yuli began to study Hebrew and read books such as Exodus by Leon Uris, in 1977, during his second year of university, Edelstein applied for an exit visa to immigrate to Israel. Turned down, he began to associate with a group of Hebrew teachers who held classes in their apartments. In 1979, he was expelled from the university and suffered harassment by the KGB, during this time, he found odd jobs as a street cleaner, security guard, and more. In 1984, he and other Hebrew teachers were arrested on fabricated charges, Edelstein himself being charged with possession of drugs and he was then sent to Siberian gulags and did hard labor, first in Buryatia and then in Novosibirsk. He broke several bones after falling from a construction tower and he was due to be transferred back to Buryatia, but his wife, Tanya, threatened to go on hunger strike if he was returned there. Edelstein was released in May 1987, on the eve of Israeli Independence Day and he did his national service in the Israel Defense Forces, attaining the rank of Corporal. Initially a member of the National Religious Party and a vice-president of Zionist Forum and he was elected to the Knesset in 1996, and was appointed Minister of Immigrant Absorption in Benjamin Netanyahus Likud-led government. He was re-elected in 1999, and was appointed Deputy Immigrant Absorption Minister by Ariel Sharon in 2001 and he retained his seat in the 2003 elections, shortly after which Yisrael BaAliyah merged into Likud. Although Edelstein lost his seat in the 2006 elections, in which Likud was reduced to 12 seats and he retained his seat in the 2009 elections after being placed twelfth on the partys list, and was appointed Minister of Information and Diaspora in the Netanyahu government. Following the 2013 elections, he became Speaker of the Knesset, in December 2014, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Edelstein warned world leaders against creating a Palestinian state that he thought would go to war with Israel. In the same interview, Edelstein stated that he believes in Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, in 2014, he was one of several Members of the Knesset who submitted complaints against Arab-Israeli Haneen Zoabi for supporting Hamas, which led to her six-month suspension. “I have been in the Knesset for almost 19 years, ” Edelstein said, “I remember Arab MKs joining me at the March of the Living and proposing social-oriented legislation with me. I believe in coexistence and fighting against those who harm it and I think that Zoabi’s words, People hear her and think all Arabs must hate us and want to kill us. That is unhealthy, and we have to put an end to it. ”He was married to Tatiana, or Tanya Edelstein and they met in the Soviet Union when she attended a Hebrew class he was teaching
7.
Avraham Burg
–
Avraham Avrum Burg is an Israeli author, politician and businessman, he was a member of the Knesset, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Speaker of the Knesset, and Interim President of Israel. He was the first Speaker of the Knesset to have born in Israeli territory after independence in 1948. A member of the Labor Party when he was a member of the Knesset and he was born and raised in Jerusalems Rehavia neighborhood. His father was Dr. Yosef Burg, a German-born Israeli politician and his mother was Rivka, born in Hebron and surviving the 1929 Hebron massacre. In the Israel Defense Forces, Burg served as a commander with the rank of lieutenant in the paratroopers brigade. He graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a degree in the social sciences, Burg married Yael, and they had six children. He lives in Nataf, a community, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Burg was an activist in left-wing organizations and the Peace Now movement and he was injured in the grenade attack on a Peace Now demonstration in Jerusalem in February 1983, which killed Emil Grunzweig. In 1985, he served as advisor on Diaspora affairs to Prime Minister Shimon Peres, in 1988, he was elected to the Knesset as a member of the Alignment. In 1992, when the Alignment merged with the Labor Party and he served as chairman of the Education Committee. In 1995, he was appointed Chairman of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, after his term as chairman of the Jewish Agency, Burg continued to use a car and driver provided by the agency for 10 years. When it was cut he sued to continue to receive these benefits, in 1999, Burg returned to domestic politics, and was elected to the Knesset on Ehud Baraks One Israel list. Although Prime Minister Barak backed another candidate, Burg was elected Speaker of the Knesset, in his capacity as speaker of the Knesset he served as interim President of Israel for 20 days, from 12 July until 1 August 2000 when the presidency was vacant following Ezer Weizmans resignation. Following Baraks defeat in the 2001 election for Prime Minister and his subsequent resignation, Burg ran for the Labor Party leadership, in a revote he lost to Benyamin Ben-Eliezer. Burg called for cancellation of this vote, a move supported by Labor Party chairman Raanan Cohen. Nevertheless, Burg retained his seat in the Knesset in the 2003 elections, in 2004, Burg resigned from the Knesset and public life. In 2007, a Burg-led consortium won the rights to purchase Ashot Ashkelon Industries, burgs attorney said that if it was cancelled since the government wanted to sell it together with Israel Military Industries, we may bid for IMI. There had also been a review by the State Comptroller and the Israeli Police into suspicions that was a straw-man for Ian Nigel Davis, the prosecutor closed the file against Burg for lack of evidence
8.
Ministry of Communications (Israel)
–
The Ministry of Communications is the Israeli government ministry responsible for Communications in Israel. It is a minor position in the cabinet. The ministry was established in 1952, and until 1970 was known as the Ministry of Postal Services, the Communications Minister of Israel is the political head of the ministry. There is occasionally a Deputy Minister, all Ministers in the Ministry of Communications Knesset website Israel Ministry of Communications site in English
9.
Ariel Sharon
–
Ariel Sharon was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Sharon was incapacitated by a stroke in January 2006, Sharon was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948. As Minister of Defense, he directed the 1982 Lebanon War, Sharon was considered the greatest field commander in Israels history, and one of the countrys greatest military strategists and tacticians. After his assault of the Sinai in the Six-Day War and his encirclement of the Egyptian Third Army in the Yom Kippur War, the Israeli public nicknamed him The King of Israel. Upon retirement from the military, Sharon entered politics, joining the Likud and he became the leader of the Likud in 2000, and served as Israels prime minister from 2001 to 2006. From the 1970s through to the 1990s, Sharon championed construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, however, as Prime Minister, in 2004–05 Sharon orchestrated Israels unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Facing stiff opposition to this policy within the Likud, in November 2005 he left Likud to form a new party, Kadima. He had been expected to win the election and was widely interpreted as planning on clearing Israel out of most of the West Bank. After suffering a stroke on January 4,2006, Sharon remained in a permanent vegetative state until his death in January 2014. Sharon was born on February 26,1928 in Kfar Malal and his mother, Vera, was from a family of Russian Subbotnik Jewish origin. His parents met while at university in Tiflis, where Sharons father was studying agronomy and they immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1922 in the wake of the Russian Communist governments growing persecution of Jews in the region. The family arrived with the Third Aliyah and settled in Kfar Malal, although his parents were Mapai supporters, they did not always accept communal consensus, The Scheinermans eventual ostracism. They were expelled from the local clinic and village synagogue. The cooperatives truck wouldnt make deliveries to their farm nor collect produce, Sharon grew up to be bilingual in both Hebrew and Russian languages. Four years after their arrival at Kfar Malal, the Sheinermans had a daughter, Ariel was born two years later. At age 10, he joined the youth movement HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, as a teenager, he began to take part in the armed night-patrols of his moshav. Sharons unit of the Haganah became engaged in serious and continuous combat from the autumn of 1947, without the manpower to hold the roads, his unit took to making offensive hit-and-run raids on Arab forces in the vicinity of Kfar Malal. In units of thirty men, they would hit constantly at Arab villages, bridges and bases, Sharon wrote in his autobiography, We had become skilled at finding our way in the darkest nights and gradually we built up the strength and endurance these kind of operations required
10.
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
–
Binyamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer was an Iraqi-born Israeli politician and general. He served as a member of the Knesset between 1984 and 2014, and held ministerial posts, including Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of Defense. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was born in Basra in southern Iraq, son of Saleh and he immigrated to Israel in 1950. He was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1954 and became a career soldier and he lived in Rishon LeZion and was married with five children. Some of his granddaughters live in the United States and he was fluent in Hebrew, Arabic and English. Ben-Eliezer was drafted into the IDF in 1954 and served in the Golani Brigade and he served in the Brigade as a soldier and as a squad leader. In 1956 he became an officer after completing Officer Candidate School and return to the Golani Brigade. Ben-Eliezer served as a Commander of sayerert shaked in the Six-Day War and was wounded in the War of Attrition, in the Yom Kippur War he served as a brigade Executive officer. In 1977, he was appointed First Commanding Officer in Southern Lebanon and he was Military Governor of Judea and Samaria and was Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories from 1983 until 1984. He completed his service with the rank of Brigadier General. After retiring from the army, Ben-Eliezer was briefly a member of the Tami Party, Ben-Eliezer was first elected to the Knesset in 1984 on the Yahad list, which merged into the Alignment during his first term. He was re-elected in 1988 and 1992, by time the Alignment had become the Labor Party. In July 1992 he was appointed Minister of Housing and Construction in Yitzhak Rabins government and he retained his seat in the 1996 elections, but lost his place in the cabinet as Labor went into opposition. Following Ehud Baraks victory in the 1999 Prime Minister election, Ben-Eliezer returned to the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communications, from October 2000 to 3 March 2001, he also served as Minister of Housing and Construction. He left the post on 2 October 2002 when Labor withdrew from the coalition, re-elected again in 2003, Ben-Eliezer served as Minister of National Infrastructure from 10 January 2005 until 23 November, when Labor left the government. In the Labor Party leadership election on 9 November 2005, he came third with 16. 8% of the vote, behind Amir Peretz and he retained his seat again in the 2006 elections, and was appointed Minister of National Infrastructure in Ehud Olmerts government. However, the allegations are disputed by both Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and the documentary film-maker Ran Edelist, placed eighth on the partys list, he was re-elected again in the 2009 elections and appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour. He resigned from the cabinet after Ehud Barak left the Labor Party to establish Independence in January 2011 and he contracted pneumonia in March 2011 and was put into a medically induced coma, eventually making a full recovery
11.
Jerusalem
–
Jerusalem is a city located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is considered a city in the three major Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, the part of Jerusalem called the City of David was settled in the 4th millennium BCE. In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent, today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger, Modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the Old Citys boundaries. These foundational events, straddling the dawn of the 1st millennium BCE, the sobriquet of holy city was probably attached to Jerusalem in post-exilic times. The holiness of Jerusalem in Christianity, conserved in the Septuagint which Christians adopted as their own authority, was reinforced by the New Testament account of Jesuss crucifixion there, in Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. As a result, despite having an area of only 0, outside the Old City stands the Garden Tomb. Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, West Jerusalem was among the captured and later annexed by Israel while East Jerusalem, including the Old City, was captured. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it into Jerusalem, one of Israels Basic Laws, the 1980 Jerusalem Law, refers to Jerusalem as the countrys undivided capital. All branches of the Israeli government are located in Jerusalem, including the Knesset, the residences of the Prime Minister and President, the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, and the city hosts no foreign embassies. Jerusalem is also home to some non-governmental Israeli institutions of importance, such as the Hebrew University. In 2011, Jerusalem had a population of 801,000, of which Jews comprised 497,000, Muslims 281,000, a city called Rušalim in the Execration texts of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt is widely, but not universally, identified as Jerusalem. Jerusalem is called Urušalim in the Amarna letters of Abdi-Heba, the name Jerusalem is variously etymologized to mean foundation of the god Shalem, the god Shalem was thus the original tutelary deity of the Bronze Age city. The form Yerushalem or Yerushalayim first appears in the Bible, in the Book of Joshua, according to a Midrash, the name is a combination of Yhwh Yireh and the town Shalem. The earliest extra-biblical Hebrew writing of the word Jerusalem is dated to the sixth or seventh century BCE and was discovered in Khirbet Beit Lei near Beit Guvrin in 1961. The inscription states, I am Yahweh thy God, I will accept the cities of Judah and I will redeem Jerusalem, or as other scholars suggest, the mountains of Judah belong to him, to the God of Jerusalem
12.
Mandatory Palestine
–
Mandatory Palestine was a geopolitical entity under British administration, carved out of Ottoman Southern Syria after World War I. British civil administration in Palestine operated from 1920 until 1948, further confusing the issue was the Balfour Declaration of 1917, promising British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine. At the wars end the British and French set up a joint Occupied Enemy Territory Administration in what had been Ottoman Syria, the British achieved legitimacy for their continued control by obtaining a mandate from the League of Nations in June 1922. The civil Mandate administration was formalized with the League of Nations consent in 1923 under the British Mandate for Palestine, the land west of the Jordan River, known as Palestine, was under direct British administration until 1948. The land east of the Jordan, a region known as Transjordan, under the rule of the Hashemite family from the Hijaz. The divergent tendencies regarding the nature and purpose of the mandate are visible already in the discussions concerning the name for this new entity. As a set-off to this, certain of the Arab politicians suggested that the country should be called Southern Syria in order to emphasise its close relation with another Arab State. During the British Mandate period the area experienced the ascent of two major nationalist movements, one among the Jews and the other among the Arabs, following its occupation by British troops in 1917–1918, Palestine was governed by the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration. In July 1920, the administration was replaced by a civilian administration headed by a High Commissioner. The first High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel, a Zionist recent cabinet minister, arrived in Palestine on 20 June 1920, following the arrival of the British, Muslim-Christian Associations were established in all the major towns. In 1919 they joined to hold the first Palestine Arab Congress in Jerusalem and its main platforms were a call for representative government and opposition to the Balfour Declaration. The Zionist Commission was formed in March 1918 and was active in promoting Zionist objectives in Palestine, on 19 April 1920, elections were held for the Assembly of Representatives of the Palestinian Jewish community. The Zionist Commission received official recognition in 1922 as representative of the Palestinian Jewish community, Rutenberg soon established an electric company whose shareholders were Zionist organizations, investors, and philanthropists. Palestinian-Arabs saw it as proof that the British intended to favor Zionism, when Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Kamil al-Husayni died in March 1921, High Commissioner Samuel appointed his half-brother Mohammad Amin al-Husseini to the position. Amin al-Husseini, a member of the clan of Jerusalem, was an Arab nationalist. As Grand Mufti, as well as the influential positions that he held during this period. In 1922, al-Husseini was elected President of the Supreme Muslim Council which had created by Samuel in December 1921. The Council controlled the Waqf funds, worth annually tens of thousands of pounds, in addition, he controlled the Islamic courts in Palestine
13.
Likud
–
The Likud, officially the Likud–National Liberal Movement, is a major center-right to right-wing political party in Israel. A secular party, it was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing, Likuds landslide victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the countrys political history, marking the first time the left had lost power. In addition, it was the first time in Israel that a party won the plurality of the votes. However, after ruling the country for most of the 1980s, nevertheless, Likuds candidate Benjamin Netanyahu did win the vote for Prime Minister in 1996 and was given the task of forming a government after the 1996 elections. Netanyahus government fell apart after a vote of no confidence, which led to elections being called in 1999, in 2001, Likuds Ariel Sharon, who replaced Netanyahu following the 1999 election, defeated Barak in an election called by the Prime Minister following his resignation. After the party recorded a win in the 2003 elections. This resulted in Likud slumping to fourth place in the 2006 elections, Netanyahu has been Prime Minister since and Likud has been the leading vote-getter in each election. A member of the party is called a Likudnik. Herut had been the nations largest right-wing party since growing out of the Irgun in 1948 and it had already been in coalition with the Liberals since 1965 as Gahal, with Herut as the senior partner. Herut remained the senior partner in the new grouping, which was given the name Likud, meaning Consolidation and it worked as a coalition under Heruts leadership until 1988, when the member parties merged into a single party under the Likud name. From its establishment in 1973, Likud enjoyed great support from blue-collar Sephardim who felt discriminated against by the ruling Alignment, Likud made a strong showing in its first elections in 1973, reducing the Alignments lead to 12 seats. The party went on to win the 1977 elections, finishing 11 seats ahead of the Alignment, Begin was able to form a government with the support of the religious parties, consigning the left-wing to opposition for the first time since independence. A former leader of the hard-line paramilitary Irgun, Begin helped initiate the process with Egypt, which resulted in the 1978 Camp David Accords. Likud was reelected with a reduced mandate in 1981. Likud has long been an alliance between politicians committed to different and sometimes opposing policy preferences and ideologies. Begin resigned in October 1983 and was succeeded as Likud leader, although Shamir lost the 1984 election, the Alignment was unable to form a government on its own. Likud and the Alignment thus formed a unity government, with Peres as Prime Minister. After two years, Peres and Shamir switched posts and this government remained in power through 1990, when the Alignment pulled out and Shamir stitched together a right-wing coalition that held on until its defeat in 1992 by Labor
14.
Alma mater
–
Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
15.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
–
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israels second oldest university established in 1918,30 years before the State of Israel. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot, the worlds largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J. Safra Givat Ram campus. The university has 5 affiliated teaching hospitals including the Hadassah Medical Center,7 faculties, more than 100 research centers, a third of all the doctoral candidates in Israel are studying in the Hebrew University. The first Board of Governors included Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber, four of Israels prime ministers are alumni of the Hebrew University. In the last decade, eight researchers and alumni of the University received the Nobel Prize, one was awarded the Fields Medal, one of the visions of the Zionist movement was the establishment of a Jewish university in the Land of Israel. Founding a university was proposed as far back as 1884 in the Kattowitz conference of the Hovevei Zion society, the cornerstone for the university was laid on July 24,1918. The Universitys first Chancellor was Judah Magnes, by 1947, the University had become a large research and teaching institution. Plans for a school were approved in May 1949, and in November 1949. In 1952, it was announced that the institute founded by the University in 1940 would become a full-fledged faculty. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, attacks were carried out against convoys moving between the Israeli-controlled section of Jerusalem and the University. The leader of the Arab forces in Jerusalem, Abdul Kader Husseini, after the Hadassah medical convoy massacre, in which 79 Jews, including doctors and nurses, were slaughtered, the Mount Scopus campus was cut off from Jerusalem. British soldier Jack Churchill coordinated the evacuation of 700 Jewish doctors, when the Jordan government denied Israeli access to Mount Scopus, a new campus was built at Givat Ram in western Jerusalem and completed in 1958. In the interim, classes were held in 40 different buildings around the city, the Terra Santa building in Rehavia, rented from the Franciscan Custodians of the Latin Holy Places, was also used for this purpose. A few years later, together with the Hadassah Medical Organization, by the beginning of 1967, the students numbered 12,500, spread among the two campuses in Jerusalem and the agricultural faculty in Rehovot. After the unification of Jerusalem, following the Six-Day War of June 1967, the University was able to return to Mount Scopus, in 1981 the construction work was completed, and Mount Scopus again became the main campus of the University. On July 31,2002, a member of a terrorist cell detonated a bomb during lunch hour at the Universitys Frank Sinatra cafeteria when it was crowded with staff and students. Nine people — five Israelis, three Americans, and one dual French-American citizen — were murdered and more than 70 wounded, World leaders, including Kofi Annan, President Bush, and the President of the European Union issued statements of condemnation. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Rothberg International School, the Rothberg International School features secular studies and Jewish/Israeli studies
16.
Hebrew language
–
Hebrew is a language native to Israel, spoken by over 9 million people worldwide, of whom over 5 million are in Israel. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors, the earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date from the 10th century BCE. Hebrew belongs to the West Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family, Hebrew is the only living Canaanite language left, and the only truly successful example of a revived dead language. Hebrew had ceased to be a spoken language somewhere between 200 and 400 CE, declining since the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Aramaic and to a lesser extent Greek were already in use as international languages, especially among elites and it survived into the medieval period as the language of Jewish liturgy, rabbinic literature, intra-Jewish commerce, and poetry. Then, in the 19th century, it was revived as a spoken and literary language, and, according to Ethnologue, had become, as of 1998, the language of 5 million people worldwide. After Israel, the United States has the second largest Hebrew-speaking population, with 220,000 fluent speakers, Modern Hebrew is one of the two official languages of the State of Israel, while premodern Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world today. Ancient Hebrew is also the tongue of the Samaritans, while modern Hebrew or Arabic is their vernacular. For this reason, Hebrew has been referred to by Jews as Leshon Hakodesh, the modern word Hebrew is derived from the word Ivri, one of several names for the Israelite people. It is traditionally understood to be a based on the name of Abrahams ancestor, Eber. This name is based upon the root ʕ-b-r meaning to cross over. Interpretations of the term ʕibrim link it to this verb, cross over, in the Bible, the Hebrew language is called Yәhudit because Judah was the surviving kingdom at the time of the quotation. In Isaiah 19,18 it is called the Language of Canaan, Hebrew belongs to the Canaanite group of languages. In turn, the Canaanite languages are a branch of the Northwest Semitic family of languages, according to Avraham ben-Yosef, Hebrew flourished as a spoken language in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during about 1200 to 586 BCE. Scholars debate the degree to which Hebrew was a vernacular in ancient times following the Babylonian exile. In July 2008 Israeli archaeologist Yossi Garfinkel discovered a ceramic shard at Khirbet Qeiyafa which he claimed may be the earliest Hebrew writing yet discovered, dating around 3000 years ago. The Gezer calendar also dates back to the 10th century BCE at the beginning of the Monarchic Period, classified as Archaic Biblical Hebrew, the calendar presents a list of seasons and related agricultural activities. The Gezer calendar is written in an old Semitic script, akin to the Phoenician one that through the Greeks, the Gezer calendar is written without any vowels, and it does not use consonants to imply vowels even in the places where later Hebrew spelling requires it
17.
Arab citizens of Israel
–
Arab citizens of Israel or Arab population of Israel are Israeli citizens, whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab. The majority of the Arabs in Israel are Muslim but some are Christian or Druze, many identify as Palestinian and commonly self-designate themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. The traditional vernacular of most Arab citizens, irrespective of religion, is the Palestinian dialect of Arabic, Most Arab citizens of Israel are functionally bilingual, their second language being Modern Hebrew. By religious affiliation, most are Muslim, particularly of the Sunni branch of Islam, There is a significant Arab Christian minority from various denominations as well as the Druze, among other religious communities. According to Israels Central Bureau of Statistics, the Arab population in 2013 was estimated at 1,658,000, the majority of these identify themselves as Arab or Palestinian by nationality and Israeli by citizenship. Many have family ties to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Negev Bedouins and the Druze tend to identify more as Israelis than other Arab citizens of Israel. They have the right to apply for citizenship, are entitled to municipal services, how to refer to the Arab citizenry of Israel is a highly politicized issue and there are a number of self-identification labels used by members of this community. According to The New York Times, most prefer now to identify themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel rather than as Israeli Arabs, the New York Times uses both Palestinian Israelis and Israeli Arabs to refer to the same population. Common practice in academic literature is to identify this community as Palestinian as it is how the majority self-identify. There are, however, individuals from among the Arab citizenry who reject the term Palestinian altogether, a minority of Israels Arab citizens include Israeli in some way in their self-identifying label, the majority identify as Palestinian by nationality and Israeli by citizenship. The Israeli establishment prefers Israeli Arabs or Arabs in Israel, and also uses the terms the minorities and these labels have been criticized for denying this population a political or national identification, obscuring their Palestinian identity and connection to Palestine. The term Israeli Arabs in particular is viewed as a construct of the Israeli authorities and it is nonetheless used by a significant minority of the Arab population, reflecting its dominance in Israeli social discourse. Other terms used to refer to this population include Palestinian Arabs in Israel, Israeli Palestinian Arabs, and the Arabs inside the Green Line. The latter appellation, among others listed above, are not applied to the East Jerusalem Arab population or the Druze in the Golan Heights, as these territories were occupied by Israel in 1967. In the aftermath of the 1948 war, British Mandate of Palestine was de facto divided into three parts, the State of Israel, the Jordanian-held West Bank, and the Egyptian-held Gaza Strip. Of the estimated 950,000 Arabs that lived in the territory that became Israel before the war, Benny Morris says, Most of Palestines 700,000 refugees fled their homes because of the flail of war. But it is true that there were several dozen sites, including Lydda and Ramla. The other 20%, some 156,000, remained, Arab citizens of Israel today are largely composed of the people who remained and their descendants
18.
One-state solution
–
The one-state solution and the similar binational solution are proposed approaches to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. While some advocate this solution for reasons, others feel simply that, due to the reality on the ground. Interest in a solution is growing, however, as the two-state approach fails to accomplish a final agreement. Although the terms One-State Solution and bi-national solution are used synonymously. The area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River was controlled by various groups throughout history. From 1516 until the conclusion of World War I, the region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, from 1915 to 1916, the British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon, corresponded by letters with Sayyid Hussein bin Ali, the father of Pan Arabism. These letters, were known as the Hussein–McMahon Correspondence. McMahon promised Hussein and his Arab followers the territory of the Ottoman Empire in exchange for assistance in driving out the Ottoman Turks, Hussein interpreted these letters as promising the region of Palestine to the Arabs. In 1916, Britain and France signed the Sykes–Picot Agreement, which divided the colonies of the Ottoman Empire between them, under this agreement, the region of Palestine would be controlled by Britain. In 1922, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate for Palestine, disagreements over Jewish immigration as well as incitement by Haj Amin Al-Husseini led to an outbreak of Arab-Jewish violence in the Palestine Riots of 1920. Violence erupted again the year during the Jaffa Riots. In response to riots, Britain established the Haycraft Commission of Inquiry. The British Mandatory authorities put forward proposals for setting up a legislative council in Palestine. In 1924 the issue was raised at a conference held by Ahdut Haavodah at Ein Harod, shlomo Kaplansky, a veteran leader of Poalei Zion, argued that a Parliament, even with an Arab majority, was the way forward. David Ben-Gurion, the leader of the Yishuv, succeeded in getting Kaplanskys ideas rejected. Violence erupted again in the form of the 1929 Palestine riots, the 1929 Hebron massacre, after the violence, the British led another commission of inquiry under Sir Walter Shaw. Violence erupted again during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, the British established the Peel Commission of 1936-1937 in order to put an end to the violence. The Peel Commission concluded that only partition could put an end to the violence, while the Jewish community accepted the concept of partition, not all members endorsed the implementation proposed by the Peel Commission
19.
Vilna Gaon
–
He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha-Gaon he-Chasid mi-Vilna, the saintly genius from Vilnius. Born in Sielec in the Brest Litovsk Voivodeship, the Gaon displayed extraordinary talent while still a child, by the time he was twenty years old, rabbis were submitting their most difficult halakhic problems to him for legal rulings. Various Kabbalistic works have commentaries in his name, and commentaries on the Proverbs, none of his manuscripts were published in his lifetime. When Hasidic Judaism became influential in his town, the Vilna Gaon joined the opposers or Mitnagdim, rabbis and heads of the Polish communities. In 1777, one of the first excommunications against the nascent Hasidic movement was launched in Vilna and he encouraged his students to study natural sciences, and even translated geometry books to Yiddish and Hebrew. Legend has it that by the age of four he had committed the Tanakh to memory, at the age of seven he was taught Talmud by Moses Margalit, rabbi of Kėdainiai and the author of a commentary to the Jerusalem Talmud, entitled Pnei Moshe. The young Elijah was said to have known several of the Talmudic tractates by heart. He is known for having possessed an eidetic memory, by eight, he was studying astronomy during his free time. When he reached a mature age, Elijah decided to go into exile and he wandered in various parts of Europe including Poland and Germany. By the time he was twenty years old, rabbis were submitting their most difficult problems to him. Scholars, Jewish and non-Jewish, sought his insights into mathematics and he returned to his native city in 1748, having by then acquired considerable renown. The Gaon applied to the Talmud and rabbinic literature proper philological methods and he devoted much time to the study of the Torah and Hebrew grammar, and was knowledgeable in the secular sciences, enriching the latter by his original contributions. His pupils and friends had to pursue the same plain and simple methods of study that he followed and he also exhorted them not to neglect the secular sciences, maintaining that Judaism could only gain by their studying them. The Vilna Gaon was modest, he declined to accept the office of rabbi, in his later years he also refused to give approbations, though this was the privilege of great rabbis, he thought too humbly of himself to assume such authority. He led a life, only lecturing from time to time to a few chosen pupils. Already at that age, however, the Gaon was considered the greatest of the generation, when Hasidic Judaism became influential in Vilna, the Vilna Gaon, joining the rabbis and heads of the Polish communities, took steps to check the Hasidic influence. The letter was acted upon by several communities, and in Brody, during the trade fair, however, the excommunications did not stop the tide of Hasidism. Except for the conflict with the Hasidim, the Vilna Gaon almost never took part in affairs and, so far as is known
20.
Quran
–
The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God. It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature, the Quran is divided into chapters, which are then divided into verses. The word Quran occurs some 70 times in the text of the Quran, although different names, according to the traditional narrative, several companions of Muhammad served as scribes and were responsible for writing down the revelations. Shortly after Muhammads death, the Quran was compiled by his companions who wrote down and these codices had differences that motivated the Caliph Uthman to establish a standard version now known as Uthmans codex, which is generally considered the archetype of the Quran known today. There are, however, variant readings, with minor differences in meaning. The Quran assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in the Biblical scriptures and it summarizes some, dwells at length on others and, in some cases, presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events. The Quran describes itself as a book of guidance and it sometimes offers detailed accounts of specific historical events, and it often emphasizes the moral significance of an event over its narrative sequence. The Quran is used along with the hadith to interpret sharia law, during prayers, the Quran is recited only in Arabic. Someone who has memorized the entire Quran is called a hafiz, some Muslims read Quranic ayah with elocution, which is often called tajwid. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims typically complete the recitation of the whole Quran during tarawih prayers, in order to extrapolate the meaning of a particular Quranic verse, most Muslims rely on the tafsir. The word qurʼān appears about 70 times in the Quran itself and it is a verbal noun of the Arabic verb qaraʼa, meaning he read or he recited. The Syriac equivalent is qeryānā, which refers to reading or lesson. While some Western scholars consider the word to be derived from the Syriac, regardless, it had become an Arabic term by Muhammads lifetime. An important meaning of the word is the act of reciting, as reflected in an early Quranic passage, It is for Us to collect it, in other verses, the word refers to an individual passage recited. Its liturgical context is seen in a number of passages, for example, So when al-qurʼān is recited, listen to it, the word may also assume the meaning of a codified scripture when mentioned with other scriptures such as the Torah and Gospel. The term also has closely related synonyms that are employed throughout the Quran, each synonym possesses its own distinct meaning, but its use may converge with that of qurʼān in certain contexts. Such terms include kitāb, āyah, and sūrah, the latter two terms also denote units of revelation. In the large majority of contexts, usually with an article, the word is referred to as the revelation
21.
Gymnasia Rehavia
–
Gymnasia Rehavia is a high school in the Rehavia neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel. Gymnasia Rehavia was Jerusalems first and the second modern Jewish high school or gymnasium. The school was first established in Jerusalems Bukharan Quarter in 1909, the building on Keren Kayemet Street in the Rehavia neighborhood was built in 1928. Among its early teachers were Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, later the president of Israel. In July 2009, the school celebrated its centennial at an event attended by generations of alumni. Yehoshua, novelist, essayist and playwright Rehavam Zeevi Gideon Schocken, major general, former head of the Manpower Directorate
22.
Israel Defense Forces
–
The 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 forces, air force, and navy. It is the military wing of the Israeli security forces. The IDF is headed by its Chief of General Staff, the Ramatkal, subordinate to the Defense Minister of Israel, Lieutenant general Gadi Eizenkot has served as Chief of Staff since 2015. The number of wars and border conflicts in which the IDF has been involved in its history makes it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in the world. The Israel Defense Forces differs from most armed forces in the world in many ways, differences include the mandatory conscription of women and its structure, which emphasizes close relations between the army, navy, and air force. Since its founding, the IDF has been designed to match Israels unique security situation. The IDF is one of Israeli societys most prominent institutions, influencing the economy, culture. In 1965, the Israel Defense Forces was awarded the Israel Prize for its contribution to education, the Uzi submachine gun was invented in Israel and used by the IDF until December 2003, ending a service that began in 1954. The Israeli cabinet ratified the name Israel Defense Forces, Tzva HaHagana LeYisrael, literally army for the defense of Israel, the other main contender was Tzva Yisrael. The name was chosen because it conveyed the idea that the role was defense, and because it incorporated the name Haganah. Among the primary opponents of the name were Minister Haim-Moshe Shapira, the IDF traces its roots to Jewish paramilitary organizations in the New Yishuv, starting with the Second Aliyah. The first such organization was Bar-Giora, founded in September 1907 and it was converted to Hashomer in April 1909, which operated until the British Mandate of Palestine came into being in 1920. Hashomer was an elitist organization with narrow scope, and was created to protect against criminal gangs seeking to steal property. During World War I, the forerunners of the Haganah/IDF were the Zion Mule Corps, after the Arab riots against Jews in April 1920, the Yishuvs leadership saw the need to create a nationwide underground defense organization, and the Haganah was founded in June of the same year. The Haganah became a defense force after the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine with an organized structure. During World War II the successor to the Jewish Legion of World War I was the Jewish Brigade, the IDF was founded following the establishment of the State of Israel, after Defense Minister and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion issued an order on 26 May 1948. The order called for the establishment of the Israel Defense Forces, although Ben-Gurion had no legal authority to issue such an order, the order was made legal by the cabinet on 31 May
23.
Six-Day War
–
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War,1967 Arab–Israeli War, or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10,1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Relations between Israel and its neighbours had never fully normalised following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the period leading up to June 1967, tensions became dangerously heightened. In reaction to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces along the Israeli border in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptians were caught by surprise, and nearly the entire Egyptian air force was destroyed with few Israeli losses, giving the Israelis air superiority. Simultaneously, the Israelis launched an offensive into the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. After some initial resistance, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the evacuation of the Sinai, Israeli forces rushed westward in pursuit of the Egyptians, inflicted heavy losses, and conquered the Sinai. Nasser induced Syria and Jordan to begin attacks on Israel by using the initially confused situation to claim that Egypt had defeated the Israeli air strike. Israeli counterattacks resulted in the seizure of East Jerusalem as well as the West Bank from the Jordanians, on June 11, a ceasefire was signed. Arab casualties were far heavier than those of Israel, fewer than a thousand Israelis had been killed compared to over 20,000 from the Arab forces. Israels military success was attributed to the element of surprise, an innovative and well-executed battle plan, Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israeli morale and international prestige was greatly increased by the outcome of the war, across the Arab world, Jewish minority communities were expelled, with refugees going to Israel or Europe. After the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt agreed to the stationing of a United Nations Emergency Force in the Sinai to ensure all parties would comply with the 1949 Armistice Agreements, in the following years there were numerous minor border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbors, particularly Syria. In early November 1966, Syria signed a defense agreement with Egypt. Jordanian units that engaged the Israelis were quickly beaten back, King Hussein of Jordan criticized Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser for failing to come to Jordans aid, and hiding behind UNEF skirts. In May 1967, Nasser received false reports from the Soviet Union that Israel was massing on the Syrian border, the right of innocent, maritime passage must be preserved for all nations. On May 30, Jordan and Egypt signed a defense pact, the following day, at Jordans invitation, the Iraqi army began deploying troops and armoured units in Jordan. They were later reinforced by an Egyptian contingent, on June 1, Israel formed a National Unity Government by widening its cabinet, and on June 4 the decision was made to go to war. The next morning, Israel launched Operation Focus, a surprise air strike that was the opening of the Six-Day War. Before the war, Israeli pilots and ground crews had trained extensively in rapid refitting of aircraft returning from sorties and this has contributed to the Arab belief that the IAF was helped by foreign air forces
24.
Etzioni Brigade
–
The Etzioni Brigade, also 6th Brigade and Jerusalem Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Haganah and Israel Defense Forces in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was founded in late 1947 as the Field Corps unit responsible for the defense of Jerusalem and its surroundings and its first commander was Yisrael Amir, who was replaced by David Shaltiel. The brigade participated in operations in the city of Jerusalem itself, including Yevusi, Kilshon, the Etzioni Brigade was founded as part of the Haganah commands November 7,1947 decision to create four infantry brigades based on the HISH—Levanoni, Alexandroni, Givati and Etzioni. In all, three battalions were envisioned and two initially deployed, the 61st Moriah Battalion, and the 63rd Mikhmas Battalion, the 62nd Beit Horon Battalion was added in May 1948, and the 63rd was disbanded during the same month. Guard Corps and Gadna units in the Jerusalem area, totaling five battalions, were subordinated to the brigade. Altogether, on May 15, Moshe Zadok of the Manpower Directorate reported the strength of the brigade to be 3,166. The Jerusalem region, and hence the brigades theater of operations, stretched from the Dead Sea in the east, Atarot in the north, Gush Etzion in the south and Hartuv in the west. According to Plan Dalet, Etzionis job was to Take key positions on the Jerusalem – Tel Aviv road, Yisrael Amir, who had held a number of staff positions before the war, was appointed to command the brigade on the recommendation Moshe Sneh. The second was responsible for the Old City and Gush Etzion, the brigade was, however, unprepared for the battles to come, and its commander Yisrael Amir did not cooperate with the rest of the units in the area. Shaltiels method of command also worsened the discipline issues, until in June 1948 the 61st Battalion rebelled and was subordinated to the Harel Brigade until August 1948. In May 1948, Yisrael Galili created a unit in Etzioni that was based in Tel Aviv, responsible for the Jerusalem regions outlying. The command change also did not help cooperation between the different units in the Jerusalem area. Shaltiel insisted that the command should be responsible for all units in its area, including the Harel units. Shaltiel was also at odds with the Haganah high command over his unilateral agreements with the Irgun and Lehi, finally, the political and cultural leaders of Jerusalem did not accept the brigades authority on security issues, especially under Shaltiel. Moshe Dayan replaced David Shaltiel as the commander of Jerusalem on July 25,1948. Dayan ended his tenure in February 1949, as the Etzioni Brigade had a smaller operational force than the other brigades, it never left the Jerusalem theater. In all, it suffered between 592 and 651 killed in action in the battles for Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, more than any other brigades KIA in the entire war. Because of the lack of manpower and training among the Guard Corps units, during the first stages of the war Etzioni was mostly confined to guard duties, with no reserve units for initiating attacks
25.
Jerusalem Khan Theatre
–
Jerusalem Khan Theatre is a Repertory theatre based in Jerusalem, Israel. The theatre is located near the Jerusalem Railway Station, in an old caravanserai building, the khan was built on the ruins of an ancient inn from the Crusader period. It served caravan travelers who arrived in Jerusalem after nightfall when the gates of the Old City were locked, in later years, the building housed a beer-cellar and a carpentry workshop. The picturesque arches and courtyards were preserved, while 230 seats, the artistic director of the English theatre was Jacqueline Kronberg and the artistic director of the Hebrew theatre was Phillip Diskin. A year later, the company disbanded and the building became a venue for local cultural events. In early 1973 a new company was established. Over the years, Michael Alfreds, Ilan Ronen, Ada Ben Nahum, Yossi Izraeli, Amit Gazit, Eran Niall, the theatre produces 3-4 new shows annually. The current artistic director, Michael Gurevich, writes and directs some of the plays, prominent productions included, A passing shadow, War on Home, The Miser, Happiness, Life Is a Dream. Over all, the theater has about 200 performances a year in house and about 70 in other halls, the Khan Theatre is a non-profit organization. In 1998-2001 the Khan Theater hosted the International Festival of Chamber Music, the Khan compound includes two halls - the main hall with 238 seats, where most of the major productions of theater are shown, and a second hall with 70 seats used for concerts and meetings
26.
Israel Museum
–
The Israel Museum was founded in 1965 as Israels national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. An urn-shaped building on the grounds of the museum, the Shrine of the Book, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and it is one of the largest museums in the region. Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek was the spirit behind the establishment of the Israel Museum, one of the leading art. Since its establishment in 1965, the Museum has built up a collection of nearly 500,000 objects, James S. Snyder, former Deputy Director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was appointed director of the museum in 1997. From 1965, the museum was housed in a series of buildings designed by the Russian-born Israeli architect Alfred Mansfeld. A $100-million campaign to renovate the museum and double its space was completed in July 2010. The wings for archaeology, the arts, and Jewish art and life were completely rebuilt. The passageways that connect between the buildings and five new pavilions were designed by James Carpenter, the museum covers nearly 50,000 sq. meters and attracts 800,000 visitors a year, including 100,000 children who visit and attend classes in its Youth Wing. This narrative is supplemented by thematic groupings highlighting aspects of ancient Israeli archaeology that are unique to the history, among them Hebrew writing, glass. A special gallery at the entrance to the wing showcases new findings, the Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world, as well as rare early medieval biblical manuscripts. The scrolls were discovered in 1947–56 in 11 caves in and around the Wadi Qumran, the building consists of a white dome over a building located two-thirds below the ground. The dome is reflected in a pool of water that surrounds it, across from the white dome is a black basalt wall. The interior of the shrine was designed to depict the environment in which the scrolls were found, there is also a permanent display on life in the Qumran, where the scrolls were written. The entire structure was designed to resemble a pot in which the scrolls were found, the shrine was designed by Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler, and was opened in 1965. As the fragility of the scrolls makes it impossible to display all on a continuous basis, after a scroll has been exhibited for 3–6 months, it is removed from its showcase and placed temporarily in a special storeroom, where it rests from exposure. The museum also holds other rare ancient manuscripts and displays the Aleppo Codex, originally constructed on the grounds of Jerusalem’s Holyland Hotel, the model, which includes a replica of Herods Temple, is now a permanent feature of the museums 20-acre campus. The Israel Museum holds a collection of paintings representing a wide range of periods, styles, subjects
27.
Israeli legislative election, 1992
–
Elections for the 13th Knesset were held in Israel on 23 June 1992. The election resulted in the formation of a Labor government, led by Yitzhak Rabin,1 Two MKs left the Labor Party to establish the Third Way, whilst Nava Arad also left the party. 2 Two MKs left Likud to establish Gesher, whilst Efraim Gur also left the party,3 Three MKs left Tzomet to establish Yiud. One MK then left Yiud to establish Atid,5 United Torah Judaism split into Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah. 6 One MK left Moldet to establish Yamin Yisrael, whilst Yosef Ba-Gad also left the party, labours Yitzhak Rabin formed the twenty-fifth government on 13 July 1992, including Meretz and Shas in his coalition, which had 17 ministers. Hadash and the Arab Democratic Party also supported the government despite not being coalition members, Shas left the coalition in September 1993, and Yiud joined in January 1995. Rabins government advanced the process to unprecedented levels, the Oslo Accords were signed with Yasser Arafats PLO in 1993. The governments willingness to make peace with Syria and concede the Golan Heights led to Avigdor Kahalani, after Rabins assassination on 4 November 1995, Shimon Peres took over as Prime Minister and formed a new government on 22 November 1995. His coalition was the same as before, Labor, Meretz, Peres called early elections in 1996 in order to seek a mandate to continue the peace process, in which he lost. Historical overview of the Thirteenth Knesset Knesset website Election results Knesset website
28.
Israeli general election, 1996
–
General elections were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. For the first time the Prime Minister was elected on a ballot from the remaining members of the Knesset. The 1996 elections resulted in a victory for Netanyahu by a margin of 29,457 votes, less than 1% of the total number of votes cast. This came after the exit polls had predicted a Peres win, spawning the phrase went to sleep with Peres. This election was Peress fourth and last election defeat, on 13 September 1993, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Oslo Accords on the South Lawn of the White House. The principles established objectives relating to a transfer of authority from Israel to an interim Palestinian authority, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Israeli–Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 28 September 1995, in Washington. The agreement allowed the PLO leadership to relocate to the occupied territories, the assassination of Rabin was a shock to the Israeli public. Approximately 80 heads of state attend Rabins funeral in Jerusalem, after taking over from Yitzhak Rabin following his assassination, Peres decided to call early elections in order to give the government a mandate to advance the peace process. Netanyahus campaign was helped by Australian mining magnate Joseph Gutnick, who donated over $1 million to Likud, nevertheless, Labour and Peres were comfortably ahead in the polls early in 1996, holding a lead of 20%. Polls taken in mid-May showed Peres ahead by just 4-6%, whilst two days before the election his lead was down to 2%. Netanyahu also warned that a Peres victory would lead to the division of Jerusalem in a peace deal with the Palestinians. 5% percent of voters supporting Netanyahu on election day. Netanyahus win was bolstered by support from the ultra-orthodox community,91. 2% of whom voted for him. Peres on the hand, gained overwhelming support from the countrys Arab community,97. 5% of which backed him. 1 Three MKs left the Labor Party to establish One Nation,2 Two MKs from the Labor Party and four from Likud left to form the Centre Party. Eliezer Sandberg later broke away from the Centre Party and formed HaTzeirim before joining Shinui,3 Three MKs left Likud to establish Herut – The National Movement. Three members of Gesher and two members of Tzomet also left alliance,4 Two MKs left the National Religious Party to establish Tkuma. 5 Avraham Poraz left Meretz to establish Shinui, whilst David Zucker also left the party,6 Two MKs left Yisrael BaAliyah to establish Aliyah. 7 Balad left its alliance with Hadash,8 United Torah Judaism split into Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah
29.
Communications Minister of Israel
–
The Ministry of Communications is the Israeli government ministry responsible for Communications in Israel. It is a minor position in the cabinet. The ministry was established in 1952, and until 1970 was known as the Ministry of Postal Services, the Communications Minister of Israel is the political head of the ministry. There is occasionally a Deputy Minister, all Ministers in the Ministry of Communications Knesset website Israel Ministry of Communications site in English
30.
Israeli legislative election, 2003
–
Elections for the 16th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 January 2003. The result was a victory for Ariel Sharons Likud. The previous separate election for Prime Minister was scrapped, and the post was returned to the leader of the party forming the working coalition government. This situation significantly affected the voters of the Labor Party. At the same time, Benyamin Ben-Eliezer competed against Matan Vilnai for the position of minister in the unity government. The Labor party primaries were set for September 4,2001, after a long series of discussions and accusations regarding ethnic discrimination of the Druze public, it was decided that the primaries would be held again in 51 polling stations on 26 December. Those elections had a low voter turnout and at the end of those elections. After making serious allegations of discrimination against him due to being Sephardi. The primaries were won by Amram Mitzna, who at that point in time was the mayor of Haifa. He won 53% of the votes while Ben Eliezer won 38% of the votes, a temporary lull in terrorist attacks against Israelis was among the reasons that the Shas party ministers opposed the emergency economic plan and voted against it in the Knesset. This situation caused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to fire the Shas ministers on May 20, nevertheless, Shas rejoined the government on June 3, but this step was the beginning of the end of the unity government. On July 28 David Levy and his breakaway Gesher faction left the government due to their opposition to the budget, although their departure was not significant at the time, further ahead this caused difficulties for the continued existence of the unity government. As a result, Benjamin Netanyahu was appointed as the Foreign Minister on November 1, eventually Sharon announced the dissolvement of the Knesset and early elections. The coalition upheavals delayed the adoption of the Tal law. The main effect the Tal Law had in this elections was a significant strengthening to the Shinui party, the Comptrollers Report published in early September 2001 stated that these contributions were breaking the law. As a result, Sharon returned 1.5 million NIS to the donors on October 4, Cyril Kerns money was transferred to the Israel Discount Bank on 30 April 2002 and was returned to Cyril Kern on 17 December. On 6 January 2003, the details of the affair were revealed by Haaretz, the exposure of the affair caused a political storm and led to calls for the resignation of Ariel Sharon from the opposition. On the other hand, Likud members alleged that the leak of the details was politically motivated and intended to harm Sharons popularity
31.
Israeli disengagement from Gaza
–
Four settlements in the northern West Bank were also evacuated. The disengagement was proposed in 2003 by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the Government in June 2004, approved by the Knesset in February 2005 and enacted in August 2005. The eviction of all residents, demolition of the residential buildings, the eviction and dismantlement of the four settlements in the northern West Bank was completed ten days later. A total of 8,000 Jewish settlers from all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip were relocated, the average settler received compensation of over U. S $200,000. Post-disengagement, Israel continued to control over the external perimeter of Gaza, including seaports, air space. In his book Sharon, The Life of a Leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharons son Gilad wrote that he gave his father the idea of the disengagement. Sharon suggested his disengagement plan for the first time on December 18,2003 at the Fourth Herzliya Conference. ″ It was at time that he began to use the word occupation. Effectively, this package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission, all with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress. You know, the peace process is a bundle of concepts and commitments. The peace process is the establishment of a Palestinian state with all the security risks that entails, the peace process is the evacuation of settlements, its the return of refugees, its the partition of Jerusalem. And all that has now been frozen, what I effectively agreed to with the Americans was that part of the settlements would not be dealt with at all, and the rest will not be dealt with until the Palestinians turn into Finns. That is the significance of what we did, Sharon formally announced the plan in his April 14,2004 letter to U. S. President George W. Bush, stating that there exists no Palestinian partner with whom to advance peacefully toward a settlement. On June 6,2004, Sharons government approved an amended disengagement plan, on February 16,2005, the Knesset finalized and approved the plan. Failing to gain support from senior ministers, Sharon agreed that the Likud party would hold a referendum on the plan in advance of a vote by the Israeli Cabinet. Commentators and the described the rejection of the plan as a blow to Sharon. Sharon himself announced that he accepted the Likud referendum results and would take time to consider his steps and he ordered Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz to create an amended plan which Likud voters could accept. On June 6,2004, Sharons government approved an amended disengagement plan, following the approval of the plan, it was decided to close the Erez industrial zone and move its factories to cities and towns in Israel such as Ashkelon, Dimona, Yeruham, and Sderot
32.
Aharon Barak
–
Barak was President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1995 to 2006. Prior to that, he served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Israel, as the Attorney General of Israel, aharon Barak was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, the only son of Zvi Brick, an attorney, and his wife Leah, a teacher. After the Nazi occupation of the city in 1941, the family spent three years in the Kovno ghetto, at the end of the war, after wandering through Hungary, Austria, and Italy, Barak and his parents reached Rome, where they spent the next two years. In 1947, they received travel papers and immigrated to Palestine, after a brief period on a moshav, the family settled in Jerusalem. He studied law, international relations and economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, between 1958 and 1960, having been drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces, he served in the office of the Financial Advisor to the Chief of Staff. Upon discharging his service he returned to the Hebrew University, where he completed his dissertation with distinction in 1963. Simultaneously he began work as an intern at the Attorney Generals office, when the Attorney General began dealing with the trial of Adolf Eichmann, Barak, being a Holocaust survivor, preferred not to be involved in the work. He was transferred to the State Attorneys office to complete his internship at his request, upon completing his internship he was recognised as a certified attorney. Barak is married to Elisheva Barak-Ussoskin, former president of the National Labor Court. Between 1966 and 1967 Barak studied at Harvard University, in 1968 he was appointed as a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and in 1974 was named the Dean of its Law Faculty. In 1975, at age 38, he was awarded the Israel Prize for legal research, in the same year he became a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In 1978 he became a member of the American Academy of Arts. Between 1975 and 1978, Barak served as the Attorney General of Israel, yadlin was convicted of accepting a bribe and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. During this incident Barak coined the so-called Buzaglo test, the decision to continue with the police investigation of Housing and Construction Minister Avraham Ofer, despite the Ministers request that the investigation be terminated. Ofer committed suicide in 1977, prior to the conclusion of the investigation, the decision to prosecute Leah Rabin due to the Dollar Account affair. This decision brought about the resignation of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in justifying his decision not to prosecute Yitzhak Rabin for the affair, Barak has argued that Rabin was severely punished in that he was forced to resign from his position. There was no room to him further. Barak was appointed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978 as the advisor to the Israeli delegation for negotiating the Camp David Accords
33.
Supreme Court of Israel
–
The Supreme Court is the highest court in Israel. It has ultimate jurisdiction over all other courts and, in some cases. The Supreme Court consists of 15 justices who are appointed by the Judicial Selection Committee, once appointed, justices serve until retirement at the age of 70, unless they resign, or are removed from office. The current President of the Supreme Court is Miriam Naor, the Supreme Court is situated in Jerusalems Givat Ram governmental campus. Its jurisdiction applies to all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories, according to the principle of binding precedent, a ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every other court, except itself. Appointing Supreme Court Justices requires a majority of 7 of the 9 committee members, the three organs of state—the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government—as well as the bar association are represented in the Judges Nominations Committee. Thus, the shaping of the body, through the manner of judicial appointment, is carried out by all the authorities together. An eminent jurist can also be appointed to the Supreme Court, the number of Supreme Court justices is determined by a resolution of the Knesset. Currently, there are 15 Supreme Court Justices, at the head of the Supreme Court and at the head of the judicial system as a whole stands the President of the Supreme Court, and at his or her side, the Deputy President. A judges term ends when he or she reaches 70 years of age, resigns, dies, is appointed to another position that disqualifies him or her, as of December 2016 the Supreme Court Justices are, Liat Benmelech and Guy Shani serve as the Court Registrars. Below is a list of presidents of the Supreme Court, As an appellate court and it also considers appeals on judicial and quasi-judicial decisions of various kinds, such as matters relating to the legality of Knesset elections and disciplinary rulings of the Bar Association. The High Court of Justice grants relief through orders such as injunction, mandamus and Habeas Corpus, the Supreme Court can also sit at a “further hearing” on its own judgment. The Supreme Court, both as a court and the High Court of Justice, is normally constituted of a panel of three Justices. The Supreme Court sits as a panel of five justices or more in a ‘further hearing’ on a matter in which the Supreme Court sat with a panel of three justices. The Supreme Court may sit as a panel of an uneven number of justices than three in matters that involve fundamental legal questions and constitutional issues of particular importance. The length of service, for purpose, is calculated from the date of the appointment of the Judge to the Supreme Court. A special power, unique to the Supreme Court, is the power to order a retrial on a matter in which the defendant has been convicted by a final judgment. In practice, a ruling to hold a retrial is very rarely made, the Court announces its judgments through individually signed opinions setting out the result and underlying reasoning
34.
Israeli legislative election, 2006
–
Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006. The voting resulted in a plurality of seats for the then-new Kadima party, followed by the Labour Party, after the election, the government was formed by the Kadima, Labour, Shas, and Gil parties, with the Yisrael Beiteinu party joining the government later. The Prime Minister was Ehud Olmert, leader of Kadima, who had been the prime minister going into the election. According to the Congressional Research Service, The March 28,2006, the voter turnout of 63. 2% was the lowest ever. The contest was viewed as a referendum on Kadima’s plans to disengage from the West Bank. Kadima came in first, but by a smaller margin than polls had predicted, Labor, emphasizing socioeconomic issues, came in a respectable second. Likud lost 75% of its votes from 2003 because Kadima drained off supporters, Labour, led by Amram Mitzna under slogans for disengagement from Gaza, won only 19 seats and did not initially join the new government. Following the 2003 elections Likud suffered severe divisions over several positions taken by Sharon, most notably his adoption of a plan to withdraw Israeli settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip. As of the fall of 2005, Peress Labour Party was providing the necessary for the Likud-led 30th Government to maintain its majority support in the Knesset. In Labours internal leadership election scheduled for early November, Amir Peretz campaigned for the party leadership on a platform that included withdrawing Labor from the Sharon-led coalition, negotiations between Sharon and Peretz set the election date for 28 March 2006. Im letting him choose a date in that period between the end of February and the end of March and whatever date he chooses is acceptable to me, the earlier the better, Peretz said at the time. The impending elections raised the prospect of an election within Likud. In late November, Sharon and a number of other Likud ministers and Knesset members announced that they were leaving Likud to form a new, more centrist party, which was eventually named Kadima. The formation of Kadima turned the election into a race among the new party, Labor and Likud. Although Kadima was formed primarily of former Likud members, Peres also announced his support for the new party, Peres cited Sharons leadership skills as a reason for his party switch. Polls taken through the end of 2005 showed Sharons Kadima Party enjoying a lead over both Labor and Likud. Sharon, as founder of Kadima and incumbent Prime Minister, was expected to lead the new party into the March 2006 election. However, on 4 January 2006, Sharon suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, on 31 January 2006, Kadima submitted its list of candidates, with Sharon excluded from the list due to his inability to sign the necessary documents to be a candidate
35.
Israeli legislative election, 2009
–
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, had Olmert remained in office or had Livni formed a coalition government, the elections would have been scheduled for 2010 instead. On 17 September 2008, Kadima held an election, which was won by Tzipi Livni. Following Livnis victory, former party leader Ehud Olmert resigned as Prime Minister, Livni was given six weeks to form a coalition, but set a deadline of 26 October for parties to agree to join the new government. Although the Labor Party agreed to join, current coalition members Shas rejected the opportunity and it was reported that Shas had rejected almost one billion shekels in child allowances offered to them as part of the coalition negotiations. Gil and United Torah Judaism had both rejected offers to join negotiations with Meretz-Yachad were still ongoing. On 26 October, Livni recommended to President Shimon Peres that early elections be held, the election would have to be held within 90 days after the end of that period. Ehud Olmert was to remain the caretaker Prime Minister until a new government was formed after the elections, the traditional distinction between the Israeli left and the right had become blurred, with both the voters and the main candidates gravitating toward the center. Israelis, who had always been highly politicized, were switching affiliations more easily, on the Palestinian front, stark differences among the parties still remained. Kadima was committed to continuing talks for a two-state solution, Labor did not believe that bilateral Israeli–Palestinian negotiations could succeed under the current circumstances and advocated a more comprehensive, regional approach to peace. Likud said it would promote a peace with the Palestinians and also hold political negotiations. Elections to the Knesset allocate 120 seats by party-list proportional representation, the election threshold for the 2006 election was set at 2%, which is a little over two seats. After official results are published, the President delegates the task of forming a government to the member of Knesset with the best chance of assembling a majority coalition. That member has up to 42 days to negotiate with the different parties, once the government is approved, he or she becomes Prime Minister. Balad and Taal were also disqualified from the 2003 election, on 21 January 2009, the Supreme Court again revoked the ban. The Labor–Meimad alliance, in existence since 1999, was ended prior to the elections, Labor ran on its own, and Meimad ran a joint list with the new Green Movement. The anti-West Bank barrier movement Tarabut has merged into Hadash, the religious Zionist Ahi party, previously part of the National Union alliance, merged into Likud in late December 2008. Ultra-orthodox parties Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah agreed to continue their alliance, United Torah Judaism, several political parties have been established since the 2006 elections
36.
Israeli presidential election, 2007
–
Indirect presidential elections were held in Israel on 13 June 2007. The Knesset elected Shimon Peres, a former Prime Minister and a member of the Kadima party and his opponents were Reuven Rivlin, a former Knesset speaker, of the Likud Party, and Colette Avital, of the Labor party. The deadline for candidates to announce their intention to run was twenty days before the election, Avital was the first Labor candidate to officially announce her intention to run. She gained the backing of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who at the time was running a successful campaign to regain the leadership of the Labor Party. However, it appeared that most Labor MKs were likely to back ex-Laborite Shimon Peres, who was then serving as Vice Prime Minister. Peres, however, was advised not to stand by his adviser, in the belief that he would not win enough votes in a secret ballot. This came after the legislation for the Peres Law, which would replace a secret ballot with a one, was postponed until after the election by its creator. The bill was seen as a means of protecting Peres from another upset defeat, nevertheless, Peres was named as Kadimas official candidate on 28 May, and won the support of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the influential spiritual leader of Shas. Other persons who had considered as possible candidates included Dalia Itzik, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. Rabbi Lau had been warned not to run for the post by Labor MK, Yachimovich stated that were Lau to run, certain stories from the past may arise, including some that have never been publicized. The election was expected to be a race between Peres and Rivlin. However, the first-round results left Peres only three short of a majority, at which point his opponents conceded the race. Following his election, Peres promptly resigned as Vice Prime Minister, wikinews, Shimon Peres discusses the future of Israel Presidency of Shimon Peres
37.
Kadima
–
Kadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharons unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians. With Ehud Olmert as party chairman following Sharons stroke, it became the largest party in the Knesset after the 2006 elections, winning 29 of the 120 seats, and led a coalition government. Although Kadima also won the most seats in the 2009 elections under Tzipi Livnis leadership, Livni was defeated in the 2012 leadership election, losing out to the more conservative Shaul Mofaz. Following Livnis defeat, the progressive wing broke away at the end of 2012, to form a new centre-left party, Hatnuah. In the 2013 elections, Kadima became the smallest party in the Knesset, winning only 2 seats and it did not enter the 2015 elections. A number of factors contributed to Sharons decision to split from the Likud. In the past Sharon had switched between left- and right-wing politics, having been a Mapai member, he joined Likud in the early 1970s, before leaving the party. After acting as an advisor to Alignment PM Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1970s, he established an economically left-wing Shlomtzion party. On becoming Prime Minister in the 2000s, Sharon twice formed unity governments with the Labor Party, in 2005 the implementation of the Gaza disengagement plan exposed enormous rifts inside the Likud and wider society in Israel. Binyamin Netanyahu capitalised on the split within the Likud by aligning himself with the rejectionist faction, while Sharons popularity grew among the Israeli populace at large, it declined inside the Likud party structure. Netanyahu resigned as Finance Minister on 7 August 2005, saying the governments implementation of the disengagement plan endangered the safety of Israeli citizens, Sharon was then unable to get approval from the Likud Central Committee for his key ally Ehud Olmert to that position. Peretz demanded that all Labor Party ministers resign from the unity government and called for dissolution of the Knesset and for early elections, the name Kadima emerged within the first days of the split and was favored by Sharon. Although National Responsibility was regarded as provisional, subsequent tests conducted with focus groups proved it much more popular than Kadima, National Responsibility seemed certain to become permanent. Surprisingly, however, it was announced on 24 November 2005 that the party had registered under the name Kadima. The decision to name the party Kadima was criticised by Shinui leader Yosef Lapid, according to Sharon supporters, on the first day after its founding, Kadima already had nearly 150 members, most of whom were defectors from Likud. Several Knesset members from Labor, Likud, and other parties joined the new party, including cabinet ministers Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni, Meir Sheetrit, Gideon Ezra. Deputy ministers Ruhama Avraham, Majalli Wahabi, Eli Aflalo, Marina Solodkin, Zeev Boim and Yaakov Edri also joined the party, along with Likud MKs Roni Bar-On, former Histadrut chairman Haim Ramon of Labor decided to join the party shortly thereafter
38.
Umm al-Fahm
–
Umm al-Fahm is a city which is located 20 kilometres northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In 2015 its population was 52,500, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel, the city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mount Iskander, overlooking Wadi Ara. Umm al-Fahm is the social, cultural and economic center for residents of the Wadi Ara, Umm al-Fahm means Mother of Charcoal in Arabic. The village was surrounded by forests which were used to produce charcoal. Several archaeological sites around the city date to the Iron Age, as well as the Hellenistic, Roman, and Islamic periods. In 1265 C. E. after Baybars won the territory from the Crusaders, the revenues from Umm al-Fahm were given to the Mamluk naib al-saltana of Syria, Jamal al-Din al-Najibi. In 1517 the village was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire with the rest of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Sara of the Liwa of Lajjun. It had a population of 24 households, all Muslim, and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, occasional revenues, goats and/or beehives, and a press for olive oil or grape syrup. In 1838, Edward Robinson noted Umm al-Fahm on his travels, in 1883, the Palestine Exploration Funds Survey of Western Palestine described Umm al-Fahm as having around 500 inhabitants, of which some 80 people were Christians. The place was well-built of stone, and the villagers were described as being rich in cattle, goats. It was the most important place in the area besides Jenin, the village was divided into four quarters, el Jebarin, el Mahamin, el Mejahineh, and el Akbariyeh, each quarter having its own sheikh. A maqam for a Sheikh Iskander was noted on a hill above, Umm al-Fahm was the birthplace of Palestinian Arab rebel leader Yusuf Hamdan. He died in Umm al-Fahm during a firefight with British troops, the total population was 5,490,5,430 Muslims and 60 Christians, with 77,242 dunams of land, according to the official land and population survey. 4332 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land,44,586 dunams for cereals, in 1948, there were 4,500 inhabitants, mostly farmers, in the Umm al-Fahm area. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Lausanne Conference of 1949 awarded the entire Little Triangle to Israel, on 20 May 1949, the citys leader signed an oath of allegiance to the State of Israel. Following its absorption into Israel, the population grew rapidly. By 1960, Umm al-Fahm was given local council status by the Israeli government, between 1965 and 1985, it was governed by elected councils. In 1985, Umm al-Fahm was granted city status
39.
Uri Orbach
–
Uri Shraga Orbach was an Israeli Religious Zionist writer, journalist and politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home party, Orbach was born in Petah Tikva, Israel. He attended a Hesder yeshiva, and did his national service in Israel Defense Forces in the IDF Armored Corps and he later worked as a journalist, producing columns for Yedioth Ahronoth and serving as a co-host for the Army Radio mid-morning show The Last Word. Prior to the 2009 elections, he joined the Jewish Home, following a split in the party, in which several members left to re-establish the National Union party, he was placed third on the partys list, and entered the Knesset as it won three seats. For the 2013 elections he was placed sixth on the Jewish Home list and he was appointed Minister of Pensioner Affairs on 18 March 2013. Orbach lived in Modiin-Maccabim-Reut with his wife and four children, in January 2015, he took a leave of absence from politics for health reasons, to battle a chronic hematologic disease. In February 2015, his condition took a turn for the worse and his seat in the Knesset was taken by Hillel Horowitz. Uri Orbach on the Knesset website
40.
The Jewish Home
–
The Jewish Home is an Orthodox Jewish, religious Zionist political party in Israel, formed as the successor party to the National Religious Party. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet, however, after its top representative was placed 17th on the new partys list, Moledet broke away from the party, and instead ran on a joint list with Hatikva called the National Union. Tkuma also rejoined the National Union whereas the Ahi faction have joined Likud, the other National Union members formed the Otzma LeYisrael party. The party has ministers in the cabinet of Israel, the National Religious Party and the National Union originally allied in order to run a joint list for the 2006 elections. On 3 November 2008 it was announced that the NRP and the Moledet, five names were proposed, HaBayit HaYehudi, Shorashim, Atzmaut, Shalem, and Amihai. In an on-line ballot, the members chose Jewish Home, yaakov Amidror was chosen to head a public committee formed to choose the partys list for the 2009 elections. On 8 December 2008 Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkovitz, a mathematician from the Technion, was chosen to head the new party, when Jewish Home announced its candidate list for the upcoming elections, five of the top six slots went to ex-NRP members. MK Uri Ariel of Tkuma was the exception, he received the third slot. Polls then indicated Jewish Home would get five to seven seats, the ex-National Union members again complained. Ex-Moledet MK Benny Elon stated that he would not seek reelection and was replaced on the candidate list by American immigrant Uri Bank, the remaining Moledet members broke away and allied with Hatikva in a revived Union On 25 December Tkuma MK Ariel left Jewish Home and joined the Union. This left Jewish Home as little more than a renamed NRP, The Jewish Home, in the 2009 election, the party won three seats. In November 2012 the Jewish Home held separate primaries for leadership of the party and my Israel leader Naftali Bennett won over incumbent MK Zevulun Orlev, winning more than two thirds of the vote and Orlev announced he was resigning from politics. A week later, primaries for the members of the list were held, and Nissan Slomiansky, Ayelet Shaked. With the National Union breaking up, Uri Ariel officially reunited Tkuma with the Jewish Home to run on a joint list in the 2013 Israeli elections, a few Moledet candidates were included. In the elections that were held on 22 January 2013 the Jewish Home won 12 seats, the Jewish Home entered the thirty-third government of Israel under prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has 3 ministers and 2 deputy-ministers. As part of its 2013 coalition agreement, the Jewish Home had the right to any laws that change the fragile status quo on religious issues. In December 2013, the party vetoed a Yesh Atid–proposed bill that sought to give gay fathers equal tax benefits, currently, mothers receive more benefits than do fathers under the law, and thus couples composed of two men are ineligible for certain tax breaks. In December 2016, the partys member Shuli Mualem proposed the so-called Regulation Bill, the law seeks to legalize dozens of small outposts of settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territories on private ground of individual Palestinians
41.
Afu Agbaria
–
Dr. Afu Agbaria is an Israeli Arab politician who served a member of the Knesset for Hadash from 2009 to 2015. Born in Umm al-Fahm, Agbaria studied medicine at Saint Petersburg State University and he later worked as a surgeon. A member of Makis political office, prior to the 2006 elections he won fourth place on the Hadash list, however, he missed out on a seat as the party won only three mandates. He remained in place for the 2009 elections, and entered the Knesset as the party increased its representation to four seats. He was re-elected again in 2013, prior to the 2015 elections he announced that he would not be running. He was ultimately placed 107th on the list of the Joint List, Agbaria lives in Umm al-Fahm, and is married with three children. List of Arab members of the Knesset Afu Agbaria on the Knesset website
42.
Hadash
–
It currently has five members, as part of the Joint List, in the 120-seat Knesset. The party was formed on 15 March 1977 when the Rakah, the non-partisans included some members of the Black Panthers and other left-wing non-communist groups. Within the Hadash movement, Rakah has retained its independent status, in its first electoral test, Hadash won five seats, an increase of one on Rakahs previous four. However, in the elections in 1981 the party was reduced to four seats. It maintained its four seats in the 1984 elections, gaining another MK when Mohammed Wattad defected from Mapam in 1988. The 1988 election resulted in another four-seat haul, though the party lost a seat when Charlie Biton broke away to establish Black Panthers as an independent faction on 25 December 1990, the 1992 elections saw the party remain at three seats. In the 1996 elections the party ran a joint list with Balad, together they won five seats, but split during the Knesset term, with Hadash reduced to three seats. The 1999 elections saw them three seats, with Barakeh and Issam Makhoul replacing Ahmad Sad and Saleh Saleem. In the 2003 elections Hadash ran on another joint list, this time with Ahmed Tibis Taal, the list won three seats, but again split during the parliamentary session, leaving Hadash with two MKs, Barakeh and Makhoul. In the 2006 elections Hadash won three seats, with Hana Sweid and Dov Khenin entering the Knesset alongside Barakeh, the party won an additional seat in the 2009 elections, taken by Afu Agbaria. In January 2015, former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg joined Hadash, Hadash is a left-wing party that supports a communist economy and workers rights. It emphasizes Jewish–Arab cooperation, and its leaders were among the first to support a two-state solution and its voters are principally middle class and secular Arabs, many from the north and Christian communities. It also draws 6, 000–10,000 far-left Jewish voters during national elections and it also supports the right of return or compensation for Palestinian refugees. In addition to issues of peace and security, Hadash is also known for being active on social and environmental issues. In keeping with socialist ideals, Hadashs environmental platform, led by Maki official Dov Khenin, calls for the nationalization of Israels gas, mineral, Hadash defines itself as a non-Zionist party, originally in keeping with Marxist opposition to nationalism. It calls for recognition of Palestinian Arabs as a minority within Israel. Despite its Marxist–Leninist roots, Hadash has in recent times included elements of Arab nationalism in its platform, Hadash shifted to a more Arab nationalist appeal after running on a joint list with Taal in 2003. Avirama Golan of Haaretz wrote in 2007 that Hadash had succumbed to the separatist-nationalist and populist stream, and chosen to turn its back on a social and civil agenda in favor of questions related to Palestinian nationalism
listen); born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer serving as the 10th and current President of Israel since 2014. He is a member of the Likud party. Rivlin was Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, and subsequently served as Speaker of the Knesset from 2003 to 2006, and again from 2009 to 2013, on 10 June 2014, he was elected President of Israel.[1]
.jpg)
.jpg)
_04.jpg)
.jpg)
.II.jpg)
.jpg)
