Events in the year 2011 in Israel.
Incumbents President of Israel – Shimon Peres Prime Minister of Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) President of the Supreme Court – Dorit Beinisch Chief of General Staff – Gabi Ashkenazi to 14 February, Benny Gantz Government of Israel – 32nd Government of Israel
Events
Domestic events
January 17 – The leader of the Israeli Labor Party Ehud Barak and four other Labor Party MKs announce their resignation from the party and the formation of a new "centrist Zionist and democratic" faction called "Independence".JPost.com Staff and G Hoffman & H Keinon. "Barak: New faction to be 'centralist, Zionist, democratic'" . The Jerusalem Post, January 17, 2011 February 1 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancels the appointment of Yoav Gallant to the post of Israel Defense Forces chief. The announcement came after months of scandal surrounding his appointment due to allegations that he had illegally seized public lands near his home in Moshav Amikam, and after the State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss stated that Galant lied to in an affidavit about exceeding his building rights."Netanyahu scraps choice for top Israeli general" . Reuters, February 1, 2011D Izenberg. "Lindenstrauss: Galant lied to court in sworn affidavit" . The Jerusalem Post, January 27, 2011 February 6 – 24-year-old Anat Kamm, a former Israeli soldier, is convicted in the Tel Aviv District Court after pleading guilty (in a plea bargain) to leaking more than 2,000 secret military documents to a journalist from the Israeli Haaretz newspaper."Kamm pleads guilty to having distributed secret information" The Jerusalem Post, February 6, 2011 February 14 – Benny Gantz is appointed as the 20th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. March 22 – The former President of Israel Moshe Katsav is sentenced to seven years in prison, two years probation and payment of compensation to his victims on charges of rape, indecent assault, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice.Former President Moshe Katsav gets 7 years in jail for rape Haaretz, March 22, 2011 March 24 – Israeli women's basketball team Elitzur Ramla wins the women EuroCup final in France after defeating the French team ASPTT Arras 61–53. This was the first time in which an Israeli women's basketball team won a European cup. March 29 – The Knesset approves an amendment to the Nationality Law in a 37–11 vote. The amendment empowers the Israeli court system to revoke the citizenships of Israeli citizens convicted of terrorism, aiding the enemy in wartime, causing war, serving in enemy forces or espionage.Knesset passes law revoking citizenship for treason The Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2011 March 30 – Analog television broadcasts end In Israel, as the Communications Minister of Israel requires all full power stations to send their signals digitally. 12 May – Dana International represents Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ding Dong" reaching the semi-final round. June – The cottage cheese boycott begins. June 17 – A massive gas explosion in an apartment building in Netanya's Independence Square kills three teenage girls (all recent immigrants from France) and an Israeli Arab and injures over 90 others.Two arrested over deadly Netanya gas explosion Haaretz June 17, 2011 June 29 – Nahal Zin fuel leak – a backhoe loader performing maintenance repairs on an underground fuel pipeline in the Negev strikes and ruptures the pipeline, resulting in a massive leak. July 12 – The Knesset approves a new anti-boycott law, which would allow an Israeli individual or an Israeli organization proposing a boycott against Israel, Israeli institutions or territory under Israel's control, to be sued for compensation by a party claiming that it could be damaged by such a boycott.Israel passes law banning citizens from calling for boycotts The Guardian, July 11, 2011 July 14 – 2011 Israeli housing protests begin. August 19 – The first line of the Jerusalem Light Rail is opened to the public.Jerusalem's light rail system opens to the public after years of delays – Haaretz, August 19, 2011 September 21 – Construction work on the Red Line of the Tel Aviv Light Rail, begins. October 5 – Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman wins the 2011 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals.Israeli scientist wins Nobel for chemistry The Star, October 5, 2011 November 10 – The Supreme Court of Israel has upheld a seven-year rape sentence against former President Moshe Katsav. Katsav was given one month to put his affairs in order, and will begin serving his sentence on December 7.Court: Katsav's rape conviction stands Ynetnews, November 10, 2011 November 13 – An Israeli cabinet committee passes legislation backed by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to limit potentially tens of millions in foreign funding to non-government organizations.C'tee passes 2 bills limiting funding to NGOs The Jerusalem Post, November 13, 2011
Global affairs April 18 – Israel becomes CERN nuclear group member.Israel becomes CERN nuclear group member Physorg, April 17, 2011 July 10 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces Israel's recognition of the Republic of South Sudan and offers the new state economic help, following its declaration of independence from the Sudan, the previous day.Israel recognizes South Sudan, offers economic aid Reuters, July 10, 2011
Arab and Middle Eastern affairs February 5 – Amidst the 2011 Egyptian protests, an explosion occurs at the Arab Gas Pipeline near the El Arish natural gas compressor station in Egypt, which supplies natural gas to Israel and Jordan. As a result, supplies to Israel and Jordan were halted.T Perry and E Blair. Egypt gas pipeline attacked . Reuters, February 5, 2011 April 27 – Natural gas supplies to Jordan and Israel are hit by an explosion in the Arab Gas Pipeline in the town of Arish in North Sinai near Egypt's border with Israel with an armed gang believed responsible.Explosion hits Egypt gas pipeline carrying gas to Israel – Haaretz, April 27, 2011 June 12 – Beginning of Ilan Grapel affair: Egyptian officials report the arrest of the 27-year-old Israeli-American Ilan Grapel on suspicion of espionage for Israel. Israeli officials have rejected the Egyptian accusations.Israel denies arrest of 'Mossad spy' in Egypt BBC, June 13, 2011 Later that year, Egyptian officials admitted Ilan Grapel was not a spy, and he was scheduled for release in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel.Azulay, Moran. First image of Grapel in Egypt jail emerges . October 2011 July 12 – Gunmen blow up an Egyptian natural gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan in the town of El-Arish in the Sinai Peninsula.Gunmen blow up Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel MSBC, July 11, 2011 September 2 – Turkey expels Israel's ambassador, downgrades ties with Israel to second secretary level and cancels all military agreements with Israel, hours before a UN report investigating the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid is published.Turkey downgrades ties with Israel , Aljazeera, September 2, 2011 September 9 – 2011 Israeli embassy attack: several thousand Egyptian protesters forcibly infiltrate into the Israeli embassy in Egypt, situated in Giza, after breaking down a recently constructed wall to protect the compound. The six embassy staff in a safe room were evacuated eventually from the site by Egyptian commandos, following the personal intervention of US President Barack Obama. Following the attack, the deputy ambassador remained in Cairo, and 85 staff members and their families returned to Israel. September 14 – Israel evacuates the Israeli embassy in Jordan following a warning of a violent anti-Israel demonstration planned to take place near the embassy building. Nearly all the embassy staff returned to Israel at midnight. September 27 – An explosion destroys the Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula supplying natural gas to Jordan and Israel.Blast destroys Egypt gas pipeline to Israel, Jordan Reuters, September 27, 2011 October 11 – The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration claim to have disrupted an attempt to bomb the Israeli and the Saudi embassies in Washington DC and an alleged terrorist plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador, with possible links to Iran.Iran 'Directed' Washington, D.C., Terror Plot, U.S. Says ABC News, October 11, 2011Iran agents 'planned US terror attacks' BBC, October 11, 2011 October 27 – End of Ilan Grapel affair: Israel releases 25 Egyptian prisoners in order to secure the release of Israeli-American Ilan Grapel, who held been held in Egypt for more than four months on dubious espionage charges.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict that occurred during 2011 include: January 23 – The Palestine Papers: thousands of confidential documents relating to diplomatic correspondence detailing the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, are exposed by the Al-Jazeera news network."Introducing The Palestine Papers" . Aljazeera, January 23, 2011S Milne and I Black. "The Palestine Papers" . The Guardian, January 23, 2011H Keinon. "PA agreed to Israeli annexation of J'lem areas" . The Jerusalem Post, January 23, 2011 Following this, the Palestinian Authority condemns Al-Jazeera for releasing the documents and denies that the Palestinian Authority had agreed to make far-reaching concessions on Jerusalem as the documents purportedly reveal.K Abu Toameh. "PA: Al-Jazeera has declared war on Palestinians" The Jerusalem Post, January 23, 2011 February 19 – The U.S. vetoes a draft of a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.U.S. vetoes U.N. draft condemning Israeli settlements Reuters, February 18, 2011 April 4 – Dirar Abu Seesi, a Palestinian engineer from Gaza, is indicted at Beersheba's District Court, accused of developing missiles and upgrading rockets for attacks on Israel; he claims that the Mossad kidnapped him.Shin Bet files indictment against 'rocket godfather' The Jerusalem Post, April 4, 2011'Abducted' Palestinian Dirar Abu Sisi on Hamas charges BBC, April 4, 2011Palestinian engineer Abu-Sisi indicted Ynetnews, April 4, 2011 April 7 – The Iron Dome mobile air defense system successfully intercepts a Grad rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli city Ashkelon, marking the first time in history a short-range rocket was ever intercepted. April 24 – A group of 15 Israeli Jewish worshipers entered the Palestinian city of Nablus to pray in the Jewish holy site Joseph's Tomb, without coordinating their visit with the IDF as required by law. After finishing praying, as the Jewish worshipers were leaving Nablus, their cars came under fire from a Palestinian Authority police jeep. Five Israelis were injured in the attack and the nephew of Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat was killed.Israeli killed, five wounded in shooting near Nablus The Jerusalem Post, May 24, 20111 killed, 5 injured in shooting near Nablus , Ynetnews, May 24, 2011 May 15 – The 2011 Israeli border demonstrations took place to commemorate what the Palestinians observe as Nakba Day. Various groups of people attempted to approach or breach Israel's borders from the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. At least a dozen people were killed.