2020 in Israel

← 2019 2018 2017 2020 in Israel → 2021 2022 2023
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 List of years in Israel Timeline of the region of Palestine Timeline of Israeli history

Years in Israel:	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s
Years:	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Events in the year 2020 in Israel.

Incumbents

• President of Israel: Reuven Rivlin
• Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu
• President of Supreme Court of Israel: Esther Hayut
• Chief of General Staff: Aviv Kochavi
• Government of Israel: Thirty-fourth government of Israel-Thirty-fifth government of Israel

Events

January

23 January 2020: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.

28 January 2020: US President Donald Trump unveils his Middle East peace plan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House.

• 1 January –
  • Prime Minister Netanyahu asks for parliamentary immunity from the corruption charges against him.[1]
  • Jordan receives its first shipment of natural gas from Israel.[2]

• 5 January – Greece and Israel sign an agreement to build the longest underwater gas pipeline in the world.[3]

• 6 January –
  • The Leviathan gas field begins full operations.[4]
  • Ukraine withdraws from UN Committee on Palestinians.[5]

• 7 January – Israeli firm Armis is bought for over $1 billion by Insight Partners.[6]

• 23 January – The Fifth World Holocaust Forum is held in Jerusalem; President Reuven Rivlin is among many of the world leaders who deliver a speech at this occasion. [7]

• 27 January –
  • The 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp is commemorated around the world; Israeli President Reuven Rivlin attends the ceremony at the site of Auschwitz, along with the President of Poland and both leaders condemn the current resurgence of antisemitism.[8][9]
  • President Rivlin meets with President Andrzej Duda of Poland, and discusses the role of individual Poles in the Holocaust. [10]

• 28 January –
  • At a White House press conference, US President Donald Trump formally unveils his Israeli–Palestinian peace plan, "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People", alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[11][12]
  • President Rivlin visits Germany, meets with ordinary schoolchildren, as well as German officials including Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.[13]

• 29 January – The Naama Issachar affair ends with a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin and her release from a Russian prison.[14]

February

• 11 February – Israel announces it will install a new water system for use in maximum-security prisons, after finding out that some prisoners are wasting water on purpose. [15]

• 12 February – The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) publishes a database of 112 business entities involved in Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It includes entities like Airbnb Inc., Bank of Jerusalem, Tripadvisor Inc., and Motorola Solutions Inc.[16][17]

• 21 February – The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel is confirmed after a female citizen tests positive for coronavirus after return from quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.[18]

March

• 2 March – The 2020 Israeli legislative election takes place; incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc of right-wing and religious parties again win 58 seats, three short of the majority in the next Knesset required to form a government.[19]
• 20 March – An 88-year-old Holocaust survivor in Jerusalem is the country's first fatality of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel.[20]

April

• 20 April – The leaders of the two largest parties in the Knesset, Benny Gantz (Blue and White) and Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud), announce that they have reached a coalition agreement to form the next government of Israel; Netanyahu will be Prime Minister until October 2021, after which Gantz will become prime minister unless Netanyahu should leave the premiership before then.[21]

May

• 17 May - The 35th government of Israel is formed.

July

In July 2020, thousands of Israelis protested in West Jerusalem requesting the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 34 people were arrested. Netanyahu has been criticized for staying in office while facing corruption charges. He is also being accused of mismanaging the Coronavirus pandemic and an intensifying economic crisis.[22]

Scheduled

• 20-22 October — the 38th World Zionist Congress will be held in Jerusalem[23]

Ongoing

• Investigations involving Benjamin Netanyahu
• COVID-19 pandemic in Israel

Notable deaths

• 7 January – Peter Wertheimer, 72 wind-instrument musician.[24]
• 7 January – Emily Landau, Israeli arms control researcher and analyst.[25]
• 12 April – Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, (born 1941), Israeli rabbi, and Rishon LeZion (Chief Rabbi of Israel) from 1993 to 2003
• 26 April – Gideon Patt, Israeli MK and Likud minister (b. 1933)
• 21 June – Zeev Sternhell, Israeli academic and historian (b. 1935)[26]

See also

• 2019–20 Israeli constitutional crisis
• 2019–20 Israeli political crisis
• History of Israel

Regional topics and issues

• 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
• Syrian Civil War
• Arab protests (2018–present)

Country overviews

• Israel
• History of Israel
• History of modern Israel
• Outline of Israel
• Government of Israel
• Politics of Israel
• Years in Israel
• Timeline of Israel history

Related timelines for current period

• 2020
• 2020 in politics and government
• 2020s

References

1. "Israel's Netanyahu Asks Parliament For Immunity From Corruption Charges". NPR.org. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
2. Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (2020-01-01). "Jordan gets first natural gas supplies from Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
3. Ghert-Zand, Renee; Magid, Jacob (2020-01-02). "Israel inks mega gas pipeline deal with Greece, Cyprus". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
4. Halon, Eytan (2020-01-06). "Offshore Leviathan gas platform commences full operations". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
5. Harkov, Lahav (2020-01-06). "Ukraine pulls out of 'anti-Israeli' UN committee on Palestinians". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
6. Halon, Eytan (2020-01-07). "Israeli cyber firm Armis acquired for $1.1 billion by Insight Partners". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
7. Winer, Stuart (2020-01-23). "The survivors 'are our miracle': Full text of Rivlin's Holocaust Forum speech". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
8. Chernick, Ilanit (2020-01-27). "Rivlin: Nazis greatly assisted in murderous acts by European countries". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
9. "Poland, Israel condemn resurgent anti-Semitism at Auschwitz commemoration". www.euractiv.com. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
10. Winer, Stuart (2020-01-27). "Rivlin to Polish counterpart: 'Many Poles' stood by, helped murder Jews in WWII". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
11. Ghert-Zand, Renee; Magid, Jacob (2020-01-28). "Trump and Netanyahu tout 'win-win' peace plan as public gets first glimpse". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
12. "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People". The White House. 2020-01-20.
13. "Rivlin in Germany: We're grateful for German commitment to our safety". The Jerusalem Post. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
14. "Russian President Putin signed decree to pardon Naama Issachar". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
15. New system will fight intentional water waste by Palestinian prisoners.The price of the water control system is NIS 2.3 million ($672,807), but the Public Security Ministry believes the water savings will more than cover the cost.by Itsik Saban Published on 02-11-2020. israelhayom.com.
16. "OHCHR | UN rights office issues report on business activities related to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
17. "UN lists 112 firms linked to Israeli settlements". BBC News. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
18. "Israel confirms first coronavirus case as cruise ship returnee diagnosed". The Times of Israel. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
19. Hoffman, Gil (2020-03-02). "Netanyahu's bloc to stay at 58 seats". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
20. Rabinovitch, Ari (20 March 2020). "Israel reports first coronavirus fatality". news.yahoo.com. Reuters.
21. Gil Hoffman (20 April 2020). "After 17-month stalemate, Netanyahu and Gantz strike unity deal". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
22. "Israel: Many protest PM's handling of pandemic, economic crisis". Al Jazeera. 22 July 2020.
23. "Diaspora Jews Have Their Say: World Zionist Congress 2020". Jewish Exponent. January 15, 2020.
24. Davis, Barry (2020-01-07). "Peter Wertheimer dies at 72 – playing with love". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
25. Gross, Judah Ari; Ghert-Zand, Renee; Magid, Jacob; Solomon, Shoshanna; Bernard, Joy (2020-01-07). "Top Israeli arms control researcher Emily Landau dies at 59". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
26. "Zeev Sternhell, dovish Israeli expert on fascism, dies at 85". Ynet news. 2020-06-21.