2022 in Israel

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See also:	Other events of 2022 History of Israel • Timeline • Years

Events in the year 2022 in Israel.

Incumbents

• President of Israel – Isaac Herzog
• Prime Minister of Israel – Naftali Bennett until 30 June; Yair Lapid
• President of the Supreme Court – Esther Hayut
• Chief of General Staff – Aviv Kochavi
• Government of Israel – Thirty-sixth government of Israel

Events

30 January: President Herzog meets the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

17 February: Isaac Herzog awards the State Basketball Cup to the 2021–22 season winner, Bnei Herzliya.

26 February: Protest rally in Tel Aviv against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

20 March: Part of the huge funeral procession for the revered Haredi rabbi, Chaim Kanievsky in Bnei Brak.

27 March: The foreign ministers of four Arab countries, Israel and the US Secretary of State, at the Negev Summit in Sde Boker.

10 April: At the Israel Space Agency in Tel Aviv, students participating in space projects hold a video call along with President Herzog and his wife with astronaut Eytan Stibbe, who is aboard the International Space Station.

24 May: Hapoel Be'er Sheva celebrates its victory in the Israel State Cup football final.

29 June: CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla (right), is awarded the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem.

30 June: President Yitzhak Herzog, with incoming Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the President's official residence.

14 July: President Joe Biden attends the opening ceremony of the 21st Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem with the Prime Minister and the President of Israel

January

• 1 January – Two rockets fired from Gaza explode off the coast, one close to Tel Aviv and the second near Palmachim; the Israeli Air Force responds with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and tanks fire at Hamas military posts near Gaza's border with Israel.
• 2 January – The first stage in a reform of Israel's kosher certification system comes into effect, allowing food retailers and manufacturers to select any religious council in the country to provide them with kashrut supervision, rather than only their local council.
• 3 January
  • Two Israel Air Force pilots are killed when a Eurocopter AS565 Panther helicopter crashes during a training exercise off the coast near Haifa, while a third crew member survives with moderate injuries.
  • A four-year-old child is shot dead by a gunman in Bir al-Maksur.
• 5 January – President Isaac Herzog and First Lady, Michal Herzog, receive their fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as a second booster dose vaccination campaign begins in Israel.
• 9 January – Israel mostly reopens its borders, closed to tourists since November, and abolishes its "red list" of restricted travel countries, as coronavirus rates rise to record-high levels due to the Omicron variant, making the impact of travel bans negligible.
• 13 January – Several days of clashes in the Negev Desert between Bedouin protesters and the police triggered by a forestation project leads to a coalition crisis and the government advancing a comprehensive plan to formalize the status of some unrecognized Bedouin settlements as permanent villages.
• 20 January
  • The United Nations General Assembly approves by consensus a resolution co-sponsored by Israel and other countries to combat Holocaust denial, on the 80th anniversary of the Wannsee Conference at which Nazi leaders decided on the "final solution to the Jewish question" for the systematic annihilation of European Jewry.
  • The Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, opens an investigation into claims that the Israel Police used NSO spyware on Israeli's cellphones.
• 23 January
  • Israel and the United Arab Emirates establish a multimillion-dollar joint research and development fund to support private sector collaboration and investment in the next ten years.
  • The government decides to establish a state commission of inquiry into submarine and naval vessel purchases from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp for $2 billion that occurred under the government of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for possible corruption and bribery.
• 24 January – An earthquake registering slightly more than 4.1 on the Richter scale centered northeast of Beit She'an, south of the Sea of Galilee, is felt throughout the country; no injuries or damage are reported.
• 30 January – President Herzog makes the first official visit of an Israeli president to the United Arab Emirates, meets with Emirati government and business leaders, and members of the Jewish community, and opens an Israel national day at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

February

• 1 February – Former minister and leader of the Shas Party, Aryeh Deri, is sentenced to a 12-month suspended prison term along with NIS 180,000 fine in a plea deal for tax offences.
• 2 February – Defense Minister Benny Gantz visits Bahrain in his first official visit to sign security agreements as the two nations further bolster their ties, and meets top Bahraini officials, including King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
• 4 to 20 February – Six athletes represent Israel at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating and Alpine Skiing.
• 15 February – Prime Minister Bennett meets with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, senior government officials, businesspeople, and representatives of local Bahraini Jewish community, during the first visit to Bahrain by an Israeli premier, to discuss the development of trade, technology and innovation, and defense ties.
• 16 February – The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, leads a congressional delegation on a visit to Israel and reaffirms the United States' "ironclad" guarantee of Israel's security in the face of threats from Iran posed by its nuclear program and support for terrorist organizations.
• 16 February – The Israel Innovation Authority and the Defense Ministry allocate some $62 million to develop the infrastructure for quantum computational ability and ultimately, a quantum computer.
• 17 February – Bnei Herzliya win the State Basketball Cup in the final match against Hapoel Tel Aviv with a score of 87–82.
• 24 February – Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "a grave violation of the international order" and offers humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Ukraine.
• 25 February – 40,000 runners participate in the Tel Aviv Marathon; Vincent Kipsang Rono of Kenya and Bikaya Mantamar of Israel are the men's and women's winners, respectively.
• 26 February – Thousands of Israelis rally in Tel Aviv to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to demand that the Israeli government take stronger measures in support of Ukraine.

March

• 1 March – The government relaxes almost all health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; only the rules regarding face masks in indoor public spaces, 'Green Pass' to enter old age homes, and PCR tests upon arrival for Israelis returning from abroad remain in place.
• 2 March – The newly elected Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, makes his first official visit to Israel.
• 5 March – Prime Minister Bennett flies to Moscow on Shabbat to meet with President Vladimir Putin regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Bennet also speaks by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and after the meeting, and flies to Berlin to meet with Olaf Scholz before returning to Israel.
• 9 March – President Herzog meets with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, in what is perceived to be a renewal of relations between Israel and Turkey, which have been practically frozen since 2010.
• 11 March – Sheina Vaspi represents Israel at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Alpine Skiing; she is the first Israeli athlete ever to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games.
• 20 March
  • Hundreds of thousands of mourners participate in the funeral procession of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky in Bnei Brak, in one of the largest funerals in Israel's history.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Members of Knesset via Zoom, and invoking the memory of the Holocaust, calls on Israel to provide military support to his country in its struggle to resist the Russian invasion; the speech is also broadcast via large screen television, to thousands of protesters in Habima Square in Tel Aviv gathered to show support for Ukraine.
• 22 March – During an attack in Beersheba, four people are killed and two are injured in a stabbing and vehicle-ramming attack by an Islamic State supporter, before he is shot and killed by a civilian passer-by.
• 25 March – In the Jerusalem Marathon, Ageze Guadie from Israel and Valentina Versca, a refugee from the war in Ukraine, are the winners of the men's and women's races, respectively.
• 27 March
  • The Negev Summit takes place in Sde Boker, a conference between Israeli authorities and representatives of Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attends the conference.
  • Two Islamic State gunmen kill two people and wound two others in Hadera before they are shot and killed by security forces.
• 29 March – A Palestinian kills five people in a mass shooting in Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv District.

April

• 1 April – Israel and the United Arab Emirates conclude negotiations for a free trade agreement, which will make 95 percent of traded products between the two countries customs-free and will include food, agricultural and cosmetic products, and medicines and medical equipment.
• 4 April – Foreign Minister Yair Lapid expresses horror over the mass civilian casualties in areas of Ukraine where Russian troops have withdrawn, including the Bucha massacre, and condemns them as a war crime.
• 6 April – MK Idit Silman, the governing coalition's parliamentary whip, resigns her position and withdraws her support for the government, leaving the Knesset split evenly between the coalition and opposition, and the government vulnerable to a vote of no-confidence that could bring it down.
• 7 April – A Palestinian gunman kills three people and injures nine others, in a mass shooting in Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv; the attacker is later killed in a shootout with police.
• 10 April – The Supreme Court rules in favor of plaintiffs whose family members were killed in terror attacks during the Second Intifada that the Palestinian Authority can be held liable for attacks, due to its policy of paying stipends to convicted terrorists in Israeli jails and to the families of those killed during attacks on Israelis.
• 11 April – Palestinian gunmen shoot and wound two Hasidic Jews trying to visit Joseph's Tomb, a shrine sacred to all three Abrahamic faiths in the city of Nablus, a day after it was vandalized and set on fire by a group of about a hundred Palestinian rioters before they were dispersed by Palestinian security forces.
• 15 April – Israeli police raid the Al-Aqsa Mosque during riots on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, during which Palestinians inside the mosque threw objects and explosive devices at police; over 150 Palestinians and three policemen are injured in the clashes.
• 18 April – Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe, holds the first Passover Seder in space on the first night of the holiday, during his participation in the first privately funded and operated trip to the International Space Station to conduct science and technology experiments for a number of universities and startups in Israel.
• 29 April to 1 May – Israeli judokas win four medals at the 2022 European Judo Championships, Timna Nelson-Levy winning the gold in the 57-kilogram weight category, and Raz Hershko winning a silver and Shira Rishony and Gili Sharir each winning a bronze in their respective classes.
• 30 April – An Israeli security guard stationed at a security booth is killed while protecting his fiancée in a shooting attack at the entrance to Ariel; two Palestinian gunmen are captured later by Israeli security forces.

May

• 5 May
  • The International Bible Contest takes place in Jerusalem on Independence Day; Hillel Cohen and Dvir Haim Martzbach jointly win first place.
  • Three people are killed in a stabbing and axing attack, and three are severely injured by two Palestinian terrorists, in El'ad, Central District.
• 11 May – Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh is shot and killed while covering an Israel Defense Forces raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.
• 12 May – Michael Ben David represents Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy.
• 16 May – Maccabi Haifa wins the Israeli Premier League in Association football for the second time in a row, by attaining an insurmountable lead in points that other contenders cannot overcome in the final round.
• 19 May – MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, of the Meretz party, resigns from the coalition, reducing it to a minority in the Knesset.
• 24 May – Hapoel Be'er Sheva wins the 2021–22 Israel State Cup in association football at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, defeating Maccabi Haifa 3–1 on penalties after a 2–2 draw.

June

• 13 June – European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visit Israel for talks focused on increased energy cooperation, especially the export of Israeli natural gas to Europe.
• 20 June – Prime Minister Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid announce that have decided to dissolve the coalition and submit a bill to dissolve the Knesset, leading to a fifth election in less than four years; Lapid will become the caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.
• 21 June – In response to recent terrorist attacks, Israel begins reinforcing a section of the northern part of its West Bank security barrier with a concrete wall.
• 29 June – Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, is presented the Genesis Prize by President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem for his leadership in delivering a vaccine against COVID-19.
• 30 June – The Knesset approves a bill to disband itself and schedules new elections for 1 November; Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid succeeds Naftali Bennett as Prime Minister until a new coalition is formed.

July

• 4 to 7 July – Young athletes from 47 countries compete in the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships held in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University Stadium.
• 7 to 17 July – Israeli athletes compete in ten sports at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, United States, winning seven gold, three silver and four bronze medals, and attaining eleventh place overall at the Games.
• 14 July to 15 July – Visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel
  • 14 July – The United States and Israel agree on the extension of a 10-year, $38 billion US defense package to Israel and commit to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
  • 15 July – President Biden and Prime Minister Lapid attend the first meeting of I2U2 forum, together with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in a virtual conference during which the four countries agreed to collaborate further on issues including food security, clean energy, technology and trade, and reaffirm their support for the Abraham Accords.
• 14 to 26 July − The 21st Maccabiah Games
  • 14 July – The opening ceremony of the 21st Maccabiah Games are held at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, with US President Biden, and Israeli President Herzog and Prime Minister Lapid amongst the 30,000 dignitaries and spectators in attendance.

August

• 5 August – Israel launches airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, killing Islamic Jihad leader Tayseer Jabari.

Predicted and scheduled events

• 1 November – Elections for the 25th Knesset are scheduled to take place.
• 9 December – The Tiberias Marathon will take place.

Deaths

• 1 January – Chanan Rapaport (b. 1928), clinical psychologist, professor of Psychology, director of the Henrietta Szold Institute, social issues advisor to Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin.
• 2 January – Yitzhak Kaul (b. 1945), Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Communications (1976–1986), businessman, CEO of Israel Postal Authority (1986–1990), Bezeq (1990–1997), and Clal investment company (1997–2000).
• 2 January – Suzanne Singer (b. 1935), contributor and editor of Moment magazine and the Biblical Archaeology Review, director of the Alex Singer Project.
• 3 January – Mordechai Ben-Porat (b. 1923), organizer of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah rescue of Iraqi Jews, Member of Knesset 1965–1977 and 1981–1984, Minister without Portfolio 1982–1984, and recipient of the Israel Prize in 2001.
• 6 January – Yoram Taharlev (b. 1938), songwriter, poet and author.
• 10 January – Aura Herzog (b. 1924), First Lady of Israel (1983–1993) during the presidency of her husband Chaim Herzog, mother of the current president, Isaac Herzog, social and environmental activist, and founder of the Council for a Beautiful Israel.
• 12 January – Meier Schwarz (b. 1926), plant physiologist, lecturer and academic, head of the Hydroponics department at the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research in Beer Sheva.
• 16 January – Tova Berlinski (b. 1915), artist, notably of the Holocaust and her hometown Oświęcim, Poland, recipient of the Jerusalem Prize (1963) and the Mordechai Ish-Shalom Award (2000).
• 18 January – Eliezer Schweid (b. 1929), philosopher, scholar, writer and professor of Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and Israel Prize recipient (1994).
• 19 January – Yevgeny Aryeh (b. 1947), playwright, theater director, and founder of the Gesher Theater in Jaffa.
• 21 January – Haim Shahal (b. 1922), naval engineer, member of the Palmach and the Israel Defense Forces, recipient of the Israel Prize (1973).
• 24 January – Miriam Naor (b. 1947), District and Supreme Court judge, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (2015 – 2017).
• 25 January – Mark Tseitlin (b. 1943), chess International Master (1978) and Grandmaster (1997).
• 26 January – David Bannett (b. 1921), electronics engineer, radar technologies pioneer, inventor of the Shabbat elevator, lecturer in electronics at Bar Ilan University and the Jerusalem College of Technology.
• 31 January – Esther Pollard (b. 1953), wife of former spy Jonathan Pollard.
• 10 February – Daniel Sasson (b. 1994), power forward player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League 2018–2021.
• 13 February – Emanuel Marx (b. 1927), social anthropologist, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University and recipient of the Israel Prize (1998).
• 13 February – Julia Wiener (b. 1935), writer, poet and translator into Russian.
• 15 February – Nachman Wolf (b. 1951), world champion discus thrower, shot put and javelin medalist for Israel at the Paralympics (1984 and 1988).
• 18 February – Gabriel Bach (b. 1927), State Attorney, one of the prosecutors in the Eichmann trial, jurist, Supreme Court Justice (1982–1997).
• 21 February – Nava Arad (b. 1938), Alignment and Labor Party politician, Member of Knesset (1981–1992, 1995–1996).
• 23 February – Yoel Marcus (b. 1932), journalist and political commentator, Sokolov Prize recipient (2017).
• 1 March – Amnon Shamosh (1929), non-fiction author and poet, recipient of the President's Prize for Literature in 2001.
• 2 March – Yosef Carmon (b. 1933), film actor, and actor and director at the Cameri Theater for over 50 years.
• 3 March – Yona Fischer (b. 1932), Israeli art curator and critic, recipient of the Israel Prize for design (1977).
• 7 March – Avraham Hirschson (b. 1941), Likud and Kadima Member of Knesset, Minister of Tourism, Communications and Finance; director general of the Treasury, convicted of embezzlement (2009).
• 12 March – Eliezer Goldberg (b. 1931), jurist, Supreme Court Justice (1983–1998) and state comptroller (1998–2005).
• 12 March – Henry Herscovici (b. 1927), sports shooter at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, the Asian Games (1966, 1970, and 1974) and the Maccabiah Games (1965, 1969).
• 17 March – David Schmeidler (b. 1939), mathematician and economic theorist in the field of Game Theory and Decision Theory, Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University and the Ohio State University.
• 18 March – Chaim Kanievsky (b. 1928), Haredi rabbi, a major halachic authority and author of opinions and books on all aspects of Jewish religious law.
• 4 April – Eitan Wertheimer (b. 1951), industrialist and businessman.
• 8 April – Barak Lufan (b. 1987), kayaker and the head of the Israel Canoe Association.
• 1 May – Naftali Blumenthal (b. 1922), politician, MK for the Labor Alignment (1981–1984), comptroller of the Histadrut.
• 1 May – Ilan Gilon (b. 1956), politician, MK for the Meretz party (1999–2003 and 2009–2021).
• 13 May – Uri Savir (b. 1953), politician, MK (1999–2001) and diplomat.
• 19 May – Yaakov Sharett (b. 1927), author, reporter and diplomat.
• 27 May – Shulamit Goldstein (b. 1968), rhythmic gymnast at the 1988 Olympics, and 1985 and 1987 World Championships.
• 2 June – Uri Zohar (b. 1935), entertainer, actor and film director (Hole in the Moon, Three Days and a Child, Bloomfield), and rabbi.
• 9 June – Dan Goldstein (b.1954), software entrepreneur and businessman, founder of Formula Systems.
• 14 June – A. B. Yehoshua (b. 1936), novelist (The Lover, A Late Divorce), essayist and playwright, recipient of the Israel Prize for Hebrew literature (1995) and multiple literary awards.
• 29 June – Yehuda Meshi Zahav (b. 1955), social activist, founder of ZAKA.
• 29 June – David Weiss Halivni (b. 1927), rabbi, Talmudic scholar and teacher, recipient of the Israel Prize for scholarship (2008) and other awards.
• 18 July – Maya Attoun (b. 1974), award-winning multi-disciplinary visual artist, teacher at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art.
• 24 July – Tamar Eshel (b. 1920), diplomat, deputy mayor of Jerusalem, MK for the Alignment (1977–1984).
• 26 July – Uri Orlev (b. 1931), Holocaust survivor, children's author and translator, recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award (1996).
• 29 July – Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (b. 1926), ultra-Orthodox rabbi, head of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem.

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
• Israel at the 2022 Winter Olympics
• Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2022