Once Upon a Time in Israel - June
June, a month filled with important events that took place in Israel's history. We decided to recap some of the great events that have to do with Israel, which happened in Israel in June over the years.
Yitzhak Rabin is appointed as Prime Minister (June 3, 1974)
On this day, 46 years ago, Yitzhak Rabin became the youngest Israeli Prime Minister up until then, and the first to be born in the 20th century, the first to have been educated in the Israeli education system, the first to have served in the IDF, and obviously the first IDF Chief of Staff to become Prime Minister.
Shlomo Argov, Israeli ambassador to Britain, is shot by Palestinian terrorists (June 3, 1982)
Argov survived the attack but remained paralyzed from the neck down. He was hospitalized in the Har HaZofim Rehabilitation Department in Jerusalem until his passing his 2003, 21 years after the attack.
The Six-Day War breaks out (June 5, 1967)
In just six days, Israel managed to hold off the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian forces and conquered large parts of the Sinai, Gaza Strip, Judea & Sumeria, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem. Israel's territory tripled as a result of the war efforts.
The First Lebanon War (Operation Peace for Galilee) breaks out (June 6, 1982)
The assassination attempt against the Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Argov caused an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border, which quickly turned into an Israeli ground forces invasion into Lebanon that started the war, until the war officially ended on September 29th that year.
Operation Opera - The bombing of the nuclear reactor in Iraq (June 7, 1981)
On Shavuot eve, eight IDF F16 fighter planes and another six F16 planes flew 1,100 km over Saudi Arabia, all the way to Iraq, where they destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor - a potential threat to the Israeli nation.
Interesting Fact:
The youngest pilot that participated in the attack was a captain named Ilan Ramon, who later became the first Israeli astronaut, and was unfortunately killed in the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster.
The National Water Carrier of Israel is inaugurated (June 10, 1964)
Israel's main water "artery" connects with almost all of the nation's water plants, and distributes the drinkable water from the rainy north to the dryer south. The carrier begins at the Kinneret and goes all the way down to Mitzpe Ramon, the most southern point.
The Israel Atomic Energy Commission is established (June 13, 1952)
Under Prime Minister David Ben Gurion's order, the commission that is in charge of all of Israel's nuclear activity was formed. We can't say any more about it, we don't want to put anyone at risk.
The assassination of Haim Arlozorov (June 16, 1933)
Dr. Arlozorov was an Israeli economist and statesman. Arlozorov was assassinated in Tel Aviv in 1933 by two men while strolling with his wife. Two Israeli men from the Revisionist Movement were arrested but they were acquitted in the end. The killer's identity remains a mystery to this day.
Night of the Bridges (June 16, 1946)
Night of the Bridges was an operation executed by the Palmah, where they attacked 11 bridges in all the Israeli borders simultaneously, overnight. Nine of the bridges exploded, one was severely damaged, and one remained intact. At one of the sites, the operation ran into some trouble, and 14 men were killed in the attack.
The Altalena Affair (June 22, 1948)
One of the most unfortunate incidents in Israeli history. The Altalena boat belonged to the Etzel and aboard were 940 Olim from Europe, and medical and military equipment. After harsh disagreements between the IDF and the Etzel, the altercation between the forces broke out, resulting in the death of 16 Etzel soldiers and 3 IDF soldiers, and dozens wounded.
The Labour Party, under Yitzhak Rabin, win the 13th elections (June 23, 1992)
After 15 years in command, the Likud lost to Rabin and the Labour party. Rabin managed to sign the peace treaty with Jordan and the Oslo Agreements during his term. The 13 Knesset will mostly be remembered for the horrible assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
The kidnapping of Gilad Shalit (June 25, 2006)
On this day, IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Kerem Shalom, on the Gaza Border. Shalit was held captive in the Gaza Strip for 5 years and 4 months (1,941 days) until Israel signed a captive deal with Hamas, where we released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for Shalit's release.
The Black Sabbath (June 29, 1946)
Black Sabbath was a series of actions the British Mandate took against the Jewish Yishuv. 17,000 soldiers cast a curfew on Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and many more cities, over 2,700 people were arrested including Moshe Sharett and other Jewish leaders, and loads of military weapons and artillery were confiscated.
