2003 in Israel

none June 2013 2003 Events in the year 2003 in Israel. Incumbents President of Israel – Moshe Katsav Prime Minister of Israel – Ariel Sharon (Likud) President of the Supreme Court – Aharon Barak Chief of General Staff – Moshe Ya'alon Government of Israel – 29th Government of Israel until February 28, 30th Government of Israel Events thumb|250px|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: The glow of reentry as seen out the front windows thumb|right|The White City of Tel Aviv is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site January 28 – The Elections for the 16th Knesset are held in Israel. The result is a resounding victory for Ariel Sharon's Likud. February 1 – At the conclusion of the STS-107 mission, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry over Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board, including the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. February 28 – Israeli Prime Minister Sharon presents his cabinet for a Knesset "Vote of Confidence". The 30th Government is approved that day and the members are sworn in. 24 May – Lior Narkis represents Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Words for Love".http://www.diggiloo.net/?2003il 2003 Israel – Word for love (Milim la'ahava) Diggiloo Thrush May 29 – The Indian Ministry of Defence announces its purchase of Phalcon early warning radar systems from Israel. The contract is worth 1.2 billion US dollars. July – The White City of Tel Aviv was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. August 8 – The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fires artillery toward Israeli border posts. It was the first such exchange in eight months.AP story August 10 – A 16-year-old Israeli is killed and five people are wounded in Hezbollah shelling of the northern Israeli town of Shlomi. Israeli planes attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/10/international1345EDT0475.DTL One dead, five injured in Hezbollah shelling in Israel; Israel responds by attacking targets in Lebanon https://web.archive.org/web/20041022100520/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F2003%2F08%2F10%2Finternational1345EDT0475.DTL October 22, 2004 dead The San Francisco Chronicle September 2 - Or Commission publishes its report. October 5 – The Israeli Air Force attacked an alleged Palestinian militant training camp in Ain es Saheb, Syria. October 6 – In his first public comments since the Israeli attack in Syria, US President George W. Bush says that Israel has the right to defend its homeland; at the same time Mr. Bush asks Prime Minister Sharon to avoid any further actions that might destabilize the region. December 16 – The Israeli military reveals it developed a secret plan to assassinate Saddam Hussein in retaliation for the Scud missile attacks on Israel during the Gulf War. The plan was called off after five commandos were accidentally killed while training for the mission.Israel unveils Saddam assassination plot http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/16/israel_saddam031216.html https://web.archive.org/web/20070228062816/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2003/12/16/israel_saddam031216.html February 28, 2007 dead Israeli–Palestinian conflict The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 2003 include: March 16 – Rachel Corrie, an American member of the International Solidarity Movement in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, is killed in a residential area of Rafah by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer while she was kneeling in front of the home of a local Palestinian Arab, acting as a human shield and attempting to prevent IDF forces from demolishing the home. The IDF has claimed that the death was due to the restricted angle of view of the IDF Caterpillar D9 bulldozer driver, while ISM eyewitnesses said "there was nothing to obscure the driver's view."Webley Kayla Time Who Is Rachel Corrie? June 4, 2010 https://newsfeed.time.com/2010/06/04/who-is-rachel-corrie/ June 6, 2010 March 24 – Hilltop 26, an illegal Israeli settlement near the city of Hebron, is peacefully dismantled by the IDF. April 30 – A road map for peace sponsored by the US, UN, EU, and Russia is delivered to the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. May 25 – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wins cabinet approval for a peace plan that includes the creation of a Palestinian Arab state by 2005. May 27 – Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon states that the "occupation" of Palestinian territories is "a terrible thing for Israel and for the Palestinians" and "can't continue endlessly." Sharon's phraseology prompts shock from many in Israel, leading to a clarification that by "occupation," Sharon meant control of millions of Palestinian Arab lives rather than actual physical occupation of land.http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/27/mideast/index.html CNN Bush to meet with Arab leaders before Sharon, Abbas summit May 27, 2003 June 3 – Israel frees about 100 Palestinian Arab prisoners before the Mideast peace summit with President George W. Bush in a sign of goodwill. June 4 – "Road map" for peace: Israeli Prime Minister Sharon promises to dismantle illegal settlements in the West Bank, while new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas renounces all terrorism against Israel. August 14 – Israel frees another 76 prisoners, a week after releasing more than 300 people. Israel argues that it is a gesture of goodwill and in accordance with agreements. The Palestinian Authority disagrees and says that most were not arrested for terrorist activities, and that it was the people arrested for the latter that Israel originally agreed to release.Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines September 7 – Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declares that Hamas leaders are "marked for death" and will not have a moment's rest, after Israel failed in an attempt to kill the top-ranking members of Hamas with a 550-pound bomb dropped on a Gaza City apartment. September 24 – A protest letter by a group of 27 Israeli pilots of the Israeli air force is publicized. In the letter, the pilots announce their refusal to fly further missions to bomb leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups in civilian areas. The pilots' letter calls the attacks "illegal and immoral". It draws quick condemnation from commentators, from politicians and from military leaders, with calls for severe punishment including jail, although a dismissal is considered the most likely result. The pilots' protest is a reaction to attacks like the one on Hamas leader Salah Shehade in July 2002, which killed Shehade, his bodyguard and 15 civilians, among them nine children.http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/25/1064083125257.html Melbourne The Age Israel vows to punish rebel pilots for act of conscience September 26, 2003http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3509703 Reuters Israel Reels at Pilots' Refusal to Go on Missions dead https://web.archive.org/web/20031002045929/http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3509703 October 2, 2003 May 8, 2013http://www.msnbc.com/news/971397.asp?cp1=1 June 2016 medicmedic October 21 – The UN General Assembly approves a resolution demanding that Israel remove a security fence in the West Bank. The resolution passes by an overwhelming majority of 144 to 4 with the US voting against the motion.U.N. Demands Israel Dismantle Fence https://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031022_128.html https://web.archive.org/web/20040803192012/https://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031022_128.html August 3, 2004 abcnews.go.comhttps://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/international/middleeast/22NATI.html?th The New York Times U.N. Resolution Condemns Israeli Barrier Kirk Semple October 22, 2003 Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets Palestinian political violence#Second Intifada (2000–2005) List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2001–2006#2003 List of Palestinian suicide attacks#2003 (23 bombings) Violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2003 thumb|250px|Mike's Place a few days after the April 2003 suicide bombing that killed three and injured 50 The most prominent Palestinian militant acts and operations committed against Israeli targets during 2003 include: January 5 – Tel Aviv central bus station massacre: Two Palestinian Arab suicide bombers blow themselves up about two minutes apart at a crowded neighborhood near the Old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, killing 23 Israelis and wounding 80 others. Both the Islamic Jihad and Hamas claim responsibility for the double bombing. January 13 – Tel Aviv suicide bombing March 5 – 17 people killed and 53 injured in a Hamas suicide bombing attack on an Egged bus No. 37 in Haifa. March 30 – London Cafe bombing Incident Summary for GTDID: 200303300001 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). (2022). Global Terrorism Database, 1970-2020 April 24 – Kfar Sava train station bombing: A 23-year-old Israeli security guard is killed and 13 others are wounded in a suicide bombing outside of the Kfar Saba – Nordau Railway Station. Groups related to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the PFLP claim joint responsibility for the attack.https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/victims-of-palestinian-violence-and-terrorism Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000 www.gov.il 2023-01-27 April 30 – Mike's Place bombing: Four Israelis and 50 injured when a Muslim British citizen suicide bomber attacks Tel Aviv restaurant "Mike's Place". Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim joint responsibility for the attack. May 17 – Gross Square attack: An Israeli couple are killed by a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber in Hebron. Hamas claims responsibility for the attack.Incident Summary for GTDID: 200305170004 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). (2022). Global Terrorism Database, 1970-2020 May 18 – 17 killed and 20 injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack on a bus in Jerusalem's French Hill district. Hamas claims responsibility for the attack.Nightmare images from a Jerusalem commuter busAugust 2021 medicmedic May 19 – Three IDF soldiers are mildly injured in a cyclist Hamas suicide bombing attack on a military jeep near Kfar Darom south of the Gaza Strip with just the bomber killed. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. May 19 – Three people are killed and about 60 injured in a female suicide bombing attack at the entrance to of the Afula mall in the northern Israeli town of Afula. Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades both claim responsibility for the attack. May 22 – Nine Israelis injured in a roadside bombing attack next to a bus near Netzarim in the Gaza Strip. June 11 – Sixteen Israelis killed by a Palestinian suicide bombing attack on a bus in Jerusalem, Israel, who was disguised as an Orthodox Jew. June 19 – An Israeli shopkeeper is killed in a Palestinian Arab suicide bombing attack in the moshav of Sdei Trumot. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. June 20 – One American Israeli killed and three relatives injured in an attack by waiting Hamas gunmen when driving to a wedding party in Jerusalem.Fisher Daniel Jury Will Put A Price On Terrorism -- And Stick A Bank With The Bill https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2015/08/13/jury-will-put-a-price-on-terrorism-and-stick-a-bank-with-the-bill/2/ 13 August 2015 Forbes 13 August 2015 July 7 – A 65-year-old Israeli woman killed and her three grandchildren lightly injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack inside the women's residential home in Moshav Kfar Yabetz. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the attack. August 12 – Two Israelis are killed and about a dozen are injured in two separate Palestinian suicide bombing attacks in the towns of Rosh Ha'ayin and Ariel. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim responsibility for the attacks.http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/08/12/mideast/index.html CNN Suicide bombings in Israel, West Bank August 12, 2003 August 12 – A 43-year-old Israeli is killed by a teenage Palestinian suicide bombing attack in a Rosh Ha'ayin supermarket. August 19 – 23 Israelis are killed and over 130 are wounded in a Hamas suicide bombing attack, who was disguised as a Haredi Jew and used spiked ball-bearings on an Egged bus No. 2 in Jerusalem. September 9 – Eight Israelis killed and 15 injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing at a bus stop near Tzrifin, close to Rishon LeZion,http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/09/mideast.blast/index.html CNN Suicide bombers kill 15 in Mideast September 9, 2003https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47952-2003Sep9?language=printer The Washington Post Suicide bombers August 21, 2012 August 23, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20040405063112/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47952-2003Sep9?language=printer April 5, 2004 dead mdy-all http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,96819,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145957/http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,96819,00.html dead 2015-09-24 Suicide bombers which several hours later, followed by a second suicide bombing at a Jerusalem café, which killed seven people and injured dozens.http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3415473 Reuters At Least 2 Dead in Jerusalem Cafe Blast-Witnesses dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030920063954/http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3415473 September 20, 2003 May 9, 2013https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3095304.stm BBC News Suicide bombers rock Israel September 10, 2003 September 9 – Seven people killed and over 50 injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack at the Café Hillel in Jerusalem. Hamas claims responsibility.Incident Summary for GTDID: 200309090001 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). (2022). Global Terrorism Database, 1970-2020 September 26 – The Avraham family is killed by a Palestinian gunman forces his way into a home in Negohot, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank near Hebron, and murders seven-month-old Shaked Avraham and 27-year-old Eyal Yeberbaum, and wounds both of the baby girl's parents as they are celebrating the Jewish New Year. The gunman is later killed by Israeli security forces. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the attack.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98437,00.html Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the attack dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151211202556/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C98437%2C00.html December 11, 2015 October 4 – 21 Israelis killed and 51 injured by a 28-year-old Palestinian female suicide bombing attack, with the bomber Hanadi Jaradat attacking the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. The restaurant was co-owned by Christian Arab and Jewish Israelis and was a symbol of co-existence. October 9 – Two IDF soldiers and a Palestinian are injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack on the DCO located at the entrance to Tulkarm.Incident Summary for GTDID: 200310090004 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). (2022). Global Terrorism Database, 1970-2020 October 15 – Three Americans killed and one wounded in an IED attack at the Beit Hanoun junction in the Gaza Strip of a convoy carrying U.S. diplomats. November 3 – One IDF soldier mildly injured in suicide bomber attacks on an Israeli incursion in Azun near Kafr Qasem in the West Bank. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility.Incident Summary for GTDID: 200311030001 START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism). (2022). Global Terrorism Database, 1970-2020 December 25 – Four Israelis killed in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack at a bus stop near Tel Aviv.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3348159.stm BBC News Ten killed in Mid-East violence December 26, 2003 Israeli military operations against Palestinian militancy targets The most prominent Israeli military counter-terrorism operations (military campaigns and military operations) carried out against Palestinian militants during 2003 include: June 21 – IDF executes Abdullah Qawasmeh, a senior Hamas commander in Hebron believed to be the responsible for the attack on the Goldstein family driving on Route 60 that killed an American-Israeli and injured 3. August 21 – Israel executes senior Hamas official, Ismail Abu Shanab, by a missile strike in the Gaza Strip. October 5 – Ain es Saheb airstrike: Israeli warplanes attack an alleged Islamic Jihad training base in Syria, 15 mi km flip northwest of the Syrian capital Damascus, in response for a suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant that killed 21 people. The Israel Defense Forces claimed the camp was used to train recruits in bomb assembly and guerrilla warfare and has released footage of the camp taken from the Al-Arabia TV station showing hundreds of weapons and tunnels packed with arms and ammunition. December 25 – An Israeli helicopter gunship attacks a car in Gaza City, killing Islamic Jihad commander Mekled Hameid and two fellow militants, together with two bystanders.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3348535.stm BBC News Israel seals West Bank and Gaza December 26, 2003 Notable deaths thumb|right|150px|Ilan Ramon February 1 – Ilan Ramon (born 1954), Israel's first astronaut. February 22 – Shlomo Argov (born 1929), Israeli diplomat. June 5 – Meir Vilner (born 1918), Lithuanian-born Israeli politician and Jewish leader who was the last surviving signatory to Israel's declaration of independence and former chairman of the Communist Party of Israel. September 3 – Charles S. Liebman (born 1934), American-born Israeli political scientist and author on Jewish life and Israel. December 13 – David Perlov (born 1930), Brazilian-born Israeli filmmaker. December 31 – Dora Gad (born 1912), Romanian-born Israeli interior designer and architect. See also 2003 in Israeli film 2003 in Israeli television 2003 in Israeli music 2003 in Israeli sport Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 2003 in the Palestinian territories References External links IDF History in 2003 @ dover.idf.il 2003 in Category:2000s in Israel Israel Israel Category:Years of the 21st century in Israel