2017 in Israel

Israel entered 2017 after a period of heightened stabbing, shooting, and vehicular attacks frequently carried out by individuals. A counterterrorism review counted 142 significant attacks in 2016, establishing the baseline for comparison with 2017.[1]

Israel's population was approximately 8.68 million in May 2017, including about 6.484 million Jewish residents and 1.808 million Arab citizens.[5] A separate demographic estimate placed Israel's core Jewish population at approximately 6,451,000, or 44.5 percent of world Jewry.[6] Jerusalem ended 2017 with 901,300 residents and remained Israel's largest city.[7]

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center counted 82 significant terrorist attacks in 2017, compared with 142 in 2016. Its category included shootings, stabbings, vehicular attacks, improvised explosive devices, and combined attacks, but excluded stone-throwing and Molotov-cocktail incidents. It recorded 18 Israeli deaths, compared with 17 in 2016, and 11 attacks inside Israel proper.[1] An IDF summary using broader categories reported 20 people killed and 169 wounded.[8] The U.S. Department of State reported seven people killed and 23 injured in attacks within Israel under its own methodology.[9]

The annual review highlighted the April–May Palestinian security-prisoner hunger strike, the July Temple Mount crisis, and unrest after Trump's Jerusalem announcement. April had the year's highest monthly total, with 13 significant attacks.[1]

The IDF reported 3,617 arrests of Palestinians suspected of terrorist activity, the seizure of about NIS 10 million in alleged terrorist funds, the closure of 42 weapons laboratories, and the confiscation of 455 illegal weapons. It also reported that nobody infiltrated illegally from Egypt during the year.[8]

On July 14, 2017, three terrorists from Umm al-Fahm opened fire near Lions' Gate and fled toward the Temple Mount compound. Border Police officers Haiel Stawi and Kamil Shnaan died of their wounds, another person was injured, and security forces killed the three attackers. A Carl Gustav submachine gun, a pistol, and knives were recovered.[10]

Police closed the Temple Mount to Muslim worshippers for the first time since 1969, searched the compound, and installed metal detectors at its entrances.[10] The Waqf rejected the new arrangements as a violation of the site's status quo, and numerous riots and protests followed in Jerusalem and the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria.[11] Israel later removed most of the new measures, after which Muslim worshippers returned.[10]

Jordan took a leading diplomatic role. King Abdullah met Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on August 7. The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs argues that removing the devices preserved the status quo while demonstrating that major future changes would require coordination with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.[12]

On July 21, a terrorist entered a home in Halamish during a Sabbath meal and stabbed members of a family, killing three civilians. He was wounded and arrested. The July review identified this and the Temple Mount shooting as the month's two major attacks, with five people killed in total.[10]

On December 6, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and would relocate its embassy there as soon as practicable. The proclamation did not determine the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty and reaffirmed U.S. support for the status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites.[2] It stated: "The United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and that the United States Embassy to Israel will be relocated to Jerusalem as soon as practicable."[2]

The decision reversed longstanding U.S. policy and practice, angered Palestinian officials, and drew criticism from Arab states and Western allies. Palestinian officials subsequently broke off ties with the White House.[13] Demonstrations and riots occurred in Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. During a December 15 "day of rage," several thousand people demonstrated in and around Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, while clashes along the Gaza border reportedly left two Palestinians dead and 40 wounded.[14]

The unrest did not produce a comparable increase in significant terrorist attacks, but rocket fire from Gaza rose sharply. At least 11 rockets landed in Israel during December, and a separate report said close to 30 were fired after the announcement.[1][14] On December 18, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution supported by the other 14 members. On December 21, the General Assembly adopted a related nonbinding resolution by 128 votes to 9, with 35 abstentions.[15]

Russia had announced in April 2017 that it regarded West Jerusalem as Israel's capital and East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs characterizes that declaration as attracting little international attention or protest.[16] During 2017, the United Nations adopted 22 Israel-related resolutions, 21 by vote and one by consensus.[17]

Iran's expanding role in Syria became a major Israeli strategic concern. The Congressional Research Service reported Israeli fears that Iran sought a territorial corridor to the Mediterranean and a permanent military presence in Syria. In September, Netanyahu said Israel would act to prevent permanent Iranian bases, weapons production in Syria or Lebanon, and new terrorist fronts along Israel's northern border.[15]

Israeli officials also expressed concern about Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel in Syria. Foreign reporting attributed several strikes to Israel during 2017, including attacks on Hezbollah or Iranian-linked infrastructure near Damascus and Masyaf, along with Israeli retaliation for spillover fire from Syria.[18][19]

The annual review recorded 31 rocket hits in Israeli territory: 22 from Gaza and nine from the Sinai Peninsula. No fatalities were attributed to the rocket fire, although property damage occurred.[1] The IDF reported 35 Iron Dome activations, compared with 15 in 2016, and 59 retaliatory strikes against launchers, military positions, and training camps in Gaza.[8]

In February, security forces evacuated the Amona outpost pursuant to Supreme Court orders; approximately 100 people barricaded themselves inside its synagogue before being removed.[20] The Knesset subsequently passed the Law for the Regulation of Settlement in Judea and Samaria. It authorized the government to expropriate certain privately owned Palestinian property to regularize settlement outposts, with compensation for the owners. The measure was legally and politically contested.[21]

On March 7, the Knesset voted 46–28 to permit denial of entry to nonresidents who publicly called for boycotts of Israel or Israeli settlements, or were associated with organizations that did so.[22] Critics argued that the law restricted political expression, while supporters presented it as part of Israel's campaign against boycott activity.[23]

In December, following a 42-hour filibuster, the Knesset enacted the Police Recommendations Law. It restricted police from issuing recommendations on whether suspects should be indicted, took effect after 14 days, and excluded investigations already underway, including Cases 1000, 2000, and 3000. The attorney general, police, academics, retired judges, and other public figures opposed it.[24]

Avi Gabbay, a former environmental protection minister who had never served in the Knesset, was elected Labor Party leader in July. He sought to move Labor toward centrist voters and argued that settlements would not necessarily have to be evacuated under a peace agreement.[20]

In June, Netanyahu's Cabinet indefinitely froze an agreement to establish a state-recognized egalitarian-prayer section at the Western Wall.[11] Conservative and Reform Jewish leaders sharply criticized the decision, which intensified concerns about relations between Israel and parts of American Jewry. The Supreme Court later instructed the government to reinstate the agreement or explain its suspension.[25]

President Trump visited Israel for two days in May during his first overseas trip. He visited Yad Vashem, met Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.[25]

Public U.S. criticism of Israeli construction diminished after Trump took office, while disputes over Iran were increasingly handled in private.[19] In September, Netanyahu visited Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, the first Latin American tour by a sitting Israeli prime minister. Argentine President Mauricio Macri announced the transfer to Israel of 139,544 formerly classified documents concerning Argentina's relations with Nazi Germany.[26][19]

On July 7, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee designated the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage site. Netanyahu responded by cutting one million dollars from Israel's UN payments for Jewish-heritage projects in Hebron and Kiryat Arba. On October 12, he ordered preparations for Israel's withdrawal from UNESCO.[9]

UNESCO also adopted resolutions concerning Jerusalem that described Israel as an occupying power, rejected Israeli sovereignty over the city, and condemned Israeli archaeological and construction activity in and around the Old City.[27]

Netanyahu's government operated throughout 2017 under the shadow of several corruption investigations. By year's end, investigators were examining allegations involving inappropriate gifts, an effort to limit newspaper competition in exchange for favorable coverage, and possible corruption connected with telecommunications regulation. Netanyahu denied wrongdoing.[28]

Weekly anti-corruption demonstrations moved from Petah Tikva to Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, and Netanyahu was questioned again during Hanukkah.[20] The Police Recommendations Law became closely associated in public debate with the investigations, although it formally excluded cases already underway.[24]

Preliminary estimates placed Israeli GDP growth at approximately 3 percent in 2017 and GDP per capita at about $41,350, one percent higher than in 2016.[3] The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that GDP at constant prices had grown by an annual average of 5.9 percent between 1950 and 2017, while GDP per capita grew by 2.9 percent annually. Israel recorded a current-account surplus of about $10.5 billion and a net foreign-debt position of approximately negative $161.7 billion.[29]

Consumer spending rose by 3 percent, civilian government spending by 3.7 percent, and military expenditure remained stable.[3] Goods exports totaled approximately $61.087 billion and imports $69.143 billion.[29] Exports of goods and services were projected to exceed $100 billion, approximately 5 percent above 2016.[30]

The Ministry of Tourism survey counted 3,614,143 overnight tourists departing Israel in 2017, 25 percent more than the 2,872,581 counted in 2016, as well as 195,486 day trippers.[31] A broader Central Bureau of Statistics measure recorded approximately 3.9 million visitor arrivals and 24.2 million tourist-hotel person-nights.[29] The Ministry estimated that incoming tourism contributed NIS 20 billion to the economy.[4]

The survey reported an average stay of 10.2 nights, average expenditure of $1,421, and a 91.3 percent "very good" or "excellent" satisfaction rating.[31] The United States was the largest source country, followed by Russia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.[4] Globes reported that 59 percent were first-time visitors and that Jerusalem was visited by 78 percent of tourists, Tel Aviv–Jaffa by 67 percent, the Dead Sea by 49 percent, and Tiberias and the Galilee by 35 percent.[4]

Foreign-tourist hotel overnights reached 10.6 million, 23 percent above 2016. Nationwide occupancy rose from 62 to 67 percent, while Jerusalem's rate increased from 53 to 65 percent.[32]

Jerusalem ended 2017 with 901,300 residents, including 559,800 Jews and 341,500 Arabs. The Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research reported an overall poverty rate of 45 percent, including 25 percent among Jews and 78 percent among Arabs.[7]

The city's migration balance was negative by 6,000 residents, the lowest such figure since 2008. At the same time, 11,100 people moved to Jerusalem from elsewhere in Israel, the highest inflow since 2010; 47 percent were aged 20–34.[33]

The National Library of Israel's Hebrew Book Week report recorded 7,692 books published in Israel during 2017, excluding digital and audio books.[34] The total reflected the continuing scale of Hebrew and Israeli print publishing during the year.

The United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, implementing the relocation announced in Trump's proclamation.[13] The July Temple Mount crisis remained significant as an illustration of the site's volatility and of Jordan's diplomatic role. The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs argued that the outcome reinforced the need for coordination before substantial changes to security arrangements.[12]

The tourism record also provided a durable economic benchmark: 2017's 3.6 million visits and NIS 20 billion estimated contribution marked a major expansion of Israel's tourism sector despite security and diplomatic tensions.[4]

Accounts of 2017 differ according to methodology and political perspective. Israeli counterterrorism researchers, the IDF, and the U.S. Department of State reported different casualty totals because they used different geographic and incident categories.[1][9] The tourism total likewise varies between the Ministry of Tourism's survey of departing overnight tourists and the Central Bureau of Statistics' broader visitor-arrival measure.[29][31]

The investigations involving Netanyahu concerned allegations that he denied, not established criminal conduct.[28] The legal status of Jerusalem and the consequences of U.S. recognition remained internationally contested, as demonstrated by the December Security Council and General Assembly votes.[15] Interpretations of the Temple Mount measures also differed: Israeli authorities emphasized security, while the Waqf and Palestinian representatives described the changes as an alteration of the status quo.[11][12]