2019 in Israel

Entering 2019, Israel had been governed by a transitional government since December 2018, a situation that constrained normal governmental activity, including the ability to approve the military budget and address other high-priority fiscal matters.[2] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led Likud as the dominant party of the right-wing bloc, while a new political alliance — Blue and White, formed by former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid — emerged as the principal challenger.[7] The Knesset consisted of 120 seats, with 61 required for a governing majority, and the fragmentation of Israel's multiparty system made coalition-building a complicated exercise that would prove impossible twice during the year.[8]

Israelis voted in elections for the 21st Knesset on April 9, 2019, with turnout of 68.46%.[7] The final distribution gave Likud and Blue and White 35 seats each.[7] The New Right remained outside the Knesset, 1,461 votes short of the electoral threshold.[9] During consultations with President Reuven Rivlin, parties holding 65 seats recommended Netanyahu for prime minister, while Gantz received backing from 45 Knesset members; Rivlin accordingly assigned Netanyahu the task of forming a government.[10]

Negotiations broke down over the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the IDF. Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beiteinu held five seats, demanded that a bill regulating Haredi military service pass in its original form. United Torah Judaism sought changes to the legislation, and Lieberman refused to join a coalition that accommodated those demands.[11] Netanyahu assembled support from parties representing 60 seats, one short of a majority, but could not bridge the gap.[7] On May 29, the Knesset voted to dissolve itself and scheduled another election for September 17.[11] The 21st Knesset had been sworn in on April 30, served for only 30 days, and passed no legislation — itself a first in Israeli history.[7] Dissolution also foreclosed the alternative of Rivlin assigning another Knesset member to attempt to form a government.[11]

The vote's geographic variation was notable. While Likud and Kahol Lavan each drew roughly 26% of the national vote, their support diverged sharply by city: Kahol Lavan took 46% in Tel Aviv, while Likud drew 25% in Jerusalem.[12] A Tel Aviv University Peace Index survey conducted in August 2019 found that about a quarter of the Israeli public preferred a Likud-led right-wing government and another quarter a center-left government under Blue and White; among Jewish respondents, more than half favored the Likud-led option, while about two-thirds of Arab respondents preferred a center-left outcome.[13]

Turnout in the September 17 election was 69.8%, somewhat higher than in April.[7] Participation in Arab communities rose markedly, from 49% in April to 60% in September.[7] The Central Elections Committee announced the final distribution on September 25 after a detailed review transferred one seat from United Torah Judaism to Likud.[14]

The final distribution gave Blue and White 33 seats and Likud 32; the Joint List won 13 seats and became the third-largest party in the Knesset. Shas won 9, Yisrael Beiteinu 8, Yamina and United Torah Judaism 7 each, Labor-Gesher 6, and the Democratic Union 5.[1] The center-left and right-wing blocs held 57 and 55 seats respectively, with Lieberman's eight seats holding the balance of power.[2] Neither bloc reached the 61-seat threshold needed to govern.

Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu — which had precipitated the repeat election by refusing to join a Netanyahu-led government alongside ultra-Orthodox parties — called for a unity government incorporating Likud, Blue and White, and Yisrael Beiteinu.[2][1] Neither Netanyahu nor Gantz could assemble a majority: Netanyahu announced his failure on October 21, and Gantz informed Rivlin on November 20 that he had likewise been unable to form a government.[15] On December 11, after the Knesset failed to coalesce around any candidate, lawmakers dissolved the house and scheduled a third election for March 2, 2020.[4] The two elections also affected the Knesset's composition: the number of women in the 120-member chamber fell from 35 at the start of the year to 28 by year's end, and the number of members from ethnic or religious minorities declined from 18 to 16.[4]

Three election cycles within a short timeframe resulted in lower-than-usual parliamentary activity.[16] During 2019, the Knesset Research and Information Center received 202 information requests, finalized 160 responses, wrote 114 documents, and answered 90 requests from foreign parliaments.[16] Both elections were considered free and fair, with turnout exceeding 67% in each; observers reported minimal irregularities in September that did not affect the outcome.[4]

On March 25, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington.[3] Trump cited Israel's need to protect itself from Syria and regional threats including Iran and Hezbollah as justifications for the decision.[17] The proclamation broke with the previous international pattern of nonrecognition and changed longstanding U.S. policy.[3][17]

Israel had captured the Golan from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War and applied Israeli law there in 1981, a move that had not been recognized internationally.[17] UN Security Council Resolution 497 declared Israel's extension of its law to the territory null and void, while previous U.S. policy had treated the Golan's final status as a matter for negotiation.[17]

The recognition drew international rejection. The European Union stated that its position had not changed and that it did not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan; France, Germany, Russia, and several regional governments also rejected the move.[3] The recognition had significant political and diplomatic consequences but was considered unlikely to create special security challenges for Israel.[3] It was welcomed by most of the Israeli public and political establishment.[3]

The U.S. State Department reported that Palestinian groups launched 1,340 rockets and mortars from Gaza toward arbitrary or civilian targets in Israel during 2019, killing six Israelis and injuring more than 150 Israeli civilians.[4]

The most intense escalation took place on May 4–6. Approximately 700 rockets and mortar shells were fired toward communities near Gaza, across the Negev, and as far as the Shephelah.[18] The IDF struck approximately 320 targets in Gaza. Four Israelis were killed and hundreds were injured, while at least 25 Palestinians were reported killed.[18] Palestinian media reported a ceasefire beginning early on May 6, although immediate Israeli confirmation had not been issued when the report was published.[18]

Another major escalation followed Israel's targeted killing of senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in November. By the evening of November 13, the IDF reported that 360 rockets had been fired at Israel. About 90% of projectiles heading toward populated areas were reportedly intercepted, and no Israeli fatalities had occurred, although dozens of people were lightly injured or hospitalized for anxiety and houses and a factory were damaged.[19] Israeli schools within 40 kilometers of Gaza were ordered closed, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad's leadership prepared for Egyptian-mediated ceasefire talks.[19]

The State Department reported that terrorist attacks targeting Israelis killed nine people in Israel during 2019. The reported locations included Jerusalem, Ashdod, Kibbutz Erez, and Ashkelon, and most attackers were Palestinians from the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria — or Gaza.[4] The Israeli government also reported that security forces foiled more than 500 major terrorist attacks during the year.[4]

On February 28, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced that he was considering indicting Netanyahu in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, following an investigation in which 140 witnesses had given evidence.[20] On November 21, Mandelblit announced his decision to charge Netanyahu with bribery in Case 4000 and breach of public trust in Cases 1000 and 2000.[20]

The allegations involved possible corruption related to the regulation of a telecommunications company, an alleged attempt to obtain favorable press coverage through actions affecting a competing newspaper, and the alleged receipt of inappropriate gifts.[4] Netanyahu denied wrongdoing and stated that he did not intend to resign.[20] The announced charges were allegations rather than findings of guilt.[20]

On July 20, 2019, Netanyahu became Israel's longest-serving leader, surpassing David Ben-Gurion's 8,475 days in office.[20] He continued to lead a caretaker government through both elections and the subsequent coalition impasse.[1]

Israel hosted the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv after Netta Barzilai's entry "Toy" won the 2018 contest.[21] Tel Aviv was selected as the host city over Jerusalem, Haifa, Eilat, and Petah Tikva, with political objections to holding the event in Jerusalem contributing to the choice.[22][21] The opening ceremony took place at Habima Square on May 12, with participants from 41 countries walking an orange carpet in place of the traditional red one.[23]

The semifinals were held on May 14 and 16, and the final took place at Expo Tel Aviv on May 18.[22][24] Israel was represented by Kobi Marimi, selected after the Shalva Band withdrew from the national selection process because required rehearsals fell on Shabbat; Culture Minister Miri Regev sought an exemption from the European Broadcasting Union, which was denied.[22] Marimi finished 23rd in the final, which was won by the Netherlands' Duncan Laurence.[24] An estimated 1.3 million Israelis watched the competition on television, and 7,280 spectators attended at the venue.[24] Madonna performed at the event.[21]

The contest was politically charged. BDS campaigns urged contestants not to participate, but no countries withdrew from the competition. The rocket escalation earlier in May raised security concerns, and one contemporary account reported that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad had stated an intent to disrupt the event; that attribution of intent was the account's claim rather than an independently established finding.[22]

Israel's economy expanded by 3.3% in 2019, with GDP per capita growing by 1.3% to $43,600 in current prices.[6] Private consumption rose 3.9%, public expenditure increased 4.1%, and exports of goods and services grew by 3.3%, while fixed-asset investment rose only 0.3%.[6] The fiscal deficit was reported at 3.7% of GDP, or NIS 52.2 billion, based on Finance Ministry data — above the planned 2.9% target — with revenues NIS 9.2 billion below forecast and expenditure NIS 2.8 billion above it.[25]

Tourism reached a record high: 4.5 million tourists visited Israel in 2019, up from 4.1 million in 2018.[26] Hotel stays totaled 25.8 million overnight stays, with nearly half attributable to foreign visitors.[26]

Israel's population stood at 9,092,000 at the end of 2019, up from 8,972,000 the previous year.[5]

Several significant events of 2019 involve contested legal interpretations or differing contemporary reports. The U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights was rejected by much of the international community and differed from the position expressed in UN Security Council Resolution 497; its diplomatic and legal implications remain disputed.[3][17] Casualty and rocket totals from the May and November Gaza escalations were reported at different stages of the fighting and should be read as attributed contemporary figures rather than independently verified final totals.[18][19]

During the April election campaign, Likud placed cameras in predominantly Arab polling stations; the Central Elections Committee ruled that recording devices in polling stations were prohibited without formal legislation.[4] The September election results underwent revision during verification: an earlier count listed Likud with 31 seats and United Torah Judaism with 8, before the final distribution of 32 and 7 was confirmed. Ballots at six polling stations in Arab towns in northern Israel were also disqualified after administrative evidence of fraudulent behavior was found.[14]

On June 30, an off-duty police officer in Haifa shot and killed Selomon Teka, an 18-year-old of Ethiopian descent, after Teka threw rocks at the officer and physically confronted him.[4] The incident prompted nationwide demonstrations focused on police treatment of Ethiopian citizens. On November 19, the officer was indicted for negligent homicide.[4] The charges announced against Netanyahu on November 21 were legal allegations rather than findings of guilt, and Netanyahu denied wrongdoing.[20]