2022 in Israel

Israel entered 2022 governed by a coalition assembled in June 2021 under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. It was an unprecedented alliance of parties from the center, right, and left alongside the Islamist Ra'am Party.[6] The two leaders had agreed to a rotation under which Lapid would become prime minister midway through the term. The coalition's ideological breadth made governance difficult, and by spring 2022 it had begun to fray under the pressure of defections and opposition efforts to bring it down.

Israel's population stood at approximately 9.5 million in May 2022 and grew to 9.656 million by year's end, a 2.2% increase driven 62% by natural growth and 38% by immigration, primarily Jewish immigration from diaspora countries.[7][8] Since the state's founding, immigration had brought approximately 3.3 million Jews to the country.[8]

The governing coalition's collapse was precipitated by defections and a consequential legislative failure. Two members of Bennett's Yamina party left the coalition, stripping it of its majority.[9] The immediate legislative trigger was the failure to renew regulations applying aspects of Israeli civilian law to Israeli citizens living in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria — after Arab coalition lawmakers opposed the measure.[6][9] Bennett warned that allowing the regulations to expire could cause legal chaos for Israeli residents of the territory.[1]

On June 20, Bennett and Lapid announced their intention to dissolve the Knesset.[1] On June 30, the 24th Knesset voted in second and third readings to dissolve itself, setting a general election for November 1.[10] The vote followed delays and thousands of rejected amendments, as coalition and opposition parties failed to agree on a legislative timetable.[10] At midnight on July 1, Lapid took office as Israel's 14th prime minister under the coalition's rotation agreement, having previously served as foreign minister and alternate prime minister.[11] Bennett announced that he would not seek election.[6]

Israel held elections for the 25th Knesset on November 1, the fifth such election in three and a half years.[2] The Central Elections Committee's interim release reported 6,788,804 eligible voters, turnout of 70.6%, 4,763,694 valid votes, and 29,947 invalid votes or empty envelopes. The electoral threshold stood at 3.25%, equivalent to 154,820 valid votes.[12] The elections were assessed as free and fair.[13]

The seat allocation gave Likud 32 seats and Yesh Atid 24. The Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit list received 14 seats, National Unity 12, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 6, Ra'am 5, Hadash-Ta'al 5, and Labor 4.[12][14] Meretz failed to cross the 3.25% threshold, ending thirty years of continuous representation in the Knesset.[14] Netanyahu's supporting bloc totaled 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats, giving it a clear path to coalition negotiations.[14][15]

Writing in Sapir Journal, Stav Shaffir noted that four earlier election rounds had failed to give Netanyahu a governing majority and placed the popular-vote gap between his bloc and the opposing bloc at approximately 30,000 votes.[16] Outgoing Prime Minister Lapid called Netanyahu to congratulate him and instructed government offices to prepare an orderly transfer of power. Naftali Bennett announced his resignation from the Knesset.[14]

Benjamin Netanyahu's 37th government was presented to the Knesset on December 29 and subsequently sworn in, returning Netanyahu to the premiership after a year and a half out of office.[17][18] Likud led the coalition alongside the Religious Zionism Party, Otzma Yehudit, Noam, Shas, and United Torah Judaism — a 64-seat majority in the 120-seat chamber.[17] Half of the coalition's members came from religious parties, and no Arab members were included in the cabinet.[19]

Key appointments included Itamar Ben-Gvir as minister for national security and Bezalel Smotrich as finance minister.[18] More than 1,000 people protested outside the Knesset on the day the government was presented.[18] In his address to the Knesset, Netanyahu named preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, developing infrastructure and the economy, and expanding peace with Arab states as among the new government's goals.[3]

The American Jewish Committee welcomed the incoming government while warning that inflammatory rhetoric by some coalition members should not define its domestic or foreign policies.[20] A chapter summarized by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Research Portal characterized the government as controlled by right-wing parties that intended to alter the established system of checks and balances, particularly by curtailing judicial powers.[21] INSS's strategic assessment similarly described growing political polarization and debate over judicial independence and the balance among the branches of government as defining features of the period.[15]

According to the U.S. Department of State, terrorist attacks from March through May killed 21 Israelis.[22] The wave began on March 22 in Beersheba, where four people were killed in a stabbing and vehicular attack; Israeli authorities assessed that the terrorist had been inspired by ISIS.[22] Five days later, two terrorists killed two Border Police officers in Hadera and wounded at least ten others. Israeli authorities assessed that the attackers had sworn allegiance to ISIS.[22][23] On March 29, a shooting in Bnei Brak killed five people, including two Ukrainian nationals.[22]

On April 7, a terrorist killed three people outside a bar on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv. On May 5, two terrorists killed four people celebrating Israel's Independence Day in El'ad.[22] The State Department described the overall level of violence in 2022 as the highest since the 2015–2016 "stabbing Intifada."[22]

In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched "Operation Break the Wave," conducting almost daily raids in the West Bank — in Judea and Samaria — through the remainder of the year.[22] The IDF reported 305 shooting attacks in 2022 compared with 91 in 2021, a threefold increase. More than 40 targeted Israeli civilians directly, while most occurred when Israeli troops entered Palestinian cities to arrest suspects.[22] The new terrorist group Lion's Den also emerged in Nablus; Israeli authorities assessed that it had fewer than 100 members and was not directly affiliated with established organizations.[22]

In November, two explosions at bus stops in Jerusalem killed two people and injured 22.[24] For the full year, the IDF's annual review recorded 31 people killed in Palestinian attacks, 24 of them civilians, compared with four civilian deaths in 2021.[25] Israeli authorities reported to the State Department that terrorist attacks killed 32 Israelis and foreigners: 21 Israeli civilians, eight members of Israeli security forces, and three foreigners.[22] ITIC counted 30 Israelis killed in terrorist attacks — 24 civilians and six security-force members — and separately noted a Border Police fighter killed during operational activity in Samaria.[4] The IDF also called up 41 reserve battalions and arrested 2,672 Palestinians during the year.[25]

The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center counted 86 significant terrorist attacks during 2022, up from 54 in 2021.[4] Its definition covered shootings, stabbings, vehicular rammings, and explosive devices, either alone or in combination, and excluded stone- and Molotov-cocktail-throwing and shooting attacks on IDF forces during counterterrorism operations.[4] Of the 86 attacks, 46 involved shooting, 25 involved stabbing, seven were vehicular rammings, four were classified as combined attacks, and two involved explosive devices.[4]

ITIC reported that rockets and mortar shells from Gaza hit Israeli territory 959 times during 2022. Of those impacts, 946 occurred in August during Operation Breaking Dawn, while 13 occurred outside the operation — 11 before it and two afterward.[4]

Operation Breaking Dawn, a three-day Israeli military confrontation with Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, began with airstrikes on August 5 and ended with an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire that took effect at 11:30 p.m. on August 7.[5][26] The immediate trigger was the August 1 arrest of senior PIJ figure Bassam al-Saadi in Jenin. Israel subsequently closed crossings and restricted movement near Gaza amid intelligence that PIJ cells might carry out a revenge attack using anti-tank missiles and sniper fire.[5][27] Israel described the operation as a preemptive strike.[22]

The IDF struck 170 PIJ targets during the fighting, including 45 long-range rocket launchers and 17 observation points.[28] Israeli strikes killed senior PIJ commanders, including northern commander Taysir Jabari and southern commander Khaled Mansour.[27][26] PIJ launched about 1,100 rockets toward Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported that Iron Dome intercepted 96% of projectiles headed toward population centers, while the Jewish Virtual Library reported that at least 200 rockets malfunctioned inside Gaza.[5][28] No Israeli was killed directly by rocket fire, although Ashkelon resident Shlomo Atias died after suffering a heart attack while running to a shelter.[5] The Jewish Virtual Library reported that 47 civilians were taken to hospitals, including people injured by shrapnel or while seeking shelter and others treated for anxiety.[28]

Authorities reported different Palestinian casualty totals. The State Department recorded a figure of 49 deaths from Gazan authorities, including 12 PIJ members, while Israel reported 35 deaths, including 15 caused by PIJ rockets.[22] The Jerusalem Post reported 48 deaths, attributing 29 to Israeli attacks and the remainder to PIJ rockets that fell inside Gaza.[5] The Jewish Virtual Library likewise recorded Palestinian and Israeli totals of 49 and 35 and described disputes over responsibility for specific civilian deaths, including children.[28] Globes reported that approximately 20 PIJ fighters and commanders were killed and attributed about 15 deaths, most of them children and teenagers, to rockets that landed inside Gaza.[26]

The ceasefire was reached after roughly a day and a half of Egyptian-mediated talks involving Hamas leaders. Egypt undertook to seek the release of al-Saadi and hunger-striking detainee Khalil Awawdeh.[26] Israel stated that it had made no concessions and used the formula "quiet will be met with quiet."[5]

Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, was shot and killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin.[29][30] She was wearing a vest marked "PRESS" at the time.[31] The IDF's September investigation stated that it was not possible to determine unequivocally where the fatal gunfire originated but assessed that there was a high probability she had been accidentally hit by Israeli fire directed at suspected armed gunmen. The IDF said its troops had not identified her and had not intentionally fired at her, and it did not open a criminal investigation.[29]

After reviewing Israeli and Palestinian investigations, the U.S. Security Coordinator concluded that gunfire from Israeli positions was likely responsible but found no reason to believe the shooting was intentional.[29][31] The Palestinian Authority said its investigation found that she had been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces, which Israel denied; her family criticized the Israeli investigation.[32] Forensic examiners could not conclusively identify the source because the bullet was badly damaged.[29]

Several significant diplomatic events shaped Israel's international relationships during the year. In March, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken convened a meeting in Israel's Negev region with the foreign ministers of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Egypt. The participants agreed to establish permanent working groups focused on improving regional security and livelihoods.[33] On April 1, the UAE and Israel concluded a free trade agreement.[33] It was ratified in December.[17]

During President Joe Biden's visit to Israel in July, he and Prime Minister Lapid signed the Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration. The document included a U.S. commitment to "never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon" and stated that the United States was prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome. Biden described diplomacy as his preferred approach while identifying force as a last resort.[30]

A Mosaic essay described the year's diplomatic thaw between Israel and Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Israel in the first such visit by a Turkish foreign minister in fifteen years, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara on March 9 for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and described his purpose as seeking to "reset" relations.[34]

In October, Israel, Lebanon, and the United States announced a resolution to the longstanding maritime-boundary dispute, with implementation documents signed on October 27 at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura. Because Lebanon does not recognize Israel, the countries did not negotiate directly and signed separate documents.[35] The agreement set the boundary at Line 23, transferring approximately 860 square kilometers to Lebanese economic control.[36] The Karish gas field was confirmed within Israel's exclusive economic zone; Lebanon received rights to develop the Qana gas prospect through TotalEnergies, with Israel due compensation for the portion extending into its economic zone.[30][35] Written U.S. guarantees addressed Israel's security and economic rights, including the status of the northern buoy line extending five kilometers into the sea from the land border.[37] Lebanon stated that the agreement was not normalization and did not constitute recognition of Israel.[35] The arrangement was politically contested within Israel.[37]

Israel's GDP grew 6.5% in 2022, following reported growth of between 8.1% and 8.6% in 2021, and total GDP reached $490 billion.[38][39] The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that per-capita GDP rose 4.4% to NIS 184,000, with private consumption growing 7.5% and per-capita private consumption rising 5.5%.[39] INSS reported that the debt-to-GDP ratio fell by 7.1% to nearly 60%, returning to approximately its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, and that unemployment stood at about 4% at year's end.[40]

Tourism recovered significantly but remained below pre-pandemic levels. Israel recorded 2.9 million entries in 2022, including 2.7 million tourists who stayed at least one night; foreign-tourist entry restrictions were not fully removed until May.[41] Arrivals remained below the 2019 record of 4.5 million overnight tourists. The Ministry of Tourism reported that tourists contributed NIS 13.5 billion to the economy; the top source markets were the United States with 810,500 visitors, France with 235,500, and the United Kingdom with 177,900.[41]

Israel's total population at the end of 2022 was recorded at between 9.656 and 9.662 million, depending on the source.[7][42] The Jerusalem Institute's statistical yearbook reported 7.1014 million Jews, 1.7473 million Muslims, 185,500 Christians, 150,200 Druze, and 476,100 people with no religious classification.[42]

Reported casualty totals for terrorist attacks in Israel differ by authority and scope. The IDF annual review reported by Ynetnews cited 31 people killed, while Israeli authorities reported to the State Department that 32 Israelis and foreigners were killed.[22][25] ITIC counted 30 Israelis killed in terrorist attacks and separately noted a Border Police fighter killed during operational activity in Samaria.[4] A separate State Department human-rights report gave a government figure of 23 Israelis killed in terrorist attacks.[13] The sources do not reconcile their counting methods or categories.

Palestinian casualty totals during Operation Breaking Dawn also vary. The State Department recorded figures of 49 from Gazan authorities and 35 from Israel, while the Jerusalem Post's three-day account reported 48.[5][22] ITIC's operational summary reported a Palestinian Ministry of Health total of 44, while a later ITIC examination identified 49 fatalities and distinguished deaths it attributed to Israeli strikes from those it attributed to PIJ rocket misfires.[43][44] Responsibility for specific civilian deaths, including children killed in Gaza, remained disputed.

The circumstances of Shireen Abu Akleh's killing remain contested. The IDF assessed accidental Israeli fire as highly probable but could not determine the source conclusively; the U.S. Security Coordinator reached a similar likely-but-not-certain finding. The Palestinian Authority maintained that the killing was deliberate.[32][29] INSS's descriptions of the incoming coalition's agenda and its possible implications for Israel's democratic institutions reflect that organization's political assessment rather than a universally accepted characterization.[15]