The 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp is commemorated around the world; Israeli President Reuven Rivlin attends the ceremony at the site of Auschwitz, along with the President of Poland and both leaders condemn the current resurgence of antisemitism.[7][8]
President Rivlin meets with President Andrzej Duda of Poland, and discusses the role of individual Poles in the Holocaust.[9]
3 February – Ugandan PresidentYoweri Museveni says he is "studying" the possibility of opening an embassy in Jerusalem as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises to open an embassy in Uganda if such a move takes place.[16]
6 February – Two Palestinians are killed and seven others are wounded by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank. In a separate incident, twelve Israeli soldiers are injured in a car-ramming attack by a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem in Jerusalem who then fled to and abandoned the vehicle in Beit Jala, a Bethlehem suburb. The driver was then arrested at the Gush Etzion Junction, south of Bethlehem, and handed over to the Shin Bet security service for questioning. An Israeli police officer was shot injured in a gunman attack at the Lion's Gate in Jerusalem's Old City and then shot dead. Israeli airstrikes were launched at the Gaza Strip.[17]
12 militants killed in Israeli missile strikes near Damascus, Syria.[18]
9 February – Israel blocks all Palestinian agricultural exports from the West Bank following Palestinian limitations on imports of Israeli cattle.[19][20]
11 February – Israel announces it will install a new water system for use in maximum-security prisons, after discovering that some prisoners are wasting water on purpose.[22]
13 February – The Israeli Air Force launches an air raid on Iranian targets in Damascus, Syria with the Syrian Air Defense Force claiming the interception of several missiles.[24]
30 March – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his cabinet members self-quarantine after an aide tests positive for COVID-19.[37]
April
1 April – Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman tests positive for COVID-19 and goes into quarantine, with the total number of cases in Israel rising to 6,092.[38]
19 April – Over 2,000 Israelis protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of endangering democracy in the country and using the coronavirus crisis to escape prosecution on corruption charges.[41]
12 May – An IDF soldier dies after being struck on the head by a thrown stone in Ya'bad, West Bank with the suspect at large. In a separate incident, Israeli police injure a Palestinian man in Kalandia for an attempting stabbing attack.[44]
19 May – Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas announces the termination of all agreements, including security ones, with Israel and the United States in response to Israel's plans to annex the Jordan Valley.[49]
12 June – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses his condolences for the shooting death of Iyad Halaq and says he "expects a full investigation into the matter" from Interior Security Minister Amir Ohana.[51]
19 June – Iran condemns IAEA resolution of calling for the opening of two of its nuclear sites to international inspectors, claiming the country is in full compliance with inspections as part of 2015 nuclear deal and that it is "based on false allegations" from Israel.[52]
3 July – Michael Ben Zikri drowns after rescuing a Bedouin Arab family from a sinkhole near a manmade lake south of Ashkelon; Israeli Bedouin and Arabs as well as people in Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman and Syria are among those who praise his heroic self-sacrifice.[54][55]
18 July – Thousands of Israelis protest in front of the Prime Ministers residence demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over his indictment on corruption charges as well as mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis that results in severe clashes with police using water cannons and 34 arrested.[58][59]July: Israelis protest in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Syrian air defenses intercept an unconfirmed Israeli airstrike over Damascus believed to be Israeli airstrikes on a major Iranian-backed ammunition depot with at least seven soldiers injured.[61]
About 2,000 Israelis protest outside the residence of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis and alleged corruption.[64]
23 July – Israeli MPs pass a bill to begin the process to outlaw conversion therapy, being the first Middle Eastern country to do so. The bill was passed as two of the main coalition parties joined the opposition in supporting it. It must pass two more approvals to become a new law.[65]
27 July – Explosions and exchanges of fire are heard during an armed incident involving Israeli troops and Hezbollah at the border between Israel and Lebanon. Four Hezbollah militants crossed the border and fled back to Lebanon after being shot at, while IDF reported no Israeli casualties. An Israeli shell smashed in a Lebanese civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt.[66][67]
2 August – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the media of instigating anti-corruption protests against him and downplaying incidents of violence by the protesters. Earlier in the day, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered his son Yair to take down a Tweet doxing the leaders of the protests.[69][70]
30 August – Israel sends 10 elite firefighters to California to assist local firefighters battling some of the largest fires in the state's recent history.[72][73]
25 September – The government imposes a second, two-week long lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, closing all but essential businesses, and strictly limiting movement and public gatherings.[76]
30 September – Israel's parliament passes a law authorizing the "special coronavirus emergency" and continuing to limit public gatherings; the law is criticized in particular for limiting demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged corruption and mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel.[77]
October
14 October – Israeli and Lebanese delegations begin talks, facilitated by the United Nations and the United States, over their disputed maritime border.[78]
23 October – The Israel–Sudan normalization agreement, whereby Israel and Sudan agree to normalize relations, is announced, making Sudan the fifth Arab country to establish formal relations with Israel.[80]
5 November – The United Nations General Assembly approves a resolution condemning Israeli forces' use of violence against Palestinians. 139 nations voted in favor of the resolution and nine voted against it.[82]
9 November – An IsraAid team arrived in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, following Hurricane Eta, to provide psychological first aid, medical support and relief items, as well as hygiene kits and water filters to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.[83]
Iranian presidentHassan Rouhani vows to "respond" to (Israel), whom the regime has accused of orchestrating the killing, "at the proper time."[91]
Protesters gather at the Beit Aghion residence in Jerusalem to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and also while he is on trial for corruption.[92]
30 November – Saudi Arabia agrees to allow Israeli commercial flights to cross its airspace for the first time, following high-level talks between Saudi officials and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.[93]
12 December – Bhutan establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.[98]
17 December –
The Palestinian Authority impose a two-week lockdown in the entire West Bank that orders schools, universities, restaurants, barbershops, gyms and leisure venues to close. As part of the lockdown, the curfew has also been extended for two weeks.[99]
19 December – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first Israeli to receive the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech and getting the shot on live television.[101]
20 December –
COVID-19 vaccination begins with doses from both Pfizer and Moderna to first immunize healthcare workers, followed by the elderly and others at high-risk.[102]
Israeli Border Patrol bans entry of travelers from Denmark, South Africa, and the United Kingdom due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the latter country. Israeli citizens arriving from those countries will be required to quarantine at state-run quarantine hotels for up to 14 days.[103]
23 December – The 23rd Knesset is dissolved as the deadline to approve the 2020 state budget expires without agreement, requiring elections for the fourth time in less than two years.[105]
27 December – A third national lockdown begins since the start of the pandemic in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 infections; most schools remain open.[106]
26 December – The Israeli military (IDF) carries out several airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, in response to overnight rocket attacks in Israel. IDF says it targeted a rocket manufacturing site, underground infrastructure and a military post. Two minor injuries are reported. The attacks caused power outages in the eastern part of the strip. Hamas claims the strikes damaged a children's hospital, a centre for disabled people, and damaged the windows of several residential buildings. IDF claims that the damage was due to detonations of ground munitions.[107][108]
30 December – Former American spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife arrive in Israel.[109]
Deaths
4 January – Galia Yishai (b. 1950), Israeli actress and singer.[110]
21 September – Amos Lin (b. 1933), Israeli Olympic basketball player (1952).[145]
26 September – Moshe Efrati (b. 1934), choreographer, founder and artistic director of the Kol Demama Dance Company, and Israel Prize laureate for Dance.[146]
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