Events in the year 2004 in Israel.

2004
in
Israel

Decades:
See also:

Incumbents

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Events

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Israeli scientists Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko are awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  • January 29 – 400 Palestinian Arab prisoners, 30 Lebanese and other Arab prisoners, and the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians are transferred to Hezbollah, together with maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon, in exchange for the bodies of the three dead IDF soldiers, Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Suaad, as well as the abducted Israeli citizen Elchanan Tenenbaum, who had been captured by Hezbollah after being lured to Dubai for a drug deal.
  • April 21 – Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed an alleged Israeli nuclear weapons program in the 1980s, is released from prison in Israel after serving 18 years for treason.
  • May 12 – The last F-4 Phantom fighters are withdrawn from service with the Israeli Air Force.
  • 12 May – David D'Or represents Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Leha'amin" ("To Believe"), reaching the semi-final round.[1]
  • May 24 – Madonna cancels three concerts in Israel after receiving letters in which her two young children's lives are threatened.[2]
  • July 15 – New Zealand imposes diplomatic sanctions on Israel after an incident involving two alleged Mossad agents committing passport fraud.[3][4][5][6]
  • July 19 – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calls on French Jews to move to Israel immediately in light of the dramatic rise in French antisemitism (510 antisemitic acts or threats in the first six months of 2004, compared to 593 for all of 2003). The French government describes his comments as unacceptable. An Israeli spokesperson later claims that Sharon had been misunderstood.[7][8]
  • July 30 – Three people are killed and eight wounded in three suicide bomber attacks outside the Israeli and U.S. embassies and the Uzbek chief prosecutor's office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is blamed by Uzbek President Islam Karimov. Other unnamed sources point to al-Qaeda.[9][10]
 
Israeli windsurfer Gal Fridman won a gold medal in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, becoming the first (and only, thus far) Olympic gold medalist in Israeli history.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

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The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 2004 include:

Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets

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The most prominent Palestinian militant acts and operations committed against Israeli targets during 2004 include:

  • January 14 – Erez Crossing bombing: A female Palestinian Arab suicide bomber, kills two Israeli soldiers, a border policeman, and a security guard for a private manpower company and wounds twelve others at the Erez Crossing. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades jointly claim responsibility. Hamas states it used a woman suicide bomber for the first time in order to counter Israeli precautions.[43]
  • January 29 – Gaza Street bus bombing: Ten killed, 50 injured when a Palestinian suicide bomber attacks a bus in Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claims responsibility for the attack. Hamas also claims responsibility for the bombing and denounces Al-Aqsa.
  • February 22 – Liberty Bell Park bus bombing: Eight Israelis killed and 60 injured when a Palestinian suicide bomber attacks a Egged bus No. 14 in Jerusalem, others. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim responsibility for the attack.
  • March 6 – Erez Crossing interception: Four Palestinian militants apprehended in three vehicles, two discovered with explosives. [44][45]
  • March 14 – 2004 Ashdod Port bombings: Ten Israeli civilians killed when a Palestinian suicide bombers attacks the southern port of Ashdod. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim joint responsibility for the blasts.
  • April 17 – Second Erez Crossing attack: An Israeli border policeman is killed and three other Israelis are wounded in a suicide bombing at the Erez Crossing into the northern Gaza Strip.[46]
  • April 26 – Deir al-Balah suicide attack: Four IDF soldiers are mildly injured when a suicide bomber attacks the entrance of the Erez terminal of Deir al-Balah.
  • April 30 – After failing to bomb his original target, a bus full of Jewish settlers, a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber detonates an explosive device next to an Israeli army patrol, injuring all four soldiers. Hamas claims responsibility.
  • May 2 – Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters: Palestinian Arab gunmen kill a pregnant Israeli mother, Tali Hatuel, and all four of her young daughters near the Kissufim Crossing into the Gaza Strip. The killers are shot dead by security forces. The incident is believed to have influenced voting intentions in the vote, held the same day, by Likud Party members on whether or not to approve a unilaterally pull out from the Gaza Strip.[47][48]
  • May 22 – Beka'ot checkpoint bombing
  • July 11 – Tel Aviv bus stop bombing: An explosive device, packed with ball bearings and bolts, detonates in the bushes behind a bus stop in Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring thirty-two others.
  • August 11 – Kalandia checkpoint attack: Two people are killed and 16 are wounded when an explosive device is detonated by Palestinian militants inside an Arab taxi as it attempts to cross the Kalandia military check point just north of Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades faction of Fatah claims responsibility and expresses regret that Arabs are among the dead and wounded.[49]
  • August 31 – Beersheba bus bombings: Two buses near the Beersheba municipality building are blown up by a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber. The suicide bomber takes advantage of the fact that the two buses were standing together. He detonates a bomb on one bus and then explodes a second bomb on the second bus. At least fifteen Israelis are killed and around eighty-five injured. The military wing of Hamas claims responsibility for the attack.
  • September 1 – Two Palestinian Arab suicide bombers blow themselves up almost simultaneously on two buses in central Beersheba, killing 16 Israelis and wounding dozens.
  • September 8 – Baka al-Sharkiyeh checkpoint attack: A car bomb explodes near an Israel Border Police check point in Baqa al-Sharkiya, killing only one of the soldiers. The Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim responsibility.[50]
  • September 14 – Kalandia Gate suicide bombing
  • September 22 – French Hill Junction bombing: A Palestinian Arab female suicide bomber detonates her bomb at the French Hill intersection in Jerusalem. Two people are killed and fifteen injured in the attack. The blast is targeted at the large number of civilians at the station at the time of attack. The military wing of al-Fatah claims responsibility for the attack.[51]
  • October 6 – Three Hamas militants are killed after infiltrating the Israeli settlement of Kfar Darom. One of the militants blows up when hit by Israeli gunfire, killing a Thai worker in addition to himself. The other two militants are killed by IDF forces.[52]
  • October 7 – Sinai bombings: 34 killed, including twelve Israelis and 171 injured in three bombing attacks by Palestinian militants at holiday resorts in the Sinai Peninsula.
  • November 1 – Carmel Market bombing: Three Israelis killed and 30 injured by a 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber boy attacking a Tel Aviv outdoor market. The Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claims responsibility.[53][54]
  • November 11 – Three Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigadiers killed by IDF after infiltrating the Israeli settlement of Netzarim.[55]
  • November 21 – Two Palestinian militants killed by the IDF while attempting to carry out an attack on Kissufim road to Gush Katif[56]
  • December 7 – Karni crossing attack: Two Palestinian militants killed by IDF missile attacks in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City on 7 December 2004.
  • December 8 – Five Palestinian weapon smugglers killed by IDF at the Rafah crossing of the Egyptian border.
  • December 12 – At least five Israeli soldiers are killed and ten are injured as a tunnel rigged with 1,500 kg of explosives explodes near the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Hamas and an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades' offshoot called "Fatah Hawk" claim joint responsibility.[57][58]
  • December 14 – A Thai worker is killed and two more are injured in Gush Katif by mortar shells fired by Palestinian Arabs.[59]

Notable 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 2004 include:

Unknown dates

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Notable deaths

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Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer's grave on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The stones were left by visitors, in keeping with an ancient Jewish custom
  • March 12 – Natan Yonatan (born 1923), Soviet (Ukraine)-born Israeli poet.
  • March 15 – Alfred Mansfeld (born 1912), Russian-born Israeli architect.
  • June 26 – Naomi Shemer (born 1930), Israeli songwriter.
  • June 29 – Arik Lavie (born 1927), German-born Israeli singer and actor.
  • August 20 – Moshe Shamir (born 1921), Israeli politician and novelist.
  • October 3 – Ze'ev Lev (born 1922), Austrian-born Israeli physicist and Torah scholar.
  • October 16 – Uzi Hitman (born 1952), Israeli singer, songwriter and composer, heart attack.
  • November 4 – Michael Gross (born 1920), Israeli painter, sculptor and conceptual artist.
  • November 5 - Nili Natkho (born 1982), Circassian Israeli basketball player.
  • November 23 – Rafael Eitan (born 1929), Israeli politician and former chief of staff, drowned.
  • December 16 – Yehudit Naot (born 1944), Israeli scientist and politician.

Major public holidays

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Purim - March 7

Yom HaShoah - April 19

Yom HaZikaron - April 26

Yom HaAtzmaut - April 27

Lag BaOmer - May 9

Shavuot - May 26

Tisha B'Av - July 27

Rosh Hashana - September 16-17

Yom Kippur - September 25

Sukkot - September 30 - October 6

Hanukkah - December 8-15

See also

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References

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