Arena Timeline

January

12th Attorney General Roni Bar-On Resigns
Bar-On had been in office three days. At this stage, it just seemed like the end of an unsuitable appointment.

15th Hebron Redeployment Agreement Signed
The agreement on IDF redeployment in Hebron came after a late night summit between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Benny Begin resigned from the government, as the Land of Israel ideal cracked.

23rd Channel One: Bar-On’s Appointment as Attorney General Rammed Through By Deri TV Channel One’s Ayala Hasson drops her bombshell, alleging Shas party leader Arye Deri made his party’s vote for the Hebron agreement conditional upon Roni Bar-On’s appointment as attorney general, believing Bar-On would be amenable to a plea bargain in his bribery trial. Hasson also implicated Prime Minister's Office director-general Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Justice Tzachi Hanegbi, and businessman David Apel. The police launch a criminal investigation.

February

5th 73 Soldiers Dead as Two Air Force Helicopters Crash Mid-Air Above Northern Town
This was the worst military air disaster in IDF history. The two CH-53 helicopters were ferrying troops into the security zone in southern Lebanon.

27th Netanyahu Spearheads Effort to Prevent Deterioration of Relations with PA, Arab Countries
The government’s decision to build on Har Homa in East Jerusalem led to the breaking off of negotiations with the Palestinians.

March

25th Blast in Tel Aviv Restaurant Kills 3
The suicide bombing at the Apropos cafe came a day after Netanyahu boasted no large scale terrorist attacks had occurred since he came to power.

14th Hussein Visits Bereaved Families
The Jordanian king visited the families of the 12 girls from Bet Shemesh killed by a Jordanian soldier who opened fire on them during their tour to the border area of Naharayim.

April

4th Netanyahu Heads to US; Will Meet Clinton, Albright, AIPAC Leadership
This was Netanyahu’s last meeting with US President Clinton in 1997. For the rest of the year, Clinton pointedly shunned the Israeli prime-minister.

10th Thousands Riot In Hebron Throwing Stones and Petrol Bombs
The riots were sparked off by an incident in which two yeshiva students killed a Palestinian youth who attacked them. Disturbances continued in Hebron until mid-July, with Palestinian Authority complicity.

17th Police: Indict PM Netanyahu in Bar-On Affair
They also recommended charges be brought against Hanegbi, Lieberman, and Deri. It looked serious.

17th Released for Publication: Israeli Businessman Arrested in Israel On Suspicion of Serious State Security Offences
Nahum Manbar, who had contacts in high places, was accused of selling chemical weapons materials to Iran.

23rd Netanyahu, Hanegbi’s Cases Closed for Lack of Evidence
In their report on the Bar-On affair, the Attorney General and State Attorney recommended indicting MK Deri for obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of public trust, and further investigation of Avigdor Lieberman, businessman David Appel, and Israel Bar Association Chair Dror Hoter-Yishai. Netanyahu addressed the nation on television, and claimed he had been vindicated. No-one resigned from the government, and, as far as the prime-minister was concerned, that was that.

May

2nd IAF Holds Series of Maneuvers in Turkey in Cooperation with Turkish Air Force
Israel’s military ties with Turkey became increasingly close during the year, cementing a strategic alliance.

7th Sharon: Water Dispute with Jordan - Due to New Demands
Jordan eventually got the water she wanted, and Minister of National Infrastructures Ariel Sharon began to be very popular there.

20th Netanyahu: Ban on Sale of Land to Jews Racist, Monstrous
Several Palestinians who sold land to Jews were murdered, with the sanction of the Palestinian Authority.

21st David Magen Announces Resignation as Deputy Finance Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu is Reason
The Gesher MK gave expression to his dissatisfaction with the way government worked under Netanyahu - dissatisfaction echoed but not acted upon by several other ministers. The final straw was the transfer of aid from Israel to Jordan, which Magen called "an act of folly."

28th Mubarak and Netanyahu Will Attempt Breakthrough at Next Summit
Mubarak and Netanyahu met, and decided to put off the hard issues. Relations with Egypt did not improve as the year wore on.

June

4th Labour Party Primaries Official Results: Barak Takes 51% Majority
Former chief-of-staff Ehud Barak took the Labour leadership contest in one round, being seen as the man to beat Netanyahu. His tenure has not been smooth. An attempt to cut party staff failed embarassingly, and senior party members have complained about his style and his tactics. But he has stayed consistently ahead of Netanyahu in opinion polls.

19th Meridor: I’m Not Sure Bar-On Players Weren’t Involved in Manoeuvring My Resignation
For the issues that provoked Dan Meridor to resign as Minister of Finance, see the economic time-line. Meridor certainly felt he was pushed, and the finger was pointed at Prime Minister's Office director general Avigdor Lieberman.

30th Netanyahu Phones Hebron Mayor; Condemns Posters Depicting the Prophet Mohammed as Pig
The stupidest, and most dangerous, practical joke of the year.

July

15th Bridge Collapses During Maccabiah Games Opening Ceremony; 2 Australian Athletes Killed, 66 Injured
The inadequacy of the temporary bridge was seen as emblematic of a national tendency to slapdash. Two more Australian athletes died later as a result of their immersion in the lethally polluted Yarkon river, and a fifth is still in hospital. 40 survivors are suing the State of Israel.

16th Two Suicide Bombers Kill 15, Injure 172, in Jerusalem Blasts
Two bombs exploded in Jerusalem’s crowded Mahane Yehuda market. It was an attack in the heart of Likud territory, and broke the lull in terrorist activity.

August

31st Grim Accident in Lebanon: Four IDF Soldiers Burned to Death in Brush Fire
A change in wind direction turned a militarily successful mission into catastrophe.

September

1st Azam Azam Sentenced to 15 Years Hard Labour
Israeli Druze Azam Azam was convicted of spying by an Egyptian court. Diplomatic efforts to have him freed have so far proved fruitless.

7th Terror Attack on J'lem Pedestrian Mall; 4 Israelis Dead, More Than 184 Injured
This time the target was Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street, a popular shopping and tourist spot. The attack was seen as a greeting for US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was due in Israel the following week. After Israeli security agencies proved the attackers came from the West Bank, Yasser Arafat ordered arrests of Hamas activists. The movement had lied to him, saying the terrorists came from overseas.

7th Cabinet to Discuss Failed Raid in Which 11 Naval Commando Soldiers Died; 5 Ministers Favour Lebanon Pullout
The result of the raid into Lebanon, in which the Israeli force was all but wiped out in an ambush, was terrible in itself, and marked the low point in a bad year for the IDF. Public debate about the desirability of Israel’s presence in Lebanon became clamorous. Minister of Defence Yitzhak Mordechai insisted the South Lebanon security zone was doing its job, and a unilateral Israeli withdrawal would spell danger for northern Israel.

16th Netanyahu: Settling Ras el-Amud Bad for J’lem, Bad for Israel
Three Jewish families moved into properties owned by Florida tycoon Irving Moscowitz in East Jerusalem. Violent Palestinian demonstrations ensued. Under a compromise agreement, the settlers eventually left, and a token Jewish presence was arranged in the houses. Visiting US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called the incident "unhelpful". Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert, who backed the settlers, was seen as building himself a power base on the right from which to challenge Netanyahu.

18th Netanyahu: Albright Failed to Renew Peace Process with Syria
The Secretary of State’s visited created much excitement, but was generally seen as disappointing in its results.

October

5th Cabinet Secretary Hints for First Time That Israel is Behind Attempted Assassination of Khaled Meshal
The bargain struck by Ariel Sharon to obtain the release of the Israeli agents responsible for the fiasco in Amman involved Israel freeing Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin, a propaganda coup for that movement and an embarassment for Yasser Arafat. Netanyahu insisted the attack was merely an operational failure, not a strategic mistake. Israel’s security forces suffered another blow to their image.

28th Vehement Reactions from Religious Parties, Chief Rabbinate on Reform, Conservative Rejection of Ne’eman Compromise
The religious parties are insisting on legislation to overturn a High Coutr of Justice decision requiring the religious authorities in Israel to recognise Reform and Conservative conversions to Judaism performed in Israel. The efforts by a committee headed by Minister of Finance Ya'akov Ne'eman to formulate a compromise that will prevent a split in the Jewish people have not so far proved successful.

November

13th Benny Begin, Dan Meridor: Netanyahu Must Be Replaced
The fallout from the Likud conference, at which party primary elections were abolished and candidate selection was returned to the central committee, which Netanyahu promised ministers wouldn’t occur, was the putsch that never happened, starring Limor Livnat, Dan Meridor, Ehud Olmert, and Roni Milo, while Netanyahu was overseas. On his return, Netanyahu quelled the rebellion, sacrificing his henchman, Prime Minister's Office director general Avigdor Lieberman, in the process.

27th NRP Ministers Seek to Prevent Cabinet Decision on Extent of Second Pullback
The government approved in principle a second pullback from the Territories, to which Israel is committed under the Hebron agreement, but avoided the key question of how much.

December

9th Mordechai Turkish Defence Minister Agree to Expand Israel Turkish Defence Links
The Minister of Defence had a highly successful visit to Turkey.

21st Netanyahu, Following Meeting With Albright: No Maps Presented, Certain Moves Determined
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright commented, regarding her meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "We held pleasant general talks". Netanyahu succeeded in playing for time, delaying the decision on the extent of the pullback until after the budget, so as to minimise the threat of his coalition collapsing. Opposition leader Ehud Barak said the game was fixed anyway, and Netanyahu had promised the US a 10% pullback.