Canaan
127-673: State of Israel (1948–present) The Herodian dynasty was a royal dynasty of Idumaean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and later the Herodian tetrarchy as a vassal state of the Roman Empire . The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great who assumed the throne of Judea, with Roman support, bringing down the century-old Hasmonean Kingdom . His kingdom lasted until his death in 4 BCE, when it
254-615: A sabra mentality and culture to their writing. S. Yizhar , Moshe Shamir , Hanoch Bartov and Benjamin Tammuz vacillated between individualism and commitment to society and state. In its early years Israel sought to maintain a non-aligned position between the super-powers. But in 1952 an antisemitic public trial was staged in Moscow in which a group of Jewish doctors were accused of trying to poison Stalin (the Doctors' plot ), followed by
381-817: A national holiday on 5 Iyar of every year according to the Hebrew calendar . After the Declaration, Minhelet HaAm became the Provisional government of Israel, whilst Moetzet HaAm became the Provisional State Council . Paragraph 13 of the Declaration provides that the State of Israel would be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex . However,
508-574: A national water carrier , a huge engineering project designed to transfer Israel's allocation of the Jordan river 's waters towards the south of the country in realization of Ben-Gurion's dream of mass Jewish settlement of the Negev desert. The Arabs responded by trying to divert the headwaters of the Jordan, leading to growing conflict between Israel and Syria. Until 1966 Israel's principal arms supplier
635-720: A cease fire was agreed. During 1971 violent demonstrations by the Israeli Black Panthers , made the Israeli public aware of resentment among Mizrahi Jews at ongoing discrimination and social gaps. In 1972 the US Jewish Mafia leader, Meyer Lansky , who had taken refuge in Israel, was deported to the United States. Samaria Samaria ( / s ə ˈ m æ r i ə , - ˈ m ɛər i ə / ),
762-499: A ceasefire was reluctantly accepted on 7 November. At Egypt's request the UN sent an Emergency Force (UNEF), consisting of 6000 peacekeeping troops from 10 nations to supervise the ceasefire—the first ever UN peacekeeping operation. From 15 November the UN troops marked out a zone across the Sinai to separate the Israeli and Egyptian forces. Upon receiving US guarantees of Israeli access to
889-468: A component of every Israeli coalition until 1992, usually running the Ministry of Education. Mapai was once again victorious in the 1959 elections , increasing its number of seats to 47, Labour had 7. Ben-Gurion remained prime minister. In 1959 there were renewed skirmishes along Israel's borders that continued throughout the early 1960s. The Arab League continued to widen its economic boycott and there
1016-533: A good relationship with the Roman Republic , who at that time (63 BCE) extended their influence over the region, following conquest of Syria and intervention in a civil war in Judea. There are differing genealogies for the dynasty, depending on the source. According to Sextus Julius Africanus , Antipater's father was named Herod, and Epiphanius of Salamis writes that this Herod's father was named Antipas. It
1143-531: A group of Religious Zionists who created the first Jewish settlement , a town near Hebron called Kiryat Arba . There were no other religious settlements until after 1974. Ben-Gurion's Rafi party merged with the Labour-Mapai alliance. Ben-Gurion remained outside as an independent. In 1968, compulsory education was extended until the age of 16 for all citizens (it had been 14) and the government embarked on an extensive program of integration in education. In
1270-580: A month-long UN truce came into effect. Following independence the Haganah became the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Palmach , Etzel and Lehi were required to cease independent operations and join the IDF. During the ceasefire, Etzel attempted to bring in a private arms shipment aboard a ship called " Altalena ". When they refused to hand the arms to the government, Ben-Gurion ordered that
1397-658: A partnership agreement with the Shomron Regional Council , led by Yossi Dagan , as part of an anti- Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. The ancient site of Samaria -Sebaste covers the hillside overlooking the West Bank village of Sebastia on the eastern slope of the hill. Remains have been found from the Canaanite , Israelite , Hellenistic , Roman (including Herodian ) and Byzantine periods. Archaeological finds from Roman-era Sebaste,
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#17327810152731524-607: A pretext for seizing the Suez Canal. Israel was to attack Egypt, and Britain and France would then call on both sides to withdraw. When, as expected, the Egyptians refused, Anglo-French forces would invade to take control of the Canal. Israeli forces, commanded by General Moshe Dayan , attacked Egypt on 29 October 1956. On 30 October Britain and France made their pre-arranged call for both sides to stop fighting and withdraw from
1651-563: A result of droughts, earthquakes, religious persecution, high taxes, and anarchy. During the Crusader era, the Franks invited a large number of Bedouins to settle in the region. Over time, these Bedouins shifted from their nomadic way of life to becoming settled inhabitants. As a result, today much of the local population resides in towns and villages, and the Bedouin settlement may explain
1778-867: A result, Israel's victory in the Six-Day War, Jews could visit the Old City of Jerusalem and pray at the Western Wall (the holiest site in Judaism) for the first time since the end of the British Mandate, to which they had been denied access by the Jordanians in contravention of the 1949 Armistice agreement. The four-meter-wide public alley beside the Wall was expanded into a massive plaza and worshippers were allowed to sit, or use other furniture, for
1905-704: A similar trial in Czechoslovakia ( Slánský trial ). This, and the failure of Israel to be included in the Bandung Conference (of non-aligned states ), effectively ended Israel's pursuit of non-alignment. On 19 May 1950, in contravention of international law, Egypt announced that the Suez Canal would be closed to Israeli ships and commerce. In 1952 a military coup in Egypt brought Abdel Nasser to power. The United States pursued close relations with
2032-680: A site that was rebuilt and renamed by Herod the Great in 30 BC, include a colonnaded street, a temple-lined acropolis, and a lower city, where John the Baptist is believed to have been buried. The Harvard excavation of Samaria, which began in 1908, was headed by Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner . The findings included Hebrew, Aramaic, cuneiform and Greek inscriptions, as well as pottery remains, coins, sculpture, figurines, scarabs and seals, faience, amulets, beads and glass. The joint British-American-Hebrew University excavation continued under John Winter Crowfoot in 1931–35, during which time some of
2159-402: Is Josephus who states that Antipas fathered Antipater, without further delineating his ancestry. This model is usually accepted by scholars. Julius Caesar appointed Antipater to be procurator of Judea in 47 BCE, and Antipater appointed his sons Phasael and Herod to be governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively. Antipater was murdered in 43 BCE; however, his sons managed to hold
2286-458: Is a matter of dispute but around 80 percent of the Arab inhabitants of what became Israel (half of the Arab total of Mandatory Palestine) left or were expelled from their homes. Later, a series of laws passed by the first Israeli government prevented Arabs who had left from returning to their homes or claiming their property. They and many of their descendants remain refugees . Except in Jordan,
2413-486: Is derived from the ancient city of Samaria , capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel. The name Samaria likely began being used for the entire kingdom not long after the town of Samaria had become Israel's capital, but it is first documented after its conquest by the Neo-Assyrian Empire , which incorporated the land into the province of Samerina . Samaria was used to describe the northern midsection of
2540-491: Is derived from the individual (or clan) Shemer (Hebrew: שֶׁמֶר ), from whom King Omri (ruled 880s–870s BCE) purchased the hill on which he built his new capital city of Shomron . The fact that the mountain was called Shomeron when Omri bought it may indicate that the correct etymology of the name is to be found more directly in the Semitic root for "guard", hence its initial meaning would have been "watch mountain". In
2667-719: Is described as a "province" that "reached from the [Mediterranean] sea to the Jordan Valley". The classical Roman-Jewish historian Josephus wrote: (4) Now as to the country of Samaria, it lies between Judea and Galilee; it begins at a village that is in the great plain called Ginea , and ends at the Acrabbene toparchy , and is entirely of the same nature with Judea; for both countries are made up of hills and valleys, and are moist enough for agriculture, and are very fruitful. They have abundance of trees, and are full of autumnal fruit, both that which grows wild, and that which
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#17327810152732794-587: Is one indication of this decline. Around 110 BCE, the decline of Hellenistic Samaria was complete, when the Jewish Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus destroyed the cities of Samaria and Shechem, as well as the city and temple on Mount Gerizim. Only a few stone remnants of the Samaritan temple exist today. In 6 CE, Samaria became part of the Roman province of Iudaea , following the death of King Herod
2921-451: Is the effect of cultivation. They are not naturally watered by many rivers, but derive their chief moisture from rain-water, of which they have no want; and for those rivers which they have, all their waters are exceeding sweet: by reason also of the excellent grass they have, their cattle yield more milk than do those in other places; and, what is the greatest sign of excellency and of abundance, they each of them are very full of people. (5) In
3048-667: The Great War , Palestine was wrested by the armies of the British Empire from the Ottoman Empire and in the aftermath of the war it was entrusted to the United Kingdom to administer as a League of Nations mandated territory Samaria was the name of one of the administrative districts of Palestine for part of this period. The 1947 UN partition plan called for the Arab state to consist of several parts,
3175-681: The Green Line , were established. These borders were not recognized by the Arab states as international boundaries. Israel was in control of the Galilee , Jezreel Valley , West Jerusalem , the coastal plain and the Negev . The Syrians remained in control of a strip of territory along the Sea of Galilee originally allocated to the Jewish state, the Lebanese occupied a tiny area at Rosh Hanikra , and
3302-661: The Hebrew Bible , the Israelites captured the region known as Samaria from the Canaanites and assigned it to the Tribe of Joseph . The southern part of Samaria was then known as Mount Ephraim . After the death of King Solomon (c. 931 BC), the northern tribes, including Ephraim and Menashe , separated themselves politically from the southern tribes and established the separate Kingdom of Israel . Initially its capital
3429-752: The Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron ( Hebrew : שֹׁמְרוֹן ), is used as a historical and biblical name for the central region of the Land of Israel . It is bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is known to the Palestinians in Arabic under two names, Samirah ( Arabic : السَّامِرَة , as-Sāmira ), and Mount Nablus (جَبَل نَابُلُس, Jabal Nābulus ). The first-century historian Josephus set
3556-606: The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics . "The Israeli CBS also collects statistics on the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza District. It has produced various basic statistical series on the territories, dealing with population, employment, wages, external trade, national accounts, and various other topics." The Palestinian Authority however use Nablus , Jenin , Tulkarm , Qalqilya , Salfit , Ramallah and Tubas governorates as administrative centers for
3683-598: The Israel–Jordan peace treaty was signed. Despite efforts to finalize the peace agreement , the conflict continues to play a major role in Israeli and international political, social, and economic life. With the British Mandate of Palestine scheduled to come to an end on 15 May 1948, the governing body of the Jewish community, the Jewish National Council (JNC), on 2 March 1948 began work on
3810-540: The Knesset maintains that the declaration is neither a law nor an ordinary legal document. The Supreme Court has ruled that the guarantees were merely guiding principles, and that the declaration is not a constitutional law making a practical ruling on the upholding or nullification of various ordinances and statutes. Immediately following the declaration of the new state, both superpower leaders, US President Harry S. Truman and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin , recognized
3937-612: The Mediterranean Sea as its limit to the west, and the Jordan River as its limit to the east. Its territory largely corresponds to the biblical allotments of the tribe of Ephraim and the western half of Manasseh . It includes most of the region of the ancient Kingdom of Israel , which was north of the Kingdom of Judah . The border between Samaria and Judea is set at the latitude of Ramallah . The name "Samaria"
Herodian dynasty - Misplaced Pages Continue
4064-569: The Palestinian Authority ) and 'B' (Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli–Palestinian security control) were transferred by Israel to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority and the international community do not recognize the term "Samaria"; in modern times, the territory is generally known as part of the West Bank. According to the Hebrew Bible , the Hebrew name "Shomron" (Hebrew: שֹׁומְרוֹן )
4191-652: The Roman Senate of his sincere intentions in favor of Romans he eventually was announced as king of the Jews by the Roman Senate. Despite his announcement as king of the whole of Judea, Herod did not fully conquer it until 37 BCE. He subsequently ruled the Herodian kingdom as a vassal king for 34 years, crushing the opposition while also initiating huge building projects, including the harbor at Caesarea Maritima ,
4318-622: The Samaritan Revolts (mostly in 525 CE and 555 CE) against the Byzantine Empire , which resulted in death, displacement, and conversion to Christianity , the Samaritan population dramatically decreased. In the central parts of Samaria, the vacuum left by departing Samaritans was filled by nomads who gradually became sedentarized . The Byzantine period is considered the peak of settlement in Samaria, as in other regions of
4445-616: The Samaritan Torah , Samaritans claim their worship is the true religion of the ancient Israelites prior to the Babylonian exile , preserved by those who remained behind. Their temple was built at Mount Gerizim in the middle of the 5th century BCE, and was destroyed under the Hasmonean king John Hyrcanus of Judea in 110 BCE, although their descendants still worship among its ruins. The antagonism between Samaritans and Jews
4572-645: The Sinai Peninsula , the Gaza Strip , the Golan Heights , and the formerly Jordanian-controlled West Bank of the Jordan River . East Jerusalem was arguably annexed by Israel. Residents were given permanent residency status and the option of applying for Israeli citizenship. The annexation was not recognized internationally (the Jordanian annexation of 1950 was also unrecognized except for
4699-425: The Uzi submachine gun first entered use by the Israel Defense Forces. In 1955 the Egyptian government began recruiting former Nazi rocket scientists for a missile program. Sharett's government was brought down by the Lavon Affair , a crude plan to disrupt US–Egyptian relations, involving Israeli agents planting bombs at American sites in Egypt. The plan failed when 11 agents were arrested. Defense Minister Lavon
4826-421: The city of Samaria and preached and healed the sick there. In the time of Jesus , Iudaea of the Romans was divided into the toparchies of Judea, Samaria, Galilee and the Paralia . Samaria occupied the centre of Iudaea . ( Iudaea was later renamed Syria Palaestina in 135, following the Bar Kokhba revolt .) In the Talmud , Samaria is called the "land of the Cuthim". Following the bloody suppression of
4953-428: The " land for peace " formula, which called for the establishment of a just and lasting peace based on Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 in return for the end of all states of belligerency, respect for the sovereignty of all states in the area, and the right to live in peace within secure, recognized boundaries. The resolution was accepted by both sides, though with different interpretations, and has been
5080-450: The 120 seats after the 1969 election . Meir was the first female prime minister of Israel and the first woman to have headed a Middle Eastern state in modern times. Gahal retained its 26 seats, and was the second largest party. In early 1969 fighting broke out between Egypt and Israel along the Suez Canal. In retaliation for repeated Egyptian shelling of Israeli positions along the Suez Canal, Israeli planes made deep strikes into Egypt in
5207-465: The 1949 ceasefire. In January 1949, Israel held its first elections . The Socialist-Zionist parties Mapai and Mapam won the most seats (46 and 19 respectively). Mapai's leader David Ben-Gurion was appointed prime minister , and formed a coalition that did not include Mapam, who were Stalinist and loyal to the USSR (another Stalinist party, non-Zionist Maki won 4 seats). This was a significant decision because it signaled that Israel would not be in
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5334-429: The 1969–1970 " War of Attrition ". In December 1969, Israeli naval commandos took five missile boats during the night from Cherbourg Harbour in France. Israel had paid for the boats but the French had refused to supply them. In July 1970 the Israelis shot down five Soviet fighters that were aiding the Egyptians in the course of the War of Attrition . Following this, the US worked to calm the situation and in August 1970
5461-596: The Arab armies out and conquered some of the territory that had been included in the proposed Arab state. At the end of November, tenuous local ceasefires were arranged between the Israelis, Syrians, and Lebanese. On 1 December King Abdullah announced the union of Transjordan with Arab Palestine west of the Jordan; only Britain recognized the annexation. Israel signed armistices with Egypt (24 February), Lebanon (23 March), Jordan (3 April) and Syria (20 July). No actual peace agreements were signed. With permanent ceasefire coming into effect, Israel's new borders, later known as
5588-438: The Canal area, and for them to be allowed to take up positions at key points on the Canal. Egypt refused and the allies commenced air strikes on 31 October aimed at neutralizing the Egyptian air force. By 5 November the Israelis had overrun the Sinai . The Anglo-French invasion began that day. There was uproar in the UN, with the US and USSR for once in agreement in denouncing the actions of Israel, Britain, and France. A demand for
5715-411: The Egyptians retained the Gaza strip and still had some forces surrounded inside Israeli territory. Jordanian forces remained in the West Bank , where the British had stationed them before the war. Jordan annexed the areas it occupied while Egypt kept Gaza as an occupied zone . Following the ceasefire declaration, Britain released over 2,000 Jewish detainees it was still holding in Cyprus and recognized
5842-421: The Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. In 1973, the Yom Kippur War began with an attack by Egypt on the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula. In 1979 the Egypt–Israel peace treaty was signed, based on the Camp David Accords . In 1993, Israel signed the Oslo I Accord with the Palestine Liberation Organization , which was followed by the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority . In 1994,
5969-400: The Great . Southern Samaria reached a peak in settlement during the early Roman period (63 BCE–70 CE), partly as a result of the Hasmonean dynasty 's settlement efforts. The impact of the Jewish–Roman wars is archaeologically evident in Jewish-inhabited areas of southern Samaria, as many sites were destroyed and left abandoned for extended periods of time. After the First Jewish-Roman War ,
6096-443: The Haredi Agudat Israel party. A separate body was created to provide education for the remaining Palestinian-Arab population. The major political parties now competed for immigrants to join their education systems. The government banned the existing educational bodies from the transit camps and tried to mandate a unitary secular socialist education under the control of "camp managers" who also had to provide work, food and housing for
6223-404: The Israeli airforce launched pre-emptive attacks destroying first the Egyptian air force, and then later the same day destroying the air forces of Jordan and Syria. Israel then defeated (almost successively) Egypt, Jordan and Syria. By 11 June the Arab forces were routed and all parties had accepted the cease-fire called for by UN Security Council Resolutions 235 and 236. Israel gained control of
6350-802: The Israeli borders, and Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. Nasser demanded that the UNEF leave Sinai, threatening escalation to a full war. Egyptian radio broadcasts talked of a coming genocide. On 26 May Nasser declared, " The battle will be a general one and our basic objective will be to destroy Israel ". Israel considered the Straits of Tiran closure a Casus belli . Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq signed defence pacts and Iraqi troops began deploying to Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Algeria also announced that it would send troops to Egypt. Between 1963 and 1967 Egyptian troops had tested chemical weapons on Yemenite civilians as part of an Egyptian intervention in support of rebels . Israel responded by calling up its civilian reserves, bringing much of
6477-405: The Israeli economy to a halt. The Israelis set up a national unity coalition, including for the first time Menachem Begin 's party, Herut , in a coalition. During a national radio broadcast, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol stammered, causing widespread fear in Israel. To calm public concern Moshe Dayan (Chief of Staff during the Sinai war) was appointed Defence Minister. On the morning of 5 June 1967
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#17327810152736604-490: The Jewish population of the area decreased by around 50%, whereas after the Bar Kokhba revolt , it was completely wiped in many areas. According to Klein, the Roman authorities replaced the Jews with a population from the nearby provinces of Syria , Phoenicia , and Arabia . An apparent new wave of settlement growth in southern Samaria, most likely by non-Jews, can be traced back to the late Roman and Byzantine eras. The New Testament mentions Samaria in Luke 17:11–2, in
6731-451: The Knesset passed the Law of Return , which granted to all Jews and those of Jewish ancestry (Jewish grandparent), and their spouses, the right to settle in Israel and gain citizenship. That year 50,000 Yemenite Jews (99%) were secretly flown to Israel. In 1951 Iraqi Jews were granted temporary permission to leave the country and 120,000 (over 90%) opted to move to Israel . Jews also fled from Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. Between 1948 and 1958
6858-406: The Nazis and sued his accuser. Kastner lost the trial and was assassinated two years later. In 1958 the Supreme Court exonerated him. In May 1960 Adolf Eichmann , one of the chief administrators of the Nazi Holocaust, was located in Argentina by the Mossad , later kidnapping him and bringing him to Israel. In 1961 he was put on trial, and after several months found guilty and sentenced to death. He
6985-468: The Palestinian refugees were settled in large refugee camps in poor, overcrowded conditions and denied citizenship by their host countries. In December 1949, the UN (in response to a British proposal) established an agency ( UNRWA ) to provide aid to the Palestinian refugees. It became the largest single UN agency and is the only UN agency that serves a single people. A 120-seat parliament, the Knesset , met first in Tel Aviv , then moved to Jerusalem after
7112-471: The Persian King in his kandys robe facing down a lion that is standing on its hind legs. The Samaritans (Hebrew: Shomronim) are an ethnoreligious group named after and descended from ancient Semitic inhabitants of Samaria, since the Assyrian exile of the Israelites, according to 2 Kings 17 and first-century historian Josephus . Religiously, the Samaritans are adherents of Samaritanism , an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism . Based on
7239-476: The Samaritan revolts. With the exception of Neapolis, Sebastia, and a small cluster of monasteries in central and northern Samaria, most of the population of the rural areas remained non-Christian. In southwestern Samaria, a significant concentration of churches and monasteries was discovered, with some of them built on top of citadels from the late Roman period. Magen raised the hypothesis that many of these were used by Christian pilgrims, and filled an empty space in
7366-399: The Sinai peninsula in a few days. The Israeli political leadership learnt that Israel had a limited time frame within which to operate militarily after which international political pressure would restrict Israel's freedom of action. In 1956, two modern-orthodox (and religious-Zionist ) parties, Mizrachi and Hapoel HaMizrachi , joined to form the National Religious Party . The party was
7493-485: The Soviet bloc. The Knesset elected Chaim Weizmann as the first (largely ceremonial) president of Israel . Hebrew and Arabic were made the official languages of the new state. All governments have been coalitions—no party has ever won a majority in the Knesset. From 1948 until 1977 all governments were led by Mapai and the Alignment , predecessors of the Labour Party . In those years Labour Zionists , initially led by David Ben-Gurion , dominated Israeli politics and
7620-425: The Soviet block (except Romania) broke off relations with Israel. Antisemitic purges encouraged the remnants of Polish Jewry to move to Israel. Increased Soviet antisemitism and enthusiasm generated by the 1967 victory led to a wave of Soviet Jews applying to emigrate to Israel. Most Jews were refused exit visas and persecuted by the authorities. Some were arrested, becoming known as Prisoners of Zion . As
7747-494: The Suez Canal, freedom of access out of the Gulf of Aqaba and Egyptian action to stop Palestinian raids from Gaza, the Israelis withdrew to the Negev. In practice the Suez Canal remained closed to Israeli shipping. The conflict marked the end of West-European dominance in the Middle East. Nasser emerged as the victor in the conflict, having won the political battle, but the Israeli military learnt that it did not need British or French support to conquer Sinai and that it could conquer
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#17327810152737874-424: The UK, Iraq, and Pakistan). Other areas occupied remained under military rule (Israeli civil law did not apply to them) pending a final settlement. The Golan was also annexed in 1981. The result of the 29 August 1967 Arab League summit was the Khartoum Resolution , which according to Abd al Azim Ramadan, left only one option – a war with Israel. On 22 November 1967, the Security Council adopted Resolution 242 ,
8001-481: The US also agreed to provide A-4 Skyhawk tactical aircraft to Israel. In 1966 security restrictions placed on Arab-Israelis were eased and efforts made to integrate them into Israeli life. In 1966, Black and white TV broadcasts began. On 15 May 1967 the first public performance of Naomi Shemer 's classic song " Jerusalem of Gold " took place and over the next few weeks it dominated the Israeli airwaves. Two days later Syria, Egypt, and Jordan amassed troops along
8128-407: The West Bank (except for certain prerogatives in Jerusalem) to the PLO in November 1988, later confirmed by the Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace of 1994. In the 1994 Oslo accords , the Palestinian Authority was established and given responsibility for the administration over some of the territory of West Bank (Areas 'A' and 'B'). Samaria is one of several standard statistical districts utilized by
8255-626: The basis of all subsequent peace negotiations. By the late sixties, about 500,000 Jews had left Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Over the course of twenty years, some 850,000 Jews from Arab countries (99%) relocated to Israel (680,000), France and the Americas. The land and property left behind by the Jews (much of it in Arab city centres) is still a matter of some dispute. Today there are about 9,000 Jews living in Arab states, of whom 75% live in Morocco and 15% in Tunisia. Vast assets, approximately $ 150 billion worth of goods and property (before inflation) were left behind in these countries. After 1967
8382-446: The camp, however the Israelis sustained unexpectedly high casualties and the attack was not viewed as a success. Despite heavy casualties, the Palestinians claimed victory, while Fatah and the PLO (of which it formed part) became famous across the Arab world. In early 1969 Levi Eshkol died in office of a heart attack and Golda Meir became prime minister with the largest percentage of the vote ever won by an Israeli party, winning 56 of
8509-479: The chronology issues were resolved. The round towers lining the acropolis were found to be Hellenistic, the street of columns was dated to the 3–4th century, and 70 inscribed potsherds were dated to the early 8th century. In 1908–1935, remains of luxury furniture made of wood and ivory were discovered in Samaria, representing the Levant's most important collection of ivory carvings from the early first millennium BC. Despite theories of their Phoenician origin, some of
8636-467: The country. Based on historical sources and archeological data, the Manasseh Hill surveyors concluded that Samaria's population during the Byzantine period was composed of Samaritans, Christians, and a minority of Jews. The Samaritan population was mainly concentrated in the valleys of Nablus and to the north as far as Jenin and Kfar Othenai ; they did not settle south of the Nablus-Qalqiliya line. Christianity slowly made its way into Samaria, even after
8763-450: The earlier cuneiform inscriptions, Samaria is designated under the name of "Bet Ḥumri" ( "the house of Omri "); but in those of Tiglath-Pileser III (ruled 745–727 BCE) and later it is called Samirin, after its Aramaic name, Shamerayin. In Nelson's Encyclopaedia (1906–1934), the Samaria region in the three centuries following the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel , i.e. during the Assyrian , Babylonian , and Persian periods,
8890-403: The economy was run on primarily socialist lines . From 1948 to 1951 immigration doubled the Jewish population of Israel and left an indelible imprint on Israeli society. Overall, 700,000 Jews settled in Israel during this period. Some 300,000 arrived from Asian and North African nations as part of the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries . Among them, the largest group (over 100,000)
9017-429: The empire, mainly to Guzana in the Assyrian heartland, as well as to the cities of the Medes in the eastern part of the empire (modern-day Iran). The deportations were part of a standard resettlement policy of the Neo-Assyrian Empire to deal with defeated enemy peoples. The resettled people were generally treated well as valued members of the empire and transported together with their families and belongings. At
9144-727: The establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel to serve as the homeland for the Jewish people , to be known as the State of Israel . The meeting was led by David Ben-Gurion , the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization , Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine , and soon to be first Prime Minister of Israel . The event is celebrated annually in Israel as Independence Day ,
9271-576: The first time in centuries. In Hebron , Jews gained access to the Cave of the Patriarchs (the second most holy site in Judaism) for the first time since the 14th century (previously Jews were only allowed to pray at the entrance). A third Jewish holy site, Rachel's Tomb , in Bethlehem , also became accessible. The Sinai oil fields made Israel self-sufficient in energy. In 1968 Moshe Levinger led
9398-543: The government. Israel received financial aid from private donations from outside the country (mainly the United States). The pressure on the new state's finances led Ben-Gurion to negotiate a controversial reparations agreement with West Germany . During the Knesset debate some 5,000 demonstrators gathered and riot police had to cordon the building. In 1952, Israel and West Germany signed an agreement and over
9525-443: The head of a left-wing coalition. Between 1953 and 1956, there were intermittent clashes along all of Israel's borders as Arab terrorism and breaches of the ceasefire resulting in Israeli counter-raids . Palestinian fedayeen attacks, often organized and sponsored by the Egyptians, were made from (Egyptian) occupied Gaza . Fedayeen attacks led to a growing cycle of violence as Israel launched reprisal attacks against Gaza. In 1954
9652-464: The height of over 800 meters. Samaria's climate is more hospitable than the climate further south. There is no clear division between the mountains of southern Samaria and northern Judea. Over time, the region has been controlled by numerous different civilizations, including Canaanites , Israelites , Neo-Assyrians , Babylonians , Persians , Seleucids , Hasmoneans , Romans , Byzantines , Arabs , Crusaders , and Ottoman Turks . According to
9779-464: The immigrants. There were attempts to force orthodox Yemenite children to adopt a secular life style by teachers, including many instances of Yemenite children having their side-curls cut by teachers. The Yemenite Children Affair led to the first Israeli public inquiry (the Fromkin Inquiry), the collapse of the coalition, and an election in 1951, with little change in the results. In 1953
9906-767: The land in the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947. It became the administrative term in 1967 , when the West Bank was defined by Israeli officials as the Judea and Samaria Area , of which the entire area north of the Jerusalem District is termed as Samaria. In 1988, Jordan ceded its claim of the area to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In 1994, control of Areas 'A' (full civil and security control by
10033-529: The land that the State of Israel came to control and subsequently led to waves of Jewish immigration from other parts of the Middle East . The latter half of the 20th century saw a series of further conflicts between Israel and its neighbouring Arab nations. In 1967, the Six-Day War erupted; in its aftermath, Israel captured and occupied the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan, and
10160-424: The largest of which was described as "the hill country of Samaria and Judea." As a result of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , most of the territory was unilaterally incorporated as Jordanian -controlled territory, and was administered as part of the West Bank (west of the Jordan river). The Jordanian-held West Bank was captured and has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War . Jordan ceded its claims in
10287-606: The letters serving as fitter's marks are in Hebrew . As of 1999 three series of coins have been found that confirm Sinuballat was a governor of Samaria. Sinuballat is best known as an adversary of Nehemiah from the Book of Nehemiah where he is said to have sided with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian . All three coins feature a warship on the front, likely derived from earlier Sidonian coins. The reverse side depicts
10414-462: The limits of Samaria and Judea lies the village Anuath, which is also named Borceos. This is the northern boundary of Judea. During the first century, the boundary between Samaria and Judea passed eastward of Antipatris , along the deep valley which had Beth Rima (now Bani Zeid al-Gharbia ) and Beth Laban (today's al-Lubban al-Gharbi ) on its southern, Judean bank; then it passed Anuath and Borceos, identified by Charles William Wilson (1836–1905) as
10541-529: The major cities children from mainly Sephardi / Mizrahi neighbourhoods were bused to newly established middle schools in better areas. The system remained in place until after 2000. In March 1968 Israeli forces attacked the Palestinian militia, Fatah , at its base in the Jordanian town of Karameh . The attack was in response to land mines placed on Israeli roads. The Israelis retreated after destroying
10668-544: The miraculous healing of the ten lepers , which took place on the border of Samaria and Galilee. John 4:1-26 records Jesus' encounter at Jacob's Well with the woman of Sychar, in which he declares himself to be the Messiah. In Acts 8:1, it is recorded that the early community of disciples of Jesus began to be persecuted in Jerusalem and were 'scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria'. Philip went down to
10795-517: The missile program was designed to carry chemical warheads . This action was condemned by Ben-Gurion and led to the Mossad director, Isser Harel , resignation. In 1963 Ben-Gurion quit again over the Lavon affair. His attempts to make his party Mapai support him over the issue failed. Levi Eshkol became leader of Mapai and the new prime minister. Ben-Gurion quit Mapai to form the new party Rafi , he
10922-441: The natural and exact sciences. The first works of Hebrew literature in Israel were written by immigrant authors rooted in the world and traditions of European Jewry. Yosef Haim Brenner (1881–1921) and Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1888–1970), are considered by many to be the fathers of modern Hebrew literature . Native-born writers who published their work in the 1940s and 1950s, often called the "War of Independence generation," brought
11049-745: The new Arab states, particularly the Nasser-led Egyptian Free Officers Movement and Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia . Israel's solution to diplomatic isolation was to establish good relations with newly independent states in Africa and with France, which was engaged in the Algerian War . In the January 1955 elections Mapai won 40 seats and the Labour Party 10, Moshe Sharett became prime minister of Israel at
11176-509: The new state. The Arab League members Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq refused to accept the UN partition plan and proclaimed the right of self-determination for the Arabs across the whole of Palestine. The Arab states marched their forces into what had, until the previous day, been the British Mandate for Palestine, starting the first Arab–Israeli War . The Arab states had heavy military equipment at their disposal and were initially on
11303-655: The next 14 years, West Germany paid Israel 3 billion marks (around US$ 714 million according to 1953-1955 conversion rates). The reparations became a decisive part of Israel's income, comprising as high as 87.5% of Israel's income in 1956. In 1950, the Israeli government launched Israel Bonds for American and Canadian Jews to buy. In 1951, the final results of the bonds program exceeded $ 52 million. In 1957, bond sales amounted to 35% of Israel's special development budget. The proceeds from these sources were invested in industrial and agricultural development projects, which allowed Israel to become economically self-sufficient. Among
11430-670: The northern part of the Sharon plain . The areas south of Jenin, including Nablus itself and its hinterland up to the Yarkon River , formed a separate district called the District of Nablus. Beshara Doumani states that the prominent local Jarrar family immigrated from Transjordan in the 17th century and became influential in Jenin by the 19th century. However, one family tradition suggests they arrived during Saladin's era. During
11557-491: The offensive (the Jewish forces were not a state before 15 May and could not buy heavy arms). On 29 May 1948, the British initiated United Nations Security Council Resolution 50 declaring an arms embargo on the region. Czechoslovakia violated the resolution , supplying the Jewish state with critical military hardware to match the (mainly British) heavy equipment and planes already owned by the invading Arab states. On 11 June
11684-593: The organization of a Jewish provisional government. On 12 April 1948 it formed the Minhelet HaAm ( Hebrew : מנהלת העם , lit. People's Administration ), all of its members being drawn from Moetzet HaAm ( People's Council ), the temporary legislative body set up at the same time. On 14 May 1948—the day the last British forces left Haifa—the People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum and proclaimed
11811-622: The party-affiliated education system was scrapped and replaced by a secular state education system and a state-run Modern Orthodox system. Agudat Israel were allowed to maintain their existing school system. In the early 1950s, under the administration of Yaakov Dori , who had served as the Israel Defense Forces’ first chief of staff, the Technion launched a campaign to recruit Jewish and pro-Israel scientists from abroad to establish research laboratories and teaching departments in
11938-649: The plaza surrounded by retaining walls at the Temple Mount , the Masada and the Herodium , among other fortresses and public works. Herod ruled Judea until 4 BCE; at his death, his kingdom was divided among his three sons and his daughter as a tetrarchy. Herod Archelaus , son of Herod and Malthace the Samaritan, was given the title of ethnarch and ruled over the main part of the kingdom: Judea proper, Idumea, and Samaria . He ruled for ten years until 6 CE, when he
12065-473: The population of Israel rose from 800,000 to two million. During this period, food, clothes and furniture had to be rationed in what became known as the Austerity Period ( Tkufat haTsena ). Immigrants were mostly refugees without money or possessions, and many were housed in temporary camps known as ma'abarot . By 1952 more than 200,000 immigrants were living in tents or prefabricated shacks built by
12192-520: The position of the head of Histadrut , Israel's labour union organization. His demands were accepted and Mapai won the 1961 election (42 seats keeping Ben-Gurion as PM) with a slight reduction in its share of the seats. Menachem Begin's Herut party and the Liberals came next with 17 seats each. In 1962 the Mossad began assassinating German rocket scientists working in Egypt after one of them reported
12319-691: The previous Iron Age I ( c. 1200 BC onwards). The people dwelt on tells , in small villages, farms, and forts, and in the cities of Shechem , Samaria and Tirzah in northern Samaria. Zertal estimated that about 52,000 people inhabited the Manasseh Hill in northern Samaria prior to the Assyrian deportations. According to botanists, the majority of Samaria's forests were torn down during the Iron Age II, and were replaced by plantations and agricultural fields. Since then, few oak forests have grown in
12446-654: The projects made possible by the aid was the Hadera power plant , the Dead Sea Works , the National Water Carrier , port development in Haifa , Ashdod , and Eilat , desalination plants, and national infrastructure projects. In 1949 education was made free and compulsory for all citizens until the age of 14. The state now funded the party-affiliated Zionist education system and a new body created by
12573-421: The province of Samerina is from the reign of Shalmaneser V's successor Sargon II . This is also the first documented instance where a name derived from "Samaria", the capital city, was used for the entire region, although it is thought likely that this practice was already in place. Following the Assyrian conquest, Sargon II claimed in Assyrian records to have deported 27,280 people to various places throughout
12700-605: The region whose Jewish population was wiped out in the Jewish–Roman wars. Following the Muslim conquest of the Levant , and throughout the early Islamic period , Samaria underwent a process of Islamization as a result of waves of conversion among the remaining Samaritan population, along with the migration of Muslims into the area. Evidence implies that a large number of Samaritans converted under Abbasid and Tulunid rule, as
12827-400: The region. In the 720s, the conquest of Samaria by Shalmaneser V of the Neo-Assyrian Empire , which culminated in the three-year siege of the capital city of Samaria , saw the territory annexed as the Assyrian province of Samerina . The siege has been tentatively dated to 725 or 724 BC, with its resolution in 722 BC, near the end of Shalmaneser's reign. The first documented mention of
12954-610: The reins of power and were elevated to the rank of tetrarchs in 41 BCE by Mark Antony . In 40 BCE, the Parthians invaded the eastern Roman provinces and managed to drive the Romans out of many areas. In Judea, the Hasmonean dynasty was restored under King Antigonus II Mattathias as a pro-Parthian monarch. Herod the Great, the son of Antipater and Cypros (possibly of Nabataean descent), managed to escape to Rome. After convincing
13081-744: The ruins of 'Aina and Khirbet Berkit ; and reached the Jordan Valley north of Acrabbim and Sartaba . Tall Asur also stands at that boundary. The area known as the hills of Samaria is bounded by the Jezreel Valley (north); by the Jordan Rift Valley (east); by the Carmel Ridge (northwest); by the Sharon plain (west); and by the Jerusalem mountains (south). The Samarian hills are not very high, seldom reaching
13208-510: The same region. The Shomron Regional Council is the local municipal government that administers the smaller Israeli towns ( settlements ) throughout the area. The council is a member of the network of regional municipalities spread throughout Israel. Elections for the head of the council are held every five years by Israel's ministry of interior, all residents over age 17 are eligible to vote. In special elections held in August 2015 Yossi Dagan
13335-593: The same time, people from other parts of the empire were resettled in the depopulated Samerina. The resettlement is also called the Assyrian captivity in Jewish history and provides the basis for the narrative of the Ten Lost Tribes . According to many scholars, archaeological excavations at Mount Gerizim indicate that a Samaritan temple was built there in the first half of the 5th century BCE. The date of
13462-524: The schism between Samaritans and Jews is unknown, but by the early 4th century BCE the communities seem to have had distinctive practices and communal separation. Much of the anti-Samaritan polemic in the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical texts (such as Josephus) originate from this point and on. During the Hellenistic period , Samaria was largely divided between a Hellenizing faction based around
13589-465: The ship be sunk. Several Etzel members were killed in the fighting. Large numbers of Jewish immigrants—many of them World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors—now began arriving in the new state of Israel, and many joined the IDF. After an initial loss of territory by the Jewish state and its occupation by the Arab armies, from July the tide gradually turned in the Israelis' favour and they pushed
13716-552: The state of Israel. On 11 May 1949, Israel was admitted as a member of the United Nations. Out of an Israeli population of 650,000, some 6,000 men and women were killed in the fighting, including 4,000 soldiers in the IDF (approximately 1% of the population). According to United Nations figures, 726,000 Palestinians had fled or were expelled by the Israelis between 1947 and 1949. The precise number of refugees , many of whom settled in refugee camps in neighboring states,
13843-448: The territories of Philip in 37 CE, which were after Philip's death in 34 CE shortly part of the Roman province of Syria , and in 40 CE he was given the territories of Herod Antipas . In 41 CE, Emperor Claudius added to his territory the parts of Judea province that previously belonged to Herod Archelaus . Thus Agrippa I practically re-united his grandfather's kingdom under his rule. Agrippa died in 44 CE. Agrippa's son Herod Agrippa II
13970-608: The time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE), Judea conquered Edom (Idumea) and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism . The Edomites were gradually integrated into the Judean nation, and some of them reached high-ranking positions. In the days of Alexander Jannaeus , the Edomite Antipas was appointed governor of Edom. His son Antipater was the chief adviser to Hyrcanus II and managed to establish
14097-718: The town of Samaria and a pious faction in Shechem and surrounding rural areas, led by the High Priest. Samaria was a largely autonomous province nominally dependent on the Seleucid Empire . However, the province gradually declined as the Maccabean movement and Hasmonean Judea grew stronger. The transfer of three districts of Samaria— Ephraim , Lod and Ramathaim —under the control of Judea in 145 BCE as part of an agreement between Jonathan Apphus and Demetrius II
14224-682: The tribal organization found in parts of the rural society, known as the 'ushrān. By the mid- Middle Ages , the Jewish writer and explorer Benjamin of Tudela estimated that only around 1,900 Samaritans remained in Palestine and Syria . During the Ottoman Period , the northern part of Samaria belonged to the Turabay Emirate (1517–1683), which encompassed also the Jezreel Valley , Haifa , Jenin , Beit She'an Valley , northern Jabal Nablus , Bilad al-Ruha/Ramot Menashe , and
14351-652: Was Tirzah until the time of King Omri (c. 884 BC), who built the city of Samaria and made it his capital. Samaria functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel (the "Northern Kingdom") until its fall to the Assyrians in the 720s. Hebrew prophets condemned Samaria for its "ivory houses" and luxury palaces displaying pagan riches. The archaeological record suggests that Samaria experienced significant settlement growth in Iron Age II (from c. 950 BC). Archaeologists estimate that there were 400 sites, up from 300 during
14478-607: Was "banished to Vienna in Gaul , where according to Cassius Dio , "Hist. Roma," lv. 27—he lived for the remainder of his days." See also Census of Quirinius . Philip (sometimes erroneously called Herod Philip II) was the son of Herod and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem . He was given the title of tetrarch with jurisdiction over the northeast part of his father's kingdom: Iturea , Trachonitis , Batanaea , Gaulanitis , Auranitis , and Paneas . He ruled until his death in 34 CE. Herod Antipas , another son of Herod and Malthace,
14605-618: Was Egypt's main source of foreign currency. Egypt also blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba preventing Israeli access to the Red Sea . Israel made a secret agreement with the French at Sèvres to co-ordinate military operations against Egypt. Britain and France had already begun secret preparations for military action. It has been alleged that the French also agreed to build a nuclear plant for the Israelis. Britain and France arranged for Israel to give them
14732-493: Was France; but in 1966, following the withdrawal from Algeria , Charles de Gaulle announced France would cease supplying Israel with arms (and refused to refund money paid for 50 warplanes). On 5 February 1966, the US announced that it was taking over the former French and West German obligations, to maintain military "stabilization" in the Middle East. Included in the military hardware would be over 200 M48 tanks . In May of that year
14859-462: Was a dispute over water rights in the River Jordan basin. With Soviet backing, the Arab states, particularly Egypt, were continuing to build up their forces. Israel's main military hardware supplier was France . In 1961 a Herut no-confidence motion over the resurfaced Lavon Affair led to Ben-Gurion's resignation. Ben-Gurion declared that he would only accept office if Lavon was fired from
14986-584: Was appointed a tetrarch of Chalcis and later king of the territories previously ruled by Philip. He actively participated in the quelling of the Great Revolt of Judea on the Roman side. Agrippa II was the last of the Herodians; with his death in c. 92 or 100 CE the dynasty was extinct, and the kingdom became fully incorporated into the Roman province of Judaea. In addition, Herod of Chalcis ruled as king of Chalcis, and his son, Aristobulus of Chalcis ,
15113-418: Was blamed despite his denial of responsibility. The Lavon affair led to Sharett's resignation and Ben-Gurion returned to the post of prime minister. In 1955 Egypt concluded a massive arms deal with Czechoslovakia , upsetting the balance of power in the Middle East. In 1956, the increasingly pro-Soviet President Nasser of Egypt, announced the nationalization of the (French and British owned) Suez Canal , which
15240-467: Was divided among his sons and daughter as a tetrarchy , which lasted for about 10 years. Most of those tetrarchies, including Judea proper, were incorporated into Judaea Province from 6 CE, though limited Herodian de facto kingship continued until Agrippa I 's death in 44 CE and nominal title of kingship continued until c. 92 or 100 CE, when the last Herodian monarch, king Agrippa II , died and Rome assumed full power over his de jure domain. During
15367-610: Was elected as head of the Shomron Regional Council. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered by most in the international community to be illegal under international law , but others including the United States and Israeli governments dispute this. In September 2016, the Town Board of the American Town of Hempstead in the State of New York , led by Councilman Bruce Blakeman entered into
15494-527: Was from Iraq. The rest of the immigrants were from Europe, including more than 270,000 from Eastern Europe, mainly Romania and Poland (over 100,000 each). Nearly all the Jewish immigrants could be described as refugees, but only 136,000 from Central Europe had international certification because they belonged to the 250,000 Jews registered by the allies as displaced after World War II and living in displaced persons camps in Germany, Austria, and Italy. In 1950
15621-476: Was hanged in 1962 and is the only person ever sentenced to death by an Israeli court. Testimonies by Holocaust survivors at the trial and the extensive publicity that surrounded it has led the trial to be considered a turning point in public awareness of the Holocaust. In 1963 Yigael Yadin began excavating Masada . In 1964 Egypt, Jordan, and Syria developed a unified military command. Israel completed work on
15748-413: Was joined by Shimon Peres and Moshe Dayan . Begin's Herut party joined with the Liberals to form Gahal . Mapai and Labour united for the 1965 elections , winning 45 seats and maintaining Levi Eshkol as prime minister. Ben-Gurion's Rafi party received 10 seats, Gahal gained 26 seats becoming the second largest party. Rudolph Kastner , a minor political functionary, was accused of collaborating with
15875-406: Was made a tetrarch of Galilee and Perea ; he ruled there until he was exiled to Spain by emperor Caligula in 39 CE, according to Josephus. Herod Antipas is the person referenced in the Christian New Testament Gospels, playing a role in the death of John the Baptist and the trial of Jesus . The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was first brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, since Pilate
16002-404: Was tetrarch of Chalcis and king of Armenia Minor . History of Israel (1948%E2%80%93present) Canaan State of Israel (1948–present) In 1948, following the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine , the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel sparked the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , which resulted in the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight from
16129-415: Was the governor of Roman Judea , which encompassed Jerusalem where Jesus was arrested . Pilate initially handed him over to Antipas, in whose territory Jesus had been most active, but Antipas sent him back to Pilate's court . Salome I was the topnarch of Jabneh. Herod Agrippa was the grandson of Herod. Thanks to his friendship with Caligula, the emperor appointed him ruler with the title of king over
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