January 16, 1948 — Arab Troops Kill Convoy of 35
The slain soldiers from the Convoy of 35 were buried on Mount Herzl after the War of Independence.
All 35 Haganah soldiers in a convoy bringing supplies to the blockaded Gush Etzion settlements are killed in a day of fighting with Arab troops. What is known as the Convoy of 35 is trying to bring relief on foot to Jewish bloc after motorized efforts failed, but the mission is foiled when Arab civilians spot the convoy around dawn. Nearby British troops do not intervene in the battle but report that the Arabs mutilate the Jewish bodies.
January 17, 1986 — Israel, Spain Establish Diplomatic Ties
Israeli President Chaim Herzog accepts the credentials of Spain’s new ambassador to Israel, Pedro Lopez Aguirrebengoa, in Jerusalem on April 14, 1986. By Nati Harnik, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Spain becomes the last Western European nation to open formal diplomatic relations with Israel, which Spain had not officially recognized. Establishing ties with Israel is a condition for Spain to gain admission to the European Community, the precursor to the European Union. Spain keeps the Arab League informed of its plans, pledges continuing close ties to the Arab world and denounces Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
January 18, 1974 — Egypt, Israel Separate Forces With U.S. Guarantees
IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar addresses the media at the signing ceremony for the disengagement agreement Jan. 18, 1974. By Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Israel and Egypt sign the U.S.-brokered Separation of Forces Agreement after the October 1973 war. The pact creates a U.N.-monitored buffer zone in the Sinai and calls for all Egyptian forces to deploy west of that zone and all Israeli forces, including those that ended the war west of the Suez Canal, to move east. In a separate memorandum of understanding with Israel, the United States for the first time agrees to monitor and guarantee such a deal.
January 19, 1990 — Resolution 242 Author Arthur Goldberg Dies
Arthur Goldberg is sworn in as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1965. He took the post to try to end the Vietnam War, then helped draft the intentionally vague land-for-peace formula of Resolution 242.
Arthur Goldberg, a former labor secretary, U.S. Supreme Court justice and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, dies at home in Washington at 81. President John F. Kennedy named the Chicago lawyer the labor secretary in 1961, then appointed him to the Supreme Court the next year. Goldberg became U.N. ambassador in 1965 and helped draft and push through U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 after the June 1967 Middle East war.
January 20, 1942 — Nazis Plan “Final Solution” at Wannsee
Reinhard Heydrich, shown in 1940, was one of the Kristallnacht organizers as well as the Wannsee convener.
Convened by Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, Nazi officials draft the plans for the “Final Solution” to the existence of European Jewry. The plans call for a shift from the promotion of Jewish emigration to a policy of deportation and resettlement in conquered territory to the east, where Jews will be imprisoned in deadly labor camps. The Wannsee attendees include Adolf Eichmann.
January 21, 1882 — BILU Founding Launches First Aliyah
BILU pioneers work the fields of Moshava Gedera in 1910.
BILU, whose name comes from the Isaiah verse Beit Yaakov lekhu venelkha (“House of Jacob, let us go”), is founded by 30 students at the home of Israel Belkind in Kharkov, Ukraine. Responding to a wave of pogroms that began in April 1881 after the assassination of Czar Alexander II, BILU sets the groundwork for the First Aliyah. More than 37,000 Jews, most from Eastern Europe, immigrate to the Land of Israel through 1903.
January 22, 2013 — 19th Knesset Is Elected
Likud supporters in Tel Aviv await election results Jan. 22, 2013. By Kobi Gideon, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0
After the dissolution of the Knesset over a budget dispute in October, Israel votes for the 19th Knesset. The results enable Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in power, but he needs eight weeks to form a government because of the loss of legislative seats among right-wing parties. Netanyahu’s Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu, running with a combined list, drop from 42 to 31 members of the Knesset, while Yair Lapid’s new Yesh Atid wins 19 seats.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.