October 18, 1988 — Court Upholds Ban on Kach
A supporter of Meir Kahane’s Kach party protests Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s visit to the Migdal settlement Oct. 10, 1988. By Maggi Ayalon, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Israel’s Supreme Court upholds the ban blocking the Kach party from participating in the election for the 12th Knesset. Kach violates Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, which bars any party whose object is inciting or engaging in racism. The court had reversed a similar ban in 1984 before Section 7A existed. Kach, which advocates stripping non-Jews’ citizenship and annexing all occupied territories, was founded by Meir Kahane in 1971.
October 19, 1948 — Navy Fights First Major Battle
The INS Haganah, which was used to smuggle Jewish immigrants into British-controlled Palestine, serves as a warship in 1948. IDF Encyclopedia.
Three warships, the Haganah, Wedgewood and Noga, attack an Egyptian vessel unloading troops near Ashkelon in the first major battle for the Israeli navy. The Israeli ships shoot down two fighter planes and damage the Egyptian vessel, which must be towed to Port Said. The engagement is part of a southern offensive to open a route to the Negev. The three Israeli ships formerly smuggled immigrants into Palestine.
October 20, 2013 — Buses Promoting Women of the Wall are Attacked
The Women of the Wall began monthly Rosh Chodesh Torah services at the Western Wall in December 1988.
Haredi men hurl rocks at and slash the tires of buses bearing ads promoting female worship at the Western Wall. The ads, depicting women with prayer shawls and Torahs, are posted by Women of the Wall, a group of mostly religiously observant Jews who believe that women should be allowed to pray at the Wall with the same access and rights as men. WOW members bring a miniature Torah to the Wall for a bat mitzvah in 2014.
October 21, 1949 — Benjamin Netanyahu is Born
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. By Amos Ben Gershom, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the ninth and current prime minister of Israel, is born in Tel Aviv. He spends much of his childhood in Philadelphia but returns to Israel for military service in 1967 and is part of the elite Sayeret Matkal until 1972. He serves as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988, when he is first elected to the Knesset for Likud. He serves as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, 2009 to 2021, and 2022 until now.
October 22, 1952 — First Ambassador to Britain Takes Office
Before his service in Britain, Eliahu Elath notified President Harry Truman of Israel’s establishment in May 1948 and received the official U.S. recognition of the new state. Central Zionist Archives.
Eliahu Elath, who was Israel’s first ambassador to the United States, presents his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II as he is elevated from minister (a position he has held since 1950) to become Israel’s first ambassador to the United Kingdom. He holds the post until 1959. Elath says his ambassadorship represents “the completion of long plans which started on Nov. 2, 1917, the day the Balfour Declaration was issued.”
October 23, 1998 — Wye River Memorandum is Signed
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Bill Clinton consult during the Wye River Plantation conference in Maryland in October 1998. By Sharon Farmer, White House.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton sign a memorandum recommitting to the Oslo II agreement of September 1995 after nine days of negotiations at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. Implementation of Oslo II has lapsed since Netanyahu’s election in 1996. Both sides want the United States to play a larger role in the Oslo process.
October 24, 1915 — Hussein-McMahon Correspondence Starts
Sir Henry McMahon was the British high commissioner in Cairo during World War I.
Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner in Cairo, and Hussein Ibn Ali, the sharif of Mecca, begin an exchange of letters in which the British government promises to back Hussein’s bid to lead a restored Arab caliphate in exchange for his support in the war against the Ottoman Empire. Palestine is not mentioned in their correspondence, but Hussein later says the land is included in the area planned for Arab administration.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.