1976 in Israel

Events in the year 1976 in Israel.

Incumbents

3 April – Shokolad, Menta, Mastik represents Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Emor Shalom” ("Say Hello"), achieving sixth place. {{cite web|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1976il|title=1976 Israel – Chocolate Menta Mastik|website=Diggiloo Thrush|access-date=2021-07-29}}
11 July – Miss Israel, Rina Mor, wins the title of Miss Universe 1976 becoming the first Israeli to win one of the most publicized international beauty contest.{{Cite web |last=Botelho |first=Renan |date=2023-11-18 |title=Every Winner in Miss Universe History From the Past 70 Years |url=https://wwd.com/lists/miss-universe-winners-list-1235924530/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=WWD |language=en-US}}
10 December – The first F-15 fighter aircraft arrive in Israel. The fact that they landed in Israel on a Friday evening, after the start of Sabbath, causes a political crisis and prompts the religious parties in the Knesset to topple the first Rabin government.{{Cite web|url=http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/aircraft/f-15/F-15.htm|title=F-15}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/f15.html|title = McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle}}

The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1976 include:

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 1976 include:

4 July – Operation Entebbe: Israeli airborne commandos free 103 hostages being held by Palestinian Arab and German hijackers of an Air France plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport; one Israeli soldier and several Ugandan soldiers are killed in the raid.Entebbe: The Most Daring Raid of Israel's Special Forces, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011, by Simon Dunstan, p. 58

ISBN 9781448818686

22 October – An Israeli naval commando raids a harbor in Tyre and sinks a terrorist ship.

Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets

{{Main|Palestinian political violence#Establishment of PLO to First Intifada (1964–1987)}}

The most prominent Palestinian Arab terror attacks committed against Israelis during 1976 include:

27 June – Air France Flight 139, originating in Tel Aviv and carrying 248 passengers and a crew of 12 takes off from Athens, Greece, headed for Paris, France. The flight is hijacked by Palestinian Arab assailants with German Revolutionäre Zellen supporters and flown to Entebbe Airport (now known as Entebbe International Airport) in Uganda. Shortly after landing, all non-Jewish passengers were released. The hijacking of this flight leads to the IDF hostage-rescue mission "Operation Entebbe" carried out in the Entebbe Airport seven days later (see details above).

24 January – Pinhas Lavon (born 1910), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli politician, minister and labor leader, best known for the Lavon Affair.
15 April – David Elazar (born 1925), Yugoslav (Bosnia)-born Israeli military officer, the ninth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
25 April – Markus Reiner (born 1886), Austro-Hungarian (Bukovina)-born Israeli scientist.
4 July – Yonatan Netanyahu (born 1946), U.S.-born commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit Sayeret Matkal, killed during Operation Entebbe.
19 September – Yehezkel Abramsky (born 1886), Russian (Belarus)-born eminent Israeli Orthodox rabbi.