Archive for month: June, 2020

News Update

To listen to an audio version click here. (for supporters)

The Health Ministry today reported 492 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. There are currently 6,556 active cases, of which 58 are in moderate condition, 46 in serious condition and 24 on ventilators. The rest are displaying mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said he had recommended reimposing restrictions on public gatherings and events, warning that Israel was at the “beginning of a second wave” of coronavirus infections. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri reportedly criticized what he said were the Health Ministry’s “excessive demands,” adding: “No further steps are needed. You have to learn to live with the coronavirus.” The special coronavirus cabinet made no decisions yesterday and will meet again today.

In a letter to the coronavirus cabinet, former Health Minister Litzman recommended closing all schools, which he said are the main source of infections. He wrote, “It’s clear to everyone that young children cannot be expected to wear masks and adhere to the proper and necessary rules of hygiene. Therefore, there is no option other than to remain at home until things calm down.”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz told US officials today that Israel would most likely push back plans to annex areas of the West Bank on July 1st, while it focuses on getting the coronavirus pandemic under control. Gantz told US envoy Avi Berkowitz, “July 1 is not a sacred date,” and that, “dealing with the coronavirus and its socioeconomic and health consequences is the more pressing issue that needs to be tended to right now.”

US officials reportedly have said that they would not approve annexation of the Jordan Valley, which is something that PM Netanyahu has promised to do. It seems that the annexation of 30% of the West Bank, based on the Trump peace plan, is now off the table.

An annual report by the US State Department has ranked Israel as one of the top countries in the battle against human trafficking.

News Update

To listen to an audio version click here. (for supporters)

The Health Ministry has reported 441 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. Partial lockdowns and new restrictions have been placed on neighborhoods in Ashdod and Bat Yam because of a spike in infections in those areas. Restrictions imposed earlier this week on neighborhoods in Jaffa and Rahat will be lifted with increased enforcement of health regulations in the area.

The coronavirus cabinet will meet on Sunday at the request of Defense Minister Benny Gantz and will discuss imposing more lock-downs on areas that experience a rise in COVID-19 cases. Military Intelligence issued a report recommending the government reconsider its decision to lift public restrictions imposed due to the spread of coronavirus. The IDF warned that Israel is entering a second wave of the pandemic, and that it will be no less severe than the first.

PM Netanyahu announced yesterday that Israel and the UAE would cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus. He said that an official announcement by the health ministers of both countries would be coming soon.

According to Syrian media sources, 10 pro-Iranian militants were killed in airstrikes by unidentified aircraft in central Syria last night. One of those killed in the strikes was an Iraqi leader named Abu Al-Hassan. Afghani militants were also among those killed in the strikes. Earlier this week airstrikes hit several Iranian related targets throughout Syria.

News Update

To listen to an audio version click here. (for supporters)

The Health Ministry reported 436 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. There have been 1,013 new cases since the beginning of the week, almost as many as in the entire month of May. Out of the 5,460 patients currently infected, 45 are in serious condition and 28 are on ventilators. The cabinet today will discuss the reintroduction of a controversial method of tracking patients using Shin Bet technology.

A partial lockdown of the city of Elad and several neighborhoods in Tiberias went into effect today due to the steep rise of coronavirus cases in those areas. The lockdowns will last a week.

Yesterday, a 27 year old Palestinian man tried to ram his vehicle into Border Police officers at a checkpoint near the village of Abu Dis. Troops shot and killed the attacker. A female officer was lightly wounded in the attack.

International donors pledged over $130 million this week to UNRWA, the United Nations agency created to help Palestinian refugees. The organization’s head said that the amount was encouraging, but not enough to keep operations running through the end of the year.

The U.S., once UNRWA’s largest donor, pulled support in 2018 triggering a financial crisis and forcing other donors to plug an approximately $211 million hole in the agency’s $1.2 billion budget. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was imperative that the international community “continue in the effort to make UNRWA funding sustainable, predictable and sufficient.”

Senior White House officials began discussions this week on whether to give Israel the “green light” to proceed with annexation of parts of the West Bank. The White House meeting included Jared Kushner, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and the U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Among the main options reportedly under U.S. consideration is a step-by-step process in which Israel would initially declare sovereignty over several settlements close to Jerusalem instead of the 30% of the West Bank envisaged in PM Netanyahu’s original plan.

Two bills to legalize cannabis use passed their preliminary readings in the Knesset on Wednesday ahead of the three votes required for them to become law. A bill to decriminalize consumption passed 61-11, and a bill regulating how cannabis may be bought and sold was approved 53-12. If the bills become law, selling and purchasing marijuana in authorized shops for personal use will be legal for those above 21, but growing marijuana at home will still be illegal.

News Update

To listen to an audio version click here. (for supporters)

A special cabinet meeting was held today to discuss the recent upswing in coronavirus cases, as the country continues to lift restrictions and open up. The PM again warned Israelis to follow health ministry regulations regarding social distancing and mask wearing and pledged increased enforcement and digital tracking. He also said that he would consider reinstating regulations against large gatherings if the situation continued to worsen.

The cities with the most cases discovered in the last three days are Jerusalem (29), Bnei Brak (27), Bat Yam (23), Tel Aviv (23), Petah Tikva (17), Ashdod (15), Haifa (14), Elad (13), Rahat (8), Tiberius (8) and Beersheba (8).

A top police official said that the police would increase enforcement. He said, “We will be at commercial centers, football fields, beaches. Enforcement will also be conducted on the streets, wherever we need to be. If we have to board buses, we will board buses. We will set up checkpoints, enforce in taxis, on weekends in night clubs – all locations that have crowds. Any public place where we will have to be at – we’ll get there.” Meanwhile, the Israeli railway system reopened today and cinemas are set to reopen on July 9th.

According to the defense ministry, Israel exported $7.2 billion of military exports in 2019, maintaining Israel’s position among the world’s top 10 largest military exporters.

The Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee held a discussion on domestic violence, the rise of cases during the coronavirus outbreak, and the government’s implementation of a plan to curb the abuse.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai announced yesterday that the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality will recognize same-sex and interfaith marriages and other couples who are not eligible to be officially married by the state’s rabbinate, which is the sole authority capable of marrying Jewish couples. Marriages in other religious communities are authorized by the religious authorities of those communities. There is no secular marriage in Israel.

Official recognition by the municipality will make the respective couples eligible for municipal benefits, including housing tax discounts, and easier enrollment of their children into public daycares and schools.

News Update

To listen to an audio version click here. (for supporters)

The Health Ministry today confirmed 349 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. This is the first time since April that over 300 cases in one day have been reported. There are currently 4,372 active coronavirus patients across the country, among them 40 patients in serious condition, 44 in moderate condition, and 28 patients requiring artificial respiratory assistance. The majority of active cases are said to display only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Corona related deaths currently stand at 304.

The mayor of Rahat, the largest Bedouin city in Israel, said yesterday that many residents are ashamed of being infected with coronavirus and as a result avoid getting tested. The government on Wednesday decided to designate three Arab communities, including Rahat, as “restricted coronavirus areas,” which will be subject to several restrictions regarding travel and gathering. Several neighborhoods in Jaffa have also been placed on partial lockdown. Bnei Brak and Bat Yam have also seen a small spike in new cases, raising fears of a renewed lockdown. The Palestinian Authority has also reported a recent spike in cases.

To view a map of coronavirus cases in Israel, click here.

PM Netanyahu once again warned that if the Israeli public continues to disregard health orders, the government would have to take “firm measures” to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Doctors at Israel’s largest hospitals are now administering steroids to coronavirus patients in serious condition, based on the results of a recent British study that demonstrates the effectiveness of steroids in fighting the virus.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made a surprise visit to Ramallah to discuss the possibility of Israeli action to annex parts of the West Bank with PA President Abbas. Under the Israeli government’s coalition deal between Likud and Blue and White, an annexation plan can be put to a government vote in July. The PM has reportedly presented several annexation plans, but non have yet to be approved. It is also unclear whether the US administration would support any of the plans.

Israel’s Southern District Planning and Building Committee has approved an urban plan for Mitzpe Ramon, the Negev town overlooking the world’s largest erosion canyon. The plan calls for the construction of 3,000 new homes and hotels and tourist attractions, which will increase the city’s population from its current 5,200 to 17,000 by 2030.