Archive for month: September, 2020

News Update

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The Health Ministry reported 3,496 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. There are currently 30,079 active cases of which 458 people are hospitalized in serious condition and 140 on ventilators. There have been 1,048 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Jerusalem leads the country with 3,686 active cases, followed by Bnei Brak with 1,651. There are 802 active cases in Tel Aviv. At least 40 locations across Israel, with high infection rates, were placed under night-time curfew on Tuesday. Most of the locations have predominantly Haredi (ultra-orthodox) or Arab populations. The curfew will be in effect between 7pm and 5am for a period of one week, but police are apparently not really enforcing the regulations. More comprehensive restrictions to stem the virus were blocked by Haredi ministers.

Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein and coronavirus czar Prof. Gamzu have both entered quarantine after coming into contact with a confirmed patient.

[While many are blaming PM Netanyahu for failing to properly manage the coronavirus crisis as the infection rates continue to rise, making Israel the country with the highest per capita infection rate, the true blame most likely rests with the general Israeli public which continues to, in large part, ignore social distancing and mask wearing regulations. There’s only so much a government can do to fight the virus, short of completely locking down the country for an indefinite period of time, which no one wants. The responsibility rests with the people — and they are apparently failing.]

Palestinian leaders have toned down their rhetoric against the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE. A draft resolution to be presented by the Palestinians at an Arab League meeting in Cairo today does not include a call to condemn or act against the UAE. PA President Abbas also issued instructions banning any offensive statements or actions towards any Arab leaders.

On Friday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that Kosovo and Israel had decided to “establish full diplomatic relations between the two countries.” The arrangement was apparently a part of an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia brokered by the US administration. Now Serbia is reportedly refusing to move its embassy to Jerusalem if Israel recognizes Kosovo as an independent country. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Kosovo would be the first Muslim country to have an embassy in Jerusalem.

News Update

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

The Health Ministry reported 2,766 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. On Wednesday new cases exceeded 3,000. There are currently 25,277 active cases of which 416 people are hospitalized in serious condition and 123 on ventilators. There have been 991 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic. The coronavirus czar, Prof. Gamzu, said that there was a good chance that Israel would be locked down for the high holidays, later this month.

Cabinet Ministers decided yesterday to impose lockdowns on 30 localities with high infection rates, starting Monday. Under these new restrictions, residents will be prohibited from venturing more than 500 meters (1600 feet) away from home except for food, medicine, and other essential house maintenance needs. All “non-essential” businesses will be closed. Schools will be closed except for kindergartens and special education. Travel to, within, and from the cities, and even certain neighborhoods, will be restricted. Police will announce which cities will be locked down on Sunday.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Israel ranks first in the world in the number of new coronavirus infections per capita. It is then followed by Bahrain, Brazil, Kuwait and the United States.

The New York Times reported yesterday that PM Netanyahu “privately condoned” the American sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to the UAE despite his public claims to the contrary. The paper quoted senior American officials as saying that Netanyahu chose not to oppose the deal as it progressed in a parallel track to talks on the normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE. The US officials said that Netanyahu “stopped publicly complaining about the proposed arms sale after a meeting with [U.S.] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem last week that brought the Israeli prime minister back in line.”

According to unnamed Israeli officials, Bahrain will be the next Arab country to follow the UAE in normalizing relations with Israel.

News Update

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

The Health Ministry reported 2,085 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. There are currently 20,960 active cases of which 416 people are hospitalized in serious condition and 109 on ventilators. There have been 957 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

An IDF soldier and a policeman were lightly wounded in a car-ramming attack at Tapuach Junction in the northern West Bank this morning. The terrorist approached from the direction of the Arab village of Huwara in southern Nablus and rammed his car into a police checkpoint. The terrorist then exited the vehicle and continued to advance towards the men with a knife drawn. The injured police officer shot and wounded the terrorist.

Eleven pro-Iranian militiamen were killed in an air strike south of Damascus on Monday night. Syrian media blamed Israel for the strike. Israel declined to comment.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed yesterday to set up a joint committee to cooperate on financial services, to promote investment between the two countries. UAE’s media office tweeted, “Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Invest in Israel set out plans for bilateral investment cooperation, during a landmark first meeting when both parties explored mutually beneficial areas of partnership with a strong focus on innovation and technology.” A top UAE official also said that the UAE had received assurances from both Israel and the US that Israel would not proceed with plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

A Jordanian man was apprehended on a beach in Eilat after he swam across the border. The man said that he wanted to seek a better economic future in Israel.

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has officially allowed independent rabbinic organizations to provide kosher supervision to food establishments. The establishments may now display a certification describing what kosher standards they observe but they may not use the word “kosher” and they must clearly state that they are not supervised by the rabbinate.