Archive for month: November, 2022

News Update

A female IDF soldier was run over by a terrorist driving a vehicle near the settlement of Kohav Ya’akov. The terrorist fled the scene, but was eventually shot and killed by Israeli forces after he was stopped at a roadblock. The soldier was evacuated to the hospital in serious but stable condition. The terrorist was a 45 year old father of 5 from the city of Betunia near Ramallah. He had an Israeli work permit and had worked at a supermarket.

IDF troops came under attack overnight when two military vehicles stalled just outside the town of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, on Tuesday morning. Rioters threw bombs and fired shots at soldiers, who responded with live fire. Palestinian sources report that three attackers were killed.

A report published by the State Comptroller found that 38% of female conscripts serving in the Israeli Prison system said that they experienced sexual abuse of some form during their service and that 70% of said abuse was committed by a permanent employee or a commander. In the IDF, 33% of female conscripts said they were sexually harassed at least once during their service, and 32% reported the abuse to a relevant supervisor. For more, click here.

Likud and Religious Zionism met for hours last night and today, and are reportedly prepared to sign a coalition agreement later today. As part of the agreement Religious Zionism leader Smotrich and Shas leader Deri will share the finance and interior ministries, trading places after 2 years. Coalition agreements have still not be signed with Shas or United Torah Judaism. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly planning to ask President Herzog for a 14 day extension to form a government. He needs time to pass a law in the Knesset that would allow Shas leader Deri to serve as a minister despite the fact that he served prison time for tax evasion.

Almost 6,000 electric cars were delivered to Israel in November, setting a new record. Tesla has led the way in November with 2,300 EV deliveries. The company plans opening a showroom in central Israel with a ‘pay and take’ policy. Chinese carmaker Geely leads the way in overall 2022 EV car sales in Israel. The sharp rise in EV sales is ahead of a purchase tax rise in Israel in January 2023.

News Update

Likud has signed a coalition agreement with Otzma Yehudit, led by MK Itamar Ben Gvir, which ran as part of the Religious Zionism list in the election. Ben Gvir will be appointed Minister for National Security, which is an expanded version of the Public Security Ministry. The new ministry will include the Real Estate Enforcement division and the West Bank Border Police division, in addition to the police and internal security services.

Otzma Yehudit will also get the Ministry of the Negev and Galilee and the Ministry of Heritage which, according to the Israeli government website – “is responsible for developing tangible and intangible national heritage assets, preserving content of national historical importance while making them accessible to the public, and encouraging the assimilation of national heritage into the education system and to IDF, as well as other activities.” The party will also get 1 deputy minister and 2 heads of committee.

Likud is planning to sign a coalition deal with Shas on Sunday and then one with United Torah Judaism (UTJ). Shas will likely get the Interior Ministry, Periphery Ministry (that as split off from the Negev and Galilee Ministry) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. UTJ will likely get the Ministry of Housing and other deputy minister and committee posts. Then the pressure will focused on Betzalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, who will be the last remaining potential partner holding up the formation of a government.

In Bersheva, an 18 year old Israeli wearing an IDF uniform was hit by a car driven by a 39 year old Bedouin from Rahat in a suspected terror attack. The driver claims that he lost control of his car, but he has a record of nationalistic statements and social media posts. The victim suffered a broken leg.

Tiran Fero, the Israeli-Druze 18 year old who was abducted from a Jenin hospital by Islamic Jihad terrorists, was laid to rest in his hometown in northern Israel. His body was returned after intense Israeli and international diplomatic pressure and intervention. The terrorists thought that Fero was an Israeli soldier.

News Update

IDF troops arrested a wanted terrorist this morning near Jenin. Troops came under gunfire attack from Palestinian Islamic Jihad members as they were surrounding the terrorists home. Troops returned fire, killing one terrorist and wounded four others. Eight other terror suspects were arrested in overnight raids.

Religious Zionism party leader MK Betzalel Smotrich reportedly has said that he his willing to drop his demand for the Defense Ministry on the condition that he becomes Finance Minister as well as extensive responsibilities from the Defense Ministry related to Judea and Samaria. Smotrich is demanding that the entire issue of settlements in Judea and Samaria be transferred to the Finance Ministry, so that even if no one is appointed Defense Minister in the end, he will still be able to set the policies for the area. Netanyahu, however, has already given the Finance Ministry to Shas leader Aryeh Deri. But Deri might not be able to serve as minister, since he also served a prison sentence for tax evasion. The US administration is pressuring Netanyahu not to give Smotrich the Defense Ministry, although it’s highly unlikely that Netanyahu would make Smotrich Defense Minister under any circumstances.

Smotrich is also demanding that the coalition agreement include a clause obligating the new government to take steps to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. Likud is reportedly refusing to do that. Prime Minister Netanyahu had, in the past, been in favor of applying Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, but then decided to shelve those plans in order to sign the Abraham Accords with the UAE and Bahrain.

The Otzma Yehudit party, which ran as part of the Religious Zionism list, has terminated coalition talks with Likud because Likud is refusing to give it the Ministry for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee. The party was reportedly promised the ministry and said that strengthening the Galilee and the Negev was part of its election platform.

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled that former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert defamed Prime Minister Netanyahu and family and ordered Olmert to pay Netanyahu damages totaling around $18,000 as well as legal costs. Netanyahu sued Olmert for remarks Olmert made in 2021.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., the Israeli Navy, and Israel’s Ministry of Defense have completed an advanced interception test of the C-DOME Naval Iron Dome missile defense System. The C-DOME is an advanced naval configuration of Rafael’s Iron Dome aerial defense system against short range missiles and is operated from the Israel Navy’s INS Oz Sa’ar 6 Magen class corvette. For more, click here.

Since the beginning of 2022, about 6,500 employees at Israeli tech companies have lost their jobs. For more, click here.

News Update

An 18 year old Palestinian terrorist stabbed and killed 3 Israeli men and seriously wounded 3 others outside of the city of Ariel. The terrorist first attacked the Israeli guard at the entrance to the Ariel’s industrial zone, then proceeded to a nearby gas station and stabbed three more people there. He then stole a car, intentionally collided with another vehicle on a nearby highway and struck another person and attempted to steal another car before being stopped. He tried to run from the scene but was shot and killed by soldiers.

An IDF official said that the failure of the guards, at the entrance of the industrial zone, to report the attack immediately to the army prevented soldiers from being able to block the terrorist from getting onto the highway, where he continued his terror attack.

The Israelis killed in the attack were:

1. Moshe Ashkenazi, 59, a father of three and grandfather of two, who was a resident of the southern city of Yavne.

2. Michael Ladygin, 36 and father of 2, from Bat Yam. He made aliyah with his family from Ukraine five years ago.

3. Tamir Avihai, father of 6, from the settlement of Kiryat Netafim.

In the wake of the decision by the FBI to investigate the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, outgoing Prime Minister Lapid said, “IDF soldiers will not be investigated by the FBI or any other foreign entity or state, no matter how friendly to Israel.” He added, “We will not abandon our soldiers to an investigation. Our strong protest was delivered to the American’s in the appropriate levels. The IDF is a moral military with values and its soldiers and commanders are protecting Israel, vigorously investigating any unusual incident and are committed to democratic values and the law.” The FBI decision came after 57 members of Congress asked FBI director Christopher Wray to investigate the circumstances of the Palestinian-American journalist’s death, which occurred when she was hit by a bullet while covering a Palestinian riot against IDF troops.

Likud has cancelled all meetings with potential coalition partners today after a contentious meeting between Prime Minister elect Netanyahu and Religious Zionism leader Smotrich, in which Netanyahu reportedly rejected Smotrich’s demand to be appointed Defense Minister in the new government.  He also refused to give Smotrich the Finance Ministry, his second choice, since that is most likely earmarked for Shas leader Aryeh Deri. Netanyahu reportedly told Smotrich that the government would need to act with moderation on diplomatic and security issues, at least until the end of the Biden administration. Smotrich is threatening not to join in the coalition if his demands are not met. Netanyahu cannot form a government without Religious Zionism’s 14 seats.

Israel’s annualized inflation rate is currently at 5.1%. For more, click here. 

An Israeli businessman living in Georgia (the country) was the target of an Iranian planned assassination attempt that was foiled by security services there. To read more, click here.

 

News Update

President Herzog will officially give former Prime Minister Netanyahu the mandate to form a government on Sunday. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition has 64 Knesset seats. Netanyahu will now have 21 days to form a government. His first agenda will be negotiating the appointment of government ministers [not an easy task].

The IDF’s Advocate General has decided to prosecute two soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda battalion in the death of an elderly Palestinian man arrested by the troops. The Netzah Yehuda battalion was formed specifically for strictly Orthodox Jewish soldiers. The soldiers under prosecution are the First Lieutenant and Sergeant who commanded the arresting troops. For more, click here.

Qatari media reported that last month, Qatar arrested 8 Indian nationals involved in training the Qatar navy, under suspicion of spying for Israel.

MK Itamar Ben Gvir spoke at a memorial event commemorating the death of former Kach leader and MK Rabbi Meir Kahane, who supported deporting the Arabs as well as other seemingly racist policies. In his address, Ben Gvir, who is also accused of being racist and anti-Arab, said that he does not support deported the Arabs from Israel or any other laws against Arabs. but he does support deporting Arab terrorists. He is also in favor of allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount as well as the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. The US State Department spokesman condemned Ben Gvir’s appearance at Kahane’s memorial and urged “all parties to maintain calm, exercise restraint, and to refrain from actions that only serve to exacerbate tensions and that includes in Jerusalem.”

The Health Ministry reported that cholera has been detected in the Yarmouk Reservoir in northern Israel for the first time since a recent outbreak of the deadly disease in Lebanon and Syria. The Health Ministry chlorinated the water and cut off its flow to the Kinneret. Testing capabilities have also been set up for regular monitoring of the situation. The Yarmouk is not used for drinking water and is rarely used for swimming, however, it is a source for irrigation. The Health Ministry said that there was no danger to the population.

The District Planning and Building Committee approved the final blueprint of the construction of the new U.S. embassy compound in Jerusalem. The embassy building will be 10 stories high and it will be built on 50 dunams (12.3553 acres) of land. The construction plan includes office buildings, parking spaces, residential buildings for employees, and necessary security measures. Once the final permit is obtained, after any objections are heard, the construction is expected to take close to a decade.