Archive for month: April, 2023

News Update

A terrorist attempted to ram his car into a group of soldiers near Ariel. When his car was blocked by a concrete barrier, he exited the car with a knife and tried to stab a police officer. Soldiers shot the terrorist. No Israelis were hurt.

Over 150,000 supporters of the government rallied outside the Knesset on Thursday night calling for the judicial overhaul to be enacted and the power of the Supreme Court to be curtailed. Demonstrators shouted, “We don’t want compromise.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spoke at the rally, promising that the reforms would be passed in the Knesset. Many coalition ministers attended the demonstration. Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted, “I thank the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who came to Jerusalem tonight to support our government. Your passion and patriotism moves me deeply.” For more, click here.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, is visiting Israel. He expressed his support for Israel and free access to visit the holy sites in Jerusalem. For more, click here.

Rugby’s global governing body has determined that the South African Rugby Union’s decision to disinvite an Israeli team from an international competition last month was not discriminatory. The decision to exclude Israel came after pressure from the South African BDS Coalition, an affiliate of the Palestinian BDS National Committee that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. World Rugby claims that the exclusion was due to threats of violence against the Israeli team.

China and Israel continue to make progress on a free trade agreement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China reports that, at the end of March, a further round of direct talks on the agreement took place between representatives of the Israeli and Chinese governments. This is the eight round of talks since 2016 and the first since November 2019 to be held face-to-face. China is Israel’s second largest trading partner. The value of trade between the two countries rose 11.6% in 2022 to $24.45 billion. About 18,000 vehicles of Chinese manufacture were sold in Israel in the first quarter, representing 17% of the market and a 450% increase over the first quarter of 2022. For more, click here.

News Update

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in an interview on Wednesday that a visit to Saudi Arabia was on the table, although there is no date yet. He also said that at least one more country would join the Abraham Accords this year. Earlier on Wednesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Jeddah.

According to an Axios report, during a visit to the West Afican country Niger last month, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken urged Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel. Niger severed diplomatic ties with Israel during the second intifada in 2002.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has chosen Likud MK May Golan to the high profile post of Israel’s consul general in New York. Former diplomats are not pleased with the choice. For more, click here.

Muslims today are celebrated the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Ten of thousands of Muslims are expected to worship in Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount. Israel’s Foreign Ministry tweeted, “While tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers arrive calmly for the morning prayer of Eid el-Fitr, there is still a handful of rioters who arrive to disturb & harm their fellow worshipers, to desecrate a holy place & to incite terrorism.” Jews have been prohibited from visiting the Temple Mount during the past couple of weeks, but will once again be allowed up starting this Sunday.

News Update

Police shot and wounded a 20 year old Arab resident of east Jerusalem who was vandalizing Jewish owned cars in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of east Jerusalem and refused to stop and submit to questioning. When police officers arrived on the scene they saw the suspect wearing a coat and holding an object in his hand. At the same time, an explosion occurred from inside one of the cars, which was allegedly set by the suspect. Police asked him to remove his coat to determine that he was not carrying an explosive device. He ignored the police and continued to mumble religious verses including Allahu Akbar. It was then that police shot and wounded him.

Israel is involved in talks with the government of Sudan and the Sudanese rebels to try and broker a peace agreement and end the fighting that broke out recently.

Talks between the government and opposition regarding the judicial reform have resumed in the President’s residence.

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the former Shah of Iran will arrive in Israel today to attend Holocaust Memorial Day events with President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu. He is expected to address the threats from Iran at the national event to be held at Yad Vashem tonight. For more, click here.

The Moody’s credit rating agency downgraded the outlook for Israel’s sovereign credit rating from “Positive” to “Stable”. This could have a significant effect on international investments in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich pushed back saying, “The fear raised by the Moody’s analysts concerning the controversy among the public and its effect on Israel’s political and economic stability is natural for anyone who is not familiar with the resilience of Israeli society. As people who believe in the strength of Israeli society, in its unity and its ability to get through disputes and crises, as we have done many times in the past, we are sure that, with God’s help, that will be the case this time too. The State of Israel is a strong democracy and for that very reason the citizens of Israel engage in discourse on matters in dispute in Israeli society, and these are indications of the strength of Israeli democracy.”

Prices of new apartments on the free market in Israel have fallen 5.8% in four months, equivalent to an annual fall of 18%, and a serious warning sign for the entire real estate sector, according to figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Residential rents continue to rise, fueling inflation, which then causes interest rate hikes. For more, click here.

Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, will begin tonight with a memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem, at which the Prime Minister and President will speak. Memorial events will take place tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. At 10am a siren will call the country to a 2 minute standstill, to reflect on the Holocaust. All places of entertainment will be closed. Let us remember and reflect on the greatest tragedy to befall the Jewish People, and pledge to do everything we can to assure it never happens again.

News Update

Police surrounded the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount last night to remove dozens of masked Palestinians who had barricaded themselves inside the mosque with fireworks, clubs and stones. When the militants refused to come out peacefully, police entered by force. Palestinians attacked police with fireworks and rocks. Police reported that 350 people were arrested. The masked militants were reportedly planning to disrupt and attack Jewish groups planning to visit the Temple Mount on Passover. One police officer was injured in the leg by a stone. The Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia condemned the “intrusion” into Al Aqsa.

Following the Temple Mount incident, Islamic Jihad terrorists launched a barrage of rockets from Gaza at Israeli communities. The IDF responded this morning by striking Hamas military targets in Gaza including a weapons factory and a weapons storage facility. Terrorists then fired another rocket barrage. In total, between 16 and 18 rockets were fired. Most of the rockets were either intercepted by the Iron Dome or landed in open areas. One of the rockets struck a factory in the Sderot industrial area, causing damage.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the security cabinet to be convened. He said, “The government of which I am a member should respond strongly to the rocket fire from Gaza. Hamas rockets necessitate a response beyond the bombing of dunes and uninhabited sites. It’s time for heads to roll in Gaza.”

An IDF soldiers was shot and wounded during an operation in the village of Beit Ummar near Hebron this morning. Troops returned fire and are hunting for the terrorists.

A terrorist from Hebron stabbed 2 IDF soldiers yesterday at a junction in Be’er Yaakov, near Rishon Letzion. Civilians at the scene overpowered the terrorist. On Monday night, terrorists fired at a Kibbutz Ma’ale Gilboa. No one was injured. The walls of four homes were grazed by bullets. Fatah and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video of the shooting.

Syrian media reported that Israel launched airstrikes targeting Damascus International Airport and the southern Damascus area yesterday. This is the fourth strike in the last week.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Gallant last week is apparently on hold because of security concerns. Gallant will remain in the Defense Ministry for now although he has yet to meet with the prime minister, who is demanding a public apology in return for the ability to retain his job, a condition Gallant has refused to accept.

The head of the Shin Bet said yesterday that the internal security service has thwarted over 200 significant terror attacks since the beginning of the years.

Electric car prices in Israel might be heading lower after Tesla decided to drop the price of its Tesla Model Y Electric Crossover by NIS 50,000. For more, click here.

Passover begins tonight and lasts for 7 days in Israel and 8 in the diaspora. The holiday represents God’s redemption of the Jewish People from Egyptian bondage, the formation of the Jewish nation and the eternal bond between God and the Jewish nation. We destroy our chametz (wheat related products), which represent haughtiness and Ego, and eat Matzah, which represents humility and modesty.

On a personal note, yesterday morning I had the opportunity to visit the Temple Mount for the first time. I was part of a group lead by Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld of High on the Har. It was an incredibly meaningful experience that I hope to repeat many times more.

On the one hand, I felt intense sadness being on the site of the Holy Temple and seeing the actual ruins of that temple and the holy ground occupied by a foreign nation. At the same time I felt an overwhelming sense of holiness and peacefulness.

The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom, which is also the word for “complete” or “whole” in an existential sense. When a person is totally at peace with himself, his identity…with who he is, he is Shalem. Standing on the Temple Mount I experienced that feeling of wholeness and internal peace that I don’t think I have ever felt before. That feeling has stayed with me, and I hope and pray that it continues to do so.

The Holy Temple was the pride and glory and soul of the Jewish People that gave every Jew a sense of wholeness and peace. Even now that it is no longer standing (hopefully only temporarily), it continues to emanate that holiness and peace for those willing to accept and grasp it. You don’t have to physically ascend the mountain to feel that peace but, at least in my case, being there certainly made all the difference in the world. You might feel the same way.

After visiting the Temple Mount, I have a much greater appreciation of what we lost and what we will, hopefully one day soon, have again. I can now mourn for the Holy Temple with greater sadness, and celebrate the holiness and peace that continues to emanate from the Temple Mount with new excitement and passion.

May we merit to be able to celebrate next Passover in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Next Year in Jerusalem…in the Holy Temple!