Archive for month: May, 2023

News Update

Security forces last night arrested a fugitive terrorist involved in a September 2022 shooting and firebomb attack on a bus carrying IDF soldiers in the Jordan Valley, in which 6 soldiers and a bus drive were wounded. Maher al-Said Turkman, a 50-year-old farmer from the village of al-Jiftlik in the heart of the Jordan Valley, carried out the attack together with his son Mohammad Turkman and nephew Walid Turkman, using a vehicle with an Israeli license plate which was registered in the name of his wife, who is an Israeli citizen. Mohammad and Walid were arrested shortly after the attack. For more, click here.

Yesterday, shot were fired from Syria towards an IDF drone conducting routine surveillance. The IDF responded with machine gun fire towards the location of the shot source. The drone was not damaged.

The IDF conducted a raid in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho on Wednesday. The IDF says that arrested 2 terror suspects. Palestinian sources say that 14 people were detained. The troops came under attack and returned fire. Eight Palestinians were reportedly wounded in the operation.

The Knesset passed Israel’s Budget Bill for the years 2023 and 2024 yesterday by a clear majority of 64 to 56 votes. The budget for 2023 stands at 484 billion shekel and in 2024 it will be 514 billion shekel, the largest in the country’s history. 14 billion were allotted to meet commitments made in the coalition agreements. As a result of new funding, MK Avi Maoz will be reappointed to his role as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of a “Jewish identity”. For more, click here.

The shekel continues to weaken against the US dollar. One dollar is now worth 3.73 shekels.

The Festival of Shavuot begins tonight and extends for one day in Israel and two days outside of Israel. The holiday literally means weeks, and is the culmination of the counting of 7 weeks (49 days) from the second day of Passover. Shavuot is described in the Torah as the harvest festival during which farmers bring their first produce to the Temple in Jerusalem. Shavuot is also the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments and Torah at Mount Sinai. The Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue, and dairy meals are traditionally eaten. It is also customary to stay up all night (first night) to study Torah.

Happy Shavuot!!

News Update

Security forces arrested 7 terror suspects in overnight raids throughout the West Bank.

Yesterday, tens of thousands of Jews danced and marched with Israeli flags through Jerusalem and the Old City, converging at the Western Wall, in commemoration and celebration of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem during the Six Day War. There were no major issues.

Thankfully, that’s all the news for today.

As a wise person once said, “No news is good news.”

Have a Shabbat Shalom and an amazing weekend!

News Update

After 5 days of fighting, Israel agreed to a truce with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) early Sunday morning. In total, 1,139 rockets were fired into Israel and over 430 were intercepted. Most of the rest fell in open areas. The Iron Dome had a 95% success rate. The IDF struck 422 PIJ targets and eliminated at least 4 high ranking PIJ commanders. One Israeli woman and one Palestinian laborer were killed by the rocket fire. Over a dozen Israelis were injured. [Can you imagine the US agreeing to a truce with Al Qaida or ISIS?]

On Sunday evening a rocket was fired into Israel and fell in an open area. The IDF responded by destroying 3 Hamas military posts. Israel holds Hamas responsible for terror attacks emanating from Gaza.

IDF troops mapping the home of the terrorist involved in murdering brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv in Huwara in February came under fire. Rioters in the village of Askar, near Nablus, threw rocks and firebombs and fired shots at the troops. Troops returned fire, killing one gunman. No soldiers were hurt.

Thousands of police will be deployed in Jerusalem on Thursday to secure the Flag March, which will go through the Muslim area of the Old City in commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem during the Six Day War.  National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with participate in the march. The Arabs view the march as a provocation and an insult to the Arab population, and terrorist groups use it as an excuse to launch terror attacks.

Judicial reform talks will resume on Tuesday, as the June 15 deadline for appointing judges nears. Justice Minister Levin has threatened to quit the government if no part of the judicial reform bill is passed before the Knesset dissolves for summer break at the end of July. For more, click here. 

Municipal governments of Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Haifa, Shoham, Ashdod, Hod HaSharon, Rishon LeZion, Modi’in, Yavne, Beit She’an, Tiberias, Kfar Saba, Herzliya, Ra’anana, and Ramat HaSharon are striking today to protest legislation drafted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which says that cities and towns will be required to contribute varying amounts, depending on a community’s wealth, to a central fund which would subsidize poorer towns. For more, click here.

International ratings agency S&P has announced that Israel’s credit rating and rating outlook will remain unchanged at AA-/A-1+ and stable, respectively.

News Update

Yesterday the IDF launched Operation Shield and Arrow, directed against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Air strikes assassinated 3 PIJ leaders in Gaza: Khalil Bahitini, who was responsible for launching the rockets into the Gaza Envelope last week; Jehad Ghanam, a long-time operative in the organization; and Tarek Az Aldin, who was responsible for the group’s terrorism activity in the West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that a total of 13 people were killed in the Tuesday morning attacks, including four children and four women. One of the dead was a Russian citizen. Russia’s ambassador to Israel called for an end to the violence. The strikes were condemned by Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and the UN representative in Gaza.

All roads near the Gaza border have been closed and communities placed on high alert. Some IDF reserves have been mobilized. Following the initial strikes, the IDF struck military targets in Gaza including rocket manufacturing facilities. More strikes have occurred today, wounding numerous terrorists.

The IDF is currently conducting strikes against PIJ rocket launching infrastructure in Gaza.

The PIJ has threatened to retaliate against Israel. They have not done so as of noon on Wednesday. The country is tense, braced for the retaliation.

Israel has warned Hamas not to get involved in the fight, which is currently directed directed solely against the PIJ. Iran is reportedly pressuring Hamas to join the fight. PM Netanyahu said that “no terrorist is immune” and that any escalation by the PIJ will be “answered with a decisive response.” Defense Minister Gallant warned Israeli citizens to not grow complacent as the threat of rocket fire still looms, and added that IDF forces might soon be called up to additional offensive actions both in Gaza and the West Bank.

Security forces shot and killed two Palestinian terror suspects in an exchange of fire during a raid on the village of Qabatiya near Jenin early today.

An Israeli bus driver who mistakenly drove his bus into a Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem last night was lightly injured from smoke inhalation when his bus was attacked with Molotov Cocktails and stones.

Two Jews, including 1 Israeli, were killed in a terror attack against a 2500 year old synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba, where hundreds of Jews come every year on Lag B’omer (yesterday). The synagogue area was heavily guarded with three rings of security personnel. The terrorist was a naval guard who fist killed another guard and then fired on other security personnel who were protecting the synagogue. Several other visitors and security personnel were injured. There are about 1,000 Jews currently living in Djerba.

News Update

Israeli undercover special forces killed the 2 terrorists who murdered the 3 members of the Dee family last month. Around 200 personnel took part in the raid yesterday morning in the center of Nablus. Another terrorist was also killed in the gunfight.  Rabbi Dee, the father of the girls murdered, said, “The world will be able to sleep better when these terrorists are no longer alive. I am very happy to hear that no soldier or civilian was hurt or affected in the event. It is a mission that only the IDF and the Shin Bet can do. We are proud to live in a country where security forces are so precise and skilled, and we are very grateful to the army and forces for assassinating the terrorists.”

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) published the initial investigation report of the Iron Dome system’s recent activity, which found that there was a technical problem with the system on the day it failed to intercept 2 rockets that landed in Sderot, wounded 3 Chinese workers and causing material damage. The report found that the problem was immediately addressed and did not reoccur when dozens of additional rockets were fired from Gaza.

A new poll conducted by Panels Politics for Maariv’s weekend paper shows that the National Unity party led by former Defense Minister Benny Gantz would win 31 seats if elections were held today, with Likud coming in second with 25 seats, and Yesh Atid with 17 seats.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unveiled the BlueWhale Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. The unmanned submarine has already successfully undergone thousands of autonomous operation hours, including intelligence-gathering for both maritime and coastal targets, acoustic intelligence, and identifying the presence of naval mines. The autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of the operations of a manned submarine, for periods of several weeks, at minimal cost and maintenance, without the need for operators on board. For more, click here.