Archive for month: July, 2023

News Update

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visited the Temple Mount yesterday, Tisha B’av, commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temple, both of which were destroyed on the same date. He said, “This is the most important place for the people of Israel where we need to return to show our governance.” Over 2,000 other Jews also visited the mount. A spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Jerusalem responded to Ben-Gvir’s visit saying, “the US stands firm in preserving the historical status quo in relation to the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action or rhetoric that endangers the status quo is unacceptable.” The Palestinian Authority, Jordan Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all condemned the visit, calling it an “attack” and “assault” against the Moslem holy sites located on the Temple Mount.

According to a Yediot Aharonot report, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) is working on forming a unity government that would include the Yesh Atid and National Union parties in place of the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties. Gallant reportedly said that he would consider resigning as Defense Minister in order to for a unity government.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday signed a framework agreement with Ivory Coast in the fields of agriculture, water and technology. Cohen had led a business delegation of a variety of Israeli companies in the fields of cyber, agriculture and energy to the Israel-Ivory Coast Economic Forum. On Wednesday, he visited Ghana, where he met with President Nana Akufo-Addo and opened the first Israel-Ghana business forum.

Credit rating agency S&P published a special report on Israel’s economy in which it complimented the strong Israeli economy, but warned against the consequences of the changes promoted by the government in the legal system. It said, “In the short term, we anticipate that the political uncertainty, together with weak economic performance by Israel’s allies in Europe and the United States, will reduce economic growth in Israel in the next two years.”

News Update

The Knesset is expected to vote on the the first bill in the judicial reform agenda later today. Opposition leaders said they would boycott the vote. Over the weekend hundreds of thousands of people participated in demonstrations for (in Tel Aviv) and against (in Jerusalem) judicial reform.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi wrote in a letter to troops yesterday that, without unity in the country, Israel will not survive in the Middle East. The letter was in response to threats by thousands of reservists to refuse to serve if the reforms move ahead. Halevi will meet with the Prime Minister and other ministers today, to brief them on the situation.

US President Biden released a statement yesterday in which he said, “It doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus.From the perspective of Israel’s friends in the United States, it looks like the current judicial reform proposal is becoming more divisive, not less.”

Around 150 Israeli companies are striking today in protest of the reforms.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had a pacemaker implanted yesterday, but was released today in good health and plans to participate in the judicial reform vote later today. His upcoming to visits to Turkey and Cyprus have been postponed.

News Update

Prime Minister Netanyahu was taken to the hospital on Saturday after suffering from dehydration while vacationing on the Kinneret. He he was kept in hospital overnight in the cardiology ward and ended up having a heart monitoring device implanted. No further information regarding the PM’s health is available.

Security forces arrested 15 terror suspects in raids throughout the territories last night.

A 37 year old man and his two daughters, 14 and 9, were injured in a shooting attack near the Tekoa junction yesterday. According to the initial investigation, several terrorists arrived in the area of the intersection in a vehicle, and at least one of them got out and opened fire. Security forces captured the terrorist later in the day, after a shootout outside the mosque the terrorist was hiding in, in Bethlehem.

Israel warned Hezbollah to cease making provocation along the Lebanese border. Hezbollah has been testing Israel’s resolve over the past few weeks. For more, click here.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant summoned the Chief of Staff and the IDF’s General Staff for an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the growing number of reservists who notified the military that they would no longer volunteer for service because of the government’s judicial reform initiative. For more, click here.

In Saudi Arabia, references to Jews as monkeys and pigs who worship the devil, and descriptions of them as traitors by nature and sworn enemies of Islam have been removed from school books. Anti-Israeli materials also have been removed, including reports about the Zionists’ use of women, drugs and the media in order to achieve their goals and conspiracies according to which Israel has plans to expand its borders from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates in Iraq. For more, click here.

News Update

Tens of thousands of protesters against judicial reform blocked major highways throughout Israel yesterday morning, causing severe traffic jams and gridlock [and making my kids miss camp because the roads were impassable. Protesting is a basic civil right, but disrupting the lives of your fellow citizens is simply inconsiderate and cruel. There are plenty legitimate ways to protest without harming others. Blocking main roads during rush hour is not one of them.] They also cause the international airport to halt flights [and most likely messed up a lot of people’s vacations]. Meanwhile, the Knesset’s Law and Justice committee began its deliberation on a final version of the bill to curb the oversight power of the supreme court over decisions of the executive branch. The bill was approved in its first reading with a 64 to 56 majority late on Monday. Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that the new law with strengthen democracy. For more, click here.

An Afghan citizen who entered Azerbaijan from Iran was arrested by Azerbaijan security services on suspicion of planning an attack against the Israeli embassy in the country, thanks to a tip from the Mossad. For more, click here.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is on a visit to Azerbaijan until Friday. He will meet with the country’s president Ilham Aliyev, Defense Minister General Zakir Hasanov, Commander of the National Border Guard General Elchin Guliyev and other senior security officials. Israel’s Defense Ministry released a statement saying, “The purpose of the visit to Azerbaijan is to strengthen the strategic relations between the countries, tighten the political cooperation and expand the security-technological ties between the two countries. In his meetings, the Defense Minister is expected to discuss with his colleagues the ways to strengthen regional stability.”

Fourteen Republican senators, led by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, have written a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, expressing their concerns over the the administration’s policy prohibiting funding Israeli universities located in Judea and Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Golan. The senators accused the administration of implementing an “antisemitic boycott of Israel” and warned that unless the policy is revised promptly, they intend to take action that could impact the confirmation process of new administration appointments. To read the letter, click here.

Fans of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team launched flares at fans of Malta’s Hamrun Spartans during an away game on Tuesday, forcing officials to stop the game for half an hour. Israeli fans claim that local fans shouted anti-semitic slurs, chanted “Palestine, Palestine” and threw objects at them. The game was in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Maccabi Haifa beat the Hamrun Spartans 4-0.

News Update

IDF Sgt. Major Shilo Amir, from Kibbutz Meirav, was shot and killed by a terrorist near the settlement of Kedumim yesterday. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist, a 19-year-old from a village near Ramallah with no prior security violations, was stopped by soldiers who attempted to question him, when he fired at Amir. He attempted to escape but was chased down by troops and killed in a gunfight.

Two terrorists suspected of carrying out a shooting attack earlier this week were killed by security forces in Nablus today. Two Palestinians were injured and 3 arrested.

The Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on Iranian advanced arms depots in Damascus last night. Syrian air defense systems were not activated.

During the recent Jenin operation, the IDF deployed, for the first time, six new SPIKE FireFly suicide drones. Each drone carries a small amount of explosives and explode precisely and lethally on the target without endangering soldiers. For more, click here.

Israel and the US are reportedly spearheading a plan to create a land route between the UAE and Israel, passing through Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The route would enable the movement of goods by truck, resulting in a cost savings of at least 20% and several days to weeks. For more, click here.

New Hampshire Governor Christopher Sununu signed an executive order prohibiting the state from investing in or contracting with companies and commercial entities that boycott Israel and its trade partners. New Hampshire is the 37th state to enact regulations against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.