Israel News for 10-19-2022
News Update
Security forces arrested 12 terror suspects in overnight raids in Nablus and other West Bank locations. Last night, IDF forces seized NIS 820,000 ($230,000) worth of contraband in a major drug bust at the Egyptian border.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz reaffirmed last night that Israel does not intend to sell arms to Ukraine. This came hours after the Ukrainian foreign minister said that he would appeal to Jerusalem for military aid. Gantz said, “I want to make it clear that we did not sell weapons to Ukraine. We gave them medical and humanitarian aid. It should be clear, we didn’t sell them weapons.”
Yesterday, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Israeli arms supplies to Ukraine would destroy ties with Moscow. While Israel has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has provided humanitarian aid and has taken in thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees, it has stopped short of supplying military aid because of its delicate relationship with Russia — given that there are hundreds of thousands of Jews living in Russia and there are Russian forces across the border in Syria. Russia has also not prevented Israel from conducting military strikes against Iranian weapons and installations in Syria.
Earlier this week, the Australian government reversed its its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Jerusalem’s status should be decided through peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and not through unilateral decisions. Prime Minister Lapid criticized the decision.
Israel’s Senior Appointments Advisory Committee recommended confirming the appointment of Major General Herzi Halevi as the next IDF chief of staff.
A former Afghan official living in Kabul told i24NEWS that some members of the Taliban leadership are interested in establishing confidential relations with Israel, with the hope of eventually transitioning into an official agreement between Afghanistan and Israel. For more, click here.
Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its US unit Elbit Systems of America LLC has been awarded an order worth $107 million for the supply of Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) systems, spare parts, logistics support, and test equipment, to the US Army.
With two weeks remaining until Israel’s Knesset elections on November 1, no block is projected to be able to put together a 61 seat majority to form a government.
PM Lapid was interviewed in the Israeli Arab media regarding issues related to the Arab sector. To read about what he said, click here.
