Israel news summary

Israel News for 11-11-2022

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.