Israel News for 12-16-2019
News Update
The New Right party launched its election campaign today, but party co-founder Ayelet Shaked was missing from promotional materials. The former justice minister apparently has not yet decided which party she is going to run with in the upcoming election. The New Right’s official slogan is: “The New Right, the Secure Right.”
PM Netanyahu said yesterday that he has been given assurances by the son of Brazil’s president that Brazil will move its embassy to Jerusalem next year. Brazil is the largest country in South America.
Lord Eric Pickles, the UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust matters, told a conference in Jerusalem that the new conservative government in the UK would pass a law banning public agencies from engaging with the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The new boycott law will not include goods produced in the West Bank because the territory is not considered part of Israel by international law.
Israel and Montenegro have signed a major defense contract worth $35 million. Israeli defense company Elbit Systems will supply the NATO member state with its high-tech Remote Control Weapon Stations (RCWS), which are installed on combat vehicles to allow the gunner stay inside the armored hull while firing.
Israeli boutique hotel chain Brown, together with IT company Aman Group, has won a tender to open a hotel at Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Airports Authority and Brown announced Sunday. The 200-room hotel will be adjacent to the airport’s terminal 3, and is expected to include a fitness center, spa, restaurant, bar, and a conference center.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz today approved the export of natural gas from Israel to Egypt, from the Tamar and Leviathan gas reservoirs. Steinitz said, “A short time ago, I signed an approval for the export of natural gas from Isrsel to Egypt. In doing so, Israel becomes – for the first time in its history – an energy exporter and an important partner in the regional energy market”
He said, “The export of gas to Egypt, from the Leviathan and Tamar reservoirs, is the most significant economic cooperation between Israel and Egypt since the peace agreement was signed between the companies. This is a historic milestone for the State of Israel. The natural gas revolution makes us an energy superpower and will enable not only huge revenues for the country, but also a dramatic reduction in air pollution.” The deal is valued at $15 billion.
