Israel News for 12-26-2022
News Update
Israel’s Shin Bet revealed today that it had foiled a terror attack that was supposed to involve a large explosive device. The terror cell disrupted was managed remotely from Gaza. Nine terror suspects were arrested overnight in Jenin. There were also 2 shooting attacks overnight in the West Bank, but there were no injuries.
Russia is demanding ownership over three churches located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It will submit a claim to the Israeli courts for the Church of Mary Magdalene, The Chapel of the Ascension, and the Viri Galilaei Church, which used as a summer retreat by the Greek Orthodox patriarch. Russian President Putin has also demanded an end to the litigation preventing the transfer of the Alexander Nevsky Church. For more, click here.
Oman’s lower house of parliament voted to expand its Israel boycott law. The Majlis al-Shura, or Consultative Assembly, voted to amend the first clause of its Israel boycott law to include any sports, cultural or economic contact. The amendment also specifically bans in-person or online interaction with Israelis. Currently, Omani law prohibits citizens from making contact with entities or individuals based in Israel directly or through mediators, for any purpose.
According to a conservative estimate by the Ministry of Economy and Industry’s Foreign Trade Administration (FTA), Israel’s exports of goods and services will amount to at least $160 billion in 2022, a new record and up more than 10% from last year, when exports of goods and services totaled a then record $144 billion. There were very significant increases in the exports of goods in chemicals and chemical industry products (+55%), diamonds (+41%) and electrical and mechanical equipment (+18%). Israel’s exports to the US grew by 19% in 2022, by 113% to the UK, by 115% to Ireland, by 90% to Brazil, by 39% to India, by 95% to Canada, by 85% to Singapore, by 24% to Hong Kong, by 17% to Turkey, by 22% to France and by 181% to the Philippines.
Rabbi Chaim Druckman, one of the senior spiritual leaders of the religious zionist movement, passed away on Sunday at the age of 90 as a result of Covid-19. Thousands of mourners attending the funeral today. The eulogizers included President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel David Lau, Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Jerusalem and former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Moshe Amar, Ramat Gan Yeshiva Dean Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Beit El Yeshiva Dean Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, Jerusalem Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Religious Zionist Party chief MK Bezalel Smotrich, and Bnei Akiva Secretary-General Yigal Klein. For more, click here.
It is snowing on Mount Hermon in the Golan and raining in most of the rest of Israel.
