Israel News for 3-17-2021
News Update
The Health Ministry reported 1,472 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, putting the contagion rate at 2.1%. There are currently 578 people hospitalized in serious condition, of whom 202 are on ventilators. There have been 6,051 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Over 4 million Israelis have already received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine and are eligible for a green pass that grants them access to restaurants, cultural and sports events, travel abroad and more. An additional 1 million have had their first dose.
The Labor and Meretz parties have both said that they would support Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid for prime minister. The latest poll published yesterday projects 30 seats for Likud, 18 for Yesh Atid, 10 each for Yamina and New Hope, 8 each for the Joint Arab List and Shas, 7 each for Yisrael Beitenu and United Torah Judaism, 6 for Labor, and 4 each for the Religious Zionist party, Meretz, Blue & White, and Ra’am.
Syrian media reported an Israeli airstrike against a target near Damascus last night, after a number of cargo flights between Iran and Syria were reported earlier in the day.
El Al has begun laying off 2,000 temporary and full-time employees as part of a plan to receive a large rescue package from the state.
Israeli archeologists have discovered a new batch of Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave in the Judean wilderness. The latest scroll fragments are written in Greek with the name of God written in Hebrew. They contain verses from Zechariah 8:16-17 and from Nahum 1:5-6, both from the biblical Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. One of the verses says, “These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, because all those are things that I hate — declares the Lord.”
