Israel News for 4-28-2023
News Update
A terrorist attempted to ram his car into a group of soldiers near Ariel. When his car was blocked by a concrete barrier, he exited the car with a knife and tried to stab a police officer. Soldiers shot the terrorist. No Israelis were hurt.
Over 150,000 supporters of the government rallied outside the Knesset on Thursday night calling for the judicial overhaul to be enacted and the power of the Supreme Court to be curtailed. Demonstrators shouted, “We don’t want compromise.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spoke at the rally, promising that the reforms would be passed in the Knesset. Many coalition ministers attended the demonstration. Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted, “I thank the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who came to Jerusalem tonight to support our government. Your passion and patriotism moves me deeply.” For more, click here.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, is visiting Israel. He expressed his support for Israel and free access to visit the holy sites in Jerusalem. For more, click here.
Rugby’s global governing body has determined that the South African Rugby Union’s decision to disinvite an Israeli team from an international competition last month was not discriminatory. The decision to exclude Israel came after pressure from the South African BDS Coalition, an affiliate of the Palestinian BDS National Committee that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. World Rugby claims that the exclusion was due to threats of violence against the Israeli team.
China and Israel continue to make progress on a free trade agreement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China reports that, at the end of March, a further round of direct talks on the agreement took place between representatives of the Israeli and Chinese governments. This is the eight round of talks since 2016 and the first since November 2019 to be held face-to-face. China is Israel’s second largest trading partner. The value of trade between the two countries rose 11.6% in 2022 to $24.45 billion. About 18,000 vehicles of Chinese manufacture were sold in Israel in the first quarter, representing 17% of the market and a 450% increase over the first quarter of 2022. For more, click here.
