Israel News for 6-23-2021
News Update
Violence erupted last night in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians, who threw stones, chairs and fireworks at each other.
The Health Ministry said Wednesday that there were more than 100 new daily cases of coronavirus confirmed for the second consecutive day after 110 new infections were detected on Tuesday. The surge of cases, primarily among students who are unvaccinated, is suspected to be connected to a breach in protocol at Ben Gurion airport that allowed thousands of Israelis coming back from trips to enter the country without undergoing a Covid test.
Israelis leaving the country are now required to sign a declaration stating that they would not enter nations designated as virus hotspots, including Russia, India, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Israelis who have been to one of these hotspots will also be required to quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have already recovered from the virus. Anyone breaching quarantine faces fines of up to NIS 5,000.
Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Hezi Levi said that the Israeli population was not fully protected since herd immunity had not been achieved, and that the increase in cases was cause for concern. He said, “We must prevent travel to destinations where the virus is rampant and revamp our quarantine policies.”
According to data released by the Shin Bet, there were 592 attacks in the West Bank and another 178 in Jerusalem in the month of May, compared to a total of 104 in April (80 in the West Bank and 24 in Jerusalem). The May attacks included 401 fire bombings, 33 pipe bombs, 87 arson attacks, 47 small-arms fire, two grenade attacks, one vehicular attack and others. To read more, click here.
