Israel News for 6-30-2021
News Update
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid officially inaugurated Israel’s first embassy to the UAE in Abu Dhabi. In his speech he thanked former PM Netanyahu and called him the architect of the peace agreements signed with several Arab countries last year. Lapid will also inaugurate the Israeli consulate in Dubai during his 2 day visit.
Under the Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation that Lapid and the UAE foreign minister signed, the Israeli and UAE governments commit to open up economic relations and a free flow of goods and services, as well as cooperation on trade fairs, exchange of experts and know how, exchanges of delegations, cooperation on standards and regulation, encouragement of cooperation by the private sector, encouragement of R&D, agritech, and more.
In his first phone call with PM Naftali Bennett, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed Egypt’s support for efforts to reach a fair and permanent solution between the Palestinians and Israelis and also said it was important to follow through on Egypt-backed efforts to rebuild Gaza.
Israel’s hospitals are worried about a potential fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country. For now, however, most cases are in children, who suffer mild symptoms. According to the Health Ministry, on Tuesday 50 people were hospitalized for COVID-related complications around Israel, with 22 of them said to be in serious condition and 16 on ventilators. There were 1,160 active virus cases as of Tuesday evening.
Israel’s Rafael defense contractor this week unveiled a powerful new naval missile system, called the Sea Breaker, that it says can knock out a full-sized warship from hundreds of kilometers away in one shot. The fifth-generation missile is principally geared for use against targets at sea or near the shore, but can also navigate over land. At this stage, the Sea Breaker is primarily being marketed to customers abroad.
