Israel News for 7-9-2021
News Update
PM Naftali Bennett met secretly with Jordan’s King Abdullah II last week at the king’s palace in Amman. The two leaders discussed Israel supplying more drinking water to the drought-hit kingdom. It was the king’s first meeting with an Israeli prime minister in 3 years.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi at the Allenby Bridge Border Crossing on Wednesday. They discussed several economic issues and agreed to increase Jordan’s potential exports to the West Bank from $160 million to $700 million a year. Israel also agreed to sell Jordan an additional 50 million cubic meters of water this year. After the meeting Lapid tweeted, “The Kingdom of Jordan is an important neighbor and partner to the State of Israel, the Foreign Ministry will continue to will continue to hold an ongoing dialogue in order to preserve and strengthen relations, we will expand economic cooperation for the benefit of both countries.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered security forces to seize Hamas cryptocurrency accounts. Hamas has been waging an online campaign to raise donations for its military wing.
The Biden administration is reportedly reluctant to allocate a budget for the Abraham Fund, probably as a result of massive domestic government spending. The fund is a $3 billion commitment by the U.S. to develop an initiative meant to promote regional, economic cooperation in the Middle East as part of the agreements. The freezing of the fund can negatively impact the economic cooperation between Israel and the UAE.
The U.S. Congressional Budget Committee has approved the budget for the reopening of the American Consulate for the Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Israel drew criticism from the US after it demolished the home of the terrorist who murdered a 19 yr. old yeshivah student in May. In a statement after the home was destroyed, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem called on “all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This certainly includes the punitive demolition of Palestinian homes. As we stated numerous times, the home of an entire family should not be demolished for the actions of one individual.”
The Health Ministry announced today that all travelers, including those vaccinated and recovered from COVID-19, would be required to self-isolate for up to 24 hours upon arrival to the country, starting next week, until they receive a negative covid test.
Japanese venture capital firm Softbank is appointing former Mossad director Yossi Cohen to head its activity in Israel. SoftBank is considered the world’s leading technology fund. To read more, click here.
