Israel News for 8-6-18
Ceasefire Proposal
The security cabinet discussed the proposed ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza for 5 hours last night. No decision was made.
The plan, mediated by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov and Egyptian intelligence, is the first stage in the effort to reach a broader agreement between Hamas and Israel. But there was not much optimism among the ministers. The chances of reaching a broader, long-term agreement with Hamas were very low, since there are too many obstacles on the way and it is doubtful the gaps can be bridged.
For now the Israelis would settle for a complete halt in the firing of incendiary balloons from Gaza, in exchange for the reopening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza.
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Shabbat Law
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has overruled attempts by five municipalities to permit businesses from opening on Shabbat, which is officially prohibited by Israeli law. The municipalities include Holon, Givatayim, Modiin, Herzliya and Rishon Letzion.
The office of Deri issued a statement saying that in his view it is a “Jewish and social value to allow workers to rest on Shabbat. In addition, the municipalities seeking to allow businesses to open on Shabbat did not prove that there was a need for it, as mandated by law.” It added, “It should be noted that the enforcement of businesses operating on Shabbat is under the sole authority of the local government. The Interior Ministry has no authority or ability to enforce this.”
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Serious Drought
Israel is suffering through a fifth straight year of drought, and it’s having a serious effect on Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, despite Israel’s 5 desalination plants that currently provide around half of all drinking water in the country.
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Punish Johns
The Ministerial committee for Legislation approved Sunday a bill submitted by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to impose fines on prostitution customers. The Knesset will vote on the bill in its next session. If the bill passes into law, paying for prostitutes will become illegal. The ministers also voted to set aside funds for the rehabilitation of prostitutes.
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Sick Chicks
According to a report released Monday by Dr. Sagit Nagar, the head of poultry diseases at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department’s Veterinary Services, around 30% of the eggs in Israel are infected with salmonella. Director-General of the Agriculture Ministry Moshe Bar Siman Tov said that he “refrains from eating eggs from Israel.”
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China Flights
The first direct flight connecting Tel Aviv with Guangzhou, the capital of China’s southern Guangdong province, landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday. The new route is operated by Hainan Airlines Holding Co Ltd., China’s fourth-largest airline company, which also operates direct routes connecting Tel Aviv with Shanghai and Beijing.
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Rating Up
International credit rating agency S&P announced on Friday that it was upgrading its sovereign rating for Israel to AA-, with a stable outlook. S&P’s new rating is the highest Israel has ever received. Two weeks ago, Moody’s updated its rating outlook for Israel from stable to positive.
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