Rivlin blasts Yesh Atid MK for calling to ignore coronavirus regulations
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday criticized Yesh Atid Knesset member Idan Roll for suggesting that Israelis should refuse to cooperate should another national lockdown be declared due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Bill to extend sovereignty to entire Judea-Samaria proposed by Knesset lobby
July 15, 2020 by JNS
The Land of Israel Caucus of the Knesset proposed a bill on Monday to apply sovereignty to all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, not just the 30 per cent laid out in U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan. Read more
Grappling with COVID cases, Israel’s nurses threaten strike over staff shortages
July 14, 2020 by JNS
The Israel Nurses Association (INA) threatened a general strike on Sunday over what it claims are worsening work conditions caused by the coronavirus crisis. Read more
Jewish Agency says 2,200 Jews died of COVID-19 in countries other than US, Russia
July 10, 2020 by JNS
Jewish Agency for Israel chairman Isaac Herzog told Jewish leaders from abroad that the coronavirus has claimed the lives of some 2,200 Diaspora Jews, not counting those from the United States and Russia, the two countries with the largest Jewish populations after Israel. Read more
Report: Mossad thwarts multiple Iranian attacks on Israeli embassies
July 9, 2020 by JNS
Israel’s Channel 12 has reported that the Mossad has prevented multiple Iranian attacks against Israeli embassies in Europe and elsewhere. Read more
Israel sues Volkswagen for $152 million over ‘fraudulent software’
July 8, 2020 by JNS
Israel has filed a $152 million lawsuit in a Tel Aviv court against the German automaker Volkswagon; its subsidiary Audi; and its local distributor, Champion Motors, for allegedly committing fraud and negligence. Read more
Netanyahu: ‘Very strong’ COVID-19 resurgence is an ‘emergency situation’
July 6, 2020 by JNS
Israel is in the midst of a renewed, “very strong” resurgence of COVID-19 that will see “an increase and a doubling of the number of severe cases,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. Read more
Report: Palestinians angry at Arab-world indifference to Israeli sovereignty bid
July 6, 2020 by JNS
Palestinian frustration and anger with the Arab world for its general indifference to Israel’s plan to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria are growing, Palestinian Media Watch reported on Friday. Read more
Hackers disrupt Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s online gala fundraiser
July 3, 2020 by JNS
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s virtual gala on Sunday was disrupted by what is now confirmed to be a cyber attack. Read more
Arab parties pen letter to EU calling for sanctions on Israel over sovereignty bid
July 2, 2020 by JNS
The Joint List, a group of predominantly Israeli Arab parties which ran together during Israel’s recent elections, have sent a letter to Josep Borell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the chief foreign diplomat of the European Union, calling on him to take measures against Israel should it move ahead with plans to apply its sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria. Read more
Israeli minister: Sovereignty move not beginning July 1
July 1, 2020 by JNS
Israeli Minister of Higher Education Ze’ev Elkin said on Tuesday that the government’s plans to extend sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria would not begin on July 1, as originally stated. Read more
‘Arabs, not Jews, founded and built Jerusalem’
July 1, 2020 by JNS
A Jordanian institute presented a new spin on regional history over the weekend, claiming that it was the Arabs—not the Jews—who founded Jerusalem in biblical times. Read more
Report: US ambassador’s Herzliya residence put up for sale at record $125 million
July 1, 2020 by JNS
Following the transfer of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Herzliya residence of U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has been put on the market for a record NIS 300 million ($A125 million). Read more
Netanyahu: Applying Israeli law in Judea and Samaria will advance peace
In an address on Sunday night to the Christians United for Israel Virtual Summit 2020, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinians “not to lose another opportunity, not to waste another century trying to destroy Israel.” Read more
Qassem Soleimani’s daughter weds Hezbollah chief’s cousin
June 30, 2020 by JNS
Zeinab Soleimani, the 17-year-old daughter of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in January by U.S. forces, just married Riza Safi al-Din, the son of a senior Hezbollah leader. The couple was wed over the weekend. Read more
Israel extends COVID-19 travel restrictions until Aug. 1
June 29, 2020 by JNS
The Israel Airports Authority has informed all airlines that the COVID-19 restrictions for passengers entering the country are being extended for an additional month. Read more
UN official calls for ‘menu of countermeasures’ to Israel’s sovereignty bid
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Michael Lynk has urged the European Union to take real and drastic steps against Israel if Jerusalem moves forward with its plans to extend its sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria, and called upon the European body to “develop a menu of countermeasures.” Read more
British education secretary ousted for sharing ‘antisemitic conspiracy theory’
British Labour Party member Rebecca Long-Bailey was ousted on Thursday as shadow education secretary after sharing an “antisemitic conspiracy theory” on Twitter. Read more
UN secretary-general to Security Council: Israeli sovereignty ‘calamitous’ for the region
In a report to the United Nations Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel to drop plans to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, saying it would be a “most serious violation of international law.” Read more
UN envoy to Palestinians: ‘Do not lose sight of goal of free Palestinian state’
U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolai Mladenov told a mass gathering in the Palestinian Authority on Monday “never to give up” their aspirations for statehood. Read more
Palestinian official says resistance to Israel’s sovereignty bid to remain peaceful, for now
June 23, 2020 by JNS
Senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub said on Sunday that while peaceful resistance is the preferred strategy at the moment with regard to Israel’s plan to apply its sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria, “our fingers are on the triggers.” Read more
Roger Waters: Zionism an ‘ugly stain’ that must be removed
June 23, 2020 by JNS
According to British musician Roger Waters, U.S. businessman Sheldon Adelson is a “right-wing fascist, racist bigot” who controls U.S. President Donald Trump and believes only Jews are fully human. Read more
Bolton: Netanyahu ‘dubious’ about Kushner leading Mideast peace initiative
June 22, 2020 by JNS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed “dubious” about White House senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner leading the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan, according to former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton in his upcoming book, according to multiple media reports on Thursday. Read more
Facebook removes Trump campaign ads, including one with Nazi prisoner symbol
June 22, 2020 by JNS
Facebook removed Trump campaign ads on Thursday that targeted the far-left Antifa movement, including one with a downward-pointing red triangle that apparently resembled a Nazi designation symbol for political prisoners in concentration camps. Read more
Report: US administration to hold ‘dramatic’ meeting on Israel’s sovereignty bid
June 22, 2020 by JNS
Senior U.S. administration officials will hold a meeting this week on whether or not to give the green light to the Israeli government to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria, according to Israeli media reports. Read more
ADL joins with other civil-rights groups in calling for July boycott of Facebook
The U.S. Anti-Defamation League, along with several civil-rights groups, is calling for corporations to boycott Facebook in July over its unwillingness to ban hate speech on the social-media company’s platform. Read more
Calls to abduct IDF soldiers heard during Haifa protest
June 19, 2020 by JNS
Dozens of Arab Israelis called for the abduction of Israel Defense Forces soldiers at a rally in Haifa on Tuesday. Read more
‘Israel expecting 90,000 new immigrants by the end of 2020’
June 19, 2020 by JNS
Israeli Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata said on Wednesday that as many as 90,000 new immigrants are expected to arrive in Israel over the next 18 months. Read more
Top foreign-policy adviser says Biden would keep ‘all’ US sanctions on Iran ‘in place’
June 18, 2020 by JNS
If elected president in November, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden would have all U.S. sanctions on Iran stay in place, including the ones enacted under U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the presumptive Democratic nominee’s top foreign-policy adviser. Read more
UK investigates links between London accounting firm and Palestinian terror group
June 18, 2020 by JNS
The United Kingdom has launched an investigation into ties between the international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), headquartered in London, and the Palestinian terror group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Read more
