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Israel
icates were printed for those who succumbed from the pandemic, and those suffering from advanced stages of the virus were forbidden from going to the hospital in a bid to keep numbers down.
“Iran’s leaders, several medical professionals said, delayed telling the public about the virus for weeks, even as hospitals were filling up with people suffering from symptoms linked to the virus,” wrote the report. “And even as doctors and other experts were warning the Iranian president to take radical action, the government resisted, fearing the impact on elections, national anniversaries, and the economy.”
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As a result of the secrecy, hospitals were unaware that they needed to stock up on protective gear and ventilators to avoid being overwhelmed by the number of cases. This policy would have deadly repercussions for doctors.
Forced to treat hundreds of patients daily without sufficient protective equipment, medical personnel suffered an abnormally high rate of infection and death. According to data collected by the AP, 2,070 doctors have been infected since the virus began, with at least 126 deaths.
In addition, an average of one doctor died and another three were infected over a 90-day period as the lack of proper medical gear left them unable to protect themselves. “In the beginning, medical staffers faced the outbreak with very limited equipment,” recounted the AP report.
New Zealand Quashes Coronavirus
Following seven weeks of almost complete lockdown, New Zealand
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has begun the process of rolling back coronavirus restrictions.
Back when the country only had 100 confirmed cases, estimates predicted a trajectory similar to that of Italy. But the country acted swiftly: New Zealand entered a level 3 lockdown on March 23, meaning non-essential businesses were closed, discretionary domestic air travel was banned, and all events and gatherings had to be cancelled.
It then progressed into a level 4 lockdown– a stricter approach dubbed the “eliminate” policy – 48 hours later. Under this policy, people were urged to only maintain contact with those they lived with.
Even earlier, on March 19, New Zealand closed its borders, banning all inbound travel to the country with the exception of returning New Zealanders and some essential health workers.
New Zealand lifted some of its lockdown measures on April 27, moving back into the level 3 stage and allowing people to expand their social “bubbles” to reconnect with close family outside of their households. Residents are now allowed to travel around the country if necessary, but can “only move once, and in one direction.”
On Monday, there were no new cases of confirmed coronavirus in the country. So far, 21 people have lost their lives in New Zealand from the disease, all of whom were over the age of 60.
While schools, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and malls are reopening across the country, there remain two primary concerns: clubs and funerals. Clubs and pubs, among other locations where people stand and mingle, make it more difficult to carry out contact tracing. Funerals, on the other hand, raised questions about limiting the number of mourners in attendance, particularly when it comes to the threeday-long Maori services known as tangihanga.
Across New Zealand, some 216,000 people have been tested – over 4 percent of the population. Booths were even set up in supermarket parking lots for random testing, where not a single case was identified.
Jackfruit Goes Global
Part of a South Asian diet for centuries, the waxy yellow jackfruit is gaining popularity around the world among vegans and meat-eaters alike.
The fruit weighs around 11 pounds, and can be eaten fresh or used in cooking and baking. It has become a popular meat alternative, now utilized by chefs globally for its meat-like texture when unripe. Consumers are already turning to brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible for alternatives to chicken and beef.
In India, the “superfood” is so abundant that, in the past, large quantities went to waste each year. Each tree can produce as many as 150-250 fruits a season, and in parts of the country it was not unusual for private gardens to post notices asking people to take away the fruit for free – the harvest was so plentiful that many fruits would simply rot and attract flies.
In the Tamil Nadu and Kerala regions, demand for jackfruit is around 100 tons every day during the peak season to the tune of $19.8 million a year, said economics professor S. Rajendran of the Gandhigram Rural Institute.
Sujan Sarkar, the Palo Alto-based executive chef of Bhambri’s restaurants, stated that it’s not only vegetarian or vegans who are consuming jackfruit. “Even the meat-eaters, they just love it,” he said.
IDF Thwarts Terror Attack
The terror cell had approached the outpost located inside the village of Abu Dis near Jerusalem when they were spotted by soldiers, who opened fire.
“An attack was thwarted moments ago when IDF troops spotted three Palestinians hurling explosives and lighting Molotov cocktails, preparing to attack an IDF post. Our troops responded with fire and thwarted the attack,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
The attack was the latest in a recent spate of violence. On Thursday, an IDF soldier was seriously injured during a ramming attack near Hebron and had to have his leg amputated. An initial investigation of the incident found that the terrorist had left his house determined to kill an Israeli soldier and drove for hours until he spotted his victims standing on the side of the road.
On Wednesday, IDF special forces shot and killed a Palestinian rioter at the Al-Fawwar refugee camp south of Jerusalem. Disguised as Arabs, the troops had infiltrated the camp in order to make an arrest but had their cover blown during the operation, sparking massive protests.
Earlier in the week, 21-year-old Amit Ben-Yigal from the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion was murdered after being hit with a stone during an arrest in the city of Yabed, near Jenin. Ben-Yigal was an only child and had only one month remaining in his mandatory military service at the time of his death.
“My whole life revolved around this boy. In my darkest dream I never believed I’d have the title ‘bereaved father.’ My most precious thing was taken from me,” his father grieved.
Annexation to Be Part of Peace Deal
The State Department maintained that a possible Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria “needed to be part” of President Trump’s peace plan.
In a conference call with Israeli media outlets on Friday, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus refrained from opposing annexation, saying instead that the Jewish State possessed “the right and the obligation” to make the final decision. Ortagus’ briefing came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a highly irregular visit to Jerusalem a day earlier.
“He [Pompeo] said that annexation is up to Israel,” Ortagus said, adding that talk of annexation was “certainly, by no means, the reason” for the visit. “We think these discussions should be a part of the peace process, part of President Trump’s Vision for Peace. So it should be part of discussions between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” she said. ”I don’t really have much more to say on it than that,” added Orgagus.
With the U.S. locked in a battle with the coronavirus as well as an economic crisis, Pompeo’s short visit to Israel on Thursday aroused speculation as to what his true purpose was. While initial reports said that Pompeo arrived in order to pressure Israel not to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, State Department officials hinted that the visit was for different reasons entirely.
During his 12-hour visit, Pompeo huddled with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Kahol Lavan head Benny Gantz, and incoming Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. The trip was the first time Pompeo left the United States since the coronavirus outbreak began in February as well as his first official visit to Israel.
Israel’s 35 th Gov’t
Included in Israel’s new government is the first-ever female haredi minister, a Harvard graduate, and hitech billionaire.
Welcome to Israel’s 35th government that was sworn in on Sunday. With it are an unprecedented 36 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, the largest in the country’s 72-year history.
Comprising Kahol Lavan, Likud, Labor, and the haredi Shas and UTJ parties, the large national unity government necessitated inventing five previously non-existent ministries to keep senior power brokers happy.
The new portfolios include the Water Resources and Higher Education Ministries, which will both be headed by Ze’ev Elkin, Orli Levi-Abeksis’ Community Promotion Ministry, and the Settlements Ministry dealing with communities over the Green Line.
Within the Likud, former Justice Minister and Netanyahu loyalist Amir Ohana will oversee the Israel Police at the Internal Security Ministry. He replaces Gilad Erdan, who will be the first person to serve as both Israel’s envoy to Washington and the United Nations at the same time since the 1950’s.
Meanwhile, Miri Regev moved from the Culture to the Transportation Ministry and is slated to replace Kahol Lavan’s Gabi Ashkenazi as Foreign Minister in 18 months. Dudi Amsallem, the outgoing Communications Minister, is tapped to be the newly-created Ministerial Liaison to the Knesset.
With UTJ’s Yaakov Litzman asking to be appointed Housing and Construction Minister, former Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstien takes control of the Health Ministry. Eli Cohen, the former Economy Minister, was appointed Intelligence Minister after being forced to vacate his old job for Labor leader Amir Peretz.
Within Kahol Lavan, Omer Yankelevitch was appointed Diaspora Minister, making her the first-ever haredi woman to be a minister in the Israeli government, while Pnina Tamano-Shata became the first Ethiopian-born minister and received the Immigrant Absorption portfolio.
Avi Nissenkorn, a former Histadrut labor union boss, replaces Amir Ohana as Justice Minister and the Religious-Zionist Chili Tropper is Israel’s newest Culture Minister. Yoaz Hendel, a former commando-turned military historian, is now Communications Minister.
Chinese Ambassador Dies
China backtracked on its decision to send a team of investigators to probe the sudden death of its ambassador to Israel on Sunday.
Du Wei was found dead at his Herzliya residence on Sunday morning in what seemed to be a heart attack at the age of 57. Following the news, China informed Israel that it would dispatch its own team of pathologists to determine the cause of death and inspect the ambassador’s home for signs of foul play.
Yet, according to Haaretz, the Chinese Foreign Ministry backtracked after being informed by their Israeli counterparts that an independent probe of their envoy’s untimely death would send an awkward message. Instead, the body will be sent back to China in an official ceremony attended by representatives from the Israeli government.
Du Wei was found dead by his associates who came to check on him
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after he failed to answer their repeated phone calls. In a statement to the press on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that Wei died from a heart attack, adding that he will be replaced by Deputy Ambas- sador Dai Yuming.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Ambassador Du and would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently conducting the fol- low-up work,” said Zhao.
Du Wei had taken up his post in Israel only two months ago and had spent the majority of his term under quarantine due to fears of the corona- virus. Coming at a time where Israel is under pressure by the U.S. to scrap its ties with Beijing, his sudden passing sparked rumors in China that he was the victim of foul play.
During his snap visit to Israel last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the growing U.S. displeasure with Israel’s booming business ties with China. His repeated demands that Jerusalem regulate Beijing’s activity in the Jewish State led to the National Security Council reportedly preparing a new system to curb Chinese activity more effectively.
FM Ashkenazi: We’ll Adopt Peace Plan
New Foreign Minister Gabi Ash- kenazi promised to adopt President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” and revamp his ministry’s standing during his upcoming term.
Speaking at a changing of the guard ceremony at the Foreign Min- istry in Jerusalem, Ashkenazi said that the Trump peace initiative is a “his- toric opportunity” that needed to be exploited.
al opportunities, primarily President [Donald] Trump’s peace initiative. I consider this plan a significant mile- stone,” said the grizzled ex-gener- al. “President Trump presented us with a historic opportunity to shape the future of the State of Israel and its boundaries for decades to come.”
Ashkenazi also spoke of Egypt’s and Jordan’s role in the peace process, declaring that “they are very import- ant allies in addressing the challenges in the region.” Ashkenazi added that he would work to “promote contacts and collaborations with other coun- tries in the space in order to strength- en the strategic position of the State of Israel.”
Ashkenazi’s remarks came only a few days after Jordan’s King Abdullah threatened to end his country’s peace treaty with Israel should Israel annex parts of Judea and Samaria. Amman has viewed Israel’s recent annexation rhetoric with alarm, warning that any solution that does not involve Isra- el shrinking to pre-1967 lines would cause a deep freeze in relations be- tween the two countries.
Ashkenazi will serve as Israel’s top diplomat for the next 18 months after the national unity government was sworn in on Sunday. He replaces Yis- rael Katz, who held the position for the past year but was widely viewed as an ineffective foreign minister who cared little for the job.
Noting the Foreign Ministry’s de- graded status and a budget crisis in recent years, Ashkenazi finished his address by promising “a complete turn- around” in its day to day operations.
“I see the Foreign Ministry as an in- tegral part of the national security sys- tem of the State of Israel and its people as ‘warriors without uniforms,’” Ash- kenazi said.
Abdullah: Peace Plan Could End Treaty
Jordan’s King Abdullah warned that his kingdom’s peace treaty with Israel could fall apart should Israel proceed with its plans to annex the Jordan valley.
Speaking with the German daily
Der Spiegel, Abdullah blasted President Trump’s peace plan and predicted that it would increase the region’s instability.
The Jordanian monarch reiterated his country’s opposition to any plan that does not include a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 lines, saying that it would never be accepted by the Arab world. Rather than earn the support of Middle Eastern nations fed up with Palestinian intransigence, Abdullah contended that the peace initiative would unite the Arab world against the United States.
“In the Arab League, the one-state solution is still completely reject
ed,” said Abdullah. “When the onestate plan was published six or seven months ago, his highness, the King of Saudi Arabia, said, ‘No, we are with the Palestinians.’”
Abdullah also refused to rule out ending his country’s peace treaty with Israel in the event of an eventual annexation of territory in Judea and Samaria, saying merely that he didn’t “want to make threats and create an atmosphere of controversy, but we’re considering every option.”
Relations between Israel and Jordan have deteriorated in recent years, with Abdullah saying in November that they had reached “its worst ever.” Over this past year, Jordan refused to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries and recalled its envoy earlier in the year.
However, Abdullah’s remarks are seen as an escalation, as he has never before spoken about possibly ending the peace treaty Jordan signed with Israel in 1995.
Gantz Vows to Help MIAs
two aforementioned civilians. While the parameters of the deal remain classified, it would likely feature the release of thousands of terrorists, similar to the agreement that led to the release of Gilad Shalit in 2015.
Israel Behind Cyberattack?
Newly-minted Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s first call after his changing of the guard ceremony on Monday was to the families of soldiers missing in action.
Gantz spoke with relatives of Hadar Goldin and Oron Saul, two IDF soldiers killed in 2014’s Operation Protective Edge whose bodies are being held by Hamas in Gaza as a bargaining chip.
Apart from the MIA soldiers, Gantz promised the families of Avera Mengistu and Hisham Sayyid that he would do everything possible to return them to Israel alive. Mengistu, a mentally disturbed Ethiopian Israeli, has been in Gaza since climbing the border fence in 2015. Sayyid is a Bedouin captured while on a smuggling mission.
Leah and Simcha Goldin, Hadar’s parents, released a statement praising Gantz for putting a high priority on getting their son’s body back. Gantz had been the IDF chief of staff when Hadar and Shaul were taken and is said to have a positive relationship with both families.
“We were excited when the replacement prime minister and incoming Defense Minister Major General Benny Gantz called to tell us that he was fully committed to bringing home our son Hadar and Sgt. Oron Saul held by Hamas,” said the Goldins. “We told Gantz that the opportunity to return soldiers and civilians should not be missed, and the new government must act here and now and fulfill its duty to the families.”
Gantz’s phone call comes as reports speak of intensive negotiations between Israel and Hamas that would lead to the release of Saul’s and Goldin’s bodies as well as the
Etihad Flies to Israel
In a first of its kind, Etihad Airways, the flag-carrier airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced it would fly aid to Israel with aid for the Palestinians, marking the first known direct commercial flight between the nations.
The flight comes as the United Arab Emirates, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai on the Arabian Peninsula, has no formal diplomatic ties to Israel over its control of land wanted by the Palestinians for a future state. However, it marks an open moment of cooperation between the countries after years of rumored back-channel discussions between them over the mutual enmity of Iran.
Etihad, a state-owned, long-haul carrier, confirmed it had a flight on Tuesday to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The flight would be delivering humanitarian aid provided by the UAE to the Palestinians through the World Food Program.
The extent of Gulf Arab ties with Israel is still mostly kept private. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have allegedly used Israeli spyware to go after government critics.
Israel is likely behind a cyberattack which halted traffic and caused “total disarray” at Iran’s Shahid Rajaei Port, located near the Strait of Hormuz, last week, according to a report by The Washington Post.
On May 11, Mohammad Rastad, Managing Director of the Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), announced that a cyberattack managed to damage a number of private systems at the Shahid Rajaei port.
Rastad also confirmed that the attack was carried out by a foreign entity, according to Fars.
Intelligence and cybersecurity officials familiar with the incident toldThe Post that the attack was carried out by “Israeli operatives,” possibly in retaliation for an earlier cyberattack on Israel’s civilian water system.
Satellite photographs showing miles-long traffic jams on highways leading to the Shahid Rajaee port and dozens of loaded container ships waiting just off the coast.
The cyberattack was “highly accurate,” according to a security official with a foreign government that monitored the incident, which reportedly took place on May 9, two days before Iranian officials acknowledged it had occurred.
Earlier this month, Israel’s security cabinet met to discuss an alleged Iranian cyberattack on Israeli water and sewage facilities that took place in April. The attack did not cause substantial damage except for a few issues in local water systems, according to Israeli officials, but is still seen as a substantial escalation by the Iranians, especially since the attack targeted civilian infrastructure.
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