Israel News

defense ministers.

Currently, thousands of NATO troops, several warships and dozens of aircraft are taking part in military exercises stretching across the Atlantic, through Europe and into the Black Sea region.

Turkey Bans Alcohol

A three-week ban on alcohol sales in Turkey which began on April 29 had been extended through the end of May, Nikkei Asia reported.

The ban was initially implemented along with a nearly threeweek lockdown, and though grocery stores continued operating during that time, their liquor sections were sealed off with tape.

Though the lockdown ended May 17, the Turkish government decided to extend both the weekend curfews and the ban on alcohol sales through the end of the month.

Alcohol is prohibited by the Muslim religion, and the Turkish government has increased taxes on it throughout the years. In 2013, the Turkish government banned sales at liquor stores past 10:00p.m., banned alcohol ads, and banned those who produce and sell alcohol from sponsoring sports events.

The government has also made it increasingly difficult to obtain permits to open new liquor stores, Nikkei reported, quoting Ozgur Aybas, the head of a liquor store association that opposes government restrictions.

According to Aybas, “The president may be trying to turn Turkey into a place like Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which allows alcohol consumption only among non-Muslim foreigners.”

Nikkei added that several private-sector surveys have shown that roughly 20% of Turks drink alcohol regularly. The state-run Turkish Statistical Institute has reported that over 70% of those aged 15 and above have never had alcohol. At the same time, a recent survey by Istanbul Economics Research showed that 56% of respondents feel the ban on alcohol is inappropriate, and just 44% support it.

Snake Wine Bites

Snake “wine” may be dangerous to your health.

A man in China, identified by his last name Yu, had to undergo several hours of emergency treatment after suffering from a near-fatal snakebite last week when he tried to catch a pit viper to make “snake wine.”

The 63-year-old’s arm was spared following his encounter with the serpent, which happened in a neighbor’s courtyard.

Yu had been taking a walk after lunch one day when a nearby resident noticed a pit viper outside their home. The species, known as a Chinese copperhead, is also called a “five-pace snake” and sometimes a “hundred-pace snake” – denoting the number of steps a snakebite victim can take before succumbing to its venom.

Yu, who had grabbed a shovel, said he wanted to kill the animal, which he described as a fully mature adult. However, he had a change of heart and decided to capture it alive to make snake wine.

The potent tonic is produced by infusing whole snakes – often alive – in rice wine or grain alcohol. It is consumed in some parts of Asia for its rumored medicinal properties.

The Hangzhou hospital said Yu tried to pick up the viper and put it in a sack, but the predator turned and struck him on the right wrist. Yu attempted to suck the venom out of his arm, but his gums began to bleed and his lips went numb a few minutes later. He then had trouble breathing and collapsed, prompting family members to call for an ambulance.

Yu underwent two hours of blood and plasma transfusions, swapping out 2,500 milliliters of fluids until his urine turned from black to yellow and his coagulation functions returned.

First Israeli Woman Climbs Mt. Everest

Danielle Wolfson, a Tel Aviv lawyer, reached the peak of Mount Everest on Tuesday after trekking for 45 days.

Wolfson, a Russian-born 43-year-old who came to Israel at age 10, is the first Israeli woman to conquer the peak.

“I am happy and proud to be the first Israeli woman to reach the summit,” Wolfson posted on her Facebook page. “My journey to the summit began in the ‘lowest’ state possible.”

Wolfson was seriously injured in a ski accident in 2011, suffering multiple broken bones. At the time, doctors warned that she may not be able to walk again.

Speaking during the Mount Everest climb to Channel 13, Wolfson said, “I have fears, but there I feel like I’m myself,” she said, adding that she dreamed, “to stand there, to be a woman, to reach the summit and to raise the Israeli flag, and to say, ‘I was here, too, on the famous Mount Everest.’

“I told myself, ‘I will show everyone. I will climb Everest.’”

During her training period, Wolfson climbed several other peaks, including Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, and Ojos del Salada, the highest volcano in the world, located in Chile.

“I have a rule. On every summit I hoist an Israeli flag,” she said.

She added, “If we only learn to accept those different to us and love each other, we can together achieve miraculous achievements, almost like climbing to the summit of Everest.”

A New Govt?

Negotiating teams from the Yesh Atid and Yamina parties met Sunday night with other parties in the “bloc for change” in an attempt to complete coalition negotiations ahead of a Wednesday deadline.

On Monday morning, it was reported that the teams had made “significant progress” in their talks, which ended at 3:00a.m. and were slated to continue later on Monday morning.

Though agreements are nearly final, disagreements erupted over several of the ministerial portfolios.

Under the proposed government, Yamina chief MK Naftali Bennett would serve as prime minister until September 2023, when he would be replaced by Yesh Atid chief MK Yair Lapid – the MK who was tasked with forming a government after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to do so.

According to reports, Lapid aims to announce a coalition by Tuesday.

On Sunday, Bennett announced that he would join Lapid’s government, saying, “The elections have proven there is no [possible] rightwing government under Netanyahu. There’s unity or fifth elections.”

An unnamed Likud source was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying that Netanyahu “does not intend to give up, and we have seen that the situation is fragile on the right, but it is going to be almost impossible to prevent the government.”

Yamina MK Amichai Chikli, who will not join the coalition, criticized Bennett on Monday for his decision to join with Yesh Atid.

“I believed in him, in his honesty, in his love for Israel and in his Zionism, and I supported him with full force…but this is not the way,” Chikli wrote on Facebook.

The proposed government would be comprised of 57 MKs from Yesh Atid, Yamina, Yisrael Beytenu, New Hope, Labor, Meretz, and Blue and White. It has not yet been confirmed that the United Arab List will support the government, lending it the four MKs necessary for a majority.

If the government is not formed by Wednesday, the Knesset will have 21 days to form a coalition before new elections must be held.

Hamas Holds Victory Parade

The IDF is preparing for the next Israel-Gaza war, with senior IDF officials warning that Gaza terror groups could resume firing at any time despite a tenuous ceasefire.

Senior defense officials warned that the current ceasefire is “very unstable.”

Following the end of the fighting last week, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi claimed that Operation Guardian of the Walls ended in Israel’s favor, noting, “The balance of accomplishments ended in a clear advantage for the IDF, and Hamas, which started a war as the alleged defender of Jerusalem, finished it as the destroyer of Gaza.”

He added that the IDF is “already preparing for the next campaign.”

Meanwhile, Hamas on Thursday held a victory parade in Khan Younis, in which it displayed some of the various weapons systems deployed against Israeli civilians.

At the same time, Egypt is working with both Israel and Hamas to broker a long-term ceasefire and coordinate reconstruction in Gaza.

Israel is demanding that the reconstruction be conditional upon the return of four Israelis – two dead soldiers and two mentally ill Israeli civilians – who have been held by Hamas for several years. Hamas, for its part, is insisting that it cannot be “blackmailed,” and that the issues must remain separate from the ceasefire.

Security Officer Stabbed by Gazan Terrorist

A Gazan armed with a knife on Sunday night infiltrated Israel from Gaza, stabbing a security guard in the Eshkol region.

The security guard suffered light injuries.

On Monday morning, the IDF said that the terrorist had been noticed by community security officers as he walked near Sdeh Avraham, and that it is investigating how the terrorist crossed into Israel unhindered.

When the security officers approached the suspect, he pulled out a knife, stabbing one of them, who was unarmed after being barred from carrying weapons. The other security officer fired in defense, injuring the terrorist.

The injured officer and the terrorist were taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

According to Kan News, the terrorist, whose documents indicated that he is from Rafah, is believed to have entered Israel from near the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Israel and Gaza.

Outgoing Mossad Chief Warns Against Iran

Outgoing Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has called for Israel to increase its actions against Iran, in order to deter the Islamic Republic from further threatening Israel.

At a Sunday ceremony at Bar Ilan University, where he received an honorary doctorate, Cohen said, “Activity against the Iranian regime must be stepped up so that it understands that crossing the lines will cost it immense damage.

“To succeed we need leadership and courage, willingness to act,” he asserted. “Today’s security operation is no less important than tomorrow’s war,” he said, adding that security is “the foundation that enables us to live a meaningful life.”

Cohen, who is seen as a close confidante of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has served as Mossad chief since 2016.

He will be replaced by David Barnea.

Dreams Come True

A grandfather from southern Israel won the largest-ever lottery in Israel’s history on Tuesday, bringing home 76 million shekel ($23.4 million), Mifal Hapais, the organization which runs the lottery, reported.

The man had just begun a new job after being on unpaid leave for an extended period of time due to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the story published on Mifal Hapais’ website, the morning after the lottery was held, the man decided to check his tickets prior to driving to work and noticed that one lucky winner had won the entire 76 million shekels. One of the tickets he had purchased had won nothing, but the other had all six of the winning numbers, as well as the “power” number.

The original prize was 38 million shekel, but the man had played the “double lotto,” and so he won 76 million shekel.

After realizing he had won the lottery, the man called his son to say, “Now you don’t need to earn a living,” and then went to wake his wife up, telling her that “sometimes dreams come true.”

He then informed his new boss that he would not be able to come into work that day.

“I will have to call him again and tell him that it seems I won’t be coming in at all,” the man quipped.

The winner noted that he sometimes plays the lottery, allowing the ticket machine to fill in the numbers. Last week, he found two old tickets in a drawer and took it as a sign that it was time to play again, using the same numbers. One of those tickets won him 90 NIS, so he submitted the same numbers again prior to the Tuesday lottery.

“It seems that was a significant one-off decision,” he said, adding that he plans to split the win between his children so that they will be able to purchase homes without taking mortgages or loans.

He also said that the family is planning a long vacation abroad.

“The children want Thailand, but I am leaning more toward the U.S.,” he told Walla!. “It looks like we won’t do one trip, but two.”

President Herzog

Israel now has a new president: Isaac Herzog.

Herzog was elected to be Israel’s eleventh president on Wednesday. He earned 87 votes out of potential 120 votes from MKs, the most a presidential candidate has ever won in Israel. Miriam Peretz, the other person in the running for the position, nabbed 26 votes.

Herzog is the chairman of the Jewish Agency and former head of the Labor party.

Herzog is the son of Israel’s sixth president, Chaim Herzog, and the grandson of Israel’s first chief rabbi. He will succeed current President Reuven Rivlin when Rivlin’s term ends on July 9.

In his first speech after being elected, Herzog said he intended “to build bridges” within Israeli society and with the Jewish Diaspora, to encourage entrepreneurship, “fight anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel,” and “safeguard the foundations of our democracy.”

He added, “I accept upon myself the heavy responsibility you have placed upon me. I accept the privilege of serving the entire Israeli public.”

Congratulated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzog said to him: “I hope I will be able to work with every government and every prime minister.”

Netanyahu replied in a joking manner, “Let’s not get into that now.”

Peretz called Herzog a beloved and worthy president, and stressed that her prayers and those of the nation were all devoted to his success in the role. “His success is our success.”

As for herself, Peretz said, “I will continue to meet with young Israelis, and do everything to bring people together, to heal and sometimes to be a mother, because we all need a hug, we all need someone to give us hope, to show us compassion, love, a different discourse.”

Peretz’s son, Uriel, was killed fighting in Lebanon in 1998. Her other son, Eliraz, was killed in an operation near Gaza in 2010. Peretz has channeled her grief into comforting others and has become an inspiration for Israelis. In 2018, she won the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, the country’s highest cultural honor.

In a congratulatory message to Herzog, Rivlin noted: “The title of ‘first citizen’ and the task of guarding the character of the State of Israel, particularly at this point in time, are heavy responsibilities. I have no doubt that you will bear them superbly. I am proud to pass on the baton to you in a month’s time. Long live the State of Israel! Long live the President of the State of Israel!”

Israel’s president is largely ceremonial but plays a key role in deciding who gets the mandate to form a government following elections. The president also has the power to pardon people and grant clemency, something that could become a key issue should Netanyahu be convicted in his ongoing corruption trial.

A well-heeled attorney by profession at one of the country’s top firms (which was founded by his father), Herzog’s family story is as close as one comes to Israeli royalty. He is the grandson of Israel’s first Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Isaac Herzog, for whom he is named, and the son of former IDF major general and then president Chaim Herzog. His brother Michael is a retired IDF brigadier general. His aunt Suzy was the wife of former foreign minister Abba Eban.

In his 15 years in the Knesset, he became known as a soft-spoken and mild-mannered manager. He ran respectful campaigns and declined to take part in the kind of angry political feuding that have come to define the country’s fractious politics.

Mossad’s Barnea Sworn In

New Mossad chief David Barnea warned on Tuesday that Iran was working to fulfill its “dream” of acquiring an atomic bomb, even as it holds talks with world powers on restoring the 2015 deal limiting its nuclear program.

“Our security challenges are very big and at the top of the list is Iran,” Barnea said at a ceremony marking his entry into office as head of the spy agency. “This needs to be said loudly and clearly: Iran is working, even at this very moment, to fulfill its nuclear dream under an international guise of protection.”

He added, “Under the protection of the agreement and without it, with lies and concealments, Iran is making constant progress toward a weapons of mass destruction program.”

Barnea, who is also known by his nickname Dedi, replaces outgoing director Yossi Cohen. He served as a combat soldier in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit and has been in the Mossad for the past 25 years, including in prominent operational roles that saw him rise to lead the branch that handles the organization’s agents worldwide.

Announcing Barnea’s appointment last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his top task was “to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Speaking at the ceremony this week, Netanyahu said that if pushed to choose between a lack of friction