17 minute read
Israel News
ing told the AFP. “We never thought turmeric would be such a big issue. We had taken it for granted. Now, we can’t afford to use it in our daily cooking.”
In the first, the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) will dedicate its considerable resources to expanding Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.
The move, which was approved on Sunday by the executive committee, will see the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) earmark funds for purchasing Palestinian land in Judea and Samaria. The century-old charity will dedicate hundreds of millions to the effort, which will see the organization ramp up its efforts to locate and purchase available Arab-owned properties.
Executive Committee members approved the initiative by a slim margin of 6-5, which came after they were given a legal briefing outlining how such land purchases do not violate international law. The plan still needs to be approved by the Board of Directors when it meets in March for it to become official policy.
As per the resolution, the JNFKKL will develop Jewish communities by funding “projects, education, forestation and environmental protection.”
The JNF-KKL will not work to build new settlements and will restrict its activities to expanding existing Jewish villages. Land purchases will focus primarily on properties aligning towns that seek to build out, such as Neve Danial, Efrat, and Ariel.
In addition, the JNF will buy property located in areas A and B, which comprise 40% of Judea and Samaria and are administered by the Palestinian Authority.
The move represents a significant policy shift for KKL-JNF, which has worked to further Jewish settlement in Israel since its founding in 1901. While the organization has historically purchased land in both Judea and Samaria and in pre-1967 borders, it has never adopted expanding the settlements as official policy.
With billions of funds at JNFKKL’s disposal, the policy shift would accelerate the effort to further Israel’s presence over the Green Line. Apart from the financial benefits, JNF-KKL would aid the settlement project by putting the organization’s enormous legal apparatus at its disposal.
The move was sharply condemned by left-wing movements, politicians, and liberal denominations in both the Israel and the U.S. as something that would make it more difficult to establish a Palestinian State. Prior to the vote, Defense Minister Benny Gantz asked the Executive Committee to delay the “highly sensitive” vote due to the effect it would have “in the international arena as well as in relations with the incoming U.S. administration and relations with Diaspora Jewry.”
In a statement, the Union for Reform Judaism called the policy shift “anti-Zionist,” contending that “politicizing support for cherished Zionist institutions ill serves the cause of Zionism and the unity of the Jewish people.”
On the other side of the spectrum, the charedi Eretz Hakodesh faction, which was integral to the vote to allow the purchases, said that it is “excited to be part of an historic decision.”
“Our goal was to highlight the fact that Diaspora Jewry supports The State of Israel and wants to strengthen the settlement movement and assist in maintaining its security. I am proud of this amazing achievement and congratulate our partners for it,” said Eretz Hakodesh head Rabbi Pesach Lerner.
Rabbi Lerner said that groups like Reform and others that are criticizing the vote should “respect the majority decision” and “refrain from cooperating with foreign parties in order to create a false representation of crisis and diplomatic pressure.”
The Eretz Hakodesh faction, a charedi American faction that ran for the first time in the last World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections, winning an impressive 20,000 votes, became the third largest faction in the WZO in the United States. It was the establishment of this right-wing coalition that enabled the representatives of the right-wing factions to take over key positions and pass resolutions to strengthen Jewish settlement throughout the Land of Israel for the first time in the history of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).
Rabbi Lerner noted the achievement of the inclusion of the charedi communities of Emanuel and Beitar Illit together with the charedi city of Kiryat Sefer in the decision which was made. This is after the wording of the published initial decision attached a list of communities defined as “preferential areas for purchase.” But the charedi communities were not included in that list. Upon receiving the wording of the decision, the faction’s representatives worked tirelessly to include the charedi communities of Beitar Illit and Emanuel in the list of preferential communities.
Encouraging Data on Pfizer Vaccine
New data from Israel’s Maccabi health care provider showed that not a single person tested died after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
As Israel’s largest health insurers, Maccabi had been asked by the Health Ministry to track the effects of the vaccination campaign amongst its customers. According to Maccabi, 544 people out of 523,000 tested positive after receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, or 0.1% in total.
Out of the 544 people who subsequently contracted COVID-19, the vast majority reported no symptoms. In total, 15 patients required hospitalization, with four in critical condition.
After comparing the results with a control group of unvaccinated Israelis, Maccabi put the vaccine’s efficacy rate at 93%, in line with similar studies and within the margin of error of the 95% reported by Pfizer. Maccabi executives hailed the results, saying
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that the data proved “beyond shadow of a doubt” that the drug had the potential to end the deadly pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people in the Holy Land.
“This data unequivocally proves that the vaccine is very effective, and we have no doubt that it has saved the lives of many Israelis,” asserted Dr. Miri Mizrahi Reuveni, a senior official at Maccabi.
Meanwhile, Maccabi reports that, so far, Israel has vaccinated about one million people with the first dose and about 603,000 with the second dose.
Noting that Israel’s inoculation drive is slowing, Reuveni urged as many people as possible to receive the jab “as soon as possible” to enable the country to emerge from the pandemic. “Anyone who has not been vaccinated so far, please hurry up and make an appointment as soon as possible,” she said. “Protect yourself from a serious illness and, G-d forbid, death as well as the possibility that you will infect and endanger others.”
Maccabi’s data is being monitored around the world, as Israel is being used by Pfizer as a test case for its COVID-19 vaccine. As part of a deal reached between the pharmaceutical giant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January, Pfizer provided Israel with 10 million doses of the vaccine in exchange for unprecedented access to data from the country’s inoculation drive.
Israel-Syria Prisoner Exchange
Israel and Syria are negotiating a prisoner exchange deal, with Russia acting as the mediator, in which two incarcerated residents of the Israeli Golan could reportedly be released in exchange for a young Israeli woman who entered Syrian territory by mistake.
The woman who wandered into Syria is a 25-year-old from Modi’in Ilit. It is not clear why she wandered into Syria.
Syrian state media announced on Wednesday: “The exchange is taking place through Russian mediation to liberate the Syrians Nihal Al-Maqt and Dhiyab Qahmuz, the Syrian prisoner from the occupied Syrian Golan, in an exchange during which a young Israeli woman who entered the Syrian territories by mistake will be released. She entered the Quneitra region by mistake and was arrested by the Syrian authorities.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Army Radio, said, “We are working to save lives. I can just say I’m using my personal connections” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure her release.
Israel is “at the height of sensitive negotiations” on the issue, he said, and added, “I believe we will resolve it.”
National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat and hostages coordinator Yaron Bloom left Wednesday morning for Moscow to negotiate the release of the Israeli woman, according to Hebrew media reports.
Al-Maqt, a Syrian resident of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, comes from a family of prisoners, all of whom oppose Israeli rule over the zone. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six Day War and annexed it in 1981.
Al-Maqt was indicted by an Israeli court in 2017 for incitement, according to Syrian media.
Qahmuz, a resident of Ghajar in the Golan Heights, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2018 for plotting a terror bombing in coordination with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Illicit Missile Sales
The Shit Ben and Israel Police announced that they are investigating 20 Israelis for illegally selling advanced missiles to an unnamed Asian country.
The probe is highly sensitive and
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While their names are banned from being published, the suspects are reportedly former high-ranking members of Israel’s defense establishment. They are suspected of violating some of the most serious security offenses in Israel’s penal code, including crimes against the security of the state, security exports violations, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Police say that the aforementioned group used their connections and experience to develop, produce, test, and sell advanced cruise missiles to an Asian country. As part of the probe, investigators found a video of the group conducting an illegal missile test near a residential neighborhood in the country’s center.
The test in question was carried out without taking any safety precautions and had the potential to cause significant loss of life had matters gone awry. While officially sanctioned missile tests commonly take place in the ocean or an empty expanse of desert to avoid fatal accidents, the rocket in this instance was fired in the midst of a densely populated neighborhood.
During interrogation, some suspects revealed the elaborate lengths in which they went to mask the illicit business relationship. In order to hide the missiles’ true destination, the suspects presented Defense Ministry regulators with forged end-user certificates and bribed an official who began asking questions.
“This affair underscores the potential damage to the security of the state inherent in illegal transactions carried out by Israeli citizens with foreign elements, including the concern that such technology could reach countries hostile to Israel,” said the Shin Bet.
Israel’s weapons industry is highly regulated, with the government mandating exporters to verify that their products will not be resold to a third party. In addition, every armaments deal must be approved by both the Defense and Foreign Ministry to ensure that they do not violate international law, along with preventing the leakage of sensitive technology.
Come Travel to Cyprus
Israel and Cyprus have signed a deal to allow visa-free travel for vaccinated citizens of both countries.
The deal was inked during a visit Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades paid to Israel on Sunday. The quick one-day trip saw Anastasiades meet with President Reuven Rivlin along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.
The majority of the visit was dedicated to hashing out to details of the free travel arrangement. Both Israel and Cyprus are eager to rejuvenate their tourism industries, which have been devastated over the past year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As the coronavirus has shown us, today’s challenges know no borders, and we must work together in order to meet them,” Rivlin told his Cypriot counterpart at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday. “I am pleased with the recent understandings that will allow the renewal of flights between Israel and Cyprus and call on more countries to adopt the ‘green pass.’”
“We have an ambitious plan of action for cooperation between our countries, and between our diasporas. I would be very happy to welcome you to my country as soon as possible, before the end of your term of office,” Anastasiades responded.
Like Israel, Cyprus imposed strict travel restrictions following the world’s initial COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, shuttered its borders, and implemented mandatory quarantine. The measures saw arrivals drop by 75% from 2019, hampering a pillar of Cyprus’s economy.
But with Israel’s vaccination drive currently leading the world, Cyprus views the millions of vaccinated Israelis as a potential market for its tourism sector. With Ben Gurion Airport scheduled to reopen in two weeks, the Health Ministry is currently reviewing plans to allow in foreigners for the first time in almost a year.
The initiative, which was formulated by Israel’s Finance and Tourism
Ministries, would admit travelers who already received both doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Israel signed a similar deal with Greece earlier this month that will allow vaccinated Israelis to visit the sunny Mediterranean country by Passover.
Israel is also currently negotiating with the UK, Estonia, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, and Seychelles to allow travel for those possessing “green passports.”
Hamas: Women Need Guardians
A Hamas-run Islamic court in the Gaza Strip has ruled that women require the permission of a male guardian to travel.
The decision by the Sharia Judicial Council, issued on Sunday, says an unmarried woman may not travel without the permission of her “guardian,” a term generally referred to as a woman’s father or another older male relative. Permission would need to be registered at the court, but the man would not be required to accompany the woman on the trip.
Many are calling the ruling a rollback in women’s rights in the enclave. Some are saying that it could spark a backlash in Gaza at a time when elections are set to be held this year. Even so, this ruling may cement support for Hamas among conservatives living in the area.
The edict also said that a man could be prevented from traveling by his father or grandfather if it would cause “grave harm.” The man, though, would not need to seek prior permission, and the relative would have to file a lawsuit to prevent him from traveling.
The ruling resembles the so-called guardianship laws that long existed in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, where women were treated as minors requiring the permission of a husband, father, or even a son to apply for a passport and travel abroad. The kingdom loosened those restrictions in 2019.
Hassan al-Jojo, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, said that the ruling was “balanced” and consistent with Islamic and civil laws. He dismissed what he called “artificial and unjustified noise” on social media about the edict.
He justified the measure by citing past instances in which girls had traveled without the knowledge of their parents and men had left their wives and children without a breadwinner.
Gaza is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. All Gazans must go through a lengthy permit process to travel abroad and largely rely on the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which only opens sporadically.
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Fauci Awarded Dan David Prize
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was awarded Israel’s $1 million Dan David Prize on Monday in recognition of his leadership on HIV research and AIDS relief, his advocacy for the vaccines against coronavirus, and for “courageously defending science in the face of uninformed opposition during the challenging COVID crisis.”
“As the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled, [Fauci] leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread,” the prize committee said in a statement. “In addition, he has been widely praised for his courage in speaking truth to power in a highly charged political environment.”
The committee commended his efforts to fight for the recognition of novel approaches to treating the coronavirus pandemic, including the development of the world’s first-ever mRNA vaccines, which are now being given to millions of people worldwide, including in Israel.
In addition, it said Fauci was receiving the award for his contributions to HIV research and being the architect of the U.S. president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, ultimately saving millions of lives in the developing world.
The Dan David Prize, established in 2000 by the late international businessman Dan David, is headquartered at Tel Aviv University. It gives $1 million awards in three categories each year for contributions addressing the past, present and future.
Fauci won the prize alongside other health and medical scholars and researchers this year, including health and medicine historians Prof. Alison Bashford, Prof. Katharine Park and Prof. Keith Wailoo in the field of History of Health and Medicine (past category); and the pioneers of anticancer immunotherapy: Prof. Zelig Eshhar, Prof. Carl June and Dr. Steven Rosenberg in the field of Molecular Medicine (future category).
IAF Surprise Drill
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) embarked on a surprise drill last week designed to prepare for a potential war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The drill, which was named “Galilee Rose,” simulated all-out war with Hezbollah and other Iranian-proxy forces in Syria. Lasting from Sunday evening to Wednesday, the exercise saw troops prepare for the various scenarios they are liable to face during armed conflict.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the majority of the maneuvers focused on enabling the air force to continue operating effectively while under constant bombardment from enemy missiles. Contingencies included intelligence gathering, repairing a runway gutted by rocket fire, and rescuing special forces trapped behind enemy lines.
“During the exercise, there will be thorough tests of planning, command and execution processes, as well as logistical and technological capabilities, with an emphasis on preserving aerial freedom of operation and maintaining full operational continuity,” the IDF said upon announcing the drill on Sunday.
“The first day focused mainly on planning and preparing for a wartime scenario, while days two and three will be dedicated to around-theclock fighting,” added Chief Training Officer, Lieutenant Colonel “O.” “The
