Israelis are no longer required to wear masks indoors, more than a year after the public was instructed to do so as the coronavirus pandemic began. Health Ministry director-general Professor Chezy Levy signed an amendment to the public health order on Monday evening to abolish the obligation to wear a mask in closed Read more…
Labour Friends of Israel director Michael Rubin last week condemned the “shocking” threats made by Hamas against staff working in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Rubin’s comments came as it emerged that staff, including UNRWA’s director of operations Matthias Schamale, had been ordered to leave Gaza after describing Israeli Read more…
Israel’s 36th government was sworn in this week as Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12 years in power came to an end. Netanyahu’s departure followed the new “change government” – an ideologically eclectic administration united by its desire to displace the long-serving former prime minister – winning a vital Knesset confidence vote on Sunday Read more…
US secretary of state Anthony Blinken said this week that Iran has not given indications of its willingness to return to compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. In a hearing at the House foreign affairs committee, Blinken said that the negotiating sides are “not even at the stage of returning to compliance for Read more…
Some 8,000 people marched, sang and danced through Jerusalem last week as the city marked its first Pride parade since coronavirus restrictions were relaxed. Participants held flags, balloons and banners as they celebrated in a city that has seen some hostility against LGBT+ people in recent years, especially compared with liberal and secular Tel Read more…
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has condemned the construction of a terror tunnel under a school complex it operates in the central Gaza Strip. UNRWA said that the tunnel had been found in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza, under the Zaitoun Preparatory Boys’ School “A” and Elementary Boys’ School “A”. UNRWA confirmed that no Read more…
Israel’s “change coalition” faces its most critical test in the coming days as the Knesset holds a confidence vote in the new government on Sunday. Success in the vote will bring to an end to Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12 years in office. What happened On Monday, the Knesset speaker, Yariv Levin, formally notified parliament that Read more…
An overwhelming majority of Israelis support the right of same-sex couples to marry or register for civil unions in Israel, a recent survey by Hiddush has found. Some 73 percent of respondents expressed their support for LGBT+ Israelis being able to enjoy the rights and obligations of heterosexual couples. The Read more…
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voiced its concern this week that Iran had not clarified queries over possible undeclared nuclear activity after trace amounts of uranium were detected at three sites. An IAEA report said that its inspection work had established “a clear indication that nuclear material and/or equipment Read more…
A poll commissioned by the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) has found that the British public strongly backs Israel’s right to defend itself and feels deep sympathy for British Jews in the recent wave of antisemitic incidents. Some 55 percent of respondents said they believed Israel had a right to defensive Read more…
Two months after Israel’s fourth election in two years, a coalition agreement has been reached that would unseat Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years. What happened Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, informed president Rivlin that he was able to form a government with just 35 minutes left of his mandate Read more…
Iranian state television announced on Tuesday that 7 candidates had received approval from the country’s constitutional watchdog ahead of next month’s presidential election. The 7 were selected from more than 590 candidates registered by the Guardian Council, a panel of clerics and jurists overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Read more…