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In Brief: Israel mourns its worst ever civilian disaster with 45 dead

Posted 5 May, 2021 in Analysis, Israel, Israeli Politics
Police deployment at Mount Meron. Credit: Israel Police, CC BY-SA 3.0 Israel experienced its worst ever civilian disaster last week, when a stampede at Mount Meron in the northern Galilee led to the deaths of at least 45 people. More than 100,000 people, mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews, gathered at the annual Lag B’Omer celebrations, which include visits…

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Analysis: First Palestinian elections since 2006 postponed once again

Posted 5 May, 2021 in Analysis, Coexistence, Middle East, Palestinian Territories, Peace process
Mahmoud Abbas. Credits: World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0 Elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council and presidency, respectively scheduled for 22 May and 31 July, have been postponed indefinitely – and effectively cancelled. What happened Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas announced on Thursday that the elections, which would have been the first to take place since 2006,…

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In Brief: Covid progress in Israel as Gaza sees surge in cases

Posted 29 April, 2021 in Analysis, Israel, Palestinian Territories
CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Israel saw zero coronavirus deaths on 22 April, the first day in 10 months without a single death due to the virus. With a total death toll of over 6,000, Israel’s daily death toll has been decreasing since January, when daily deaths averaged at about…

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In Brief: Largest ever Israel-UAE commercial deal agreed

Posted 29 April, 2021 in Analysis, Coexistence, Israel, Middle East, Peace process
Noa natural gas field. Image credit: Uri Kfir, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Israeli energy company Delek Drilling has signed an agreement to sell its 22 percent share in the offshore Tamar natural gas field to Abu Dhabi’s Mubdala Petroleum Company for $1.1 billion. The deal represents the largest and most significant commercial agreement between Israel…

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In Brief: Iranian foreign minister laments IRGC influence

Posted 29 April, 2021 in Analysis, Hezbollah, Iran, Middle East
IRGC Parade in Tehran. Image Credit: YPA, CC-BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has offered a glimpse into Iran’s internal power struggles in a leaked recording, claiming that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) dominates governmental decision-making. Zarif claimed that IRGC commander Qassim Suleimani, who was killed by the United States in…

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Analysis: Weekend of violence and rockets amid election uncertainty

Posted 29 April, 2021 in Analysis, Hamas, Israel, Israeli Politics, Middle East, Palestinian Territories, Peace process
Iron Dome intercepts rockets from Gaza. Credit: Nehemia Gershuni, www.NGPhoto.biz, CC-BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Following several nights of rocket fire from Gaza, Israel has warned Hamas that it will face major retaliation should the attacks continue. Gaza-based armed factions launched more than 40 rockets into Israel over the weekend, against a background of continued unrest in Jerusalem…

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LFI Focus: Fourth time lucky? Israel’s March election

Posted 23 April, 2021 in Analysis, Israel, Israeli Politics, LFI Focus
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.           Photo: Crown Copyright, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Introduction In May 2019, the Israeli Knesset dissolved itself barely one month after voters had been to the polls. That political stalemate marked the first time in the state’s seven-decade history that an election has not resulted in the formation of a government. Few then, however, could have…

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In Brief: Sudan ends 63-year Israeli boycott law

Posted 20 April, 2021 in Analysis, Coexistence, Israel, Middle East, Peace process
Sudanese flag, public domain. The Sudanese government voted to annul its so-called Israel boycott law on Monday, in the latest development in the two countries’ diplomatic normalisation process. The decision to scrap the law, dating from 1958, was confirmed earlier this month by the Sudanese prime minister’s office, which also affirmed Sudan’s support for a two-state solution…

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In Brief: Iran nuclear talks continue as enrichment increases

Posted 20 April, 2021 in Analysis, Iran, Middle East
Negotiations about Iranian Nuclear Program, US State Department, Public domain. Discussions to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal continued this weekend, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent fissile purity. The IAEA announced it had “verified that Iran has begun the production of UF6, enriched up to 60%…

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Analysis: Is time running out for Netanyahu?

Posted 20 April, 2021 in Analysis, Israel, Israeli Politics
Photo: Crown Copyright, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 With two weeks left to form a government, Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a major blow on Monday when his supporters lost a key vote which effectively cost them control of the Knesset. The loss increased speculation that the long-serving prime minister's days in office are numbered. What happened The anti-Netanyahu bloc secured…

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