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In brief: Police clashes as anti-Bibi protests enter eleventh week

  Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Last Saturday, about 20,000 protesters gathered outside Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem. With parallel gatherings held outside Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea and at over 300 bridges and major intersections nationwide, the demonstrations are in their eleventh consecutive week. Activists are calling on the prime minister to…

LFI Director: My progressive values mean I support Labour — and Israel

LFI director Michael Rubin has written in the Jewish Chronicle. Click here to view the original. This week I start as Director of LFI. After five years of Jeremy Corbyn, and 10 years of increasingly right-wing government in Israel, friends of Israel have questioned if they can still find a home in Labour, while progressives have…

In Brief: Israeli-made Nano COVID breath test spots every carrier in trial

CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons In a potentially significant development, a rapid Israeli COVID-19 breath test successfully completed clinical trials, according to a newly peer-reviewed study. The device uses nanotechnology to identify compounds from the lung that are present in the breath of coronavirus patients, and is being developed by Prof. Hossam…

In Brief: Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached after weeks of Gaza balloon attacks

Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group, announced on Monday night that they had agreed a ceasefire with Israel. Shortly after Hamas’s statement, Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians tacitly confirmed the agreement, saying it would reopen the border crossing, including to fuel deliveries, as well as the Gaza fishing zone to the full 15-nautical-mile limit. “This decision…

In Brief: Israel covid death toll rises as ministers consider easing weekend rules

Image: Alissa Eckert, MSMI; Dan Higgins, MAMS, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons Israel saw the deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic this week, as ministers prepared to meet today to consider a relaxation of some weekend restrictions. On Tuesday, the Health Ministry announced that 15 people died on Monday, the highest single-day death toll since the pandemic…

In Brief: Likud party “approaching bankruptcy” as it fires staff and sells assets

Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is "approaching bankruptcy", a former official has told the Jerusalem Post. The party is believed to be firing staff, facing huge debts to the banks and suppliers, and considering selling assets. The Likud, which has led Israel's government since 2009, is believed to have been hit hard financially by the country's…

Analysis: Israel’s anti-Bibi protests grow in size 

Photo: Or Barenholtz, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Thousands of Israelis joined demonstrations calling for Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation on Saturday night. An estimated 10,000 people rallied outside the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem – the largest gathering yet since the wave of protests started six weeks ago. There were also demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Haifa,…

In Brief: Israel and Hezbollah in clash on northern border after Syria airstrike

Israel successfully repelled a Hezbollah attack on its northern border on Monday amid rising tensions between the Jewish state and the Iranian-backed terror group. A spokesperson for the IDF said about five Hezbollah operatives had crossed several metres into Israel in the Har Dov area, also known as Shaba Farms, in the Golan Heights. The…

In Brief: We turned down $15bn aid because we wouldn’t disarm, says Hamas

Photo: council.gov.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The head of Hamas has admitted it refused a recent offer of $15bn in aid for Gaza because it was conditioned on the terror group giving up its arms. Ismail Hahniye said that the proposed aid package also contained a pledge that Israel and Egypt would lift their…

In Brief: Netanyahu believed angling for new elections as budget deadline nears

Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to be angling to dissolve his newly formed "unity government" and plunge Israel into new elections - the fourth in just under 18 months. The prime minister and his centrist coalition partner, Benny Gantz, are locked in an increasingly acrimonious dispute over the budget…