Security and Intelligence Seniors Express Concern from an Escalation in Individual Terrorist Actions: Five individual attacks by Palestinians on Israelis, mainly in Jerusalem, in the last five weeks, triggered the question as to whether this is a new wave of terror.
The tension between Palestinians and Israelis rose last month after cases of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villagers and human rights activists centered mainly around the annual olive harvest.
On Thursday a 15 year old Palestinian school girl stabbed an Israeli Jewish mother. The two are neighbors in one of Jerusalem’s most explosive places, Sheik Jarrah. Israeli settlers are taking over more and more houses in the neighborhood, while pushing out the Palestinians who have lived there for decades. This is backed by a lawsuit in which a Jewish non-profit organization is claiming ownership of many houses in the area.
Meanwhile senior security officials decided not to define the new reality as a new wave of violence. All the incidents were committed by individual Palestinians and it is almost impossible to track them in advance and prevent their deeds.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Ganz and Head of Mossad David Barnea Headed to Washington DC for Talks With American Officials as the Talks with Iran Resume: After the first round of talks there was a gap and a difference of opinion between Israel and the US on how to conduct the talks and how to further pressure Iran so it will agree to international monitoring of its nuclear plants.
Before flying to the US, the head of Mossad firmly stated, that Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear attack ability. It seems like Israel is trying to convince US officials to take more serious steps against Iran, and do everything they can to prevent it from becoming a nuclear superpower.
On the other hand, former PM, Ehud Barak claimed in an article in a newspaper that Israel has to change its approach due to the new reality on the ground and that Israel should not get into a conflict with the US.
Netanyahu’s Close Adviser Continued his Testimony Under Cross Examination, Revealing How Influential Yair Netanyahu, the ex PM son, Was: The witness, Nir Hefetz told the panel of three judges that at a certain point he decided to resign. This was when he witnessed how Netanyahu’s son, Yair, made his father take a diplomacy based decision that resulted in a major crisis with Jordan, and was about to cause an explosion around The Temple Mount.
According to the witness, Netanyahu’s decision resulted in the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Jordan and since then, Jordanian King Abdullah has refused to speak, meet or coordinate with Netanyahu or Israel. It is important to state that Jordan and Israel have an agreement which is considered an important strategic security deal.
COVID-19: A Spike in the Number of New Cases, Longer Isolation Period for Those Infected with the Omicron Variant. Israel saw the highest number of new cases, following the return of students to school after the Hannukah break. PM Bennett announced that the mandatory isolation period for those returning from abroad, and diagnosed with COVID-19, will be extended to 10 days, and 14 days for those infected with the Omicron variant. Also, the “green outline” -designed to allow schools to remain open during spikes in infection rate, will not apply to classes with more than two students diagnosed positive for COVID-19, or to cases of Omicron. In a special cabinet session, PM Bennett also addressed the low inoculation rates among children aged 5-12, and urged the ministry of health to set objectives for the vaccination of this age group. Due to both the trend of a spike in new cases, and the concern over the spread of the Omicron variant, the cabinet may consider posing additional restrictions.
Israeli Businessman Suspected of Multiple Sex Trafficking Offences: Crypto entrepreneur and owner of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, Moshe Hogeg, has been in police custody for the past three weeks. Hogeg was arrested following a breakthrough in an undercover investigation by the police central fraud unit, and after one of his former business associate and childhood friends, claimed that the Hogeg crypto coin enterprises were in fact used for money laundering and extravagant spending sprees. Earlier this week, the police made public the long list of offences he is suspected of, including human trafficking, pimping, statutory rape, administering drugs to minors, and more. According to police officers involved in the investigation, Hogeg filmed the women who were brought to the brothel he ran out of a posh apartment in Tel Aviv and shared the footage with guests.
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