PM Bennett on the First Visit of an Israeli PM to United Arab Emirates (UAE): PM Bennett travelled for a short visit of 24 hours, during which he met with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu-Dhabi. This is the first meeting between the Crown Prince and an Israeli PM after signing the Abraham Accords and establishing official diplomatic relations between the two states. The two leaders discussed the relations between the two countries and the worrying developments in Iran with their advancing nuclear capacity.
The Abraham Accords were signed in a ceremonial event at the White House during the Trump era and the US President was the main initiator of the deal, while former PM Netanyahu was still in office. Netanyahu tried to schedule the visit to the UAE shortly before the general elections in what was seen as an attempt to cultivate popularity among his constituency, but the Emirates refused to meet with him in what was seen as an attempt to influence the elections in Israel.
Concerns Over Spread of Covid Omicron Variant: Israeli Government to Impose New Restrictions: as health officials voiced concerns over the failure of attempts to block the spread of the Omicron variant, the government plans to impose immediate restrictions on shopping malls, compulsory quarantines for those returning from abroad and entry bans for tourists arriving from red countries. With rising criticism from the tourism industry, the government has opened a new front requiring shopping mall owners, to apply “green pass” entry restrictions to malls. However, harsh resistance from mall owners caused the government to relent and apply less stringent restrictions. With the list of red countries updated daily, the government decided to exempt Jewish tourism groups, such as Birthright, from the entry ban. The decision to allow only Jewish tourism generated criticism from Christian groups and tourism sites preparing to host visitors during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
A Week of Violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Minister of Homeland Security Takes Heat from Right Wing Leaders Over Open Criticism of Settler Violence: This week has seen a rise in violence between Palestinians and Jewish settlers. On Thursday night, a Jewish man was shot dead, and two others injured in a drive-by shooting by Palestinians near the Chumash illegal post in the OPT, the West Bank. Earlier this week, a fourteen year-old Palestinian girl, resident of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood stabbed and wounded a Jewish woman in her twenties. Police reported that the girl, now facing charges, is a member of a family served with an eviction notice from their home, to take effect before the end of the month. According to human rights groups and official sources, settler violence towards Palestinians in South Hebron hills and the villages surrounding the Palestinian city of Yata has spiked in 2021. Minister of Homeland Security, Omer Bar Lev (Labor), said, in a meeting with Victoria Nuland, the US undersecretary for political affairs, that settler violence was a “real issue” that requires firm action from the Israeli government. His statement sparked criticism from opposition right-wing leaders, as well as from members of the government coalition, including PM Bennett, and Minister of Internal Affairs, Ayelet Shaked (Yemina). Yet, while Bennet and Shaked stated that settler violence was a “non-issue” and slammed Bar Lev for indiscriminately criticizing all settlers, described by many as pioneers who hold the frontlines of Israel’s security, Minister of Defense Gantz and Omer Bar Lev agreed to increase police force deployments in the West Bank to deal with the attacks.
A Committee of Ministers Decided to Remove the State Provided Bodyguards of Former PM Netanyahu’s Nuclear Family Members: The State had previously provided bodyguards for Netanyahu’s wife Sarah and two sons Yair and Avner. This security support was provided by a special unit after Netanyahu became PM twelve years ago. The protection was accompanied by cars and drivers that were supplied to provide for all their needs.
When Netanyahu lost power and became the opposition leader, the committee of ministers decided to extend the security guards for six months. Netanyahu and his family tried to convince the public and the committee that they are threatened by left wing supporters. Netanyahu even uploaded a short video in which he begged for understanding claiming that if the security is lifted his family members will be in immediate danger. But all the security and intelligent state agencies stated that there is no immediate or any other direct threat to any of the family members.
In Israel, having an individual guard provided by the state is considered, among other things, a symbol of status, and most analysts claimed that the Netanyahu’s did not want to lose all the prestige and privileges that accompanied the title of PM.
Youth Take to the Streets in Tel Aviv in Support of Girls Allegedly Sexually Assaulted by 15-Year-Old High School Student: a 15-year-old student in an elite high school in Tel Aviv was detained last week, following media reports of alleged cases of sexual assault and rape of girl students. According to media outlets, the alleged perpetrator was expelled from one school over cases of sexual violence, moved to a new school, and allegedly attacked several fellow female students. Earlier this week, thousands of teens held a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv, in support of the girls who came forward and complained, holding signs and chanting slogans: “We believe you”, and “No garment is an invitation for rape”.
For further reading:
Bennett at UAE: Here, here, here, here
Omicron: Here, here, here, here, here