Seven Positive Cases with the New COVID Variant Omicron were Discovered in Israel this Week: The Israeli government issued new restrictions to try and contain the spread of the new variant. Among the new restrictions; a ban on tourists and non-Israelis from entering the country, a mandatory quarantine of three days on every Israeli returning from abroad, with an additional two PCR negative tests to end quarantine. The government also issued a list of countries to which Israelis cannot go (red countries), and banned Israelis from travel to any African country, except for those in North Africa.
Meanwhile the family of PM Bennett attracted public attention, when his wife Gilat took their children abroad for a short vacation. Many criticized her decision since PM Bennett called on Israelis to avoid traveling abroad as long as it is still not clear if the vaccine is effective for the new variant as well.
The cabinet and health authorities decided to renew the use of the Shin Bet’s (secret service) mechanism to impose electronic surveillance on people who are infected with the new variant, in order to track all the people they met and place them in quarantine. This decision is extensively disputed in Israel for being an intrusive act that deeply violates personal privacy. Israel is the only democracy that uses such a mechanism. PM Bennett and Health Minister Horwitz announced on Thursday that Israel would stop using the surveillance technology as it was only intended for a brief period during the initial spread of Omicron.
The Iranian Nuclear Talks that were Renewed in Vienna were One of the Topics on the Public Agenda: Israel is closely following the nuclear talks in Vienna between the world powers who were party to the 2015 JCPOA deal and Iran. Foreign minister Yair Lapid made a trip to Europe to try and convince the European leaders of Israel’s concerns about the progress Iran has made towards obtaining its first nuclear bomb.
Meanwhile PM Bennett called on US foreign minister Blinken not to surrender to Iran’s blackmail, and called on the western countries not to bend towards Iran’s demand to lift the sanctions as a first step of goodwill.
It is important to mention in this context that former PM Netanyahu pressured the former Trump administration to break the nuclear deal with Iran, which they did. Now it is clear to most of the specialists and analysts that this was an ill advised step to take, that the reality now is much worse than it was before Trump cancelled the 2015 JCPOA deal, and that Iran has managed to get much closer to obtaining nuclear weapons capacity than it was four years ago.
Netanyahu’s Trial Continued, With the Cross Examination of his Former Closest Advisor and Consultant: the witness broke into tears time and again on the stand, while he was describing how the police investigation was “pushing him to the wall”. He told the judges how the police detectives threatened him to tell his side of the story and if not, they will destroy him and his family. He also asked that the press not be present when he describes how he was treated, and the judges agreed to hear him behind closed doors only for a short while. His testimony generated intensive debate as to whether the pressure on him was illegal and whether that in itself disqualifies all his testimony. But the witness kept saying that although he was strongly pressured, he did not say anything that was not true, and that all his testimony is the truth and the whole truth.
The witness described how Netanyahu and his family were obsessed by what and how they were covered in the media and made every effort to influence their coverage in a corrupt manner. The witness told the court that Netanyahu held hostage the owner of one of Israel most distributed news websites with ministerial decisions that benefited the business man with substantial profits, until after the general elections, in order to get positive coverage from him.
President Herzog Lights First Candle of Hanukah in Hebron, IDF Blocks Protesters from Site: stirring criticism from left wing activists and politicians, Herzog lit the first candle of the Jewish holiday of Hanukah at the Tomb of the Patriarchs where, according to Jewish tradition, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob were buried, at the heart of the old city of Hebron. In Muslim tradition, the site is called the Abrahamic Sanctuary or Mosque, and serves as a holy place of prayer for both religions. In 1994, American Israeli far right physician Dr. Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 and injured 125 Palestinians during prayer at the site. Critics claimed that Hebron, and specifically the far-right Jewish settlement amidst Palestinian residents, is a source of political controversy. Herzog arrived at the site by helicopter, while human rights and peace protesters were blocked by the IDF from reaching the site. In his speech, following the candle lighting, Herzog said the Jewish connection to Hebron was “unquestionable”, and went on to speak of the hope for peace: “We all have shared roots from this cave. Especially today, and especially here, in this holy space dedicated to all sons of Abraham, we must continue dreaming of peace, between all faiths and creeds in this land, and to condemn any type of hatred or violence.”
Senior Officer Suspected of Filming Female Soldiers Discharged from the IDF: Lt. Col. Dan Sharoni, head of the IDF driving academy was arrested earlier this week, following allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, for clandestine filming of female soldiers in intimate situations. The IDF opened an investigation, but although Sharoni has not yet been indicted, the army made an irregular move by summarily dismissing him, which, according to the media, is an indication that the evidence against him is strongly incriminating. Suspicions against Sharoni span several years, during which he allegedly filmed female soldiers, using hidden cameras he installed in their barracks and in bathrooms. He is also suspected of saving intimate photos of female soldiers under his command on his cellphone.
For further reading:
Omicron: Here, here, here, here
Nuclear talks: Here, here, here, here
Netanyahu’s Trial: Here, here, here
President Herzog: Here, here, here, here