Israel Weekly News Roundup May 4, 2023
5 Things you need to know
Another Round of Security Escalation Between Israel and Gaza, Due to the Death of a Palestinian Detainee from his Hunger Strike: Close to one hundred rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad and Hamas from Gaza towards southern Israel. The current escalation is a response from the Palestinian organizations in Gaza to the death of an Islamic Jihad Palestinian activist, who died in Israel while under administrative detention. The prisoner, who started a hunger strike 85 days ago, died of hunger. He protested as a challenge to the Israeli security forces to press charges against him, if they have any proof that he participated in terror. Israel preferred to arrest him and place him in administrative detention, and did not indict him. His death made him a hero in the eyes of the Palestinians who fight against the occupation. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are seen as political detainees, and have high status among the Palestinian leadership and the people. In a sequel to his death, the Islamic organizations in Gaza decided to retaliate, Israeli residents in southern Israel had to spent hours in shelters. Israel responded and bombed the usual targets in Gaza. This security event lasted 24 hours, and due to the mediation by Egypt, the parties reached a cease fire.
Otsma Yehudit (Jewish Power), the most extreme party in the coalition decided to boycott the votes in the Knesset on Wednesday as a protest against what they called a security failure from the government.
Summer Session of the Knesset (parliament) Opened on Monday with Speeches from PM Netanyahu and the Head of the Opposition Yair Lapid: The main focus of the current session for the government is to pass the state budget for 2023-2024 by the end of May. If the government does not meet the deadline, the government automatically dissolves and Israel will enter an election campaign. PM Netanyahu is doing all he can to gather all the parties votes, so there are no defections. His main concern now is the threat from the Haredi party, the ultra orthodox Ashkenazi party who have stipulated a condition. They will vote for the budget only after the coalition passes a law that releases young Haredi males from their obligation to be conscripted to the army at the age of eighteen. Under current legislation, military service is mandatory for every eighteen year old Jew in Israel, male and female alike. Releasing a whole sector from this obligations must be done through legislation. The secular liberals who meet their obligation for full military service and in addition give tens of days annually as reservists, protest against this policy demanding equality in sharing the military burden.
Meanwhile the protests in the street continue, and since the Knesset reconvened, there is an escalation in the demonstrations, and there are more demonstrations directed against government and coalition members.
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Israel Sees Surge in Deadly Violence, Arab Communities Most Affected: five people were killed in one day this week from firearms violence. This brings the total number of people killed in violent crimes since the beginning of 2023 to ninety, more than double compared with the same time period last year. Sixty eight of the victims are Arab citizens. According to police sources, most of them were casualties of gang feuds.
Israel has also seen a surge in femicide, with thirteen women killed since the beginning of the year. An Arab woman, Bara’ah Jaber Masarwa, 26, and two sons, Amir, 2, Adam, 6 months, were slain by stabbing. The husband was detained by Police. A Jewish woman, 68, was murdered in her apartment. The government is expected to introduce a revised version of the ‘electronic bracelet law’, following criticism from women’s groups, as well as the ministry of welfare. Critics claim that the law drafted by Ben Gvir’s office will not provide the necessary protections for women threated by their abusive partners.
Arab political leaders slammed minister of national security Itamar Ben Gvir (Jewish Power) for his failure to address firearm violence and personal safety in Arab communities, as he promised in his election campaign.
Israeli Airforce Launches Attack on Aleppo Airport in Syria: SANA, Syria’s state new agency, reported that Israeli air force combat planes targeted the international airport in Aleppo. According to SANA, one Syrian soldier was killed, and seven others wounded, and the airport was taken out of service due to heavy damage. Israel did not make any official statement on the recent attack to international media outlets.
However, Israeli media reports that while the Israeli army does not comment on specific air strikes in Syria, it has informed of numerous sorties in recent months, and in the past decade, against Iranian backed military groups who are seeking to gain a foothold in Syria.
Israeli Undercover Military Unit Entered Palestinian Town Nablus and Killed Three: An IDF (Israel Defense Force) unit disguised as local Palestinians received inside information on the exact location of a hidden terrorist squad that killed a Jewish mother and her two daughters a month ago in the West Bank. The operation was extremely successful, due to the fact that the unit was not exposed, no Israeli soldier was hurt, and the Palestinians who were responsible for the killing were found and shot to death. The terrorist attack a month ago killed three members of the same family, the mother and two of her daughters. The family decided in a very generous act to donate the mother’s organs. The military operation in Nablus was filmed and the footage was headlines in all media outlets in Israel.
