The Closest Advisor to ex-PM Netanyahu Took the Stand for the Trial: Nir Hefetz was Netanyahu’s assistant and consultant while Netanyahu was PM and also minister of communication. The prosecution is trying to prove that Netanyahu was involved in a bribery deal with the owner of one of Israel’s most popular and highly distributed news sites. Hefetz testified how Netanyahu, his wife Sara and his son Yair used to give orders on how and what to cover on the news site, on how the news site should favor the family, and in return they expected him to decide in their favor when they needed the approval of the ministry of communication to close a deal that benefited them in millions.
Netanyahu was present, unlike many other sessions of the court, and he was accompanied by some Likud members of Knesset.
Meanwhile the state attorney decided that Netanyahu has to return about 300,000 US dollars to his cousin, because this is considered an unlawful present. Netanyahu claimed that he needed the money to cover his expenses for the trial, but the state attorney decided that he could not receive such an amount of money as Prime Minister.
An Israeli Man Was Shot to Death in Jerusalem, in What Was Defined as a Terrorist Attack, Four Others were Injured: The attacker was a teacher in a school in Jerusalem, a father of 4 and an observant Muslim who was affiliated with the Hamas movement. His profile did not match the usual profile of a terrorist, mainly because he was a father of four and an educator. This event caused some panic in Israel, mainly because the Hamas movement, which is defined in Israel and in many other countries as an unlawful terrorist organization, hardly operates in Jerusalem and this may signal a new and dangerous direction for Hamas. It also created concern among the municipality as to the identity of the teachers in Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem. Soon after the attack, when security forces filled the streets of Jerusalem and during the funeral of the attacker, there were severe riots in one of the largest refugee camps in northern Jerusalem.
Israel Begins Vaccination Drive for Children 5-11 as Infection Rate Climbs: An inoculation drive for children 5-11 years-old kicked off earlier this week, with 2.5% of children in this age group vaccinated. One of the first to receive the Pfizer shot was David Bennett, the Prime Minister’s 9-year-old son. This, while the reproduction rate of the virus rose to 1.04, and as senior health officials voiced concerns over the spread of the new South African variant. Using clowns, 3-D goggles and other perks, health officials hope parents will decide to inoculate their children, despite their concerns, and although most children infected with COVID-19 showed light symptoms. To reassure parents, Covid czar Salman Zarka said that “more than 3 million children have been vaccinated in the US and we are seeing effective results." This week the chief medical advisor to the US President, Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke highly on the Israeli health policy in terms of fighting the COVID19. He did that in a Zoom interview in a local conference in Israel.
Government Announces 50% Pay Increase for Soldiers in Conscripted Service: Ministers of Finance and Defense announced that IDF conscripts will receive the increase in what the IDF refers to as “subsistence fees” by January 2022. While sources say that the budgetary source for this increase is yet to be found, it comes in response to public uproar over the generous boost for the pensions of retired career officers and following a new poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute, indicating that for the first time, more Jewish Israelis support a professional volunteer army, over the current framework of compulsory conscription for all. The survey findings also show that the majority of Jewish Israelis believe that the IDF is ethical and good at fulfilling its operative tasks, but bad at managing funds. It is important to mention in this context that joining the army is mandatory in Israel for all 18 year old man and women.
Israeli TV Series “Tehran” Wins Emmy Award for Best Drama: the thriller, a production of the Kann 11 public TV channel, was picked by Apple TV for global screening. It tells the story of a young Israeli Mossad female agent sent on an undercover mission to Iran to deactivate a nuclear reactor and falls in love with an Iranian man. At the International Emmy Awards ceremony, executive producer Dana Eden said: “‘Tehran’ is not only an espionage series, it’s also about understanding the human behind your enemy”. Following the award ceremony, production team members flew to Athens, where the cast and crew are shooting the second season of the thriller.
For more reading:
Netanyahu’s trial: Here, here, here, here
Killing in Jerusalem: Here, here, here,
COVID-19: Here, here, here, here
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