The mysterious Fate of Israeli Air Force Navigator, Ron Arad, Generated Public Attention Due to the Exposure by PM Bennett of a Mossad Operation. Arad was captured in Lebanon on October 16, 1986 when a bomb dropped by his F-4 Phantom II apparently exploded prematurely and damaged his plane. Israel did not succeed over the years in tracking his whereabouts, nor did it succeed in reaching out to any organization that claimed they held him in order to cut a deal. Arad became a famous Israeli icon that mainly reflects the failure of the state to care for soldiers who are sent into battle, even after their death and captivity. His mysterious disappearance is a central part of the collective and leadership conscious.
At his opening speech to the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) on Monday, PM Bennett announced that the Israeli Mossad executed a successful operation, but did not manage to find new clues about Arad. It was later published in foreign media that the operation included the kidnapping and investigation of an Iranian expert who allegedly had some information concerning Arad. The Mossad took him to an African country where they interrogated him, but he had nothing to tell and was sent back. This of course raised the already heated tension between Israel and Iran.
The Israeli Knesset (the parliament) Opened it’s Winter Session on Monday with Opening Speeches by PM Bennett and Opposition Leader, Netanyahu. The coalition must pass the state budget by the end of November. This is the main challenge that will reflect the ability of the coalition, composed of nine parties with deep ideological differences, to agree on a state budget. If they fail, the government will fall and the coalition will disintegrate.
New Inter-Ministerial Task Force Established to Address Firearm Violence in The Arab Community, As the Death Toll Continues to Rise: the task force, headed by PM Naftali Bennett, is comprised of ministers and senior officials in the Prime Minister’s office, Homeland Security, Justice Ministry, the army (IDF) and the Central Security Service (Shin Bet), yet it does not include senior Arab officials. In the task force’s inaugural meeting earlier this week, PM Bennett announced that the army, and the Shin Bet will play a key role in cracking down on illegal firearm violence and crime in the Arab community. Civil rights groups expressed their reservations and concerns regarding the involvement of military and security agencies and their engagement with civilians. IDF and Shin Bet officials said that their involvement will be limited and will focus on helping the police with intelligence and surveillance technology and will not engage with civilians.
As violence in Arab communities continues to take lives, PM Bennett said, in the inaugural meeting of the task force, that he expects full cooperation: “The state, he said, has "now been recruited to defend its Arab citizens from the plague of crime, from illegal weapons, from murder and extortion. It will take a lot of time, effort, and resources…but we're on it. We are working, and we will continue to work."
Day Care Workers End Five-day Strike, As More Than 2.500 Medical Doctors in Training Submit Resignation Letters to Minister of Health: day care workers in state-run pre-K institutions ended their five-day strike after reaching an agreement with the government, which includes a one-off grant, and negotiations for raising salaries in 2022. The workers protested against difficult working conditions, a severe shortage of staff and low salaries.
The doctors in training (interns) strike evolved into a full blown labor dispute, as 2,500 interns from around the country handed in their resignation letters, addressed to Minister of Health, Nitzan Horowitz. The interns’ main demand was to reduce their 26-hours shifts, claiming they cannot provide patients with proper medical care when they are exhausted and unfocused. While the ministers of health and economy were quick the celebrate the compromise offered by the government, the interns rejected the deal, to gradually cut down the shifts, primarily in hospitals in the periphery, to 18 hours, by 2026.
Israeli Film and TV Academy Announced the Winning Film that Will Represent Israel in the Competition for the Oscar Nominations for Best Foreign Film. The winning film is “Let It Be Morning”, from director Eran Kolirin. The film is based on a book by Israeli-Arab author, Sayed Kashua. The film tells the story of an Israeli-Arab family, that are caught in a surreal situation while staying at a family wedding in the Arab village. But the film also tells the story of the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian Territories. It has some political layers, of course, mainly because it deals with what may be seen as dissonance between Palestinian identity and being citizens of the state of Israel that is defined as a Jewish state. The award has already raised controversy, when leading voices from the political right argued that the State of Israel should not support a film that exposes to the world such a negative picture of Israel.
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