PM Lapid Puts the Two State Solution Back on the Israeli and International Agenda: In his address to the UN assembly on Thursday, Lapid said that he supports the two state solution as the only mechanism to solve the conflict with the Palestinians.
As was expected, right-wing and some coalition parties attacked this idea, claiming that the majority of the public in Israel is against the two state solution, and that this is both not the right time to reintroduce this approach, and that there is no partner for peace. Some analysts argue that Lapid’s statement was solely intended to benefit his election campaign and to reach out to the peace-camp voters.
Lapid also conducted some important one-on-one meetings with some key leaders. He met with Jordans King Abdullah, and discussed with him some measures to calm down the Palestinians on the ground.
He met Turkish President Erdogan, the first meeting of an Israeli PM and the Turkish leader since 2008. The relations between Israel and Turkey have warmed up in the last few months.
He also had a meeting with the new British PM, Truss, who promised to consider moving the UK embassy to Jerusalem. This is a very controversial stand, since it de facto recognizes the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel. President Trump was the first to order the move of the US embassy to East Jerusalem. No other important state has followed that step.
Lapid also used his stay in New York to meet with key leaders of American Jewry.
An 84 Year Old Woman Was Murdered By a Palestinian in What is Defined as a Terrorist Attack: The woman was hit on her head until she died. This happened in one of the main streets of Holon, a city of 200,000 South of Tel Aviv. The attacker then fled from the scene and was later found dead in the entrance to a building in Tel Aviv. He reportedly committed suicide by hanging.
Another Palestinian tried to break through the checkpoint at the entrance to Ben Gurion International Airport, and was caught at the last minute.
These are only a few of the security events that illustrate the growing tensions in the Occupied Territories. Intelligence analysts point to the weakening of the Palestinian Authority and emphasize the fact that it is no longer in control of the different factions and operators on the ground.
Sinkhole in Tel Aviv Highway: a large sinkhole opened on the Ayalon highway in the middle of Tel Aviv, causing chaos and traffic jams, but no injuries. The police blocked several lanes on the highway, while the sinkhole was filled and sealed, which caused further disruption to traffic and public transportation services. Minister of Transportation, Merav Michaeli (Labor) confirmed that the sinkhole was not caused by infrastructure works conducted by the ministry. According to an initial assessment, the sinkhole was caused by construction work by commercial developers, the Azrieli Group, who own the shopping mall and office towers near the highway junction where the sinkhole opened.
On the Eve of the Jewish New Year (Sunday evening), the Israeli Census Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Published Some data on Israel and Israelis. Here Are Some of Them:
Total population of Israel is 9.593 million people, is expected to pass ten million towards the end of 2024, and fifteen million in 2048 (which will be the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel).
74% of the population are Jews, 21% (2 million) are Arabs and 5% are defined as others.
Annual population growth stands at two percent and is due to a combination of the fertility rate of three children per woman, and immigration of Jews to Israel.
Israeli Cinema Awards Announced, “Cinema Sabaya” to Represent Israel in Oscar Race: Israel’s Ophir national cinema award ceremony took place earlier this week in Tel Aviv, announcing the winners of the Israeli Academy for Film. A record number of films entered this year’s competition, as well as a record number of films created by women directors. The winner, “Cinema Sabaya”, directed by Orit Fouks Rotem, tells the story of a group of Jewish and Arab women who participate in a video workshop. The film won in several major categories, including best feature, best director, and best supporting actress, Joana Said, for her portrayal of an Arab woman who dreams of getting a driver’s license and becoming independent of her husband. The best actor award was given to Rita Shukroun for her lead role in “Karaoke”. Culture and Sport Minister Chili Tropper presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Lena Chaplin, the 88-year-old who is the most senior director and screenwriter in Israel.
We would like to wish our Jewish readers a happy and sweet New Year, G’mar Hatima Tova, and an easy fast.
שנה טובה ומתוקה, גמר חתימה טובה וצום קל
Further Reading:
Lapid at the UN: Here, here, here, here
Here is a link in which you can watch Lapid’s address to the UN (on Youtube): Here