Israel Update 30.10.19

IRANIAN THREAT

The IDF Chief of Staff has warned that Israel is facing a threat of conflict in both the north and the south. He said “The main strategic threat to the State of Israel lies in the northern arena: with the entrenchment of Iranian and other forces in Syria, and with [the Hezbollah terror group’s] precision missile project,” referring to an effort by the Iran-backed Lebanese militia to develop highly accurate long-range projectiles. Read more here

Israel has an operational system to protect against cruise missiles like the ones used by Iran to attack the Saudi oil installations.The Barak-8ER system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries was recently upgraded and is now operational. Read more here

The U.S. killing of Isis leader al-Baghdadi is an “impressive” intelligence and operational feat, but for Israel, Iran – not ISIS – is the main threat in the Middle East, the former head of IDF Military Intelligence and currently director of the Institute for National Security Studies said. Read more here

GAZA

Several thousand Gazans demonstrated Friday along the border with several hundred rioting and throwing rocks and explosive devices at IDF soldiers. The soldiers responded with tear gas and occasional live fire. Read more here

An armed Gazan at the March of Return reportedly photographed near the security fence. Read more here

U.S. UN Ambassador Kelly Craft told the Security Council: “Hamas [is] a terrorist organization that oppresses the Palestinian people in Gaza through intimidation and outright violence, while inciting violence against Israel. Hamas is one of the largest obstacles to real peace and prosperity for Palestinians, and to the resolution of this conflict….Hamas has brutally beaten peaceful protestors, raided homes, and detained organizers and journalists advocating for better living standards…””Every Friday, Hamas encourages minors to join riots at the security fence, hoping that violence will erupt, and that the children will be injured or even killed as a result, thereby feeding their propaganda machine. A more cynical and shameful approach could not be devised. This is child abuse, plain and simple.” Read more here

Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday to intercept a UAV that was flying over Gaza at an unusually high altitude of 4 km. (12,000 feet). Read more here

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Visiting Israel to inaugurate his airline’s new daily route from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, Sir Richard Branson opened up a “Come Flea with Me” travel agency stand at Jaffa’s Flea Market, haggling with Israelis and offering discounted flight tickets. Read more here

MEDICAL CO-OPERATION WITH CYPRUS

When a Cypriot police officer was shot in the spine in the line of duty, it became clear that more intensive treatment was necessary to treat his critical condition. Cypriot medical officials didn’t hesitate to airlift him to Sheba Medical Centre in Israel. After being treated and rehabilitated at Sheba, the police officer is now recovering at home in Cyprus. That wounded officer is just one example of many special patients who are sent to Israel as part of the ever-blossoming medical cooperation between the countries. Read more here

CO-OPERATION & CO-EXISTENCE

Every day, 130,000 Palestinians cross into Israel from the West Bank to work for some 8,100 employers. Their employment is an important part of the West Bank economy. Palestinians working in Israel bring home $1.4 billion. Also, 36,000 Palestinians are employed in Israeli firms in the West Bank, where Israel has established several industrial zones, comprising around 1,000 businesses. This ongoing demonstration of Palestinian-Israeli joint activity on a massive scale is rarely referred to by the anti-normalization activists. Read more here

ARCHAEOLOGY

Officials from the Archaeology Unit at the Civil Administration, Israel’s governing body in the West Bank have saved a unique Second Temple archaeological site near Jericho from damage and destruction by stopping illegal construction there. …Last Thursday, illegal construction was also halted when a truck carrying equipment destined for a site near ancient Jewish burial caves was identified. Read more here

ATTACKS FOILED

A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli border police officers at Herod’s Gate in Jerusalem on Monday. The terrorist was shot and apprehended. Read more here

A Palestinian woman brandishing a knife tried to stab Israeli security forces Wednesday morning at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, and was shot and critically wounded by officers at the scene, Read more here

THE IDF

Col. “N” was named chief intelligence officer for the IDF Central Command on Monday, the first woman to hold such a position. Read more here

DEFENCE

The Israeli defence electronics firm Elbit has been selected to provide the Swiss army with a radio communications system. Read more here

THE UN

Natalia Nadal, an Israeli who has worked at the UN for 15 years, has been elected as chief of enabling and outreach services, overseeing the UN’s business intelligence operations. Read more here

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech parliament has passed a resolution which “strongly condemns all manifestations of anti-Semitism directed against individuals, religious institutions, organizations as well as the State of Israel, including the denial of the Holocaust; rejects any questioning of the State of Israel’s right of existence and defence” and “condemns all activities and statements by groups calling for a boycott of the State of Israel, its goods, services or citizens.” Read more here

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Tactile Mobility develops software that uses a vehicle’s non-visual sensors, including wheel speed, wheel angle, RPM and gear position to help smart and autonomous vehicles “feel” vehicle-road dynamics and road conditions below their tires.The company is collaborating with several manufacturers including Ford and Porsche as well as with municipalities and road authorities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Read more here

Approximately one-third of all vehicles worldwide include technology developed by French automotive supplier Faurecia.Leading customers for its seating, interior and clean mobility solutions include Volkswagen, Ford, Groupe PSA and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. Earlier this month, Faurecia established a Tel Aviv technology platform focusing on cybersecurity to accelerate its expertise and reinforce critical passenger safety and data security. Read more here

BRIDGE TECHNOLOGY

In the past couple of years, bridges collapsing have caused fatalities in Florida, China, Chile, Italy, Myanmar and Taiwan. Israeli startup Dynamic Infrastructure produces deep-learning image analysis which sends an automatic alert if potentially dangerous changes are detected. The company has contracts with departments of transportation, public-private partnerships and private companies in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Israel. Read more here

BEACH SAFETY

An Israeli startup leveraging computer vision technology Sightbit says it can prevent drowning by alerting lifeguards when swimmers are in danger through the use of a system of beach cameras. Lifeguards get a panoramic view of the water, the beach, and the swimmers, which allows the guards to make rapid rescues or prevent dangerous situations from escalating…Behind the scenes, Sightbit algorithms analyze the footage in real-time. When the system detects a threat —such as a rip current or a child alone in the water — it displays warnings on the screen or sounds alarms. Read more here

SPORT

Israeli kickboxer Yulia Sachkov won a gold medal at the world championships in Bosnia. Read more here

COMMENT & OPINION

Yoav Limor: Israel’s political-defence echelon is speaking with one voice about the threat posed by Iran. ..Over the past two years Iran has attempted to attack Israel four times. The current assessment is that Iranian strikes could be direct or, more likely, circuitous: from Syria or from Iraq; via terrorist attack, missile fire or drone strike, similar to the one in Saudi Arabia. ..If it sustains a serious blow, Israel could respond on Iranian soil, and this could boil over into a multi-front campaign against Hizbullah, and perhaps elements in Syria and Gaza as well. Read more here

Raphael Ahren and Adam Rasgon: Neither Israel nor Jordan has held a significant celebration marking the 25^thanniversary of the Peace Treaty signed on 26.10.1994. Among the Jordanian public, the treaty was always regarded with resentment andsuspicion. Relations between Amman and Jerusalem have never been frostier, analysts warn. Bilateral trade is declining. Despite the efforts of Jordan’s King Hussein, and, to a lesser extent, his successor, many Jordanians have never accepted Israel’s legitimacy.However, security and intelligence cooperation between Amman and Jerusalem is solid which has made Israel’s border with Jordan its quietest border, allowing for many other forms of cooperation related to agriculture, ecology and the environment to exist.” Read more here